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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e63ec40 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62548 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62548) diff --git a/old/62548-0.txt b/old/62548-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dec3117..0000000 --- a/old/62548-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8028 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of No. XIII; or, The Story of the Lost Vestal, by -Emma Marshall - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: No. XIII; or, The Story of the Lost Vestal - -Author: Emma Marshall - -Release Date: July 3, 2020 [EBook #62548] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL *** - - - - -Produced by Tim Lindell, David E. Brown, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - - - - - COLLECTION - OF - BRITISH AUTHORS - - TAUCHNITZ EDITION. - - VOL. 2388. - - No. XIII; OR, THE STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL - BY - EMMA MARSHALL. - - IN ONE VOLUME. - - - - -TAUCHNITZ EDITION. - -By the same Author, - - - MRS. MAINWARING’S JOURNAL 1 vol. - BENVENUTA 1 vol. - LADY ALICE 1 vol. - DAYSPRING 1 vol. - LIFE’S AFTERMATH 1 vol. - IN THE EAST COUNTRY 1 vol. - IN FOUR REIGNS 1 vol. - ON THE BANKS OF THE OUSE 1 vol. - IN THE CITY OF FLOWERS 1 vol. - ALMA 1 vol. - UNDER SALISBURY SPIRE 1 vol. - THE END CROWNS ALL 1 vol. - WINCHESTER MEADS 1 vol. - EVENTIDE LIGHT 1 vol. - WINIFREDE’S JOURNAL 1 vol. - BRISTOL BELLS 1 vol. - IN THE SERVICE OF RACHEL LADY RUSSELL 1 vol. - A LILY AMONG THORNS 1 vol. - PENSHURST CASTLE 1 vol. - KENSINGTON PALACE IN THE DAYS OF QUEEN MARY II. 1 vol. - THE WHITE KING’S DAUGHTER 1 vol. - THE MASTER OF THE MUSICIANS 1 vol. - AN ESCAPE FROM THE TOWER 1 vol. - A HAUNT OF ANCIENT PEACE 1 vol. - CASTLE MEADOW 1 vol. - IN THE CHOIR OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY 1 vol. - THE YOUNG QUEEN OF HEARTS 1 vol. - UNDER THE DOME OF ST. PAUL’S 1 vol. - THE PARSON’S DAUGHTER 1 vol. - - - - - NO. XIII; - OR, THE - STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL. - - BY - EMMA MARSHALL, - - AUTHOR OF “LIFE’S AFTERMATH,” “DAYSPRING,” - “IN THE EAST COUNTRY,” ETC. - - _COPYRIGHT EDITION._ - - - LEIPZIG - BERNHARD TAUCHNITZ - 1886. - - _The Right of Translation is reserved._ - - - “The darkness is past, - And the True Light now shineth.” - - “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good - works.” - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -Recent discoveries in the Roman Forum have brought to light many -interesting relics. Amongst these are the statues of the Vestales -Maximæ, of which, in spite of the efforts of the lime-burners and -stone-cutters of the Middle Ages, who were distinguished for their -work of wholesale destruction, thirty-six inscriptions, and fourteen -statues, have been discovered. - -The pedestals on which the statues were placed bear inscriptions, and -the names of the Vestales Maximæ whose virtues are recorded. - -There is one exception--the name is carefully erased--and we can know -her of whom so much is said in praise, only as _Number Thirteen_. - -An attempt has been made to clothe the memory of this Vestal with some -probable, though of course wholly fictitious, incidents; and to assume -as a certainty the idea, which has been thrown out as a possibility, -that her conversion to Christianity was discovered, and that one in -authority desired to leave no trace of her family or her name to future -generations. - -But, though her name has perished, her virtues remain engraven on the -imperishable stone, and these help us to call her before us, in all the -grace and dignity of a beautiful life, passed in the cloisters of the -Vestals’ home. - -The incidents which have gathered round her supposed history, are more -or less connected with the persecution and martyrdom of the Early -Church in Britain, and afterwards in Rome. - -A glance like this into the past may be made useful to the young -reader, if it should quicken a desire for the intelligent study of -history, and help the student to look upon the events of bygone ages as -they affected real men and women, who had the same hopes and fears, and -aims and ends, as we have, who are living so long after them. - -We are, naturally perhaps, too apt to think of those of whom we read in -these distant ages, as myths rather than as the brothers and sisters -of the one great family of God, to which we all belong. Their human -hearts beat with the same affections as ours, and through the mists of -superstition and ignorance the lamp of an undying love shines out here -and there, as a light in a dark place. - -Thus, through the symbol of the sacred fire, which the Vestals vowed -to keep for ever burning, we may see the foreshadowing of the mission -of every Christian woman, matron or maiden, whose high vocation it is -to keep the light of truth, purity, and love, for ever burning in her -daily life, and by giving light to those around fulfil the command of -her Master, when He said-- - -“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, -and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - Page - - CHAPTER I. A silent City 9 - - -- II. Night 21 - - -- III. The missing Slave 39 - - -- IV. Capture and Death 55 - - -- V. Claudius fulfils his Vow 72 - - -- VI. By Land and Sea 92 - - -- VII. Rome 105 - - -- VIII. Discipleship 122 - - -- IX. Dayspring 142 - - -- X. Sunset 161 - - -- XI. June, 313--The Festival of Vesta 177 - - -- XII. Vanishing 198 - - -- XIII. A.D. 333--Alexandria 211 - - -- XIV. The Cross 227 - - -- XV. The Crown of Light 240 - - -- XVI. Onward and Upward 248 - - -- XVII. Triumph 266 - - - - - No. XIII; - OR, - THE STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -A SILENT CITY. - - -There was silence in the city of Verulam on a bright summer day now -nearly sixteen hundred years ago. It was a strange silence which -reigned in the deserted streets of the old Roman city, which, with its -baths and public buildings, was reckoned one of the finest in that -sea-girt island, which the mistress of the world had made her own. - -A vast crowd had left the city gates at dawn on that cloudless morning -of early summer; women and children, stately matrons and tender -maidens, all poured out of the town towards a river, some in chariots, -many on foot, but all eager to get a good position on a flower-covered -hill where a scene which would fill their hearts with an unhealthful -excitement was to be enacted. For many of the Roman ladies, who wore -costly robes, and fared delicately, and were at once the envy and -admiration of the Britons, had inherited for the most part the passion -for a sight which would now blanch the cheeks of their descendants, and -fill their hearts with horror and shame. - -There are exceptions to every rule, and though at a first glance the -city looked entirely deserted, business and pleasure alike stopped, and -the forum and temples empty, yet from one or two of the houses of the -higher class of Roman nobility the inhabitants had not gone forth with -the multitude, but had preferred remaining at home. - -The villa of the noble Roman, Severus, was one of these; it was built, -like all Roman houses, round a square, which was open to the sky above. -A fountain played in the centre, and round the marble basin were -planted the golden iris with its long-pointed leaves, and palms with -their fan-like foliage; while the water-lilies, just opening their -rounded buds, were rocking on the water, as it rose and fell with a -gentle splash, pleasant to the ear and soothing to the spirit. - -Couches covered with rich stuffs were arranged round this outer hall or -“atrium,” and on one of them a lady was reclining; a little maiden of -eleven years old at her feet, and a slave standing by her side, with a -cup in one hand and a cloth in the other, fringed with gold lace, with -which she wiped the lips of her mistress when she sipped the draught -offered her, after nibbling at a sweet hard cake which she held in her -hand. - -The early sunshine had not yet come into the court, and the lady said, -shuddering-- - -“Another scarf, Ebba, it is so cold. Ah, me! how I long for the warmth -of my own country.” - -Ebba placed the salver on a shelf which was just behind the couch, and -taking a rich violet mantle from a carved chest threw it round her -mistress. - -“Is thy master gone with the multitude, and has he taken Casca with -him?” - -“Yes, lady, there is no one left in the house but myself and the child -Hyacintha.” - -At the sound of her name the young girl looked up. She had been so -engrossed with a chain of Venetian shells she was threading upon gold -silk, that she had apparently no thought for anything besides. - -“Mother!” she exclaimed, “tell me about the sight every one has gone -forth to see. Why could I not go? My father might have taken me with -Casca.” - -“Nay, Hyacintha, the crowd would have been too great. I dare not expose -thee to its dangers.” - -“The man who is to die is a very evil man, is he not, mother?” - -“Nay, child, I have not heard so much said.” - -Then the fair-haired British Ebba turned towards the child. - -“The man is a good man,” she said. “He gave bread to the hungry, he -clothed the naked, and he has perished because he would fain save the -life of his friend.” - -“Ah, that is noble!” said the little maiden with a light of interest -kindled in her clear eyes. “Ah! that is noble; why should he die?” - -“Thou art too young, my daughter, to understand the reason why a man -like this Alban should die. But the reason is good, nevertheless. The -old faith must be protected and defended, if it be possible.” - -Ebba’s lips were seen to move, but no sound passed them. - -“These Christians,” the lady continued, “are trying to upset, and pull -down, and destroy our religion and our worship; it is only meet that -they should be hindered from further mischief.” - -Again Ebba’s lips moved, and the child, looking up, thought she caught -the words-- - -“They cannot be hindered, for God is for them.” - -“Ebba is murmuring to herself, mother,” Hyacintha said. “Bid her to -speak so that we may hear.” - -But the curtain which fell over the entrance to the dining-hall was -seen to quiver as the British slave-girl disappeared behind it. - -Then the lady exclaimed, “I wish Ebba would take more heed of her ways, -for if she is defiled with the foreign superstitions, there will be -trouble for us. There is enough trouble as it is. Ah! me, why do people -make so much of religion? Jupiter or Apollo, or the Christian’s God, it -is all the same to me!” - -And the lady leaned back upon her pillow, and very soon the dark lashes -were resting on her cheeks, and she was wrapt in a gentle slumber. - -There are always people in all ages of the world of the same easy -temperament as this wife of the noble Severus. The city might be -deserted; the rage of a tyrannical governor might vent itself on the -brave and loyal-hearted Alban, by torture and death, but what did it -concern Cæcilia? - -As I said, many other ladies of her rank had gone out that day to -see the cruel sight, and to feast their eyes on a scene from which -delicately nurtured women might have been supposed to turn with -loathing. But Cæcilia, the wife of Severus, hated trouble, and looking -on life as one long festival, disliked to think of anything which -seemed to point to the probability, that to many it was a season of -trial and suffering. So, lulled by the fountain in the atrium of -her husband’s beautiful villa, she enjoyed a dreamy repose, and was -unconscious of all that was passing about her, and that her little -daughter had put aside the shells and also disappeared behind the -curtain. - -Ebba was on the gallery that ran round the atrium, and when she saw -Hyacintha pull aside the curtain she came to the head of the marble -stairs, and beckoned to her. - -The child went up to her, saying-- - -“What is it you said, Ebba?” - -“Come hither and look from the gallery over the country, and you will -see.” - -As she spoke, Ebba mounted still higher to the square opening in the -roof, on one side of which was a small covered gallery, whence an -extensive view was spread out, of the town and river and country -beyond. The child gazed upon the view before her with wistful, -questioning eyes. - -The throng of people spread over the fields, which were smiling in -the June sunshine; and along the great Watling Street, and across the -bridge, there was a continuous stream of all ages and sexes. - -The low murmur of the moving multitude reached the place where the -Briton slave and her little mistress stood, and upon a hill rising on -the opposite bank by the river there was an erection, round which the -glittering helmets of soldiers were shining in the sun. Hyacintha drew -closer to Ebba, and said, in a low tone-- - -“Tell me, Ebba, are they going to see the man killed? I wish you would -speak, and,” she murmured, “tell me all you know.” - -“If I were to tell you that,” the young Briton said, “I should be -seized and tortured; and I am not ready to confess my faith.” - -“Thy faith? Is not thy faith to believe that the gods are above, and -watch over men; and that if men and women submit to their decrees they -are protected and safe.” - -Ebba shook her head. - -“I know not if the Romans are safe under the care of their gods. I know -they have enslaved us and are stern masters.” - -“Am I not kind to thee, Ebba?” said Hyacintha; “I would fain be kind; -but of late thou hast been so strange and sad. Never can I win a laugh -from thee. Never wilt thou play the harp for me to dance and sing. Tell -me all that is in thy heart.” - -Ebba clasped her hands, and leaning upon the balustrade she said-- - -“If I were brave, and not a coward, I should tell thee all. Nay, I -should tell the world; but I am a coward, and I durst not.” - -Hyacintha seated herself on one of the cushioned seats on the balcony, -while Ebba continued to look out on the moving multitude and the -distant hill, the shining river and the sunny slopes around it, -silently and sadly. - -Ebba was a large, strongly-built maiden of some eighteen or twenty -years. She had been born a slave in the Roman’s household, and had -never known any other life. Her complexion was florid, and her hair -the richest auburn. She wore the badge of her master on her arm; and -her dress was of woollen material, girt in at the waist by a band, but -falling loosely to her ankles. - -Ebba was skilful and clever, and was a favourite with her mistress, who -had many attendants, but always gave Ebba the preference. Time had been -when Ebba had been foremost in providing amusement, for she could dance -to the tambourine, and her broad face was generally lighted by a smile. - -She was quick in arranging flowers, in plaiting her lady’s hair, and -weaving into it coins and gold ornaments with a skill which few could -rival. - -Of late a change had passed over her, and instead of a merry girl, -who had a light jest and a sally for every one, she was a grave, sad -woman, often speaking to herself in low tones, and taking no part in -the festive revelries of Severus’s household. The child Hyacintha -was, even at eleven years old, most unusually beautiful. She was born -of a patrician race on both sides, and fulfilled all the conditions -of her noble birth in her form and features. Her figure, even now, -when childhood was passing into girlhood, was lithe and supple, and -the Roman maiden developed early, for fourteen was considered as the -entrance into womanhood. - -Hyacintha’s eyes were of that dusky hue which, taking a new colour with -every varying light, defies description. Her hair was of a deep golden -brown; and though she had every distinctive feature of her race in the -well-cut features, and curved, short upper lip, with rather a massive -chin, her complexion was fair. - -Hyacintha had been born in the north during her father’s first year -of office about the person of the Governor; thus the Italian sunshine -had not given her complexion the rich dark hue which characterised her -mother. - -No one could look at Hyacintha, even at that early age, without seeing -that there was in her something beyond the ordinary type of girlhood. -Her mother might dream away life, and know no higher pleasures than -the acquisition of beautiful dresses and ornaments, and in the -entertainment of guests, and driving along the level Watling Street -in her well-appointed chariot, but Hyacintha had already other aims -and views. The child had heard from her father that maidens of their -house had been chosen to keep the sacred fire burning in the temple -of Vesta--that fire which was never to be quenched--that light which, -coming from heaven, was to keep the sacred flame alive in every Roman’s -hearth and heart! - -Hyacintha would ask her mother many questions about this temple, and -the beautiful city so far away, and when her mother complained of the -chilling winds and dark skies of the northern climate, she would ask-- - -“Why do we not return to Rome?” - -The British slave-girl, Ebba, could tell her nothing of that distant -city; but of late, when she spoke of it, she would speak of another -city fairer and more beautiful than Rome could be, and when Hyacintha -asked how people reached it, she would clasp her hands and say-- - -“By a rough and terrible way, from which the timid shrank, but the -brave of heart went forth boldly to tread.” - -Several times in the course of that long summer’s day did little -Hyacintha mount to the balcony and look out on the crowd which covered -the hill-side. - -Now and then a few stragglers returned, or a chariot with prancing -steeds rolled along the great Watling Street. - -Women, tired of carrying their children, came back to the city, and by -the evening there were knots of people in the city all talking of what -had happened on the hill above the river. Just at sunset the servants -of Severus’s household returned, and the evening meal was laid in -the inner hall or banqueting-room. Very soon the wheels of chariots -were heard rolling up, and Hyacintha ran down to meet her father and -brother, and hear the news. - -Severus had several officers and gentlemen with him, and was scarcely -conscious of his little daughter’s presence till she pulled the sleeve -of his robe. - -“Tell me, father, is the man dead?” - -“Ay, little one, and so may all the enemies of the gods perish. But -such a story is not for thy ears, my Hyacintha. See, take thy lute and -play to us while we sup. These fellows have had enough of freedom for -one day, and the supper is late. How now, slaves!” Severus exclaimed, -clapping his hands, “let the guests be served.” - -The couches were soon filled by the company, and Cæcilia reclined at -the head of the board, dressed in the richest violet silk, with gold -trimmings, a long veil floating at the back of her head. - -Ebba was in attendance, and a seat at the end of the sofa or couch was -reserved for Hyacintha. - -“Where have you left Casca? Where is my son?” Cæcilia asked. - -“The boy is weary, and the day has been too much for him. He has not -the nerve and muscle of a Spartan,” was the reply; “not so much as our -little maiden here, I verily believe.” - -“And, indeed,” said a grave man, who was one of the guests, “it was a -sight to affect a boy of your son’s tender years.” - -The Roman father laughed. - -“Nay, may he never see worse sights than that we have witnessed to-day. -There was not enough terror in it; these miserable Christians need -stronger discipline; they are so stubborn. When the beasts spring on -them in the arena, and a huge leopard plays with one like a ball, then -it is somewhat thrilling, I grant, but to-day! Fill the cups, and let -us drink to the health of the Governor, and pour out a libation to the -gods in token of gratitude that it has been given to us to crush out -another at least of these reptiles.” - -“Nay, now,” said a young man, “you forget the executioner.” - -“Aye, so I did, that was a fine addition to the scene. I could laugh -now to think of it!” - -Severus saw that his little daughter was following every word that was -said with extreme earnestness, and that Ebba, who was standing with a -scent-bottle and a large fan close to her mistress, was scanning the -face of the last speaker eagerly. - -“Bid the musicians strike up,” Severus said; “our talk is scarcely -pleasant for ladies to hear. And then, when we have had a good stirring -melody, my little daughter shall sing us a good-night strain on her -lute. Eh, my pretty one?” - -“Father, I pray you to excuse me to-night,” Hyacintha said; “I am -weary, and I have no heart to sing.” - -She stepped down from her place on her mother’s couch, and with a -curtsey, and graceful wave of her hand to the guests at the table, -disappeared. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -NIGHT. - - -Although Casca and Hyacintha were their parents’ only children, there -were no very intimate relations existing between them. - -Casca was almost entirely at the schools, where he was preparing for -active service, and receiving such training as was deemed needful for -a young Roman. His father was disappointed that his only boy should -be pale and delicate, that his arms should not be muscular, and that -he was always at fault in any game, or trial of strength. Severus did -his best to harden his only son, and it was with that idea that he had -taken him with him that morning to see the execution of Alban. - -Severus was in attendance on the Governor, and, shrinking and -frightened, the boy stood by his father’s side, hiding his face in his -short toga, when the martyr was scourged till the ground was moistened -with his blood. Judge and Governor alike were pitiless, and, believing -they were performing an act of service to their gods by crushing out -the confessors of the Christian faith in Verulam, they were determined -to make the whole scene as impressive as possible. - -Alban was no common man: it was necessary that his execution should be -conducted in no ordinary fashion. - -He had lived in one of the finest villas in the city, he was a learned -scholar, and had unquestioned taste in the fine arts which the Romans -were introducing into Britain. - -Although born at Verulam, Alban had, in his youth, travelled to -Rome, and when he returned had been looked upon with veneration and -respect. Although a Pagan, and scrupulous in his attendance on all high -ceremonies in the temple of the gods, Alban had always been charitable -and compassionate, and the poor found in him a friend. - -Thus, full of kindness, when the Emperor’s edict published against the -Christians at Rome and in all Roman provinces was issued, Alban opened -his house to a man who was fleeing from his persecutors, and a minister -of the religion of Christ. This was the turning-point of Alban’s life; -this was the first step to the martyrdom which he had suffered gladly -on this summer day for the faith of Christ crucified. - -It is hard for us to realise, or grasp as facts, the terrible -persecutions of those distant times. - -Perhaps nothing is a stronger testimony to the Christian faith than -that the more it was attacked, and the fiercer the persecution of its -disciples, the more it grew and strengthened. - -It has been so in all times; it will be so in all future ages, “for -the Lord remaineth a King for ever.” - -Hyacintha went to find her brother. The child’s head was filled with a -strange yearning curiosity to know all particulars of what had passed. - -She went up the marble staircase once more, and again looked out from -the balcony over the city and the country. - -The western sky was still aglow, and the outline of the hill was marked -against it in purple lines. The river caught a reflection from a -crescent moon which hung above it, and rippled in the silvery light. - -The country beyond the city was asleep, but the city, which had been so -quiet in the morning, was now astir. The buzz and murmur of voices rose -on the still air, and slaves were seen conducting Roman citizens of -note to their homes. Torches were lighted, silver lamps burning in the -“Halls,” while strains of music and the voices of singing girls were -borne on the breath of the evening air. - -But Hyacintha did not stay on the balcony long; she turned from it to -a room on the opposite side of the square opening, where she knew she -should find her brother. - -She went softly round to the doorway, and gently clapped her hands. - -“Enter!” was said in a low voice; “is that you, Claudius?” - -“No, Casca, it is only Hyacintha;” and Hyacintha pushed back the -curtain and stood half shyly by her brother’s side. - -He had thrown himself down on a couch, his hands folded behind his -head, and his whole attitude one of extreme weariness. - -“What do you want, Hyacintha?” - -“I want news,” she replied; “tell me what you have seen to-day. Do tell -me all the truth about the death of the evil man.” - -Casca sprang up. - -“Hush! Do not speak of that you know not, child. Evil, forsooth! he was -good, not evil.” - -“That is what I want to be sure of. Be kind, brother, be kind, and tell -me the story.” - -But Casca sank back again upon his cushion, and said-- - -“Not to-night. I shall never sleep if I rehearse it. I could not go -over it again. Who are below?” he asked, as the sounds of music and -singing came from the atrium. - -“A few guests, some that my father brought home; no ladies but my -mother.” - -“Is not Junia there, the sister of Claudius?” - -“No, unless she has arrived since I left the banqueting-hall. I would -not stay, though father prayed me to sing to the lute. I could not -stay, because I wanted to find thee.” - -“Dear little sister,” Casca said, “I would not be rough to thee.” - -“Thou art never rough, brother,” was the answer, “and I love thee -dearly. I only wish I knew more of thy secrets. May I stay with thee?” - -“Yes, draw that stool to the window, and pull the curtain aside. I like -to see the sky and the stars.” - -Hyacintha obeyed, and waited for what her brother would say next; he -was contemplating the graceful outline of her head against the sky, as, -with her elbow on the deep stone ledge of the window, her cheek resting -upon her hand, she made a study any artist might long to put on canvas. -Hyacintha waited patiently for her brother to speak, and at last he -broke the silence, though not in the way she expected. - -“I am a bitter disappointment to our father, Hyacintha, a poor, puny -weakling like me; there are times when I long for death, to be free of -this life. It may be that the gods would be merciful to me and give me -the strength hereafter I lack here. But to-day, when I saw death, I -shuddered and swooned. I am a wretched coward, with no power to live, -and no power to die.” - -Hyacintha’s eyes filled with tears. What comfort had a heathen to offer -in all these exigencies of life and death? What could Hyacintha say -to throw any light or hope over her brother’s darkness? Though but -a child, she had heard much, from the grown-up people with whom she -associated, of the world, and the pleasures of dance and song, and -the games and all the luxuries and refinements of life, which were -supposed to be a cure for heart-aches and trials. But Ebba had talked -of feeding the hungry, nursing the sick, and clothing the naked, as a -way to be happy. She said this man, Alban, had done these things, and -that there was always a light on his face which was not shed there by -any of the pleasures in which others indulged. Poor Hyacintha’s mind -was all confused and bewildered; she almost wished she could be gay and -careless like Junia, whose voice, singing a familiar song, now sounded -from the atrium. - -She began dimly to grasp the fact that something was wanted to make -life different from the life her mother led, and many ladies, who -frequented the atrium and lay on the luxurious couches there, and toyed -with their bracelets and ornaments. - -“I will pray my father,” Hyacintha thought “that I may go to Rome, and -be trained for a priestess, in the temple of Vesta. Yes, I will pray -him that I may do this, then I shall be happier far, for it will be -doing something grand and noble.” - -Her meditations were a second time broken in upon by her brother’s -voice. - -“Hark! I think I hear Claudius’s footstep. Yes; run, Hyacintha, and -admit him.” - -But Claudius did not wait to be admitted. He came springing in with a -light step, and a cheery voice, a voice that had laughter in it, like -the ripple of a brook hidden amongst moss and stones. - -“So, here you are, hiding and moping! Wherefore such dolorous looks, -young Casca? I am in the highest spirits. What think you? I am chosen -for the race to-morrow, and I will win, too. Your pardon, fair -Hyacintha. I did not perceive you in the shadow of the curtain. What -ails you, Casca?” - -“Weariness of myself and life, that is all,” the boy said; “you are in -its full zest and enjoyment, while I----” - -“Pish! what folly! The best time is coming. Why, as soon as you wear -the toga virilis you will feel the man. Were you on the hill to-day?” - -“Yes, I was _forced_ to be there by my father.” - -“Forced! Well, it was a fine spectacle; though to say the truth, -there’s many a worse fellow than Alban about the city. Those sly -Christians are doing secretly here in Verulam what Alban did openly, -there’s the difference. They may be unearthed any day, and the sooner -the better.” - -“I do not know the whole story,” Hyacintha said. “I pray you, Claudius, -tell it to me. If I ask my father he puts me off; and my mother says it -is only that some wicked men should be got rid of. And Ebba is full of -mystery, and sighs and mutters, but will not speak.” - -“I will speak, if so it pleases you, little Hyacintha,” said Claudius, -“and tell what there is to be told, always providing that I agree with -your lady mother, the sooner the reptiles are crushed out the better.” - -“You will find a draught in yonder cup,” Casca said, raising himself -lazily on one arm; “that will refresh you before you begin.” Claudius -soon trained the contents of the cup, and then replenished it from a -flagon which stood by it. - -“Aye, that is like nectar,” he said. Then he threw his large muscular -limbs upon some cushions piled up in a corner near the window, where -Hyacintha sat, her figure a little bent forward, and her eyes fastened -upon the boy, as he began his tale. - -“Only a few months ago, Alban was one of the most devoted worshippers -in the temple of Apollo. He spent large sums on sacrifices, and if -he poured out a libation, it was of the purest wine. There was no -stint with him, as you know, or ought to know. A man who professed to -teach and preach this new superstition was fleeing from his pursuers. -Walking along Watling Street, Alban, noticing his breathless condition, -inquired what ailed him. He said the Governor’s minions were upon him. -Alban, struck with the man’s agony, hastily conducted him to his house, -and harboured him there in secret. - -“It is said that the miserable fugitive prayed night and day to his -God, asking for help, and also that Alban should be turned from the old -faith to believe these lies.” - -“Are you--is any one--sure they _are_ lies?” Casca asked. - -“Look you, Casca,” said Claudius, “it is not for any one here to ask -that question. Suffice it, that they are lies, base lies.” - -Casca sighed heavily, and Claudius continued-- - -“The fugitive, whose name was Amphibalus, at last succeeded in his base -designs. Alban, whom every one respected and honoured here, professed -himself a Christian, and then the scene changed. So well had Alban -hidden this fellow, that it was not for many days that suspicion was -directed to his house. When at least it was searched, he, the stranger, -had fled. Alban had give him one of his best robes, and wearing that, -he escaped suspicion, and passed through the gates. But Alban himself, -clothed in the Caracalla, which is the robe the fellow wore, was now -under suspicion. ‘You will suffer in his stead, unless you at once -sacrifice to the images of the gods,’ the judge said.” - -“To tell the truth,” said Claudius, “there was something noble in the -fellow, for no tortures could make him give in. Hush! what is that?” - -A low voice was heard to say-- - -“Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his -friends.” - -“It is Ebba’s voice,” Hyacintha exclaimed, and running towards the -door, she found Ebba standing there. - -“It is Ebba,” Hyacintha repeated. “Permit her to enter and hear the -story to the end.” Casca nodded his head by way of assent, and Ebba, -leaning against the wall over which a curtain hung, listened intently -while Claudius finished his story. - -“No tortures,” he continued, “would make the fellow give in. The -scourge ploughed his back pretty well. He had thirty-nine stripes, and -we expected to see him fall down dead.” - -“Were you in the hall?” Casca exclaimed. - -“Yes, I have seen the whole play played out,” the boy said carelessly. -“The grand climax was to-day, when the executioner threw himself at -Alban’s feet, and begged to die with him, or for him. And then there -was an uproar indeed. A great multitude pressed round Alban, who was -praying and calling upon his God, and crying to Jesus to have mercy, -and turn the hearts of the people to himself. - -“The governor and judge, however, made short work. A new executioner, -one of the soldiers, was easily found, and it was not long before the -heads of both Alban and Heraclius were rolling on the turf, and their -blood sprinkled on the flowers. But they say in the city to-night that -there are many who are full of this superstition, and that there will -be many more. Thank the gods I am not one!” - -Ebba, who had been standing motionless by the door, murmured something, -which was not distinctly heard, and then vanished. - -“I believe Ebba is one of them,” Casca said. “If it is so, it will -bring us all into trouble, and my father ought to know.” - -“Well, a truce to the poor wretches. Now,” said Claudius, “let us talk -of other things. Ah! here is Ebba with the light. She will not leave us -in darkness.” - -Ebba did not speak, but lighted the two hanging lamps, which cast a -soft radiance on the room, and on those who were in it. The beautiful -childlike face of Hyacintha was brought out from the shadows, and large -tears were seen upon her cheeks. - -“Do not tell father, dear brother,” she said, “about Ebba. I pray -you, do not. It might end in her death. And, oh!” exclaimed Hyacintha -passionately, “I do dread death, the darkness whither we must go, -before we reach the Elysian fields.” - -“Do not fret, little sister. You are too grave for your tender years; -come, sing to me and Claudius the good-night song you refused to sing -to the guests below.” - -“Ah! sing to us, and then I must seek for my sister, and conduct her -home. The guests are leaving the hall, some of them are hilarious -enough.” - -As he spoke, loud laughter ascended from the atrium, and the torches -which the attendants and slaves lifted flashed through the street. -There was not much need of their light this evening. The days of our -northern climate were at their longest, and almost before daylight -faded from the west, streaks of dawn brightened the east. - -The people of Verulam had gone through a tiring day, and the city was -wrapt earlier than usual in repose. - -It was just between midnight and the first hour of the coming day -that a figure, veiled closely, glided across the square, which lay on -one side of the villa Severus, and following the course of the river -crossed it towards the hill, where the great spectacle of the day -before had been witnessed by so many thousands. These were for the most -part sleeping peacefully in Verulam, but some were yet watching on the -spot where the martyrs had shed their blood. - -One of them was the priest whose life Alban had saved at the expense -of his own, and as the dark-veiled figure crept up the hill-side he -advanced to meet it. - -“Is it thou, my daughter, Ebba, the slave of the Roman house?” - -“Yes, father, and I would fain follow thee. I am not afraid now. I will -confess Christ before men. If I am to die, He will be with me, and I -cannot--I dare not--tarry any longer. Baptise me; I am ready.” - -“Art thou sure thou art in truth ready to leave all for Christ, to dare -to confess thy faith?” - -The girl’s lips faltered, and she said-- - -“I would fain remain with my mistress if it were possible. I love her -little daughter so well.” - -“Ah! I see, thou art _not_ ready to leave all for Christ. There must -be no halting between two opinions. My daughter, he who was done to a -cruel death on this spot to-day, and whose blessed body we have buried -here in silence and darkness, did not halt. Never can I forget the -decision he showed. In the very hour that he believed, he confessed, -and gave up all. Think what a renunciation it was: his fine house, -whither the noblest and the most learned scholars amongst the Romans -resorted; the honour paid him when he went to the temple to sacrifice -to the false gods; the respect also felt for his gifts and talents. Yet -he never faltered, and when the great trial-hour came he sent me forth -in his robe, with a face as glad as if, when he arrayed himself in my -Caracalla,[A] he had donned his wedding garment. - -“That robe was the signal for his death. He did not fear to die for -Christ, and he stood before the Governor, so those tell me who saw -him, with a face shining like that of an angel. I have been in hiding -near by, and have remained under cover of the darkness, to make known -to the faithful whither I am gone, that they may perchance follow me, -and in the fastnesses of Wales, we may add daily to our number such as -shall be saved. Say, Ebba, wilt thou follow? See, there are signs of -dawn in the east. I may not tarry. That group yonder seen in dark, dim, -outline, is composed of those who are following me to a meeting-place I -have indicated. Wilt thou join thyself to them?” - -The poor British slave bowed her head, and clasping her hands, said, “I -will follow thee.” - -Then the priest led her to a spring, and baptised the heathen Ebba by -the name “Anna.” - -The morning star was shining brightly, and the summer dawn breaking -over the hills, when, by the grave of the two martyrs, the cross was -signed upon the forehead of the British slave. - -The ceremony was performed in haste, and then the little band -dispersed, to escape observation, some in one direction, some in -another, but all to meet in a thick wood, near a place called Radburn, -three miles distant from the city of Verulam. - -Ebba, or Anna, as we must now call her, was committed to the care of -a recent convert, named Agatha, who had concealed a little band of -Christians in her house in the city, and who was an aunt to the soldier -who had thrown away his sword and died rather than execute the savage -commands of the Governor and Judge. There was no time for many words. -Agatha kissed Anna on the forehead and said-- - -“I welcome thee, my daughter, to the inheritance of the saints, be it -death or be it life.” And then in silence the two women pursued their -way through the flower-scented meadow-land, and reached the shelter of -the tangled wood at Radburn before the sun rose. - -A cave in this wood, the mouth of which was covered with brushwood, was -the appointed meeting-place. Here Amphibalus the priest had been hiding -since Alban had permitted him to escape. And here, worn out with the -events of the previous day, on beds made of dry leaves and heather, -Anna lay down with her new friend to rest. - -The cave was of some extent, and had several divisions. A fissure in -the rock above lighted the inner part, which was allotted to the women. -Even in summer it was a cold habitation, and only when the sun was high -in the heavens could any warmth and cheerfulness penetrate it. As Anna -lay gazing up into the roof, she could see the blue sky far above her -through the interlacing boughs of brambles, and low-growing maples -which grew over the opening. - -The thrushes were singing their morning song, and there was innumerable -chirping of newly-fledged birds, while the lowing of distant cattle and -the nearer humming of bees, kept up a continuous low murmur. - -Poor Anna could not sleep; she was thinking over the life in the Roman -villa, of all the little offices it would soon be time to perform for -her mistress and for Hyacintha. She knew full well that she would be -missed before long, and perhaps pursued and found. That punishment, if -not death, was the doom of the escaped slave, she knew well. The band, -the badge of that slavery, was still on her arm, and could only be -taken off by the hand of a smith. It would betray her as the runaway -slave of the noble Severus, though the cross, the sign of her new -faith, was invisible to all eyes but the angels. - -Anna’s was not a strong, heroic soul; she was, as she had told her -little mistress, a coward. “Yet He giveth strength to the _weak_” was -a promise to be fulfilled in her case, as in that of the thousands who -have learned to “count all things but loss for the love of Christ.” - -Agatha was of a very different nature. She was sleeping as soundly and -quietly as a child, while her young companion tossed and turned with -wide-open eyes and restless limbs till noonday was near. The outer -caves were getting full, and the whispers of the fugitives awoke Agatha. - -“Have you slept, my daughter?” she said. - -“Nay, I cannot sleep. I do not feel any peace, though I would not go -back if I could.” Then she added hastily, and in a weak, low voice, “I -am hungry.” - -Agatha smiled. - -“Ah!” she said, “hunger and weariness are a part of the cross we must -bear after Christ; but thou art young, my child, and I will see whether -I can find thee some food. We have had but scant measure here.” - -Agatha disappeared within the outer cave, and presently returned, -beckoning Anna to follow her. - -Awe-struck, the girl obeyed, and there, in the outer cave, a little -congregation was gathered round Amphibalus, who was kneeling at a rude -table formed by a fragment of rock which blocked up the entrance to the -cavern. - -At a sign from Agatha, Anna knelt with the rest, and then Amphibalus -rising, turned to the people, and bade them draw near and receive the -sign of the love of the Crucified One, the bread and the wine which -He had commanded. In a few short words, he rehearsed the story of the -Cross to those poor trembling converts who at any moment might be -discovered and dragged off to a cruel death. He told of the life which -now is, and that hope of the life to come, as the blessed experience of -the Christian, and his anchor. For life here without Him is darkness, -and life there without Him is a dread void. What did stripes and -persecution weigh in the balance, when the future exceeding glory and -joy were on the other side! Then he went on to speak of Alban, and the -soldier who died with him, rather than live without him, and to bid all -those present to encourage each other in steadfastness and courage. - -The Communion was then celebrated; the water from a neighbouring -spring, being coloured with wine which Amphibalus had preserved in -a small leathern flask in a secret pocket of his robe, filled the -rude cup which was offered to the little band, and small fragments of -wheaten bread were eaten. - -The command thus obeyed in all simplicity of faith brought its blessing -with it. Surely the strengthening and refreshing of these fugitives -were a great reality, and poor Anna, rising from her knees with a smile -on her lips, whispered-- - -“I will feed on Thee in my heart, O Saviour, and I shall know neither -hunger nor thirst.” - -There was need of faith, for the bodies of the little band were nearly -exhausted before food came. It was not till darkness covered the face -of the country that a messenger was sent to Radburn to buy bread. He -returned about midnight, with loaves concealed in his clothes, and a -pewter flagon or cup, that could be filled from the spring, and was -handed round. - -When the bread was divided every one of the fainting converts received -the right share, and then Amphibalus prayed for a blessing, and that -this food might support the bodies of those who partook of it till more -bountiful provision was vouchsafed. - -A consultation was held as to the future, and it was decided that the -small band should remain in hiding in the cave to await the coming in -of any more fugitives from the city. - -Agatha, who was a strong and active woman, busied herself in making the -three caves more habitable, by heaping up the heather and dried leaves -for beds, and plaiting some of it into small baskets, which might be -useful for exchanging for food whenever there was any obtainable in -their wanderings. - -Wales was the probable destination of the little community, where it -was hoped they might find employment as keepers of pigs and cattle, -and in the fastnesses of that district make converts from the scanty -population, and by degrees found a church there. - -Agatha’s cheerful, bright spirit infected Anna, and she began to take -heart, and as the Gospel story was told her by her friend her soul -expanded under its influence, and she only longed that her dear little -mistress could have the same good news, and bitterly repented that -through fear and terror of the consequences she had kept silence, and -that she had not answered many earnest questions that the child had -asked her. - -It was too late now. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE MISSING SLAVE. - - -There was a good deal of consternation in the household of the noble -Severus when Ebba’s flight was discovered. - -An ominous frown upon Severus’s brow, as he entered his wife’s chamber, -showed that a storm was brewing. - -His lady had just had her morning bath, and was crying in a very -undignified way for Ebba, declaring that the attendant, who was doing -her best to supply her place, scorched her head with the crimping iron; -that no one could plait her hair as Ebba did; that no one could twist -into it the gold threads, or place the plait in the right position, but -Ebba. - -“Silence!” exclaimed Severus; “what mean you, to chide and wail like -a weakling infant? Begone, all of you,” he said, clapping his hands; -“begone, slaves, nor return till I bid you.” - -The attendants, frightened by their master’s threatening air, took -flight like a flock of pigeons, and only Hyacintha remained. - -“Didst hear my order, child?” - -But Hyacintha, whose eyes were swollen with weeping, said-- - -“Father, do not send me hence, I pray you.” - -Severus seldom said a harsh word to his little daughter, and it was not -often that she witnessed his outbursts of passion. - -He offered no opposition when Hyacintha nestled closer to her mother on -the couch, merely saying-- - -“Then hold your peace if you stay, nor make a single objection to what -I have to say. This slave, Ebba, has, it seems, been in league with -the poor reptiles whom, by order of the Emperor, we are to do our -best to crush out of this land. By the gods! it is no pleasant thing -for me to have cold and scornful looks turned on me in the Governor’s -hall to-day; to be suspected as the master of a household of these -creatures. ‘Forsooth,’ one said in my ear, ‘the runaway slave is not -the only tainted one in thy house.’ I swear by the gods, that if he -referred to my own son, I will not spare him, no, I will deliver him -up.” - -Hyacintha, who buried her face in her mother’s mantle, gave a low cry -of terror. - -“Peace, child,” said her father; “I do not know if Casca is infected, -but I will take care to stop the infection if it be so. I have set a -price on Ebba’s head, and do not doubt I shall scent her out; but it -is of this daughter of ours I wish to speak. I propose to send her to -Rome without delay, to begin her training under our kinswoman, Terentia -Rufilla. It is time--high time--and I shall proceed at once.” - -Cæcilia was not a mother to be too much concerned about her child’s -future. The loss of Ebba, which entailed personal inconvenience, -really distressed her more than this proposed separation from her only -daughter. Hyacintha had for some time heard a rumour that this office -in the temple of the goddess Vesta was to be her appointed lot. As, -in later times, the daughters of noble families were consigned to -the convent, and given no choice in the matter by their parents, but -compelled to take the veil, so, in the era of which I write, there -was no question as to the propriety of devoting them to the service -of Vesta, which was considered the most honourable of all services -connected with the temples of the gods. - -There were often difficulties in the way, as many requirements had -to be satisfied before a candidate for the office was accepted, but -Hyacintha could fulfil these. She was of noble birth, and fair to look -upon; her disposition was gentle, and her temper sweet. She had never -rebelled against her parents’ wishes in her short life, and she was -not likely to do so now. Indeed, of late she had been herself looking -forward to the temple service; child as she was, she hungered for -service, to do some great and noble deed, and know some higher life -than that which the ladies about her led, of feasting and song, of -excessive ornaments and luxurious plenty on the board of food and wine. - -“Yes,” Severus continued, “I can obtain an excellent convoy for -Hyacintha in the course of a few days, and Casca shall accompany her. -The family of Burrhus are returning thither by way of Gaul with a -maniple. The Emperor has ordered their return, as Burrhus’s services -are needed about Diocletian. His wife will care for our little one, and -she will be safe. What sayest thou, Hyacintha, my fair blossom?” - -The stern brow relaxed now, and the child saw it. She stepped down from -her mother’s couch, and going to her father said-- - -“I say, I will go to be trained to serve in the temple, though I grieve -to leave thee and my mother.” - -“Ah! Hyacintha,” exclaimed her mother, “thou wert always strange in thy -tastes. Even thy foster-mother said thou never didst care for toys, and -such things as infants love. It will run through thy life, methinks.” - -“If I had but Ebba. If I had----” - -“Peace! no more of thy hankering for the slave. I will let thee see her -head when it is brought in. A meek-faced hypocrite! I know her well,” -said her father. - -“She was ever a helpful maiden to me, and I shall want her sorely,” -complained Cæcilia. “I pray she may escape thy wrath. And be patient -with Casca. The boy has----” - -“The boy has no strength of mind or body,” was the answer, as Severus -left the room. - -Hyacintha summoned back the attendants at her mother’s order, and -listened for some time to a succession of complaints and regrets for -Ebba, which apparently took as little effect on the other maidens as -the dropping of the water on the marble of the atrium had upon the -smooth polished surface. - -At length the toilette was completed, and the lady, richly dressed, -repaired to the public bath, which was as much frequented in Verulam as -in Rome. The baths of these times answered to the fashionable clubs and -resorts of to-day. Acquaintances and friends met there, discussed the -news, expressed surprise at the slow arrival of the post from Rome, one -of the chief stations for news being placed at Verulam, talked gossip -and scandal, as is the custom with unoccupied women of every rank and -every nation, in that time, as in our own. - -Cæcilia was accounted beautiful, and a person of distinction. She was -one of the leaders of fashion, and her cosmetics and perfumes were the -admiration of her friends, and the envy of her enemies. - -Perhaps the word “enemy” is too strong a word to use. Cæcilia had -scarcely enough character to provoke an enemy. Her colourless nature -knew no strong shadows and no bright lights. She lived for herself and -the passing hour, and the maternal instinct was dead within her--dead, -so far as any trouble about her children was concerned. She could love -them till they needed anything at her hands, but if that point were -reached, her love could not show itself in taking any trouble on their -behalf. From all we can gather in contemporary records, the atmosphere -in which the fashionable Roman lady of these times lived and moved was -a deadening one. A few sprang out of it, who read and studied their own -Latin authors and the Greek tongue, and with a wonderful persistency -of purpose mastered many abstruse questions, and hungered after higher -and better things, and nobler aims. - -But Cæcilia, the wife of Severus, was content to be ignorant; she -thought this Christianity, which had cost her the services of her -slave, low and vulgar, too low and vulgar for her to give it a thought, -if she had one to give. And when she had settled herself on a couch in -the public baths with her three attendants, she was not well pleased -to find Junia, the sister of Claudius, next her, and intent on asking -questions and getting them answered. - -Junia was the daughter of a British chief, or noble, as the Romans -preferred that title, who had married an Italian girl, previously -attached to the person of one of the ladies brought by a former -governor from Rome. - -The stern and rough old Briton had become enslaved by the beauty and -fascination of the young Cornelia, and had laid himself and all he -possessed at her feet. - -She had withered under the cold breath of the north country, and the -rude luxury of the Briton’s home had been little in harmony with the -early life Cornelia had spent in Italy. She had died and left her -husband disconsolate, with two children on his hands, whom he found -it hard to manage. They united the bold daring of the Briton with the -quick, hot passions of the Italian, and before Junia was fifteen she -had thrust a stiletto, in a fit of rage, into the breast of a slave, -and killed her! - -To our notions this dreadful act would have brought upon the girl a -lifelong misery, and she would have been for ever withdrawn from the -society of her friends and relations. But it was widely different then. -The sharp and highly-polished stiletto was always at hand, and a prick -from it, which drew blood, was frequently administered to a careless or -idle slave. - -If the wound had by chance been deeper than was intended--well, it was -only the loss of a piece of property, and the master would bear it! - -One slave, more or less, was not of very great moment to a wealthy -proprietor. And the slave herself, unless, as in the case of Ebba, who -had suited the whims of her mistress, was scarcely missed. - -Junia was a bold, dark-eyed girl, with the free and confident manner -which was sufficiently dangerous in a society like that in which she -moved. She was conscious that her British extraction on one side placed -her on a lower level than the proud Roman ladies of Verulam, but if -conscious of it, she never showed it, and was perfectly unabashed and -self confident. - -Junia now threw herself down by Cæcilia’s side, and tossing back the -broad red ribbon which confined her hair, she exclaimed, “So the -faithful Ebba, the paragon of perfection, is gone. What will you do -without her services, fair Cæcilia?” - -“I have other maidens at hand,” said Cæcilia, coldly. “They are -skilful.” - -“Yes, doubtless,” Junia said, laughing, and showing a row of white -teeth. “Yes, let her go, I say; but I know the noble Severus will have -her head. I only hope it will not come in alone, but have company.” And -again there was a ringing laugh. - -“And tell me, beautiful Cæcilia, is it true that Hyacintha is to be -sent to Rome?” - -“Yes, Hyacintha is to go to Rome without delay,” Cæcilia answered. - -“To be trained for a priestess to the goddess Vesta?” - -“I think it may be so.” - -“Alas! What a doleful life for the lovely maiden--a priestess--no -marriage for her, no love, no freedom. I would rather be buried at once -in one of the subterranean places they tell us so much of.” - -“My daughter is of tender years,” said Cæcilia. “She will at present -only be educated under the care of her father’s aunt--the noble -Terentia Rufilla. The hall of the Vestals is no mean home. They have -everything that is meet for the children of noble Romans. And,” -continued Cæcilia, with a languid air of pride, “be it remembered that -Vestals can only be chosen from the noblest houses of pure, unmixed -descent.” - -Junia laughed. - -“I see,” she exclaimed, “no poor maiden whose father is a son of the -conquered race could hope for the honour. Ah! well, she courts it not. -Here comes my warlike brother. Well, Claudius, how fares it to-day in -the wrestling? Hast thou thrown down Casca?” - -“Casca!” he exclaimed. “Casca was not in the course at all.” - -“What, noble Cæcilia,” the boy said, “is it really true that you part -with Casca and Hyacintha? The arena and the schools are full of rumours -to-day. Some say one thing, some another, but all agree that Christian -superstition has laid an egg in the house of the noble Severus, and -that a brood has been hatched.” - -“I am sick of questions,” exclaimed Cæcilia, shrinking, as we all do, -from the knowledge that our private affairs are made food for hungry -gossips. So many of us are like the ostrich, and, hiding our heads in -the sand, persuade ourselves that we are unseen and unnoticed. It was -really very troublesome and fatiguing to be cross-examined by this boy -and girl about private matters, Cæcilia thought! She clapped her hands, -and the maidens in attendance, who had retired to a quarter of the hall -where they and other slaves and attendants were congregated, signified -her desire that her chariot should be ordered for an airing on the -wide, smooth road known as Watling Street. - -Claudius conducted her to the chariot with an easy grace which he -inherited from his mother. - -He had been quick to notice the cloud which he had called up on the -lady’s face, and Junia’s laugh reached his ear, as, turning to some -young associates with whom she was popular, he heard her repeating the -news of the day to them. - -“I crave pardon if I have seemed to fail in respect, lady,” he said. “I -must ask leave to visit Casca before sunset.” - -Cæcilia bowed, and smiled graciously. - -“We shall see you at supper-time,” she said. “My husband has bidden the -Greek dancing-girls to perform before us, and one of them plays the -lute with uncommon skill. This will afford amusement for you and Casca.” - -Claudius thought truly that Casca was in no mood for dancing-girls and -music, but scarcely expected to find him in the state of melancholy -prostration in his chamber, which at first seemed almost like despair. - -Claudius had a warm heart, and was sincerely attached to his friend. - -He took his accustomed place opposite him, and rallied him on his sad -looks. - -“Have you heard my fate?” Casca asked. - -“Fate! I hear you are to depart to Rome with Burrhus: a very pleasant -fate, by Apollo! I would I were to accompany you. But, for the sake of -all that is holy, try to wear a brighter face. Half the young Romans in -Verulam will envy you, to say nothing of a hybrid like me, your humble -servant. Nay, now, Casca, be not a woman,” Claudius exclaimed, with -some contempt in his tone; “it is womanish to give in and moan.” - -Casca had hidden his face in his long, thin hands, and tears trickled -through his fingers. - -“If you had a father like mine,” Casca murmured, “you would not wonder -at my condition. He came up hither this morning, raving like a beast -in the arena. He seized me by the robe, and poured forth a string of -epithets I will not repeat. He accused me of conniving at the poor -slave’s flight, of contaminating my sister, of being the laughing-stock -of all Verulam, a poltroon, a fool, and I know not what beside. He -swore by all the gods that I should be placed under Burrhus to fight -as a true Roman should if the Emperor sends out a legion to one of the -insubordinate provinces. And I, oh! Claudius, I loathe fighting. I hate -bloodshed. I crave for peace.” - -“I would I could take your place,” said Claudius, “but my old father -would not hear of it if your father agreed thereto. He looks upon me as -the guardian of Junia, though, forsooth, I am but a poor guardian. She -springs like a tigress if I attempt to check her in any wild course,” -Claudius sighed. “Now, you have a sister who is like a daughter of the -gods. You may well be ready to lay down your life for her. How can her -parents send her hence?” - -“It is all from the same cause, the dread of the Christian -superstition,” Casca said. “They dread her being infected by poor -Ebba’s teachers. The poor wretch seldom spoke of her new religion; -until the day of Alban’s execution she kept silence. I trust we shall -be spared the sickening spectacle of her head brought back. I can never -forget the horror when the ghastly head of the runaway Syra was brought -into the atrium,” and Casca shuddered. - -“Nay, Casca, thou wert surely not designed by the gods for a Roman. -Thou shouldst have been born in one of those far-off islands in the -south, where the effete Greeks lie in flower-wreathed bowers, and, -chewing the leaves of the lotus, pass away life in alternate slumber -and song. Especially, good Casca, wert thou never designed by the gods -to live in our own rude country and associate with us poor Britons.” - -“Nay,” Casca said, “you misjudge me, Claudius. I would that thou were -to accompany me to Rome, and then I could take heart, but as it is----” - -“As it is, you must be like a man, and determine to win good opinions -and make a name; fight for Rome if so it be ordered, and end at last in -continuing the noble race to which you belong, and then----” - -“Ah!” said Casca, “and _then_ die, and be remembered no more. -Claudius, I think often of all the great dead, the old Greeks, their -brave soldiers, their wise philosophers, Socrates and Plato, Aristides -and Themistocles. Their poets and their heroes, all alike gone--gone as -the man yesterday went on the hill-top--gone, and _whither_? If it be -true that there is another life, what _is_ that life? I torture myself -with questions, and I know that if I were led out to die as Alban was, -I should shiver and tremble, aye, and pray for mercy. While _he_--there -was light in his eye, there was a ring of victory in his voice, and no -wonder that the executioner refused to perform his office, and died -with Alban rather than see him die by his hand. I say, there must be -something grand and noble in the faith which can give a man courage not -only to meet death, but to welcome it, to court it, and to see beyond -it, instead of darkness, light.” - -“Yes,” said Claudius, “but remember, my good Casca, that thousands -of Romans, tens of thousands of Greeks, aye, and of our own poor -Britons also, have met death as bravely as this man Alban did. There -is a difference in our bodies--thine and mine, to wit”--and Claudius -stretched out his young, muscular arm, bronzed and bare, from under the -loose sleeve of his toga virilis, which was indeed a contrast to the -white, slender arm of his companion. “There is a difference, my good -Casca, in the make and build of men, aye, and of women too, and it is -the same with their natures. Some are brave as lions, others as timid -as sheep. Christian or Roman, Greek or Briton, it is the same.” - -“No,” said Casca, starting up, “but it is _not_ all the same. Poor -Ebba was as timid and shy as any sheep, and yet she has gone to meet -death, for I feel sure they will track her out. May I be gone hence -ere that time comes! But I say it is something more than what we call -nature, which is at work with those who meet death as Alban did.” - -“Hist! good Casca, be not too free with thy tongue, or it may bring -trouble. Keep thy thoughts to thyself; even now I fancy I see the -curtain moving. But I must away; I have to practise in the course, -and I have to attend my father to a trial of strength in the circus, -where he is to bestow a prize on the swiftest runner and strongest arm -in throwing the quoit. Vale! good Casca, and pluck up thy courage.” -Claudius sprang lightly from the couch, swept the curtain aside, and -disappeared. - -In the gallery, which I have before described, at the top of the villa, -he found Hyacintha. She was looking out over the country, as she had -looked with Ebba two days before. When Claudius stood by her side -she raised her pure, sweet eyes to his, and said, “I have been here -whilst thou hast been talking to Casca. I wanted to speak to you, so I -waited here. I am only a child, and I scarcely know which way I should -turn to find the good and forsake the evil, but this I know, Ebba was -good--faithful and good--and I dread lest she should be cruelly killed. -Claudius,” the child continued, pleading with her eyes as with her -voice, “Claudius, will you try to save her if by any means she falls in -your way? If the Christians are found out she will be found with them. -Do your utmost to save her life, my noble, good Ebba.” - -“Beautiful Hyacintha,” Claudius said, “I would serve you to my last -breath. Yes, I swear if I can find any trace of Ebba, I will strive -to save her life and put her in a place of safety till the storm has -passed over.” - -“They have been talking of getting her head, and that of Amphibalus, -the man Alban hid in his house, and they have missed another woman, -who was aunt or mother to the soldier who would not kill Alban. There -is a boy who dresses the flowers and shrubs in the atrium, and he has -told me that it is said in Verulam that the Christians have hidden -themselves not far off, and a watch is set on the hills to hinder their -escape to Wales. That is what is said. I know not if it be true.” - -“True or false, I will obey thy bidding. Say, Hyacintha, what shall we -do without thee.” - -“Without _me_!” the child repeated. “Ah! I do not think any one wants -me here. My mother will have the little Livia from the nurse. She is -the child of my uncle Fabius, and the adopted daughter of my father. -She is very beautiful, and my mother can pet her, and toy with her, and -will love to hear the praises which her loveliness will win. And when -my father’s service is over in Britain they will all return to Rome, -and I shall greet them there, when I am a priestess, and I shall greet -thee also, Claudius.” - -“Nay,” said the boy, “thou wilt forget the poor half-Briton, -half-Roman, when thou art a grand priestess, wearing the white stole.” - -“Forget! nay, I shall never forget--how can I forget? And when I have -to tend the fire in the great temple at night, and the stars look down -at me, and the wind whispers low, I shall pray that the goddess may -bless thee, Claudius, and keep ever in thy heart a pure bright flame -of love to the city of Verulam first, and of Rome after, and that thou -wilt remember little Hyacintha.” - -“I will remember thee through life till death,” the young man said. “I -will worship thee from afar, and, perchance, I may come to Rome only to -behold thee, as I behold a star in the heavens, who blesses me with its -beams, though I can never attain to it.” - -He took one of the child’s hands in his, bent his face over it for a -moment, and when Hyacintha withdrew it, it was wetted by the tear which -had fallen from Claudius’s eyes. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -CAPTURE AND DEATH. - - -The warm summer weather was in favour of the little band of Christians -who had concealed themselves in the cave at Radburn. But the long days -and short nights made their marches towards Wales very slow, as all had -to be done under cover of darkness, and not until they had moved away -some miles from Verulam did Amphibalus dare to allow them to march by -daylight. The little company always separated into detachments, and -Agatha kept Ebba, the Christian Anna, under her especial care. Agatha -was the right person to inspire poor Anna with confidence. She was -bright and active, and had a cheerfulness and even merriment at command -which often surprised the timid and retiring Anna. - -The warm, dry weather made it easy to sleep out of doors, and Agatha -and Anna, with an old man and his daughter, had arrived one morning at -a clearing in a thick wood, where a stone altar showed that it was a -resort of the Druids. - -“We must not tarry here,” Agatha said, “the danger from the Druids -would be as great as the danger from the Romans. We must push on -westward, and I believe there is a deep forest where we can easily -hide. Amphibalus mentioned it as a secure resting-place for a few days, -and we are sure to meet him before the day is spent.” - -“It is so pleasant here,” Anna said; “let us at any rate take some -food, and perform our morning worship.” - -But Agatha said they must move on, as it was dangerous to tarry near -what was evidently a resort of the Druids. She had scarcely done -speaking, when some tall figures were seen approaching: an old man, -with a white beard and still whiter robe, and most venerable aspect, -and a few young men and boys. - -There was nothing alarming in their appearance, and Agatha, rising, -made a deep reverence. The old man bore in his hand a golden -crescent-shaped knife, and he wore on his white robe a heavy chain of -rudely-moulded emblems. - -“Art thou come to worship, my daughter?” said the old priest. “The sun -has risen, and the hour is at hand.” - -“Nay,” said Agatha boldly, “I am a fugitive from the Roman city of -Verulam, and only crave permission to pass onwards, with my companions.” - -The young men now drew nearer, and scanned the little party with -curious, eager eyes. - -“The Romans are our masters and tyrants; no marvel you would escape -them.” Then, turning to Anna, “You, poor child, look pale and wan, and -you, old man, aweary. If it be possible for you, I bid you halt awhile, -while I proceed with our short worship; afterwards we will share a -repast with you.” - -But Agatha shook her head. “You are very gracious, my lord, but we are -anxious to get on our way;” and she added, “We are Christians, and -worship only the true God.” - -There was a murmur amongst the young men, and Anna trembled. She knew -full well that human sacrifices were a part of her old religion, for -the Briton’s religion was then chiefly represented by the Druidical -faith. - -But Anna need not have been afraid. The old priest waved his hand, and -then, disappearing in a thicket with his followers, chanting a low -dirge-like monotone, he returned with a large cluster of the mistletoe, -the sacred plant which was cut and offered on the altar at intervals at -the morning worship. Then followed a strange invocation muttered in a -low, guttural voice, the Druid priest raising his hands to the summer -sky. - -The sun was just high enough to strike athwart the grassy glade, and -illuminated the boles of the trees with a golden radiance. The priest’s -white robe shone in the new-born light, and every leaf was turned to an -emerald, every dew-drop to a diamond. - -The birds sang, and there was the rustle of awakening activity in the -forest. A squirrel hopped from the overhanging boughs of a tall larch, -and the wood pigeons told their sweet monotonous story of love. - -All things seemed to swell the chorus of the earth’s thanksgiving hymn -for light and blessing bestowed. - -And who shall say what dim visions of a beautiful and unknown God -filled the heart of the aged priest, as he offered his orison according -to the form hallowed to him by the usage of ages! - -When all was over he waved his hand, and his little congregation -dispersed, the priest returning presently with a quantity of dried -fruits and cakes which had been baked over an open fire. - -There was also a rudely-shaped stone jar, from which was poured a drink -distilled from certain herbs, and pleasant to the taste. - -That beverage, the priest said, had wonderful properties, and he -continually dispensed it as a medicine when strength was exhausted. - -Agatha ate a hearty meal, and so did the old man and his daughter, but -Anna could not eat. She was weighed down with a sense of danger and -distress, and her heart turned continually to those whom she had left -behind at Verulam. At Agatha’s order, however, she drank a little from -the jar, and ate a few crumbs broken off the thick mass of dried cake, -which had a bitter rather than a sweet flavour, as it was mixed with -the flour ground out of acorns. - -Presently the old priest said-- - -“Ye are Christians, you say. There has been an arm of fury stretched -out against you, so we have heard. For ourselves, we have no bitterness -against you. The Romans are our conquerors as well as yours, but they -leave us to our old faith undisturbed for the most part. How have you -incurred their dire displeasure? I tell you, you cannot resist the -Romans’ power; they are the masters of the world. They will treat you -like beasts of burden if you resist not, but they will kill you if you -are rebellious. From whom do you flee?” - -“We flee from the persecution, which has taken the life of a holy man -named Alban. We are under the guidance of one Amphibalus, who is to -gather us safely in a certain valley amongst the mountains of Wales, -where we may worship our Lord, and form a struggling church.” - -“You will fail to do it; the bloodhounds will track you out. Renounce -your false religion, and go back to your homes.” - -“Never!” said Agatha, “we will never bow the knee in the heathen -temple, or worship at the sacrifices of the false gods.” - -The old Druid priest shook his head sadly. - -“My daughter, you are fighting against a legion; you will never -prevail. I know,” he continued, “that the old faiths are shaking. I -know many of our people have been massacred. We have peace now, but I -see--I see in the distance, when I am dead--I see the legions of the -North Sea conquering, trampling down our faith as yours, and wading -through the blood of Druid and Christian alike. We are peaceful, and -there are many of the sick and the stricken in body, even lepers, who -come to us, and not in vain, for cure. We have salves for wounds, and -physic for pain; we are skilled in the compounding of the herbs which -are given for the good of mankind. But we are a body of men diminishing -year by year, and our time is short.” - -“Oh! father,” said Agatha, touched by the pathos of the old man’s -words, “oh, father, have you never heard of Jesus the Lord, who died -a cruel death to save us all? I would that I could show you the way -to Him. The father, Amphibalus, could show it. But I tell you that He -opens His arms wide to receive you, and all the Britons, and every -dweller on the face of the earth. Oh! could you but come to Him!” - -“Aye,” said the old Christian, “would that you could come!” - -“Come whither?” asked the Druid proudly. - -“To the Cross of Christ,” said Anna firmly. This was the first time -that she had spoken, and her words sounded with peculiar power. - -“To the Cross of Christ,” she repeated, “and if we bear it after Him, -we shall wear a crown.” - -The old priest extended his hand towards Anna as if in blessing, and -said-- - -“And where is that crown, my daughter? It is not to be found in the -depths of the forest, where the wolves roar at night, and the dangers -of robbers and thieves are all around.” - -“Yes,” Anna said, “the crown may be even there. As for me, I am a poor -faint-hearted girl, and I can speak with no true courage, as Agatha -can, but like a whisper in my soul from heaven I hear the words, ‘The -crown is laid up in the heavens for you, who are kept by God’s power -through faith.’” - -“Our Lord,” Agatha continued, as Anna stopped, “our Lord wore a crown -of thorns, that we might wear a crown of jewels. We know in Whom we -believe. If those who are seeking us were to break through the thicket -yonder, and shed our blood on your altar, yet through death, as -Jesus passed, I know that we should pass to our joyful resurrection. -And, oh!” exclaimed Agatha, “think you we would give up the precious -possession of the love of Christ? Have I not seen its power? Do I not -know that it is as the sunshine piercing the deep of the forest at -dawn, and bringing life and light to the soul? We may not tarry,” she -continued, “for we have to press forward on our journey, but we will -pray for you, father, and may our God reward you for your charity -towards us, the poor hunted Christians, who nevertheless rejoice in -their name.” - -The four then moved away, and the thick summer foliage soon hid them -from the Druidical priest. - -He stood gazing after them like one in a trance, and the young men -gathered round him, expecting to hear from his lips some strange, -prophetic utterances, or some recital of the past glory of their race. -But no words came, and after a few minutes of profound silence the -young men departed, one by one leaving their chief still wrapt in his -devotions and meditations. - -The way through the forest was long and toilsome, and poor Anna often -lay trembling by Agatha’s side, listening all night to the howling of -the wolves. Amphibalus joined them from time to time, and at last, when -the first golden leaf was telling the story of coming autumn in the -woods, the whole band was settled in a remote village on the borders -of Wales, girt in with mountains, and entirely hidden as they thought, -from the eyes of their persecutors. - -There were continued additions to their numbers, and we are told that -there were a thousand converts baptised by Amphibalus’s hands. - -Amphibalus himself was often absent for days together, and boldly -preached Christ to the poor native idolaters of the district. Some -drank in the good tidings eagerly, like drops of living water, and the -little colony throve for a time. - -The mountain streams provided them with fish, and the woods with wild -rabbits and hares, for meat. They constructed huts with twigs and reeds -curiously plaited together, and covered with a sticky clay which, when -mixed with water, kept out the rain and the wind. - -The life was a hard one, but it was peaceful, and none of those who had -given up all for Christ turned regretful looks backward. - -The leading spirit amongst the women was Agatha, who was always -cheerful and full of hope. - -Anna’s skill with her hands was much appreciated, and the women of the -little band were taught by her to plait their hair, and mend their -torn garments, with the delicate spikes of the fir-trees for needles, -and slender strands of dried, long grass for thread. - -Amphibalus returned from one of his missionary expeditions early one -morning. By common consent Agatha was considered the adviser-in-chief -of the community, and Amphibalus came at once to the hut where she and -Anna were busily engaged in tying up the long leaves of the bulrush and -iris, which were to be twisted into wicks for the rude lamps that were -to lighten the long winter nights. The oil was made from the fat of the -animals which were snared for food, and carefully preserved by Agatha’s -orders. - -Amphibalus’s face was grave and anxious when he appeared at the door or -opening of the hut, and he beckoned Agatha to come outside. - -“Is aught wrong?” she asked. - -“Yes,” he said, “the heathen idolaters of the old British gods have -discovered our hiding-place, and they will be upon us with more -fierceness than the Romans. I dread them, daughter, more than I dread -the Roman torture. Not for myself,” he added, “but for the weak women -and maidens, and the young boys in our community. I have seen a horde -of these wild people, with fierce and threatening aspect, yesterday, -and overheard their jargon, which, as far as I made it out, told of -enmity and bad intentions. An effort must be made to escape from their -clutches, and we must separate, the women under protection of the -bravest men amongst us, and take different ways through the forest. -This village must be broken up, and we must leave as little trace -behind us as we can. But I would fain gather the people together for a -last word of prayer and praise, and break the bread and drink the cup -once more ere we part.” - -By mid-day, nearly all his people had assembled, and Amphibalus then -addressed them. He told them he had reason to believe they were -discovered by their enemies, and that the church must be scattered. But -he added-- - -“Let it be scattered as seed. Let every one of you hold fast the faith, -and wherever you wander, tell the people of the God whom you serve, and -be not afraid to confess Christ. As for myself, I feel that the time of -my departure is at hand, and I will gladly follow the dear and honoured -Alban, who laid down his life for me. Weep not for me, for I may say, -‘I am ready to be offered, and I fear not.’” - -Then, amidst tears and sighing, the service was proceeded with, and -scarcely had the blessing left the priest’s lips when the whole -congregation separated in detachments under his orders, having first -pulled down the huts they had so lately erected; and taking different -routes, they spread themselves once more in the forest. - -Amphibalus led the little band, in which were Agatha and Anna, with -some sixteen more, stout of heart and strong of limb, able to offer -resistance. There were women and children amongst them, who were placed -in the centre of the square, four men at the rear, and four in the -van, and four on either side. In this order they marched along for -three days, Amphibalus’s aim being to get into another district nearer -Verulam, where he knew a church had been founded. - -It was on the evening of the third day’s march that one of the outposts -came running in breathless to the place, under an overhanging rock, -where some thirty of the wanderers had encamped for the night. - -“The Romans are upon us!” he exclaimed; “I have heard the clanging of -armour, and climbing a tree, I saw nearly fifty soldiers, and heard -them say they had got on the track of the fugitives.” - -Scarcely had the man delivered himself of his message, falling down -exhausted with the exertion he had made to reach Amphibalus, when the -trampling of horses’ hoofs was heard, and the Roman officer who was -in command of the fifty men called to them to halt, “for the game was -scented out at last.” By the side of the Roman commander was a young -man scarcely past boyhood, who had prayed to be allowed to accompany -the expedition, that he might, as he said, see some service for his -master, and track out the Christians to their destruction. This young -man was Claudius, the son of the Briton who held a high position in -Verulam. - -At a word from the commander of the force, a rough, stern man, named -Valens, the Christians were seized and bound with manacles, and told -they were to follow on foot to Radburn. But the strong men made a -desperate resistance, and a fearful struggle ensued. Amphibalus in vain -exhorted them to cease to fight, for that he was ready to accompany -Valens, and no coercion would be needful for him. But no one listened -to his voice, and Anna, clinging to Agatha, hid her face, that she -might not see the terrible conflict which dyed the green sward with -blood, and made the wood resound with cries and groans. Some of the -women of the company cried out that they would recant, and Agatha in -vain exhorted them to be firm to their faith. Terror-stricken and -distressed for their husbands and brothers, they threw themselves -before Valens and entreated for mercy. - -Alas! none was shown, and Amphibalus was bound tightly, and constrained -to stand by and see his followers fall one by one dead upon the turf, -where several of the Romans’ bodies lay, covered with blood, which -flowed from ghastly wounds. - -At last, when the slaughter was ended by the entire mastery of the -Roman band, the word was given to march, and by the light of a pale -moon the remnant of Amphibalus’s followers, fainting and exhausted, -were obliged to follow their captors towards Radburn. - -Before they reached Radburn the next day news was brought in that the -idolaters of South Wales had fallen upon and slaughtered the rest of -Amphibalus’s church; and there was a thrill of triumph through the -Roman band that the martyrdom of Alban had not increased the numbers of -the Christians in these parts, for nearly all those who had been won -over by Amphibalus were killed. Only a few remained. Agatha and Anna, -and some half-dozen more women and children, with two old men, whose -aged feet could scarcely bear them along the rugged paths of the forest. - -Radburn was reached the next day, and here the Christians were -consigned to dismal dungeons to await the Governor’s orders. - -Agatha and Anna were shut into a damp cell, where a little water and -some dry bread were all the food allotted to them, and Amphibalus was -separated from the rest of the poor converts, and, heavily fettered, -was literally thrown into a dungeon under the rude stone dwelling which -served for a prison, and where neither light nor air could penetrate. - -He was brought out the next day, and a hasty tribunal was formed. He -stood before his accusers with a calm and unmoved countenance. He was -asked if he would save his life, and he answered-- - -“I would save it were it my Lord’s will, but if He calls me to the -crown of martyrdom, as He called my friend, who laid down his life for -me, I will humbly receive it.” He was roughly struck upon the mouth, -and then asked if he would at once resort to the temple at Verulam, -and, prostrating himself there, renounce his evil practices. - -“Nay,” he said, “I know of no evil practices to renounce, but I will -never deny my Lord.” - -“Have you nought else to say?” - -“Nay, save that I would pray you to shield two weak women of my company -from the sight of my sufferings.” - -This request, as might be expected, had the opposite effect to what -Amphibalus desired. Agatha and Anna were dragged out to the open space, -where a crowd scarcely less numerous than that which had assembled to -witness the death of Alban were pressing round to see Amphibalus suffer. - -It may truly be said that they stoned Amphibalus calling upon God, and -commending his spirit to Him for Whose sake he lay down his life. Death -by stoning seemed to make a more profound impression on the spectators -than death by the sword, and the savage executioners who were hired to -fling the stones upon the martyr showed no pity. Rather, they delighted -to prolong his sufferings, and they were intense. - -Scarcely less intense were those of the two women who were compelled to -see the cruel deed accomplished. A deep swoon mercifully spared Anna -the prolonged torture which Agatha had to undergo, nor could she at the -first raise her voice, as her friend did, to cheer and encourage the -martyr. - -There was one present who watched Anna with something more than common -interest. Claudius remembered the words of little Hyacintha, and his -promise to save her, if it were possible. Now, the boy knew well enough -that to help a Christian to escape was scarcely a less heinous offence -than to profess the faith himself. But Hyacintha’s pleading eyes, her -gentle voice, her beautiful little hands raised in appeal, rose before -him, and he was thinking over every possible way whereby he could save -Anna. The two women were remanded to their cell to await the Governor’s -pleasure, and Claudius obtained permission of Valens after he had -conducted them thither to remain as their guard. - -“Thou art early in thy zeal for the gods, brave Claudius, but thy -strong arm yesterday did such good service that I am willing to leave -thee in command here of a handful of soldiers large enough for the -occasion. One of the women looks dead already, and will save us further -trouble. As to the rest, I think the Governor may desire to apply -torture before finally disposing of them. By the gods, Claudius, what -fools these Christians are!” - -“Fools, indeed,” said Claudius. “I do not care what short work I make -with the men. I slew three yesterday, after a fierce tussle, but -women--weak women--well, I’d as lief not crush them out.” - -“Who are these two women?” Valens asked. - -“One belongs to the family of the soldier who refused to strike off -Alban’s head.” - -“Ah! then she is a dangerous reptile. The other looks harmless, poor -wretch; and what hair--like the autumn leaves with the sun on it!” - -“Yes,” Claudius replied, hastily, “yes, she is a Briton, methinks.” - -“Has aught been heard of the runaway slave of the noble Severus? He -offered a high price for her head.” - -“Nay, not that I know of. He has forgotten it ere now; the fair Cæcilia -has supplied her place by a Greek, so Junia, my sister, affirms.” - -Valens shrugged his broad shoulders. “The fair Cæcilia has freed -herself of all burdens now. That little daughter of hers, and the -weakling Casca, are sent off to Rome under Burrhus’s convoy; the maiden -is to be buried for life in the Temple of Vesta. Why, her beauty, at -this tender age, is enough to turn the heads of a legion. Perhaps it -has turned thine, good Claudius!” - -“I have something else to think of than fair faces,” said Claudius. -“Has news arrived of Burrhus’s reaching Rome?” he asked, carelessly. - -“Nay, I am not so like to hear as thou art. Thy sister, Junia, is -continually a guest in the house of Severus. He is a high and mighty -man, forsooth; they call him second to the Governor. Methinks he has -more power than the Governor: and I must not delay any longer, but seek -both noble personages and find out their will, and I think I may claim -a reward for the last day’s work. We tracked out the wretches cleverly -enough, and came upon that band of thirty with a swoop. Catching the -chief, Amphibalus, was somewhat a greater catch than if we had only -surprised the others.” - -“We were saved that trouble by the Welsh folk,” Claudius said. “A man -came in this morning to say not one of the eight hundred is left.” - -“Nay, but that is good hearing. I can now claim my reward with some -assurance. Crushing out the whole swarm of Christians was more than was -expected. I’ll put in your claim, young Claudius; which shall it be, a -gold chain or a slave, eh!” - -“I desire neither,” said Claudius, haughtily. “Methinks we Britons want -no slaves, and as to gold collars, let my sister have the chain, if one -be accorded. Commission for foreign service is the only reward I claim.” - -“I’ll leave you to press the claim yourself,” Valens said, in an -offended voice. Then in a loud stentorian tone he told off half-a-dozen -of his men, and ordered them to remain under the authority of the young -Claudius until he returned on the following day, and brought back -orders as to the fate of the prisoners who were confined in the dungeon. - -And then Valens, followed by his troop, rode off towards Verulam. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -CLAUDIUS FULFILS HIS VOW. - - -Claudius was no more inclined to the Christian faith than he had been -when we last saw him in the room of Casca, the son of Severus. But he -felt himself pledged to perform his vow, sworn by the gods, that if -ever it were in his power he would save Ebba, the British slave, so -well beloved by Hyacintha, the daughter of the noble Severus. - -Since she and her brother had left Verulam, in the sunny days of July, -for that distant Rome, which was then, to all intents and purposes, as -far from Verulam as San Francisco or Lima would be from the St. Albans -of to-day, Claudius had felt a terrible blank in his life. Games and -athletic sports, feats of arms, and dashing military exercises, were -much to him, but till he had lost Casca he did not know how his life -had been bound up in him. Those pleasant talks in the twilight with -Casca, who had read much, and was of a studious rather than a warlike -nature, were all over. Claudius had felt the fascination of Casca’s -conversation, although he professed to despise all those aspirations -and longings which were in the boy’s heart, and welled up like an -irrepressible spring, which could not be stopped in its overflow. With -Casca and his young sister’s departure all the gentler elements had -died out of Claudius’s life, and he had thrown himself more eagerly -into any amusements, or any occupation which could drown reflection, -living only in the present, and persuading himself that the present was -enough. His old father had filled a post of honour under Carausius, -who had held Britain as an independent province for ten years. Then -Carausius was assassinated by Allectus, who had at first asserted -himself, and held the command with but few Roman soldiers, and a large -army of the northern tribes, who are now known to be the Caledonians. - -When at last the whole province was united under the Imperial sway -of Diocletian, old Caradon lived on in gloomy subjection to Roman -authority, asking no public office, and allowing his two children, left -to him by his Italian wife, to follow their own devices. He found them -harder to control than any of the savage tribes over whom, during the -temporary rule of Carausius, he had held authority; and the evening -of his days was spent in a state of inaction and regret for the times -which were past. - -Severus treated him with a hardly concealed contempt, and his temper -was soured and his patience tried by the wild freaks of his daughter -Junia, and the independent spirit of his son Claudius, who had eagerly -caught at the offer of accompanying Valens to hunt out the Christians -under Amphibalus: little thinking that he should find Ebba amongst -them, and be compelled to fulfil the solemn vow he had made to -Hyacintha, the daughter of Severus, and the sister of his friend Casca. - -Now, as he paced up and down before the rude stone building which was -used as a sort of courthouse and prison in Radburn, Claudius thought -on all possible means to effect her escape. As soon as it became known -that Ebba was one of the two women who had been brought to Radburn with -Amphibalus, she would be seized and beheaded, so that the price set -upon her head in the spring might be claimed. - -Claudius well knew the risk he ran in aiding and abetting Ebba’s -escape, but he was brave and honourable, and held his vow made to -Hyacintha by the gods as binding. - -There was no time to lose. Valens would at once see the Governor and -Severus at Verulam, and it was only too probable that the two women, -Agatha and Anna, would be taken before them the next morning. They -would be called upon to renounce their faith, the British slave Ebba -would be recognised, and for her there could be no hope of mercy; while -Agatha’s connection with the soldier who had died rather than carry -out the sentence of death on Alban, would probably cause her to be -tortured, if not instantly beheaded. - -Under cover of the darkness of the late October night, before the moon, -now on the wane, rose in the eastern sky, Claudius felt whatever he did -must be done at once. - -He summoned the men under his command to the small square hall in the -building. A fire had been kindled there, and the smoke made its way out -by the slits and apertures which pierced at intervals the thick walls. -Claudius was a young commander, and the stout Roman soldiers were at -first rather inclined to resent his authority. Claudius, however, had -that free, pleasant manner which the roughest and hardest natures find -it impossible to resist. - -He ordered two of the men to go out and cater for provisions, adding, -“We will sup together to-night, and will not spare the cup. See that -every one of you gets his fill.” - -Then he seated himself at the board on the rude bench which was placed -near it, and the village of Radburn was soon found sufficient to supply -the wants of the little band, and satisfy even their large appetites. - -They ate and drank, and grew first hilarious and then heavy. The man -in charge of the dungeon was invited to join the party, and several -people from the village were also bidden to come in as they stood round -the open door, and the soldiers’ carousal ended by their stretching -themselves on the floor, and sleeping heavily, from the effects of -over-eating, over-drinking, and fatigue; for the forced marches through -the forest, and the fierce contest with the Christians, had tried even -their herculean strength to the uttermost. - -So far, Claudius’s scheme had answered; he feigned to sleep heavily, -and when all was quiet, about nine o’clock, he crept softly past the -sleepers, and went out into the darkness. - -As he went down the steep incline from the courthouse, he stumbled -against some dark object, and a piteous voice exclaimed-- - -“For the love of Heaven, have pity on me!” - -“Who are you?” Claudius asked. - -“A poor wandering Jew, whose only daughter has fallen down, worn out -with illness and fatigue, and has passed hence, in the darkness, to -Abraham’s bosom.” - -“You dog!” Claudius exclaimed, “how came you hither?” - -“I came over to Britain seeking for pearls, with which your rivers -abound, but I have found none, but lost my own pearl. She is dead! she -is dead!” he moaned. “I have carried her thus far, and none in this -heathen village would give me shelter. I know by the heavy weight with -which she lies in my arms that she is dead.” - -Claudius strode back to the hall, and taking a burning ember from the -mass upon the hearth, and returning, threw the light of a torch he had -kindled upon the girl’s face. Yes, she was dead--must have been dead -for hours. - -Her father, gazing on her, burst into a low wail, and rocking himself -to and fro, cried for pity and mercy from Jehovah. - -A sudden thought flashed upon Claudius. - -“Hearken, old man, wretched dog as you are, if you will do me a service -I will pay you in gold pieces, but it must be done at once. Leave your -daughter’s body to me for burial, and betake yourself to a thicket just -beyond the village. Stay there till I come to you, and I will ensure -you safe departure. If you refuse, by the gods, I will drag you before -the Governor to-morrow, and see you torn limb from limb.” - -“Oh! good sir! Oh! kind sir! have pity. My daughter! my daughter!” - -“She is dead,” Claudius replied, as throwing the light of the torch on -the pale, still face, wan and attenuated by sickness, and set in its -frame of raven hair it looked white as snow. - -“Poor creature!” Claudius said, “she is young to die, but we all die, -some old, some young; it is the fate of all, and the gods take the -best first. Now, Jew, there must be no delay. Shall I carry away your -daughter, and in return will you, for gold, which I will bring you, do -my behest? It must be now, or it will be too late.” - -As he spoke, Claudius took the old man roughly by the arm, and setting -him on his feet, raised the body of the dead maiden in his arms, and -bidding the Jew follow him, went down to the road below. - - * * * * * - -The long, dark hours had passed slowly in the dungeon, where, after the -cruel scene of the morning, Agatha and Anna had sat together, waiting -for death. Anna had revived when she had swallowed a few drops of cold -water, and Agatha, though utterly exhausted herself, seating herself -by the wall, had gathered the girl tenderly into her maternal arms, and -revived her, as best she could, by chafing her cold hands, and pressing -her close to her bosom. - -Then, while Agatha watched, Anna had slept at intervals, and the elder -woman did her best to encourage and comfort the younger. - -“It has been a fearsome day and fiery trial for thee, Anna,” Agatha -said. “How wilt thou bear the morrow?” - -“I think,” said poor Anna, in a low but firm voice, “I think I can bear -my own pain better than witnessing that of another.” - -“Thou hast no lurking fear, then, that when the trial comes thou wilt -deny thy Lord?” - -“Nay,” Anna said, “I, who have been so weak-hearted, feel that He gives -me strength; and, Agatha, I have had a wondrous and beautiful dream. I -dreamed I saw the golden city, and the great gates, through which only -the pure of heart can pass. There was a soft light all round, like the -light in the atrium when all the silver lamps were kindled, and there -was the murmur of many waters. Then, as I stood at the gates, afraid to -enter, I heard a voice say, ‘Come up hither.’ - -“I answered, ‘I dare not; I am only a slave, a poor slave;’ and the -voice said-- - -“‘I have bought thee with a price, and thou art Mine.’ And then, -Agatha, I saw my own beautiful little mistress, Hyacintha. I wondered -to see her there, standing at the gate. I thought it must be the -temple of Vesta, and not the Holy City. My mistress was still a child, -yet not a child. She wore a long white robe, and her figure was tall -and stately. Her hair was bound with a gold fillet, which made a -shining circle around her head. She held out her arms to me, and said-- - -“‘Anna! Anna!’ Then I wondered why she called me Anna, for I had ever -been Ebba to her--Ebba, the British slave-girl. Then she said-- - -“‘I have come to meet thee at the gate. I have come to bid thee -welcome; the Lord has sent me for thee.’ - -“I marvelled much how that could be, for I knew my little mistress was -to be a priestess of the goddess Vesta, and that she must worship her, -and not the Lord Jesus. - -“But then the voice of one I could not see, seemed to answer my -thoughts, and said-- - -“‘I have bought you both with a price, you are Mine; enter ye into -the Heavenly City, and go out no more.’ Then my little mistress, fair -Hyacintha, took my hand, and we went up the golden street together, -and there was again the sound of many waters, and of sweet music, and -countless glad voices; and then I opened my eyes, and all was dark--so -dark--but I felt thy arm pressing me to thy heart, Agatha, and was -comforted.” - -“My poor child,” Agatha sighed, “I would that thy dream were true. -There is sharp pain first before thou canst enter through the gates. -Say, wilt thou be able to endure to the end, as our master, Amphibalus, -and holy Alban did?” - -“I am but weak; I am but weak and young,” Anna said, “but He is with -me. I hope we shall go together, Agatha.” - -“I would fain hope so; but it may not be; perchance that would be too -great a favour at the hands of our persecutors. While thou hast been -dreaming, a dream, I doubt not, sent to thee from heaven, by the love -of our Lord, I have been thinking over my life. Here, in this dark -dungeon, I saw before me a peaceful hut, on the borders of the great -river, where as a girl I played, and often went with my father in the -coracle, to gather the oysters from their bed as the water ebbed, and -to pick out the pearls from them when the shells were forced open. I -mind me that my father would say that the oysters the hardest to force -open always held the finest pearls. Since I have become a Christian, I -have thought often of those words. For verily the Pearl of Great Price -is not easy to obtain, and we find it with much pain and searching. I -became afterwards the wife of a brave man, and the mother of two noble -boys. I saw them all killed, in a fight between our people and some -who owed allegiance to Carausius. I thought my heart was broken then, -and I wanted in my blindness to end my life by plunging a dagger into -my breast. But it was then that I came with Heraclius, my kinsman, -under the teaching of Amphibalus, and the Lord showed me that to live -according to His will was a nobler thing than to give up the life He -had bestowed, ere it was His good pleasure to recall it. Thus I lived, -and I have nursed the sick at Verulam, and, in my humble way, held -the cross of Christ before the eyes of those, who, clasping it to -their hearts, have found it turned into a crown. It was at the secret -meetings of the Christians that I first saw thee, the frightened, -trembling Ebba, the slave of the rich and noble Severus. Then how my -love flowed forth to thee on the hill-side, on that early summer night -when Amphibalus baptised thee, and thy name was no longer Ebba but -Anna. And we have shared perils and trials together since then, dear -one, and love has knit our hearts in a bond that death cannot break.” - -“Oh! that we may die together,” Anna said. “I thought this morning, -when the darkness came over me like a cold wave, it was death. Will -dying be like that swoon, thinkest thou?” - -“Nay, for thou wilt open thy eyes in a glorious light instead of in -this black, chill cell,” Agatha replied. - -Thus the two poor prisoners talked to one another, and comforted one -another with the words of Him who had gone the rugged way before them; -and the shadow of the dark valley--for they looked for death on the -morrow--was brightened for them by the presence of their Lord. - -Presently Anna said-- - -“They are pulling back the bolts! they are unlocking the gate! Are they -at hand who will kill us, here in the darkness?” - -Agatha sat upright and listened; yes, there was the slow, grating noise -made by the pulling back of heavy bolts, and the rusty key turned in -the rude hole which formed a lock. - -Then the heavy gate opened, a draught of chill air came in, and some -one was evidently entering slowly, as one who bore a burden. - -No one spoke, the door was closed, and then a lamp or lanthorn, formed -with a wick floating in oil, was uncovered, and showed a tall young -man, standing by the prostrate figure which he had evidently just -deposited at his feet. - -“Another prisoner!” Agatha exclaimed. “Sir, what brings you here?” - -Anna, shading her dazed eyes with her hands, exclaimed, “It is the -noble Claudius, the friend of my young mistress Hyacintha!” - -“Yes, it is I. I was with Valens in the expedition; you saw me then.” - -“We saw you, young Claudius,” Agatha said, “and may God forgive your -part in the slaughter of that cruel day. Are you come to end our -sufferings with your sword? If it be so, hasten your work.” - -“Nay,” Claudius said; “nay, I have sworn a solemn oath to save Ebba, -the British slave, if it lay in my power. There is only one way by -which I can do it; this dead girl shall be left here, and Ebba shall -come forth with me, to take her place with her father, whom I have, -under cover of the darkness, hidden in the thick brushwood just beyond -the village. Thither I will guide Ebba, leaving the dead girl with you, -and taking the living one to a place of safety.” - -Anna clasped her hands. - -“I cannot, I cannot come,” she said. “I will remain here to die.” - -“Nay, that must not be,” said Claudius. “I swore to the pure fair -maiden who was your mistress, and who loved you so well, to save your -life. I must perform my vow. See here, you elder woman, I shall return -to-morrow to lead you out at the Governor’s command. I call upon you -to make no sign whereby you betray that this poor child lying at your -feet is other than the Christian who was present with you yesterday. -If you do make that sign, you will cost me my life. If not, I will -order the soldiers to kindle a funeral pile, and all that will be left -of this poor child, whom her father calls Rachel, will be burned to -ashes before the sun sets to-morrow. Now,” said Claudius, “I have not a -moment to lose,” and stooping, he raised Anna in his strong arms, and -was striding away with her, when Agatha said, - -“Hold! Good Claudius, I will utter no lie about this dead child. I am -forbidden by my Lord to lie. I may be mute, but I will not speak, if -by speaking I am to tell that this corpse is that of Ebba the Saxon -slave.” - -“Oh! I pray you, I beseech you, good sir!” Anna exclaimed, “leave me -here. I cannot, cannot, leave Agatha alone with the dead!” - -“My vow is upon me,” Claudius said, “and you must come, whether you -will or no.” - -“But whither? whither? to die in a forest? to--” - -“Hush! I pray you, dear Anna,” Agatha said. “This is the hand of God. -He may desire thy young and vigorous life for service for Him. The -means are in His hands. But I pray you, noble Claudius, assure me that -this poor lamb, who lieth here so still and cold, met her death by no -evil practice.” - -“Nay, I know nothing, save that when disturbed in mind as to how I -could perform my vow, and escape the anger of the gods, I stumbled on -an old whining dog, of the people they call the Jews, crying over his -dead child. Here seemed the way for Ebba’s escape, and I took it, and I -can sacrifice to the gods to-morrow with a good heart.” - -“Go then, dear child, my child in the Son of God and faith in Christ, -and may the Lord be with thee; one more kiss, and then----” - -There was not time for another word; Claudius threw the light burden -over his shoulder, and departed cautiously, as he had come, drawing the -bolts and turning the key, and leaving Agatha, the Christian woman, -alone in darkness with the dead. - -Claudius strode along through brambles and thicket, till he reached -the very cave where the Christians had taken refuge after Alban’s -martyrdom. While hunting here one day in the late summer, he had come -upon this cave, and explored it. The beds of heather were still piled -up as Agatha had left them, and on one of these the young man gently -laid his burden down. - -“Where is that old dog of a Jew?” he shouted; “has he played me false!” - -“Nay, I am here, good sir, kind sir; and a broken-hearted father. Woe -is me! that ever I left my own people; but I was tempted to come in the -train of a Roman, with wife and daughter and two noble boys. All, all -are dead--and I--whither shall I flee?” - -“Get out of Britain as fast as may be,” said Claudius, “and take this -maiden as your daughter. Make for the coast, and board a ship which is -to cross to Gaul; here are nine gold pieces for thy pouch.” - -“But my daughter, my Rachel!” moaned the old man. “Wilt thou give her -body burial--burial, not heathenish burning? Vow, young man.” - -“If possible, I will have her body thrown into a hole, if you deem that -to be a higher fate than burning; but I do not promise. And now I must -be gone. Take two hours’ rest, and then away before day dawns. You know -these parts.” - -“Ay, but too well,” the old man said. “This hard rugged Britain, and -its rough people. I would that I had never been tempted by the thought -of goodly merchandise to cross the sea--the angry sea--and suffer -thereby the bitter loss of all I count dear!” - -“I dare say you have managed to get together a few pearls. I mind -hearing of some of your race who carried off the biggest pearls from -the river on which Londinium is built, and in conducting the barter -with the Britons for their masters,[B] well filled their own pouches, -as I dare to say yours is filled. Now I must away. Ebba, remember I -have fulfilled my vow at the risk of my life; and if ever you see the -fair Hyacintha commend me to her with these words, ‘I have kept my -vow, and when she makes prayers to the goddess in the temple where her -presence lingers, bid her remember Claudius.’” - -When Claudius was gone the Jew carefully stowed away the coins in his -pouch, and drew from it some dried fruit and a small vial of mead. Then -he said, - -“Daughter, for I am to call thee daughter in place of her who is in -Abraham’s bosom--better there than in this cold world; come and eat, -before we go on our way.” - -At first Anna refused to eat and drink, but then she remembered the -words of Agatha:-- - -“It may be that the Lord has work for thee to do for Him, and He spares -thy life to do it.” - -After a pause, therefore, she roused herself, and in the dim light -which the waning moon shed through the aperture, she saw the Jew’s -face--a face lined with furrows, and giving the appearance of a very -old man, while, in truth, Ezra was scarcely sixty. Poor Anna felt that -she need not fear the old man, and as she saw tears coursing each other -down his cheeks she drew nearer to him. - -“Father,” she said, “I would fain eat, as you desire, and live to help -and comfort you.” - -Ezra shook his head from side to side, rocking himself to and fro, -after the fashion of his people. - -“None can comfort and none can help, but I am as well pleased to have -thy company as to be solitary. He setteth the solitary in families,” -the old man said. - -“Are you a Christian?” Anna asked, timidly. - -She was surprised at the fierce denial that the Jew hurled at her. “A -Christian! nay. If you mean a follower of the Nazarene--nay, by the -Holy Father, I say _nay_!” - -Frightened at the sudden change from calm sorrow to vehement rage, Anna -said no more. - -Ezra handed her the vial and the dried fruit, and bade her eat and -drink, and said in the strength of that meal they must pursue their -way, and that the youth bade them not delay. - -Before three o’clock the old man and the maiden were on their journey -eastward, making their way to the sea. When day dawned, they were about -five miles from Radburn, and Ezra halted by a spring, and, stooping -down, took a draught of the pure cold water in the hollow of his hand, -bidding Anna do the same. Then the Jew drew out more dried fruit; and -they reached a straggling village of mud dwellings about noon. The -people were friendly, and Ezra thought it wise to tarry there for the -rest and refreshment of his companion, who was, indeed, but the ghost -of the Ebba whom we first saw standing by Cæcilia’s couch. - -Ezra drew from his wallet a variety of articles, and giving Anna a -handkerchief of soft white stuff, bordered with gold, he bade her bind -it on her head and confine her hair under it. - -“No daughter of our race had ever hair so light in colour,” he -said, “and it is better that thou shouldst take the semblance of my -daughter--my Rachel--my flower of beauty. Eheu! Eheu! She had borne up -so long, but, weak and ailing, she tripped and fell on Watling Street, -striking her head upon the stones of the highway, and scarcely spoke a -word after. I bore her in my arms to a house in Verulam; but they were -rough and cruel barbarians, and turned us out. - -“Then I thought to reach Radburn, where I knew the people were more -friendly; and hearing a small body of Roman soldiers were guarding some -prisoners there, I essayed to ascend the steps to the guard-house, and -here my child struggled hard for breath. I sat me down with her, and -then all was still--her spirit had departed, and Ichabod is my name!” - -Anna had heard of the Jewish race, and knew that her Lord had been born -of them. She knew, also, that the Jews had crucified Him, and that -the Cross had been set on a hill in their city. Once she remembered -to have seen a man richly clothed in long garments, and heard that -he had come with merchandise and pearls to the Roman nobles. He was -one of the scattered people, who, like the Greeks, were sometimes -conveyed to Britain in the train of the Romans. But Anna knew little -about the Jews. Agatha had, indeed, while rehearsing in her ears many -of the instructions which had fallen from the lips of Amphibalus and -Heraclius, told her of the Jews’ city, Jerusalem, and how the Romans -held the province as they held Britain; and that the Jews, as a -punishment for their sins, were sent forth to wander restlessly over -the face of the earth. But all this time a Jew was seldom seen in -Britain except as an appendage of some great person, so that Anna had -never seen other Jews besides the man in the rich garment, of whom she -heard afterwards that he had been robbed of his treasures and slain on -the highway, no one interfering to save or protect him. - -Her heart was filled with strange doubts as she heard the Jew, who -denounced her Saviour with fury, pray to his Lord Jehovah, and chant -in a low monotone from a roll of parchment which he kept hidden in the -breast of his robe, and fastened by a band round his neck. The low, -monotonous chant was one of the Psalms of David--the Penitential Psalm-- - - “Out of the deep have I called.” - -But the Hebrew rhythm, though pleasant to the ear, was an unknown -tongue to the British maiden, and while Ezra chanted and wept, Anna, -soothed, she scarcely knew why, rested on a skin which was spread upon -the floor of the hut, and slept till Ezra awoke her and said they must -push on towards the sea. - -Fatigue and hunger, and weariness of body and mind, had dulled the -sense of pain for the time; but when her powers were more fully awake, -the hideous scenes of the stoning of Amphibalus, the mad shouts of the -people, and the darkness of the dungeon, became once more a haunting -reality. Then came the bitter fear of what might have been the fate -of Agatha, her tender friend, who had been left fainting and ill in -darkness and solitude with the dead, while she, who had shared so many -dangers with her, was borne away. She reproached herself for cowardice, -and in broken words, with many tears, prayed the Jew to let her return -towards Radburn. - -But Ezra was proof against her entreaties, and bade her thank Jehovah -for the life He had spared; nor waste strength and time in feeble -wailings. - -“I have lost my only one,” he said, “the only thing left to me in this -land of strangers; but I go on towards Rome, the great city, where a -company of my people is gathered, and thence to Jerusalem to lay my -bones where the prophets and righteous men have laid theirs; nor will -I weakly faint or fail of my purpose. I was on my way to the sea coast -when this misfortune befel me, to find by chance a little company, with -whom my child and I might be protected through Gaul. We push on thither -now, and may the Almighty be our strong tower and house of defence.” - -This prayer was answered, and the longing fulfilled; the Jew and the -maiden were mercifully protected from harm. - -Their quiet, inoffensive bearing, their sorrowful faces and -gentle demeanour, served as a shield as they passed through the -widely-scattered villages of the old Britons and the more pretentious -towns of their conquerors the Romans. They reached the fort of Lyme -in safety, and Claudius’s gold pieces purchased their passage across -the stormy channel in one of those strangely-built boats, with large -curved prow and short mast, which had taken the place of the mud-lined -coracles of the conquered race. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -BY LAND AND SEA. - - -The party under the convoy of Burrhus had embarked from Lyme, in -Dorsetshire, very soon after Alban’s martyrdom. The remains of the old -harbour, although at a distance from the sea, which has receded from -this part of the coast, can still be seen by those who may be curious -to discover them. The channel had been smooth, for a great gale had -passed over it some days before, and the weather was exceptionally calm -and favourable. - -The pain of parting was over, and Hyacintha and her brother gave -themselves up to the full enjoyment of travel, unthinking of the -dangers which in reality threatened them, and delighting in the thought -that every day brought them nearer to Rome. - -There was also in Hyacintha’s child-heart a strange yearning for the -office for which she was to be trained under her kinswoman. Years -must pass, she knew, before the care of that sacred fire could really -be entrusted to her, but the time would come, and then what life on -earth could be found to compare to it? Had Hyacintha lived in our day, -she would have had the same visions and dreams of a vocation higher -than that which is pursued year by year by those who live only for -the present. In the higher rank of society, which corresponds to that -in which our little Hyacintha was born, there is the same imperative -demand made for all that can conduce to pleasure. - -The London season of to-day, with its ceaseless round of gaiety, its -slavish adherence to prevailing customs, the glare and false brilliancy -of the life of the votaries of fashion, is found quite insufficient for -many who are caught in the vortex and hurried along the stream, to be -carried they have scarcely time to ask whither. - -The human heart, with all its joys and sorrows, is the same in the -nineteenth as it was in the fourth century. - -The surroundings may be different, and this difference in outside -things is likely to make us look upon the men and women of a remote age -as apart from us, and forget that they had their cares, and joys, and -hopes, and fears, as we have them now. - -The woman’s heart then, as now, often sent up a cry for something that -could satisfy it; and half-unconsciously to herself that cry was making -itself heard in Hyacintha’s young heart, like the first notes of a bird -sent forth to meet the dawn. - -All travelling was long and dangerous in those times. The tribes of -Gaul--the Burgundæ--had risen in 287, and Carausius, who had carried -all before him for ten years in Britain, had once been amongst them. - -The troop which Burrhus commanded did not pass through the country -without several fierce encounters with the Burgundæ, and the women were -terror-struck with the clash of arms, and the savage cries of the wild -bands which again and again attacked them. The wife of Burrhus was -attended by several ladies and slaves, and Hyacintha and Casca each had -their own attendant. Hyacintha’s was a girl of Roman birth, who thought -it an honour to be the servant of a young aspirant to the office of a -priestess in the temple of Vesta. - -In one of the most alarming encounters Casca was wounded in the -shoulder. His father had given Burrhus instructions to lose no -opportunity of hardening his son, and to do everything that might make -him worthy to be a Roman soldier, so that he was placed in the front -rank of this skirmish. - -Poor Casca suffered terribly from his wound, though in the eyes of the -soldiers it was but a trifling one. - -His sensitive organism, so widely different from that of the big and -burly Burrhus, excited contempt rather than pity, and as it was a drag -upon their movements to have to carry a litter with a wounded man, -Burrhus determined to embark his troop on board two Roman galleys which -were lying in the port of Marseilles, and perform the rest of the -journey by water. - -This plan was hailed gladly by the ladies of the party, and especially -by Hyacintha, who could sit continually by her brother, as he lay on -the deck of the galley, and talk to him, or be silent, as he liked; -but Casca was gloomy and sad, and lamented that the spear of the wild -warrior who had overpowered him had not made an end of him altogether. - -The galley was lying one evening off the coast of that part of southern -France and northern Italy we know as the Riviera. - -Beyond the rugged outline of the rocky range, lofty mountains rose--the -peaks of eternal snow, the white-crowned line of the Alpes Maritimes. -The evening was fair and calm, and the sails of the galley hung idly in -the gentle breeze. - -Hyacintha’s soul was filled with the beauty before her, and Casca’s -large mournful eyes were turned towards the snowy peaks, now blushing -rosy-red with the last kiss of the setting sun. - -“That,” Casca said, “looks like the city Ebba murmured about. I never -could make out where it was, nor how it was to be reached. Poor Ebba!” -he repeated. “I wonder if she is dead, like Alban, and passed hence? -and if so, whither?” - -Hyacintha did not reply. She was looking down upon the sapphire water -which rippled against the low, cumbrous vessel, and her eyes were -scanning a dark object which floated slowly past. - -“See, Casca!” she said, “see! There are dead women in that boat, -drifting whither?” - -“As we drift,” said the boy, raising himself on his elbow, “as we -drift. But I heard some one say that the people of these parts place -their dead that they love best in boats, that they may reach Arles--the -holy city--with money to pay for their burial.” - -Hyacintha did not answer, but continued to gaze down upon the boat till -it was carried beyond her sight. - -Death everywhere, the child thought. Death by sword, and fire, and -tempest, and sickness. Death! and she had heard Ebba say something -about One who was the Life. Life was so beautiful, and so sweet, and -yet the shadow of death was everywhere. - -“I shall be beyond the sights and sounds of woe and trouble in the -temple,” she thought. “I shall have so many beautiful things about me, -and I shall forget all that is dark and dreadful.” - -As the sun went down, a cool brisk breeze sprang up, and the little -convoy, of which the ship in which the brother and sister were sailing -was the middle one, began to dance merrily on the water. - -The galley on board of which were Burrhus and the chief officers of the -maniple was the scene of feasting and merriment. - -There were sounds of music, and of voices singing, and nothing seemed -to depress or sadden the rest of the party. - -“How different they are from me,” Casca said. “Do not you wish to join -them in the other vessel?” - -“Nay, brother, you know I love best to be with you,” Hyacintha said, -“but I would fain see you happier. Be not so faint-hearted; think of -Rome, and all you will see and do there; and how proud I shall feel -when I hear of my brother as foremost in all things in which young and -noble Romans excel.” - -“Nay, little sister, I crave only for peace and study. I know full well -that, by my father’s orders, I shall be hunted about at Rome, as I have -been at Verulam, and I shall have no Claudius to cheer me and help me -there. I marvel much, Hyacintha, what has become of Ebba. If the faith -of the Christian should be the real faith! It seemeth to give the weak -strength and the faint-hearted courage, and for that alone it should be -the faith for such as me.” - -Hyacintha turned quickly from her contemplation of the water, and said, -brightly-- - -“Nay, but Casca, there are brave and courageous ones who follow the old -faith; you forget that everyone is not sad, and----” - -“A coward like me”--Casca finished the sentence. “A coward like -me! Well, little sister, you have courage enough for both. I hate -bloodshed.” - -“Oh, Casca! Think you that I love to see it? When my mother made me sit -with her, when the wild boars and bulls were let loose on those poor -slaves in the arena at Verulam, I hid my eyes. It is not that sort of -courage I mean. I mean, courage for great and noble things. When the -wild barbarians fell on our troop near Arles, I shuddered. And oh, -Casca! when I saw thee brought in, bleeding so terribly, I could scarce -bear it. I shall be glad to be in Rome, safe in the Vestal’s atrium, -where I am to learn all that befits a priestess of the beautiful -goddess Vesta. I dream of her; and she comes to me in white robes. -I saw her last night walking on the sea--so calm and beautiful--and -on her head burned a star, like that,” the child said, pointing to a -planet which was setting in the eastern heaven, and shone with a steady -radiance in the opal sky. - -“The dangers of the way are nearly over now, and then it will be Rome, -and I shall be learning all that I could never learn in Verulam.” - -“And have you no longings for our mother and our father? I, who did not -love them, or seem to be loved by them as you were, I have longings. -Our beautiful mother and our noble father! He was hard enough on -me--stern and hard--but then, while it is a gift of the gods to have a -beautiful daughter like thee, Hyacintha, it is a curse for a brave man -to have a weakling like me for an only son.” - -Hyacintha was silent for a minute, and then said, - -“If they had wanted me sorely it would have been hard to part, but my -mother did not want me. Even Ebba was more to her than I was. And my -father’s desire was that I should be a chosen priestess, as many of his -race have been before; therefore, I am content. And it may be that our -parents will return to Rome, if it be the great Emperor’s will--all he -wills comes to pass. It was his will that the Christians should be put -to death, and who could gainsay him?” - -Two of the attendants now came to spread the evening meal under -a canvas canopy, which bore upon it the picture of an eagle with -outstretched wings. This sheltering canopy was made of the most -beautiful and costly material in the ships which belonged to any -great Roman noble. Even that of Burrhus was of purple silk with an -embroidered edge, but the other two small galleys were less costly in -their furnishings, and Hyacintha slept in the superior vessel, only -boarding the other in the day-time that she might be near her brother. - -This vessel was under the command of a Roman named Caius, who was a -fine, noble-looking man, of few words; but who, nevertheless, had -conceived a great interest in the two children of the noble house who -were under the care of Burrhus. - -He now drew near, and asked Hyacintha whether she and her attendant -would repair to the galley of Burrhus, or remain on board to partake of -the evening meal with Casca. - -“I would fain stay here,” she answered, “till the merriment is over -there. The loud voices and music drown the sweet ripple of the water -against the prow, which I love to hear. And, moreover, good Caius,” -Hyacintha said, “I feel safer aboard your vessel from the pirates’ -attacks.” - -Caius’s dark eyes were fixed on a spot in the horizon, and he did -not reply. He stood motionless at the prow, gazing out in the same -direction, till the moon, nearly at the full, lifted her round face -above the distant horizon, and sent a flood of silvery light across -the water which seemed to come straight to the spot where the galley -was curtseying on the rising waves. - -A dark speck upon the line of light was now visible to all eyes. - -“Is that a Roman galley?” Casca asked. - -Before he could get an answer, Caius had given the word for all sails -to be set. - -Then he went to the prow, and shouted to those in Burrhus’s galley that -the foe was nearing them fast. - -“All sails set,” was shouted back from the third galley. - -And then much trampling and confusion and noise were heard on board -Burrhus’s ship. There had been free circulation of the wine cup, and it -was difficult to get those who were drowsy from drink to perform their -office. - -The sailors were all at cross purposes, and the officers on board -shouting their orders, and countermanding them as soon as given. - -Meantime, there could be no further doubt of the intentions of the -large ship which was bearing down upon them. - -There was not a moment to lose, and Caius, having his men under orders, -with all sails set, drove before the wind, speedily increasing the -distance between his ship and that of Burrhus and the small galley -behind it, which contained the baggage of the maniple. - -There was only one large pirate vessel; and, probably concluding that -the Roman galley with the richer awning contained the more important -people, it tacked, and, giving up the pursuit of Caius’s galley, came -alongside that of Burrhus, who was unprepared to defend himself. - -Cries and shouts, and the clang of weapons, came borne upon the waters; -and as the gallant little ship commanded by Caius increased the -distance between the vessels, Casca and Hyacintha stood hand-in-hand -on the prow, watching in the bright moonlight the conflict which was -evidently raging. - -Just as Caius’s ship had rounded the point which now marks the frontier -at Ventimiglia, the pirate vessel was seen skimming the waters with -her head set out to sea, while Burrhus’s vessel and the small galley -were evidently fastened to the victorious cruiser, and soon became but -specks on the distant line of blue waters. - -“We have escaped,” said Caius, “but I fear me all your baggage is lost; -and as for me, I have lost all but honour. I have saved one galley, and -had the fellows on board Burrhus’s ship been sober, and not drunk, I -could have rescued them also. Now they will be seen no more.” - -“Were lives lost, think you?” said Casca. - -“Ay, if they made a fight for life, they would be hewn down by those -swarthy Moors--for Moors they were. They have the sharpest scimitars of -any nation under heaven, and strong arms to wield them. You are bound -for Rome, methinks?” - -“Ah! yes,” said Hyacintha; “I am going to be sent to the noble Terentia -Rufilla, the Vestal Maxima, in the temple of the goddess; but my -brother was to have remained with Burrhus, and now----” - -“Fret not for him,” said Caius. “I can bestow him in my home--a humble -one, it may be--till orders can be received from the Governor of -Britain or your father, the noble Severus; and I will conduct you and -your attendant to the palace of the vestals. But we are not at Rome -yet; there is a long voyage before us, though with this fresh wind and -fair weather, we ought to make the Portus Augusti in a few days. We -must make the best of it,” Caius added, “but I fear the accommodation -on board my vessel is not what the fair Hyacintha has a right to -expect.” - -“Tell me,” Hyacintha said, “what will be the fate of Burrhus and all -the people with him.” - -“Nay, I cannot tell a maiden of thy tender age of all I fear may befall -them, especially the women of the band. Let us thank the gods that thou -art safe, and thy brother also, who looks little fitted to bear the -brunt of war.” - -“You know Rome well?” Casca asked. “I pray you tell me if I shall find -it easy to frequent a school of learning there. Now that I am free of -Burrhus, though I wish him no ill, yet I do feel that I lose a hard -master. It is learning for which I crave.” - -“Thy craving for learning can be satisfied, boy,” said Caius, “as all -things can be satisfied in Rome. Rome holds within her hand all that -her sons and daughters can need, be it for war, or fame, or pleasure, -or learning. There is a school, kept by one Cassius, who may receive -you for learning by day; and as for a home, I have a poor little villa -not far from the schools, where my good mother lives, and there, as I -have said, you will be welcome till the good pleasure of your father, -the noble Severus, is known. For myself, I must present myself before -the Emperor’s minions and report the loss of the chief part of the -maniple under Burrhus, and the capture of the large galley and the -small baggage vessel by the swart African pirates. - -“May the gods protect us from further attacks from them! I did not -forget to sacrifice to Neptune before we set sail. I think I was the -only man who did so propitiate the god; and see how he has rewarded -me! Ay, it is beyond a doubt that no sacrifice or libation poured out -is in vain; and here I have proved it, as my good mother will be glad -to hear. She is one who is always amongst the first in the temples at -grand ceremonies, and the very sight of you, fair maiden, about to be -vowed to the highest service, will fill her old heart with pride that -she is allowed to touch your hand. - -“And now it is time for rest. Your couch, and that of your slave, is -made ready; and if Neptune and Æolus deign to favour us, we shall be -well on our voyage ere you open your eyes on another day.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -ROME. - - -There are many travellers in the present day who, when they reach Rome, -and exchange the railway for an omnibus, feel a throb of disappointment. - -The “eternal city” of their dreams vanishes for the moment into thin -air, and in place of it there is only a modern town, where the voices -of the great past are lost in the noise and din of the present. - -But the Rome upon which the eyes of Casca and Hyacintha gazed with -intense wonder, on the September afternoon of 303, may hardly be -adequately described, even by the aid of those wonderful discoveries -which the zeal and untiring exertions of exploring labourers in the -work of excavation have lately brought to light. - -There has been, indeed, a partial resurrection of the buried Rome; -the city lying beneath the heaped-up excrescences of a degenerate age -has been unearthed. We can now dimly picture the glories of the noble -Forum, with its temples and statues, the long stretch of the Appian -Way, and the vast and almost illimitable proportions of the Circus -Maximus, with its belt of distant mountains, and over all the cloudless -sky, which seemed, on this glowing autumn day, to be hanging like one -great canopy of celestial blue over the city set upon her seven hills. - -The good Caius had taken the tired boy and girl to his mother’s house, -as he had promised, with their two attendants. The stately old Roman -matron received her son with a smile of welcome; and as they stood in -the little atrium, uncertain what to do, she advanced to Casca and -Hyacintha, and bade them welcome to enter, and rest for a season. - -Caius, in a few words, related the events of the past few weeks; and -when he came to the encounter with the pirates, and the deliverance of -the small galley under his command, Clœlia clasped her hands, and said-- - -“Neptune has been pleased to receive my offerings, made daily for you, -my son, since you left me for the region of the barbarian, now three -years ago.” - -“Nay, good mother, we speak not of barbarians now in Britain. Verulam -is a little Rome, and as fair a daughter of our great mother as you can -picture. The villa of Severus, which is the home of this fair maiden -and her brother, is scarcely to be excelled here in all its furnishings -and appointments, though, of course, less in size and extent.” - -Clœlia led Hyacintha and her attendant to a small chamber, separated -from her own by a curtain, and Caius took Casca, who was still weakened -by the effects of his wound, to his own apartments, which in his -absence were always prepared for his return at any moment. - -Caius’s position answered to that of a naval officer of our time; he -was sent out with the troops for foreign service when a galley was -required, and he was, as we have seen, an able commander of a vessel in -time of danger. - -Casca and Hyacintha remained two days in the home of Clœlia, and it -was agreed that Clœlia should accompany Hyacintha to the house of the -vestals on the third day. - -The child’s heart was filled with wonder as she passed through the -streets of Rome with her new friend. - -All her worldly possessions had been carried off by the pirates, and -there was therefore nothing for her to carry to the Vestals’ house. - -It was a grand event in Clœlia’s life to think of presenting herself -there, and inquiring for the Vestal Maxima. For these vestals were -looked upon as beings of a superior order, and far above the usual rank -of Roman women. - -Clœlia had donned her best robe, which was plain in colour and -material, and had no embroidery or ornament except the purple -segmentum, which is the badge of widowhood. Clœlia wore a veil over her -silvery hair, and walked with the graceful dignity which distinguished -the Roman matron. - -As they passed along Clœlia pointed out to Hyacintha the principal -objects of interest, and paused at the Forum, where a variety of -business and some religious rites were going on. - -A sacrifice was being offered before the temple of Dioscuri, and a -large car, drawn by milk-white horses, and preceded by a band of girls -and boys playing on silver trumpets, was followed by a large crowd. - -Clœlia paused by one of the huge pillars, which seemed to lift its head -to the very skies, and bade Hyacintha look round at the grand statues -and buildings which were on every side. - -From one rostrum an orator was speaking to a listening crowd, and -accompanied his oration with the graceful action which kept up the -rhythm of the words as they left his lips, and attracted many to his -feet. - -A large caravan rolled past, which seemed to attract attention. From -their post of observation at the base of the pillar, Clœlia addressed -a woman, a widow like herself, and asked, nodding her head in the -direction of the caravan-- - -“More beasts for the arena?” - -“Yes,” was the answer, “and more sport for them. A whole body of -Christians have been seized to-day while burrowing like ants in their -underground resort. There will be good sport to-morrow or next day. -Will you not come with me to see it? They have two huge Barbary lions -in that caravan, six leopards, and a panther that has already done to -death two of his keepers.” - -“Yes, there will be fine sport,” the woman repeated, her dark eyes -flashing with a cruel light. “Ah! They have caught another. See! -Two!--three more! Look! they are trying to escape; they are seized by -the lictors. One looks as if she would be a sweet mouthful for the -lion. I must hasten to find out who they are.” - -The woman turned away, and Hyacintha could distinguish three figures -being borne off by the guards, one a girl of her own age, the others -two older women. - -“They refused to do homage on their knees at the sacrifice,” a voice -said near them. “The vile wretches! It seems they can never be stamped -out.” - -“No,” laughed another man. - -“They swarm like lizards on a sunny wall. They say the Governor in -Britain has done good service, and several of the reptiles have been -caught and made an end of. The Emperor has vowed he will never stop -till he has got rid of the whole brood, and those fellows in that -caravan will be happy to carry out his intentions!” - -A laugh greeted this sally, and, as if in reply, a loud roar from the -captive lion sounded through the Forum. - -Then the laugh was repeated, and Clœlia and Hyacintha, as they moved -away, heard the cry of the people answering the roar of the lions. - -“Away with the Christians! to the lions let them go! Away with them -from the face of the earth! Away with them!” - -Hyacintha caught the cry, and there came back to her thoughts of the -hill-side outside her native city, of the earnest, watching gaze of -Ebba, and of the news of Alban’s death, which had been brought into the -atrium by her father. - -And it was the same here in Rome; the Christians must be killed; they -must all be stamped out, like so many “lizards on a sunny wall,” as the -man had said. - -Death, then, was here--as everywhere--and was lying like a shadow over -the sunlit Forum, with all its throngs of people, intent on business or -pleasure. - -The circular stalls of the bookseller and the scrolls of popular -authors attracted Hyacintha. - -Then there were the keen-eyed, sharp-featured money-lenders, seated at -Medius Janus with their clerks around them. Here might be seen young -Romans, who wasted life and substance in all the luxury and folly of -the baths, trying to raise loans at an enormous rate of interest, some -successful, departing with a jaunty air, their slaves following them; -others gathering their robes about them and slinking off with a look -of despair in their faces, to plunge deeper and deeper into the sea of -self-indulgence and misery which it caused. - -Clœlia drew Hyacintha onward, for she saw she attracted attention, and -many bold dark eyes were turned towards her. - -“We must hasten,” she said; “let us skirt the Forum to the left, where -the crowd is less, and we shall reach the House of the Vestals.” - -As they got into a quieter thoroughfare those who were passing gave -way; then a body of lictors appeared, and a most stately, queenlike -figure, clothed in a long stole, which reached to her feet, moved -through the street, with two female attendants. - -The lady’s eye fell upon Hyacintha, whose remarkable beauty was -likely to arrest any one’s attention. By a little movement of the -foot-passengers, Hyacintha was pushed out of the line of those who were -standing aside, and a lictor roughly called to her to-- - -“Stand back!” touching her with no gentle hand on the shoulder. - -Then the lady paused. - -“Nay,” she said, “do not be rough with the maiden;” and she looked -down upon Hyacintha with a smile, which seemed to raise her drooping -spirits, as the sun raises the head of a flower after a storm. - -It was but momentary, and the lady passed on. - -“Who is that beautiful lady?” Hyacintha asked. - -“She is the Vestal Maxima, the very lady whom you desire to see,” -Clœlia said. “I dare not speak, for the vestals must never be addressed -by the commoner folk when they walk abroad; they are always guarded by -lictors, as you see. But let us follow; we shall reach the House of the -Vestals in a short space now.” - -“Oh!” Hyacintha exclaimed, “I am glad that gracious lady is my father’s -kinswoman; her smile is so beautiful. It is a great honour, I think, -that I may one day be a Vestal Maxima.” - -“A long time ere that day comes,” said Clœlia. “Ten years must pass -ere you are allowed to take any especial or high office in the temple, -and then it is not every vestal who attains the high rank of Maxima.” - -“No,” said Hyacintha, humbly. “I know that well, but there is hope that -it _may_ be my honourable post one day.” - -Clœlia nodded her head, and then Hyacintha, feeling that the time of -parting was near, said-- - -“I pray you to be kind to my brother Casca; he is far tenderer than I -am, and loves quiet and study. As soon as Caius lets it be known to -my father that he is under your roof he will reward you, for he is a -noble, and can command money and treasures.” - -Clœlia’s colour rose. - -“I need not money or treasures,” she said, “nor aught at thy father’s -hands. Be not afraid, I will tend thy sickly brother till his wound -be healed, and Caius will settle the rest. Our fare is simple, and we -know nought of the luxuries of the Romans of to-day. We belong to a far -stronger race, a race which I fear me is dwindling down from giants -to pigmies. I have, thank the gods, a son who fears neither storm nor -tempest; sword nor famine. He is known as the bravest of the brave, -thank the gods!” - -Clœlia’s speech made poor Hyacintha feel as if she had said something -that had unwittingly offended her new friend. Her tender heart was a -little wounded, and she hastened to say-- - -“I know well how brave good Caius is. I know that we owe our lives to -him. If we had been aboard Burrhus’s vessel, we should have perished. -Oh yes! I know how brave he is, and I shall keep the memory of his -goodness for ever in my heart. We shall meet sometimes, for my father -saith the young disciples of the goddess have leave to come and go -under guard.” - -“Yes, we shall meet,” Clœlia said, “but there is a great gulf between -a vestal and one in my position. We are nearly at the porch of the -cloisters now. What if they do not receive thee?” - -The possibility now presented itself that in the travel-stained little -maiden, whose robe was far from fresh, and whose chief covering and -ornament were her golden-brown tresses tied back by a plait to which -hung a veil that had been drenched with sea spray and torn in several -places, the grand lady vestal might not recognise a child of the noble -and wealthy Severus. But it was too late now to draw back. They had -crossed the threshold of the cloisters, and two guards demanded their -business. - -“We seek an audience with the noble lady, Terentia Rufilla, the Vestal -Maxima.” - -“What credentials have you?” asked a small woman in a purple robe and -dark veil. - -“I come from my father, the noble Severus, of the house of Rufilla,” -Hyacintha said, in her sweet silvery tones. “I am to be admitted to be -a disciple of the goddess, to serve in her temple.” - -“Forsooth, you are bold enough,” said the woman, who called to another -in the same dress. - -“Here, Julia, here! This child says she is come to be admitted to the -discipleship.” - -“Send her off,” was the scornful reply; “she looks like it, forsooth. -Verily, send her off, nor waste thy own time in prating. Why, child, -those who aspire to such an office as this do not come to present -themselves like beggars.” - -Hyacintha’s breast heaved, and tears sprang to her eyes. - -Clœlia now spoke-- - -“The maiden has suffered perils on the way from Britain. She was -brought with her brother to my house three days ago. The ships were -beset by pirates, and everything the maiden possessed is lost. My son, -the brave Caius, brought a small galley safe into the Portus Augusti a -few days past, and he can tell you of the truth of my story.” - -“I wear upon my breast,” Hyacintha faltered, “a pierced gold coin -attached to a chain. This coin bears on it the letters of my father’s -house, and his name. - -“I bore with me,” she continued, “a letter and many precious things -addressed to the great lady, Terentia Rufilla, but the pirate ship -boarded that on which my baggage was placed, and I reached Rome in a -sorry plight.” - -There was now a very perceptible change in the manner of the two women. -The family of Rufilla was one to win respect, and the elder said-- - -“Will it please you to follow me?” - -These words were addressed to Hyacintha, and she was about to obey -when the sound of steps in the long cloisters made the women turn. And -there, coming from the shadows into the dim light where they stood, was -the same graceful, dignified lady who had passed by them on their way -from the Forum. Terentia Rufilla was no longer young--indeed, it was -impossible for the virgins to attain the highest office at a very early -age. Ten years had to pass as a noviciate, and ten more was generally -considered as a necessary probation before the honour of Vestal Maxima -could be aspired to. - -The servants and attendants all bowed low as the lady approached, and -Hyacintha’s heart beat so loudly that she could almost hear it. - -“What brings you hither, my daughter?” the lady asked. - -“I am the daughter of Severus, of the house of Rufilla,” said the -little maiden. “I crave to be admitted to the service of the temple, -and my father has sent me hither from the city of Verulam in Britain.” - -“Thy father! Yes, a post brought in despatches from Verulam -yesternight, and there was a letter from thy father, Severus. Welcome, -my daughter,” the lady said, bending over the little shrinking figure. -“Welcome; and I will receive thee here and examine thee on some matters -necessary to be known ere thy training begin. How old art thou?” - -“I am eleven years old, lady,” Hyacintha said. - -“Eleven! Ten is the accustomed age. Thy companions have mostly entered -upon their services at ten, but we will not let that hinder us, if -other matters prove convenient. Is that good woman related to thee?” - -“Nay, lady,” said Clœlia, advancing; and then, encouraged by Terentia’s -kindly manner, Clœlia drew nearer, and, bowing low, kissed the hand -extended to her. - -“And canst thou tell me aught of this maiden?” Terentia asked. - -Clœlia, in a few words, gave the account of the perils by sea which -the maniple under Burrhus had met. She did not forget to extol the -merits of her son Caius, and to let it be known that by his skilful -seamanship one galley had been saved. “The maiden has lost everything -she possessed; because her sick, weakly, brother was aboard my son’s -galley, and she spent the days with him, and returned to the vessel -of Burrhus by night under the care of his lady Cornelia. The pirate -attacked them at sundown, and soon overpowered the men under Burrhus, -while Caius, seeing it hopeless to help men in their cups, and fearing -this maiden might meet a fate worse than death, set his little vessel’s -head to the breeze and escaped.” - -The lady listened with courteous attention, and then taking Hyacintha’s -hand, she said-- - -“I will now receive her into the house of the vestals consecrated to -the service of the goddess. Has she an attendant?” - -“Yes,” Hyacintha exclaimed, “I have one attendant, but she remains at -the house of the good Clœlia.” - -“And so may she remain. Of what nation is she--a Briton?” - -“Nay, gracious lady,” Hyacintha said, “she is of Roman birth, and her -family are to be found here.” - -“Seek them out then,” said the Vestal, “and let her return to them. I -must commit thee, child, to the care of those who will clothe thee in -the proper habit, and to-morrow at dawn thou shalt be led to our high -priest, who shall examine thee, and then consecrate thee for thy high -office in the temple of the goddess.” - -Clœlia understood that the time for leaving Hyacintha was come, and she -bade her farewell, making a low reverence to the stately lady, who, -taking Hyacintha by the hand, was leading her away, when she turned -quickly-- - -“I pray you, Clœlia, commend me to my brother Casca, and let me know of -his welfare. I pray you assure him of my affection.” - -“It shall be as you desire,” Clœlia said, as she turned to pursue her -way towards her home on the further side of the Forum. - -Hyacintha was led through the cloisters, up a staircase by which the -upper floor was reached, to a small hall where several vestals were -seated, employed in weaving a fine tissue embroidered with gold and -silver, which was used for the service of the altar. - -As the Vestal Maxima entered the hall the sound of voices ceased, and -the maidens rose as a token of respect. - -“I desire to speak with Lucia, who is the custodian of the robes. I -need the garments for this young girl, who is the daughter of the noble -Severus of my own patrician house, and who is sent hither from the -wilds of Britain, to be restored to the high rank her family has ever -held in Rome.” Then turning to Lucia, who had answered a summons from -an inner hall, separated by a heavy purple curtain from the larger one, -the Vestal Maxima continued-- - -“Take this maiden, and clothe her in becoming garments, Lucia. See that -she rests well and has proper food, and just before dawn, when I am -leaving the temple, bring her to my presence, where she will meet the -priest and be received as a disciple. Till then,” she said, waving her -hand, “I give her into your keeping.” - -Hyacintha was a little surprised at the change in the manner and -bearing of the maidens the instant their superior was out of hearing. - -They had stood in respectful silence, with their silks and threads -in their hands, and their tongues, like their fingers, had come to a -pause. But both were now in active operation again. They clustered -round Hyacintha, asking her questions, which she, from imperfect -acquaintance with the colloquial language which they spoke, could -hardly understand. It is true that the Romans of noble birth in Britain -had kept most strictly to their native tongue, regarding the British -language as that of slaves. Still, there were differences then, as -now, in dialect--those differences which we call provincial--and thus -Hyacintha found it far easier to understand the lady Terentia than -these vestal maidens, who were as yet only disciples, and chattered -in the fashion of young creatures in every age and in every country, -clustering round the new arrival like a flock of pigeons round an -addition to the dovecot. - -Lucia, who was older and more considerate, said-- - -“Peace, will you deafen the child with your rattle! It is truly like -the brawling of a brook down the hill-side. Peace, and return to your -tasks.” - -Dazed and bewildered, Hyacintha suffered Lucia to lead her away, but -when on the other side of the purple curtain she began to breathe more -freely. - -“You are tired, child, and need rest,” Lucia said. “See, I will measure -you for a stole, and cut off your hair, and then you shall have a -refreshing bath, and lie on one of the couches till it is time for -supper. After that meal is over I will fit your garments again on you, -and at dawn you shall be taken to the door of the temple to meet the -priest.” - -Hyacintha was quite passive under Lucia’s hands, and as she operated -on her she talked of the vestal’s life, of the insubordination of some -of the disciples, of the serious defalcation of two professed vestals, -and of the fearful punishment which had been awarded them. - -Hyacintha listened with a mingled awe and amazement to all she heard. - -“Yes,” Lucia said, as one by one the golden-brown tresses dropped to -the marble floor. “Yes, there have been terrible scenes amongst us, and -I often think that children like you, who come hither, know but little -of all that lies hidden within these walls.” - -“But,” said Hyacintha, “is it not the most noble and beautiful life for -any woman to keep the sacred fire for ever burning for the Roman people -all over the world. Surely, it is nobler and more beautiful than to -live only for things which when attained make none happy.” - -“Happy! Ah, my child, happiness is like the bow across the wide -Campagna. You see its many-coloured arch and hasten to reach it, and, -lo! it is gone; the nearer you think you get to it, the further it -seems. But the gods are kind to us poor mortals, and our goddess Vesta -does not forget us. You are but a child, a young child,” Lucia said, -surveying Hyacintha as she stood up before her in a loose underrobe, -with all her marvellously lovely hair gone, and the little slender -figure, beautifully formed, giving the appearance of extreme youth. - -“I am nearly twelve years old!” Hyacintha said. - -“Twelve years old. Ah!” Lucia said, with an appraising critical -glance, “there is something in your eyes which tells of thought and -reflection which a child under ten years of age could not possess. And -what hands and feet! Only a Roman patrician could show such. Well, if -you are ready, we will go to the bath that is always required before -the stole can be worn.” - -“I would fain keep the token of my birth, and that I am the daughter of -Severus,” Hyacintha said, as she saw Lucia casting aside in a heap all -her travel-stained garments, and the chain which she had worn round her -neck with the coin attached to it. - -“I know not whether you will be permitted to retain it,” Lucia said, -“but I will put it in this casket, and consult the Vestal Maxima. And -now let us go to the bath.” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -DISCIPLESHIP. - - -Hyacintha slept soundly after her bath, and a supper of fruit and -delicately-baked bread, crisp and fresh, after the fashion of our -modern biscuits. A draught of the pure water from the spring on the -hill above the house of the vestals was refreshing, and it was the -daily duty of the vestals to draw it for the service of the house and -the temple. - -Hyacintha was awoke by Lucia’s voice. - -“It is nearing the dawn,” she said; “the cock has crowed twice, and I -see the first signs of Aurora’s coming feet in the eastern sky. Now -arise, little maiden, and I will dress you for your presentation to the -priest.” - -Hyacintha sprang up at once, and after another ablution of clear cold -water, the attendant vestal put upon her little feet a pair of sandals, -and the fine robe which she was to wear under the stole. The stole -itself and the fillet which was to bind her hair the vestal placed in -a basket, and then telling Hyacintha to follow her, she led the way to -the chamber of Terentia Rufilla. - -This chamber was nearly adjoining the temple, and to reach it, it was -necessary to descend again and cross the large atrium, now almost -dark, except for the faint light of a lamp which hung in the large -porta or gateway. - -The sunshine could not reach this stately hall, which consisted of -eight Corinthian columns of veined marble, with pure white bases. - -The state apartments were on this lower storey of the vestals’ house, -and as the floor was thirty feet below the Nova Via, with the walls -resting against the Palatine, it must have been very damp and chill; -the pure air of heaven could never reach it; and in spite of double -walls, double floors, and hot-water currents--of which distinct traces -are left--it could not have been a healthy abode. - -The living rooms from which Hyacintha and Lucia had descended were, -perhaps, more salubrious, but the Imperial Palace, rising at that -time one hundred and fifty feet above the building, must have always -over-shadowed the whole house, and prevented the light from entering, -as well as the air. - -A heavy curtain was drawn aside by one of the servants of the temple, -and the next moment Hyacintha found herself in the presence of the -Vestal Maxima, her father’s kinswoman. - -She had been keeping watch that night in the temple, and wore -a different and more elaborate dress--as the sign of her high -vocation--than that in which Hyacintha had seen her on the preceding -evening. - -The Vestal Maxima wore a long stole of snow-white linen, drooping -gracefully to her feet. A loose hood, falling a little from the back -of the head, displayed a close-fitting cap, bound with gold fillets, -and lay in easy folds over her shoulders. A large pallium, of a deep -violet colour, was gathered over her left arm, and wound closely round -her waist. Terentia Rufilla was in the autumn of her life, and when the -little novice made her profound reverence, as Lucia had instructed her -to do, a smile, which was half pitying and half admiring, spread over -her noble countenance. - -“Welcome, little maiden,” she said. “Thy name is of Greek origin, and -scarcely one to be registered as a vestal. Was that name chosen by the -noble Severus?” - -“I know not, lady,” said Hyacintha. “Methinks my mother chose it -because she loved the flower and its sweet scent, but I cannot tell.” - -“It will, perhaps, be better to register thy name as Severa, and yet -Hyacintha suits thee so well, I think it must stand. - -“Hyacintha Severa, the daughter of the noble Severus,” she said, waving -her hand to the maidens; “lead the way.” - -The maidens turned towards an entrance to the chamber opposite to that -by which Lucia had entered, and as two of their number held the curtain -aside, the others passed through, chanting a low monotonous song as -they went. - -The sun had risen now, and the sky above the temple court was bright, -and of the indescribably lovely blue of early day. - -The light fell upon the vestals’ white garments till they glistened -like snow, and upon the short clustering curls of little Hyacintha’s -head till they shone like gold. - -The procession crossed the court and ascended a flight of wide and -very shallow steps, shadowed by the portico, on which were seen, in -bas-relief, many figures, illustrating the past history of the vestals, -from the earliest date to the time of which I write. - -A nation’s history was almost told by these figures, to which Hyacintha -did not even raise her eyes, so engrossed was she with the first sight -of the temple of her dreams. - -At last they were within the sacred building, where in the gloom and -shadows the sacred light of the fire upon the altar shone like a star -of glory. - -Hyacintha had eyes for nothing but that light--that clear lambent -light--shed by the sacred and never-to-be-extinguished fire, which -had been brought down from high heaven and preserved here by those -consecrated and set apart for the office. - -The child’s heart thrilled with a sense of awe, and a gentle sigh -escaped her. She clasped her hands, and looking up to the opening in -the temple roof to the clear azure sky, her eyes filled with tears, -which one by one fell upon her bare hands and arms in crystal drops. - -The Vestal Maxima noticed this unwonted expression of feeling, and her -thoughts went back to the day--now thirty years ago--when she, too, had -entered the temple for the first time to be presented to the priest. - -The prime of youth was over for her; the “sacred fire” had grown dim. -The heavenly light and warmth had, she knew, waned. At her noble -heart there was an aching void, and there was a hungry yearning for -something--for _some one_--which was not satisfied. As she looked at -the little earnest enthusiast by her side, she wondered if all the long -years of temple service which stretched before her would be as barren -of real satisfaction and true peace as hers had been. - -Terentia Rufilla saw at a glance that Hyacintha, the daughter of -Severus, was not of the ordinary type of the maidens over whom she held -rule. Many of them came with no serious thought of responsibility; many -with positive distaste, and simply because the vocation was chosen for -them by their parents, and they had no choice in the matter. - -It was confessedly a grand office, this of the vestal virgins, in the -eyes of the world. To be a vestal was to bear about the imprimatur of -patrician birth and noble ancestry. No plebeian might ever wear that -snow-white stole, or aspire to the high office of a Vestal Maxima. - -This pride of rank and personal aggrandisement were often the -distinguishing characteristics of the vestal virgins. As they passed -through the public streets, the way was cleared for them by attendant -lictors. If by chance they met a slave on his way to the arena or the -fire, and he prayed for mercy, the vestal could procure his pardon. Her -word was enough, and the life of the criminal was spared! - -All these things conspired to feed the self-importance and vanity of -many women; and then there was their palatial atrium, and their own -chambers, which were furnished with all things befitting the high rank -of Roman ladies. - -Terentia Rufilla had seen many of the proud ones brought low, and the -vain and frivolous ones made shipwreck. The cases of the latter were -rare, but there had been such, even during her time of office, and her -heart might well be heavy as she thought over them. - -The beauty and rare simplicity of her little kinswoman had touched her -from the first moment of their meeting, and now as she led her up to -the old priest, who was awaiting them in a side vestibule, she felt a -yearning tenderness and love for Hyacintha which made her silvery voice -almost mournful as she said-- - -“I bring you the daughter of the noble Severus, to be consecrated for -the service of the goddess and of Rome, in this temple.” - -The priest, an old man, who had received the candidates for many, many -years, went through the usual form of questions as to Hyacintha’s -willingness to take the solemn oath he tendered to her. - -The child understood but little of the meaning of much that was said -to her, but she knew that the penalty was death if she should break her -vow. - -As she knelt before the old priest her childlike transparent soul -received no impression but that she was never to have any other home -than the temple; and she wished for no other. She was to learn to spin -and weave the sacred curtains and veils for the altar, and she desired -nothing better. - -She was to submit herself entirely to the rule of the Vestal Maxima and -those of the sacred virgins whom she should appoint to watch over her -and instruct her. She was to be under training for eight or ten years, -as the Vestal Maxima should see good, and then her full consecration -would take place, and she would take her turn in watching in the temple -at night and feeding the sacred fire--which only the fully consecrated -were ever allowed to do. - -“And now, beloved,” the priest said, “Hyacintha, the daughter of the -noble Severus, I give thee entrance as a disciple, to be educated for a -vestal priestess, to minister in sacred things, and to do for the Roman -people what the law has appointed.” - -Then Hyacintha took the vow in the prescribed form, and, rising, the -Vestal Maxima invested her with the stole, and bound a purple fillet -round her head; then bending with an irresistible impulse, she kissed -the pure sweet brow of her little kinswoman, and with a reverence to -the priest, she committed her to the care of Lucia, and, followed by -the band of vestals, chanting low as they went, she slowly left the -temple. - - * * * * * - -Hyacintha’s new life was hardly what she had pictured it would be; what -seemed so solemn and grave a responsibility to her, was an everyday -routine to many of her companions. - -The appointed tasks were done, and the appointed work fulfilled, and -then Hyacintha was free to wander about in the gardens, which sloped up -the Cælian Hill, and where the pure cold water of the spring was drawn -of which Hyacintha had drunk a refreshing draught on the first evening -of her arrival. - -Lucia had committed the little Hyacintha to the especial care of a -Roman maiden, who had nearly passed her time of probation, and would -soon be allowed to take charge of the sacred fire in the stillness of -the night. - -When this vestal, who was named Chloe, went abroad with her lictors in -attendance, Hyacintha often accompanied her; and when the autumn and -winter was passed, and the glory of the Roman spring broke over the -Campagna, strewn broadcast with the flowers of every hue, Hyacintha’s -spirits seemed to rise to meet it, and the child’s heart within her -beat with a gladness which it had not known since she left her northern -home a year before. - -Clœlia had paid her several visits; and once or twice, under the charge -of an older vestal, she had seen her brother. - -Casca was still living in Clœlia’s house, awaiting more definite orders -from his father, which had not yet arrived. For though the posting -service of the Romans was wonderfully arranged and carried out, whole -months must elapse before the perils and losses of his children could -reach the ear of Severus. It would, indeed, be a downfall to his pride -to know that both his son and daughter had reached Rome robbed of all -the possessions which had been provided for them, as meet for the -children of a man holding high office in the Roman city of Verulam. - -Casca was well content. He attended the schools, and listened with -the most profound interest to the orations delivered daily from the -Rostra, where the eloquence of distinguished scholars was in itself an -education. - -The military training, on account of his wound, would not have been -possible for Casca under any circumstances, and he rejoiced with all -his heart to be spared the discipline. - -The boy’s gentleness and goodness won more and more upon Clœlia’s -heart, and while Casca wrote upon parchment wise sayings, which he -gathered from the teaching of the philosophers and poets, Clœlia would, -when the boy paused for a few minutes to rest his hand, tell him -stories of old Roman valour and adventure, which was a delight to her -to recount and to Casca to hear. - -Never had a winter passed so rapidly for Casca; and when, with -lengthening days, the outdoor life of the city began again, neither -Clœlia nor Casca was altogether pleased to think that their long -evenings in the little atrium of the Villa Caius were over. - -“Who can foresee what another winter may bring,” Clœlia said. “The -noble Severus will surely send orders for your future, and if he -decrees it, you must leave my humble roof. I know not when I shall see -Caius again; he is never at rest on shore, and must ever be fighting -pirate or storm. The gods have preserved him hitherto--it may be that -they will not forsake him while I, his mother, live. And for the rest, -sons are made for something better than to sit with folded hands by -their mother’s side. That, at least, is not the place of a true Roman.” - -It was a sunny morning, early in March, when Casca set forth for the -school with a bundle of papers and vellum rolls, fastened together and -hung across his shoulder. - -He yet wore the short toga prætexta which reached below the knee, and -the golden bulla, which was a hollow ball of gold, hung round his neck. - -Casca had easily obtained admission to the school, which was presided -over by a master who had no fear that the son of Severus would fail to -recompense him for his trouble. And, indeed, there was something very -winning in the gentle boy. His nervous temperament and dislike of all -scenes of bloodshed and warfare had irritated his warlike father, but -they were qualities which endeared him to the scholar and the poet, and -Casca had become a great favourite in the schools, and was remarkable -for his ability and quickness in learning. - -It was now many months since the martyrdom of Alban, and Casca began to -think of that dreadful scene which his father compelled him to witness -as a hideous dream. The persecutions of the Christians still raged, -but in Rome there was so much space and so wide an area that the boy -had not necessarily been brought in contact with the scenes which were -continually enacted in the Coliseum. - -To-day there was a chariot race in the Circus Maximus, and when the -morning school was over one of Casca’s companions invited him to stroll -with him in that direction, in the hope of getting near the race. The -Circus Maximus was of such enormous extent that this was no easy matter. - -The arena had in the centre a group of columns and obelisks on a raised -platform, and round this the chariots raced. The judges sat here, and -those to whom the chariots and horses belonged, moved round and round, -shouting and waving their hands, and encouraging those who were in the -arena to urge on their fiery horses to the utmost speed. - -The spring sunshine illuminated the temple and buildings on either side -of the arena. The tiers of seats were filled with a vast multitude -all in holiday attire, while the Emperor and his suite occupied a -vantage-ground above the rows of seats on the right hand of the arena. - -These seats were reached by long flights of steps which divided the -long line into twelve compartments, and the two boys found some vacant -places near the end and commanding a view of the whole arena, though -perhaps a distant one. - -It is difficult to picture anything more beautiful than the aspect of -the Circus Maximus on a day like this. The range of mountains which -seemed to shut it in at the further end, were seen in distinct outline -against the clear blue sky--the clear and beautiful sapphire blue of -Italy, which is never seen in our northern climates. - -The dark line of the foliage of spiral cypresses and round-topped pines -set off the snowy whiteness of the marble pillars to which they made a -background, and Casca was more fascinated by the grandeur of the place -itself than interested in watching the race. - -Something in the boy’s heart seemed to respond to the beauty around -him; and while his friend Fulvius was excited to frenzy at the -hairbreadth success which one of the chariots won, Casca was lost in -his own meditations, from which he was awoke by the over-turning of -one of the unsuccessful carriages, and the cry of pain, which sounded -through the first shout of victory. - -“The charioteer was killed!” he heard a voice near him say, “and the -horses will never be worth a silver coin again. So much the worse for -Cassianus, who owns them.” - -The fallen horses and the dead charioteer were hastily removed, and -then another race was proclaimed by the herald. And again there was -breathless anxiety as to the result. - -Casca turned presently at the sound of a voice, which seemed familiar. - -“Do not push him roughly; he will make way!” - -“A cursed dog of a Jew!” was the answer, “standing, forsooth, in the -way of a noble.” - -“Turn him out!” and then two lictors, who were stationed at the -entrance of every one of the galleries, seized the old man roughly by -the shoulder, and pushed him before them to the outside of the Circus. - -Casca forgot the race and the shouts which proclaimed another victory, -forgot Fulvius, and that he had agreed to remain with him and return to -supper with him, and followed the old man, who was leaning on the arm -of a woman whose voice had been familiar. - -“Do not push him roughly,” the voice now said. It was the voice of -Ebba, the slave of his mother Cæcilia. - -Casca followed the pair at a little distance, till he was beyond the -shouts of the crowd which was thronging the entrances to the Circus. - -Then he laid his hand on Ebba’s arm. She started, and turned round-- - -“Is it possible!” she exclaimed; “but do not speak to me, dear master.” - - -“Speak! yes, I must speak, and learn whence you came, and who has -brought you hither.” - -“Nay, not here, not here; it is dangerous for you and me here.” - -“Come on, my daughter,” moaned old Ezra, “come on, nor delay, for this -is no place for us. Young man, what is your business?” - -“I will come, father,” said Anna, “I will come. I would you had heeded -me, and never come near the race.” - -“Ah, but I furnished the harness--the gold--for the chariot of -Cassianus, and now”---- - -“Hush, I pray you, father,” Anna whispered. “We are watched.” Then -turning to Casca, she said-- - -“To-morrow, at dawn, near the fountain of Egeria, that is near to the -temple of Vesta, to-morrow.” - -And then Anna hurried on, and Casca was accosted by a man. - -“Do you know the woman and the old man?” - -Casca shook his head. “The old man is a stranger to me, but _not_ the -woman,” was the rejoinder. - -“I would have you beware, Casca, the son of Severus: that woman is -one of the Christians, though she lives with an old Jew, a dealer in -precious stones and pearls, a charlatan and sorcerer. Beware!” - -“I know not,” said Casca, with some dignity, “why you should issue -these commands against me.” - -“I have the best reason. I have to-day, by the special messenger from -Verulam, received commands from your father, the noble Severus, that -you are to be committed to my care till you come to man’s estate. I -went to seek you at the house of Clœlia Pudentia, and she bade me seek -you at the schools, and thence again I was sent to the Circus Maximus. -Return with me and watch the race out.” - -“Nay!” Casca said, “I have had quite enough of the race.” - -“You will prefer the Coliseum to-morrow,” the man said, with a -malignant smile. “There is fine sport coming on there, to which I bid -you. But you must see my credentials for thus accosting you. If you -will not return to the Circus, accompany me to my house at the foot -of the Quirinal Hill, and I will lay before you your father’s letter. -Surely you have heard my name--Antonius Scæva--I hold a high office in -the Emperor’s household. I am as well known as the Palatine,” he said, -with a cynical smile. - -Casca accompanied his new companion rather reluctantly, and listened to -his somewhat bombastic talk with disgust. - -He would greatly have preferred remaining with Clœlia, in the quiet -retirement of her humble home. He dreaded the return to the life that -he had led at Verulam, and yet the commands of his father, he knew too -well, could not be set aside, and he had no alternative but to obey. - -Antonius’s house was one of the most magnificent in the valley below -the Quirinal and Esquiline Hills. - -Besides the spacious atrium, or large outer court, there was a third -large peristyle, from which immense apartments opened, furnished in the -most magnificent style. There were carpets from Eastern looms, and -many coloured curtains of purple and gold embroidery, from Babylon. -Curious carving in ivory and metal were on every side; and Antonius -said, as he led Casca to one of the most magnificent chambers-- - -“Well, there is no great hardship in taking up your abode with me. The -emperor himself is pleased to frequent this house, and we are ready -with a banquet for him at any moment. A penalty, you may say, to pay -for imperial favour. Now we will take that couch and throw aside these -parchments, and have a light repast.” - -Antonius clapped his hands, and as if by magic a retinue of slaves -appeared, bearing all kinds of refreshments, in silver and gold cups -and flagons, with dishes of all the viands then most in favour with -the luxurious Romans, the degenerate representatives of the noble and -hardy race which had laid the foundation of the great empire, even now -hastening to its fall! - -Antonius led the usual life of the Roman nobles of that time. He -lounged, drank, and played for high stakes at the gaming-tables at the -baths. He sauntered into the Forum, and listened to some favourite -orator, or later in the day he attended the Court, and either drove -in his gaily-decorated chariot, or sauntered in the gardens where the -beauty and fashion of Rome resorted. Then he would bid guests to his -supper, who were never unwilling to respond to his invitation, for his -board was always spread with sumptuous fare, and the emperor himself -was frequently announced by heralds as deigning to confer the favour -of his presence upon Antonius. - -When Antonius had dismissed the slaves and attendants, he said-- - -“Here is your father’s letter. He begs me to make a Roman of you, and -mentions that by reason of robbers by land, and pirates by sea, you -had arrived in a sorry plight. You can be equipped by my people in -native attire, and it is time that you left off that prætexta, if your -father’s version of your age be true--near fifteen. He says, and truly, -that you are small and slender, and a contrast to him in all things. He -does not think you will make a soldier.” - -Antonius laughed. “And I agree with him; we must turn you into a Roman, -befitting in manners and appearance your high rank. You have a sister a -vestal, I hear.” - -“Yes, a young sister received as a disciple,” Casca said. - -“A vestal’s brother must needs be careful to do her honour, and you -must submit yourself to the hands of my dresser, and acquire some -accomplishment, play on some instrument, as well as play high at other -games. The Emperor may look kindly on you, and I will get you a place -in his household.” - -Then Antonius yawned, and lazily stretching himself on his luxurious -couch, leaned over a few parchments and made a cabalistic sign on one -or two, and then settled himself to his siesta. - -Meantime Casca was reading his father’s letter, which Antonius had -tossed to him, and there was also a short one addressed to himself. He -knew already the contents of that written to Antonius, but Severus’s -counsel to his young son may bear to be transcribed here as a specimen -of paternal counsel in those days of Roman decline. - -“Severus, pro-consul at Verulam, to my son Casca, greeting. - -“My son,--News has reached me of your disasters by sea and land on your -journey towards Rome. This will reach you by the hand of the noble -Antonius, who will by his goodness receive you into his household, -to prepare you to take office in that of the Emperor himself. You -refused the study of arms, to my great disquiet, therefore you must -now study diligently to shape your manners after those of the young -nobles at Rome. You must learn to sing, game, and become an adept on -some instrument of music. You must study dress and deportment, and lie -as occasion requires, when the flattery of your superiors demand it. -My office in this distant province, amidst these barbarous tribes, has -obliged me to live the life of the soldier only. You refused that life, -therefore you must cultivate that of the courtier. - -“Have no more intercourse with the woman at whose house you lodged. I -have directed that gold should be given her. Her son Caius did his part -well, but, alas for Burrhus and his maniple! they are prisoners and -slaves, and we doubt if a ransom would avail if offered. We must leave -them to the gods. - -“I have received news also from my noble kinswoman Terentia Rufilla, -that my daughter finds favour in her eyes, and that her beauty and -wisdom are far beyond her years. - -“Her mother and yours sends greeting. Beware of the vile reptiles -calling themselves Christians; it is told me that they swarm in Rome -like ants. Here in Verulam we have done good work amongst them, and -thanks are due to Valens and Claudius, who crushed out a goodly number -in the forest beyond Radburn. The chief Amphibalus was done to death -by stoning, and when the cell was opened on the morning after his -execution, to our great astonishment the woman Agatha and the miserable -slave Ebba were found dead. - -“Claudius lighted a pyre at once and the bodies were burned to ashes, -before we knew we were saved the trouble of roasting them alive. We had -been counselled to try burning, as execution by the sword, and even -stoning, bore small fruit. Again, I say, beware of the Christians as of -lepers and the plague. - -“Vale!” - -Neither of these letters was in the hand of Severus, who could wield -the sword and battle-axe, but hardly a pen. They were written on the -parchment roll in a clear hand by the man who fulfilled an office which -we should call that of secretary to the Governor’s court. - -As Casca read this letter, his face betrayed surprise and emotion, -which Antonius, lying back with half-closed eyes, was not slow to -discern. - -“I crave leave,” Casca said, “to return whence I came till the morrow. -I have books and parchments which I must have carried hither, and I -must see good Clœlia, the mother of Caius, and take leave of her.” - -“Well, be it so,” was Antonius’s reply, in a lazy tone. “Meet me in the -Coliseum to-morrow, when there will be some sport with thy father’s -enemies, the Christians. By Jove!” Antonius said, “I care not whether -they live or die, though we should miss some sport if there were no -more to be thrown to the beasts. Vale! Vale!” he exclaimed, waving his -hand, and leaving Casca free to depart. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -DAYSPRING. - - -Clœlia received the news of Casca’s immediate departure with that -self-repression which at the time of greatest trial characterised the -old Roman matron. - -The inevitable was accepted, and she merely said-- - -“It was but likely that your noble father should desire to place you -amongst the nobles, but you depart to scenes of license, I fear, and to -see the hunt after pleasure put before honour and the welfare of Rome. -It was not always thus. There were times when the sons of our great -city strove after all those gifts which should make them her worthy -protectors and defenders. They call Rome now the mistress of the world, -but her children have grown weak since the arms of their great mother -have embraced so many strangers and aliens. I would, my son Casca, -that you were to be committed to one even of less exalted rank than -Antonius, who, if report speaks truly, lives the life of luxury and -ease which is as a canker-worm at the root of the gourd.” - -Casca’s tender, gentle spirit was touched at the emotion which Clœlia -could not entirely hide under her quiet calm manner. - -“I would that I could stay with you, dear Clœlia,” said the boy. “I am -not fitted for the life to which I go.” - -“There is no choice for us; a son must obey his father; and it may be -that in some time of need the mother of Caius may stand you in good -stead, as once the son did, when he rescued you and your sister from -the pursuing sea-robbers and brought you safe into port. If the time -ever comes when you need Clœlia, she will not fail you.” - -Clœlia embraced Casca affectionately as she spoke, and then she -bestirred herself to prepare the evening meal, which they were to eat -together for the last time. - -Casca thought it wisest to keep the appointment with Ebba to himself. -He intended to leave the house long before dawn, and to return to make -final arrangements for his departure later in the day. The strange -announcement in his father’s letter of the death of both Agatha and -Ebba seemed a mystery he could not unravel. He knew nothing of Agatha, -nor could he believe that it was Ebba who was with her in a cell at -Radburn, and that both women should be found dead when the prison door -was opened. - -Certain it was, however, that he had seen Ebba at the Circus--he felt -sure he could not be mistaken. She knew him, and addressed him as -“Master,” and he wanted no further proof. - -How she came to Rome, and why she was with the old Jew, he could not -understand, and he was anxious for the meeting at the fountain of -Egeria, below the Cælian Hill. - -It was quite dark when Casca left Clœlia’s house the next morning, -except, indeed, for the light of the stars, which had not yet begun to -fade before the dawn. - -When the boy reached the deserted and silent Forum, faint streaks of -the coming day were just enough to show the outline of the columns -which supported the façade of the temples, and the statues which -surrounded the pillars. - -There were a good many sleepers about the steps of the temple and -plinths of the statues. The outside garment or toga was rolled up for -a pillow, and the poor Roman citizens, who lived, for the most part, -desultory lives out of doors, and earned a scanty pittance by helping -to unlade the mules which came in from the country to supply fruit and -milk and vegetables to the city, never desired easier or more luxurious -couches! Then Casca threaded his way cautiously along till he took the -narrow path which wound by the temple of Vesta to the Cælian Hill. In -the hush before the dawn every sound was distinctly heard--the ripple -of running waters--the low splash of fountains--the fall of solitary -footsteps. Once there was the sound of a band of revellers, who were -returning to one of the palaces in the Palatine, after a night of wild -bacchanalian license. The noise grew nearer, passed below the place -where Casca stood, and then grew fainter and fainter, and died away -in the distance. Then there was a low sullen roar, which was often -heard in the stillness of a Roman night--the lions roaring at daybreak -for their prey, the food which would be supplied to them in the arena -before sunset, when the Christians who might have been in captivity in -some of the adjoining cells would be brought out to die! - -Casca pursued his way, leaving the temple of Vesta behind him, pausing -every now and then to look back at the place where his little sister -was one day to minister, to keep the sacred fire burning, for the -safety and welfare of the Roman people all over the world. - -The boy’s heart went out in loving tenderness towards Hyacintha, and he -longed for one hour of free intercourse, such as they used to have in -the villa of Severus, in Verulam. - -The footpath between the gardens was very narrow, and wound in and -out, till the summit of the Cælian Hill was reached. Here Casca paused -again, and was soon conscious that a figure clothed in a long dark -stole and hood was seated on a fragment of stone waiting for him. It -was, indeed, Ebba, the Christian Anna, who advanced to him, saying-- - -“Dear master, the son of my lord the noble Severus, I greet you with -humble affection. I have been yearning to see you, for I knew that you -were in Rome, and I have watched and waited, and now you are here!” - -“Good Ebba,” exclaimed Casca, “I am right glad to find you here. But -tell me how it has come about.” - -“I was delivered from death by Claudius, your noble-hearted friend, who -bade me see my dear young mistress, and tell her that he had fulfilled -his vow. But I have never dared to present myself at the temple, or the -house of the vestals, for I might perchance bring trouble upon my dear -young mistress, for I am a baptised Christian.” - -Casca started back-- - -“A Christian!” he exclaimed. “There is greater peril here than in -Verulam. There is a fresh outbreak of persecution, and a number are to -be thrown to the beasts this very day.” - -“I know it,” Anna said, in a firm voice. “The life that my Lord has -given back to me I will guard, nor rashly deliver myself up. But, oh! -my young master, why will you not accept the cross and bear it after -Jesus? - -“He is rising over the world,” Anna continued, “like yonder light, -which proclaims the near approach of the sun. He is coming to flood -this sinful world with righteousness, even as the golden flood of -sunrise is bathing the Alban Hills.” As she spoke, she pointed with her -hand to the scene stretched out before them, as they stood under the -shadow of the ilex trees, and looked down upon the prospect, which lay -like a vision of beauty, rather than a reality of this lower world, in -all its loveliness. For one by one the peaks of the Alban Hills rose -from the plain, and a rosy flush touched the highest of all, where the -old temple of Jupiter once stood, the common meeting-place and shrine -of the early Latin race. Soon the Campagna smiled in the early level -rays of the sun, and everything became imbued with life! - -Casca was strangely moved as Anna said-- - -“Here, or at Verulam in the caves, or in the forests of Britain, the -Lord is the light. Oh! my noble Casca, I pray you bathe your soul in -His light, and you will have peace and joy in His presence!” - -Casca folded his arms and looked out upon the shining landscape, -wondering much that the slave-girl should have become a woman on whose -face was written a high and noble resolve, the outcome of the reality -and fervour of her faith. - -“Yes!” she continued, “I am now living in the Jews’ quarter, on the -slope of the hill. I hear from them the words of their prophets and -sibyls, and I know that these foretold the coming of the Saviour of the -world. They did not know Him, and he was nailed to the cross, like a -malefactor, by the Roman Governor’s order, in the province of Judæa. -The Jews clamoured for His life, as the Romans clamour for the lives of -the Christians. And He laid it down, to take it again, dying for Roman -and Greek, Jew and Christian, Briton and Druid, alike.” - -“I would I could believe,” Casca sighed, “for there is a hunger of the -soul nothing can satisfy. But, Anna, this may be a fable or a phantom, -this Christ of whom you speak.” - -“Nay, dear master, He is no fable and no phantom. He lives in _us_ and -we live in Him. But----” - -She broke off suddenly, for two figures clothed in the purest white -garments were seen ascending the hill with light, agile steps. The -taller of the two bore a pitcher on her head, with the grace with which -only the women of Italy know how to carry a burden. Her young companion -had no burden. She had gathered a large bunch of the pale violet -anemone which carpets the turf in every Roman garden in spring, and had -fastened it under the fillet with which her short shining curls were -bound. - -“Two vestals!” Casca said, springing to his feet. “The younger one -is--yes, surely it is--Hyacintha!” - -In another moment the brother and sister stood face to face. Hyacintha -gave him a rapturous greeting. - -“Chloe!” she exclaimed, “this is my brother Casca.” - -Chloe, who had set down her pitcher, smiled pleasantly. And then, with -a wild cry of joy, Hyacintha discovered that Anna, her Ebba of other -times, was with her brother. - -“We have come to draw the water from the spring,” she exclaimed; -“little did I think I should find you here. Oh, Ebba, tell me how you -came hither!” - -“I have been longing to see you, dear mistress, to give you a message. -My story is indeed so strange, that even to myself it is scarce like -reality.” - -“Tell it to me, tell it to me! Oh, Chloe, may I stay, and hear what she -says? She was the dear attendant of my mother and myself, in my old -home at Verulam. She has brought me a message.” - -“You can remain here while I go to the fountain,” said Chloe. She was -good-natured and kindly, and the little Hyacintha had been her especial -care and joy since the day of her arrival in the house of the vestals, -now six months before. - -Indeed, Hyacintha had won all hearts. There was a gentle grace about -her, and yet a sunny brightness, which made the vestals call her their -singing bird. - -The deep earnestness of her nature, and her serious desire to fit -herself for the high office of a vestal, did not prevent her from -entering into every innocent pleasure with the keenest delight. - -The anxiety which had awoke in her young heart at Verulam, to find a -more excellent way of life than that led by the ladies she saw in her -mother’s society, had been a weight upon her child-heart. But now she -had found, as she believed, her vocation; and while leaving far behind -her, her young companions in the accomplishments in which they were all -instructed, she was always simple and humble, and her exceeding beauty, -which was increasing month by month, did not make her vain. - -“A great gift to lay at the shrine of the goddess,” Terentia had told -her, and Hyacintha joyfully laid down that gift, and would gladly lay -down others also, for the honour of the goddess who had the sacred -fire in her keeping. - -Ebba could scarcely restrain her expressions of admiration as Hyacintha -seated herself on a stone bench beneath an outspread ilex tree, and -said, - -“Now, Ebba, my message, my message! Dear Ebba, you look so happy now, -no longer like a sad slave, but free and happy.” - -“Yes, dearest lady, I am free--free from the fetters which bound me, no -longer a slave, but a _child_ of a loving Father.” - -Hyacintha’s questioning eyes were turned wistfully upon Anna as she -spoke. She could hardly understand her. - -The sunlight flickered through the branches upon Hyacintha’s spotless -robe, and touched the ruddy gold of her hair with glory. - -Her little sandalled feet peeped out beneath the hem of her robe, as -they rested on the mossy turf. Her beautifully-formed hands were folded -in a sort of happy expectation as to what Anna might say next, what the -message might be from her home beyond the stormy sea, and her whole -attitude was one of attention and wonder as to what was coming. - -Casca watched his sister with eyes of tender brotherly admiration, and -he wondered it had never struck him before, how beautiful she was! - -“Poor Ebba,” Hyacintha said, “the child of a loving Father! I do not -understand. I know you left our home, in Britain, after they had killed -the man on the hill-side, near Verulam. I know my father was angry at -your loss, put a price on your head, but I know no more.” - -“Nor need I tell you all that happened, for it would serve no good end, -nor would I throw over your brightness so dark a cloud as the story of -my life since we met would surely throw.” - -“I was baptised by the holy Amphibalus on the night of my escape. Then -our little band wandered towards the fastnesses of Wales, after hiding -in a cave at Radburn. We were settling in a village, in peace and rest, -converts daily brought in by the teaching of Amphibalus, when we were -surprised by the barbarians, and to escape them a band of thirty fell -into the hands of a Roman convoy under Valens and Claudius.” - -“Claudius! good, dear Claudius!” Hyacintha exclaimed; “nay, I do not -believe he hunted you down.” - -“He did as he was commanded, and many fell. Some were carried to -Radburn as prisoners. I was one, and Agatha, the mother’s sister of -Heraclius, who perished before the holy Alban rather than take his -life,--Agatha was my support and stay. We were thrown into a dungeon -together, from which we were dragged to witness the martyrdom of -Amphibalus. - -“I remember little more after that, till I found myself committed to -the care of old Ezra, the Jew, by brave Claudius, who rescued me from -death, and bade me say to you, dear Hyacintha, that he had fulfilled -his vow made to the gods and to you, and had saved the life of the -slave whom you loved.” - -“Whom I must love always,” Hyacintha murmured. “But how was it done?” - -“I have since heard from Ezra that his daughter died on her toilsome -journey from Verulam to Radburn, and that Claudius, finding him weeping -over her body, took it up and carried it to the dungeon, where he left -it with Agatha, and carried me away. I have never heard what befel -Agatha--my friend and mother--for a mother in Christ she was, truly, to -me.” - -Severus’s letter to his son became intelligible now. The boy sprang to -his feet. - -“I can tell you,” he said. “Both women, so my father writes in his -letter--both women were found dead in their cell, and their bodies were -burned to ashes the next morning. My father believes that you, Ebba, -were one of those women.” - -Anna raised her eyes to the sky above her, and the tears which gathered -there flowed down her cheeks. - -“She is with Him whom she loved, in Paradise,” she said, “only, would -that our Father had taken me with her!” - -“Dear Ebba, do not grieve,” Hyacintha said. - -“Nay,” Casca sighed out, “nay, it is over for her, it is to come for -you and for me. Tell me where I can get instruction in the faith of -which you speak.” - -“Come to the Via Appia in the early morning, or in the late evening. I -will be on the watch, for I steal thither unperceived, as hundreds of -our faith steal. In the last sleeping-place of the Christians the faith -of the living is built up, and you shall be instructed in that faith. -Think you, Casca, that there is no Rome but that which you see? Yes, -there is a Rome, invisible to all mortal eyes, over which the angels -watch the Christian people of the great city, who are compelled to -worship their Lord in secret and silence.” - -“I will come,” Casca said. - -“Go whither, dear brother?” asked Hyacintha; “nay, run into no danger.” - -Casca smiled. - -“I am never bold or daring, little sister; has not that weakness of -mine been ever foremost? Did not good Claudius try to harden me to -danger? Did not my father look on me with scorn, as unworthy of his -noble ancestors? I will run into no danger.” - -Chloe’s footsteps were heard approaching, on her return from the -fountain, where she had filled the pitcher with pure crystal water. - -This water was used to sprinkle the altar of Vesta, and only those who -were fully qualified by their term of probation were ever allowed to -perform this office. - -“Now, Hyacintha,” Chloe said, “the day wears on apace, and we must -return to the temple.” - -Hyacintha embraced her brother, and then turned to follow Chloe. The -path bore a little to the left before it descended to the gate of the -garden, and there Hyacintha paused for a moment, and with her hand -waved her farewell to the two who stood below her. The low level rays -of the lately-risen sun glanced through the vines and olive trees -amongst which she stood. Her white robe glistened and glowed in the -sunshine, and her face--that beautiful face--so childlike, and yet so -womanly, made Anna exclaim-- - -“She is like the Hyacintha of my dream in the dungeon! Oh, that the -journey was indeed over, and that she was standing to welcome me at the -golden gate! but it will come at last--at last.” - -Hyacintha had disappeared at the garden gate. A lictor stood to escort -the two vestals along the public thoroughfare to the door of the -vestals’ house. The vestals were never allowed to appear in public -without a guard; for from their high office they formed a part of the -sacred magistracy and state of the city of Rome. - -When Casca and Anna were left alone together, Anna said-- - -“We must not be seen together in the public streets; therefore, dear -young master, I will depart first, and you can follow. The quarter -where the Jews live is below the hill, and I reach it by a side path.” - -“Are you happy with that old man, Ebba? Is he good to you?” - -“Yes, at times,” was the answer. “He mourns for his lost Rachel and -his lost treasure. The name of Christian is scarcely less hated by the -Jews than by the heathen, and I live a secluded life with Ezra. But he -has taught me much of the words of the old prophets and sibyls in whom -he believes, who worshipped the God of Israel, and I have learned to -sing some of the songs written by one of their kings to the praise of -Jehovah. And now we part till the evening, when I will conduct you to -the place where you shall hear much which my poor tongue cannot tell. -But be wary, for the eyes of many are upon all who are suspected of -being Christians.” - -In another moment Anna had glided away, and Casca was left alone. - -A new life was beginning for the boy that day; he was to exchange the -toga prætexta for the toga virilis--the boy’s garment for the man’s--a -sign of manhood which the Romans looked upon as imperative. - -Before that bright day had closed, Casca had bidden Clœlia farewell, -and, with a heavy heart, had committed his books and parchments to two -slaves from Antonius’s household, who had arrived for them about noon. - -Then he penned a dutiful epistle to his father, which would be -despatched by the next special messenger who might be sent on official -business from Rome to her distant province of Britain, and prepared -himself for his fresh start in the palace of Antonius. - -It is very hard for us to realise the events of the fourth century, and -any picture of those times, and of the men and women who took part in -the scenes then enacted, must, at the best, be shadowy. To the eye of -the casual observer, Rome, seated on her seven hills, under the sway of -the Emperor Diocletian, was at the zenith of fame and prosperity. - -The throngs in the Forum--the gay crowds in the gardens of Circus -Maximus, the race-course, the arena--all told of wealth and prosperity -and pleasure. But this very love of show and outward grandeur, this -excessive devotion to the indulgence of every selfish desire, was -sapping the foundation of the great empire, and its decline had even -then set in. - -Still, out of sight, and hidden from general observation, a kingdom -was growing daily in strength and numbers. Like the grain of mustard -seed, like the little lump of leaven, the Church of the Catacombs was -gathering force and extending its boundary, month by month, year by -year. But if it requires a strong effort of the imagination to call -back the individual life of the men and women who flocked to the -resorts of pleasure and business in the Forum and the Circus, it is -almost more difficult to realise the buried life of Rome at that time, -which, nevertheless, was as a spark to be kindled into a light that -should cast its bright beams over the world, when the splendour of the -great Empire, with all its false brilliancy, should have sunk in gloom -and darkness. - -The Christians grew and multiplied, and we are told that thousands -were even now converts in heart, though held back by fear from -confessing Christ openly. - -The persecution which was raging fiercely in 304 had, perhaps, the -effect of driving timid ones into obscurity, but it was as a stimulant -to many steadfast souls, who died with a smile of victory on their -faces and a song of rejoicing on their lips. - -Anna, the British slave, lived in the Jews’ quarter, with old Ezra, -and faithfully fulfilled her duties as his daughter. The old man was -querulous and exacting; the desire of gain, which had taken him to -the distant pearl-fisheries of Britain, was strong upon him. He found -Anna’s skill with her fingers most useful to him, and she was now -engaged in the embroidery of a quantity of rich velvet with gold and -seed-pearls, which Ezra was to sell to a dealer, for the train of the -Empress, and for which he was to receive a fabulous sum. But it was -the gold, and not the advantages which the gold could bring, which was -precious to Ezra. The Jews’ quarter, hidden under a spur of the Cælian -Hill, was thickly populated, and the low square buildings where they -dwelt were poor and overcrowded. They had one rather larger than the -rest, which was set apart for their synagogue, and here the more devout -worshipped the God of their fathers at the appointed seasons. - -The community was not a happy or particularly harmonious one; -jealousies were rife, and Ezra was believed to have amassed riches, -though he lived in a mean way, and professed to be poor. One of the -Jewish women would often come and sit with Anna, while she bent over -her embroidery, and she would talk of the expected deliverer of Israel, -who was soon to come, “As a king, to reign,” she would say. And then -Anna would tell of the King who _had_ come--whose dominion was to -spread from sea to sea, and who was to put all enemies under His feet. - -Anna had been well taught by Amphibalus and Agatha, and instructed in -the Scriptures, so that she could tell Rebekah many things of which she -had never heard. - -As the spring day waned to its close, Anna’s eyes ached with the -continuous work, till pearls and gold thread looked one confused mass; -she laid aside her frame, and invited Rebekah to accompany her to the -Cæmeteria, as soon as the shadows fell upon the city, and they might -pass unnoticed. Rebekah hesitated a little, but finally agreed to bear -Anna company, stipulating that she might return if she heard anything -spoken against the God of Jacob in the place where Anna said she would -be instructed in her faith. - -“Nay, you can hear no word against the God of Jacob, for He is our -God for ever and ever,” Anna answered. “You will hear of his Son the -Deliverer, whom your people, knowing not what they did, nailed to the -cross.” - -Rebekah shook her head. “Our Jehovah would never suffer Messiah to -perish like a malefactor, it was contrary to His nature. He is the Lord -God merciful and gracious.” - -“But,” Anna quietly added, “He will in no wise spare the guilty.” - -“We have sacrifices offered for sins once a year,” was the reply, with -a proud sense of security. - -“But this one sacrifice of Christ, once offered, avails for all time -and for all people.” - -“Well,” the young Jewess said, “I will accompany you, for it is at -least a diversion. I am weary of pining for my espoused husband Joel. -He has departed hence and I have had no tidings of him for two years, -and I can scarce bear my life shut up in this dull corner of Rome, -while I know in Jerusalem I should have a high place in all the feasts -and joyful meetings of my own people. It was a woeful day for me when -my father Ezekiel came hither.” - -Rebekah was a fine Jewish woman, with the strongly-marked features and -raven hair of her race, but her face was hard, and the expression of -her mouth cross and discontented. - -“I loathe this place,” she repeated, “and I marvel how any one like you -can abide here. You are bound by no tie to old Ezra.” - -“Yes, a strong tie,” Anna said; “by the death of his daughter my life -was saved. I must be as a daughter to him while I live.” - -“Well, I would not count such a man as a father,” was Rebekah’s reply. -“When shall we start? the sun has nearly set.” - -“As soon as you please,” Anna replied; “I must get ready my long cloak, -and cover my head, and set out the evening meal, and light the lamp in -the outer court, that Ezra may find all ready, and think I am gone to -rest.” - -“Then do not tarry,” Rebekah said, “for I am cramped with sitting on -the low cushion, and long for air and sights and sounds pleasanter -than those which greet me here. Hark! there’s the sound of a multitude -shouting, there must be sport in the arena; food for the lions, no -doubt.” - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -SUNSET. - - -The sun which had been shining with cloudless brilliancy throughout -the day shed the rich glow of its level beams across the Via Sacra or -Appian way. In the clear transparent atmosphere, every monument and -every stately statue stood out sharply defined against the sky--a sky -of clearest azure, except at the horizon, where lines of violet and -rose-coloured clouds, tinged with gold, floated in saffron depths, -which were shaded into flaming orange below them, and to the tenderest -daffodil as it mingled in opal transparency with the blue canopy above. - -The grandeur of a Roman sunset must be seen, and cannot be -described--no pen or brush can paint it; and as Anna gazed at the -glorious pageantry before her, her lips moved as she repeated in a low -voice-- - -“The street of the city is gold, as it were transparent glass. Surely -the gates of heaven--the heaven of the Christian’s hope--might well be -there.” - -Her companion Rebekah was not thinking of the sky, nor of the grandeur -of that road between the tombs along which they passed. - -A few horsemen in rich and splendid accoutrements were riding slowly -along, and on the broad footway several groups of people were walking, -and she was far more interested in them. - -Presently a cry was heard that the Christians were coming. And then -there was a rush of many feet, and two women bound with cords were seen -hurried along towards the spot where Anna and her Jewish companion -stood. - -“They have been captured near the Cæmeterium,” a voice said. - -And then there was a sudden hush and pause; the oncoming crowd stood -still, as all eyes were turned in the opposite direction, and a voice -cried-- - -“The Vestal Maxima!” - -“They are saved then,” exclaimed Rebekah; “all prisoners on their way -to execution have a free pardon if they are met by a vestal. And this -is the Vestal Maxima.” - -Anna looked earnestly, as if she could never look away, at the stately -figure of Terentia Rufilla and the young disciple at her side, -Hyacintha Severa, as she was called. - -The vestals who were in attendance were all dressed in their long -stoles of dazzling whiteness, and they were preceded by a guard of -lictors. - -The child, Hyacintha, had in her hands a large quantity of flowers, -which had been gathered from the grounds of one of the spacious palaces -where Terentia Rufilla had been paying a visit. - -So high was the esteem in which the priestess of Vesta was held that -the members of the Imperial family could not receive greater homage. -Those who were guarding the prisoners halted, and knelt, and Terentia -asked, in a clear ringing voice-- - -“Who are the prisoners, and of what rank?” - -The chief lictor replied that they were peasant women of no rank or -name, and that they were obstinate followers of the false religion. - -Terentia’s beautiful expressive face showed but little sign of pity, -for the Christians were enemies of her goddess, and ought to perish, -and there was in the heart of the Vestal Maxima only a sense of duty -and scarcely of satisfaction as she said-- - -“It is our pleasure that the captives be set free.” - -To the surprise of all around, one of the women exclaimed-- - -“We desire not freedom; we cannot recant; we believe in Jesus the Lord.” - -“To the lions with them--they want sport for the arena,” exclaimed a -voice. “If they do not recant, spare them not.” - -“Oh, spare them, spare them!” exclaimed Hyacintha. - -“There is no need for entreaty,” said Terentia, haughtily. “Unloose -the cords and let the women free. It is the invariable favour granted -by the priestesses of the goddess Vesta, nor can I remit it, though, -forsooth, I have rarely seen a favour so coldly received. Move on,” she -said. - -And then the crowd separated, and the two prisoners’ cords being -loosed they were flung aside, with rough blows and angry exclamations. -And the people poured on towards the Coliseum, where they yet hoped to -find the beasts were not disappointed of their prey. - -The two women sank down on the highway, utterly exhausted. They had -been rescued from death, but had hardly power to realise it. Anna put -her arm round one of the women, and said-- - -“Can I lead you home?” and Rebekah, less gently, had taken her -companion by the shoulder and tried to rouse her. - -“Are they gone?” she murmured. - -“They are gone where you will follow unless you rouse yourselves. Your -lives have been spared; make haste to flee.” - -“Whither shall we flee?” said one poor woman. “We had come in from the -country, footsore and weary, when we were seized. We were resting on -the steps of the monument of Cæcilia Metella, when we were asked if -we had attended the great sacrifice in the temple of Jupiter. Nay, we -said, for we are Christians and worship only the Lord Jesus.” - -“I can take you to comparative safety,” Anna said, “if you will come -with me. It will be a refuge for you; you will be taken care of.” - -One of the women said, “We are poor peasant women, who have come into -the city to get food. The Lord seemed to point the way, and we knew -there were good Christians in Rome.” - -“There are good Christians,” said Anna, “but persecution is raging -amongst them now. Lean on me and we will try to find a safe place.” - -“I suppose I must not leave you,” Rebekah said, “but I would we had not -met the poor wretches.” - -Then by slow degrees the poor women passed along the sacred way amongst -the great monuments of the past glory of Rome, till they turned in at a -low opening in the wall, and a voice said-- - -“Who enters?” - -“In the name of Christ,” was Anna’s answer. - -Then out of the darkness a tiny spark was seen burning. It was the -light of a lamp hung from the roof at the distance of some hundred -yards. - -“I am here also,” Casca said, touching Anna’s arm. “I have escaped from -the Coliseum, where I was forced to go with Antonius.” - -Anna made no rejoinder, except to put her hand upon the boy and lead -him on. The two poor peasant women and Rebekah followed, and the long -passage ended just where the lamp hung. By its dim light they crossed -to another low doorway, and then guided by another lamp, threaded -their way through several galleries and passages, till they reached an -open space where some fifty people had assembled. This larger space -was pierced through the rock and ground above with several openings, -through which the sky could be seen. Two lamps hung over the slab of -a tomb of one of the faithful departed, and there the vessels for the -Holy Communion were placed. - -A young deacon was speaking when Anna and her friends came in, leading -the poor women by the hand. The young deacon ceased speaking, and -inquired the names of the new-comers, and their errand. - -“I have brought this youth,” Anna said, “a Roman of noble birth, who is -anxious to know more of the Faith. This young woman is a Jewess, and -these peasants,” she continued, “have just been rescued from the jaws -of death. They were being dragged to the arena, when they were met by -a procession of vestal virgins and released.” Several of the little -assembly rose, and made the new-comers welcome, getting food and drink -for them, in their fainting condition, from one of the openings behind -the tombs. - -The Catacombs at Rome are now visited by many--and what pictures rise -out of the past as the long subterranean passages become peopled with -the early Christians, who bore thither their dead, laying them in the -tombs cut out of the rock, and encircling them with all the tender -memories of Him whom they believed to have opened the Kingdom of Heaven -to all believers. - -The word Catacomb, is, we are told, modern; but the Greek word, -Cæmeteria, or sleeping place, was the one dear to the Christians, and -always used by them to express their faith in the words--“Them that -sleep in Jesus shall God bring unto Him.” - -It was this sleeping in Christ and this glorious awakening, which to -those early Christians, with their simple unwavering faith, was a near -and great reality, of which the preacher spoke that night. - -Casca, who had been studying deeply since he came to Rome the words of -poets and philosophers, who had listened with profound attention to the -learned orations from the Rostra, and who had, even before he had left -Verulam, pondered much the mysteries of life and death, now followed -every word with hungry eagerness. - -The spirit of unbelief in the old system of the gods was spreading -rapidly. - -The Olympus of old Rome was fading into thin air. - -Many in the educated and higher ranks of society went through the form -of attending the sacrifices, and offering at the shrines on appointed -festivals, who felt it was but a form. - -But here, in the dim seclusion of the Catacombs, there was no formal -acceptance of a creed--the Christian faith was to the faithful an -indwelling reality. - -The young deacon who had questioned or catechised the congregation, -and instructed them by the familiar form of question and answer, was -followed by an older man, a priest, who had been consecrated by the -bishop or overseer of that hidden Church in the Catacombs of St. -Calixta. - -He, too, noticed and welcomed the strangers whom Anna had brought, -and Casca, the young Roman, in his new and handsome toga virilis, -interested him, and he drew him aside and gave him a roll of -manuscript, promising to supply him with others when he returned these. - -It was St Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews, and from the portion which -tells of the great cloud of witnesses the priest founded a discourse, -or, as we should call it, a sermon. He spoke of the invisible watchers -over that hidden Church; many had been sufferers for Christ, and their -bodies were lying in niches of those long galleries awaiting the call -of their Master, which would be surely heard when He came to claim His -own. He spoke of the dangers which surrounded the living, the torture -and the flame, the terrible ordeal of fire, or the fierce conflict -with the beasts. He described the scene which had been enacted in the -Coliseum that very day, and he bade them all remember that their turn -might come next. - -Were they ready? or would they faint and fail in the trial hour? - -They could do all things through Christ, who strengthened them, and he -would not allow that one would turn back on the way to win the crown, -though the cross might be exceeding bitter and a sore burden. - -Prayers followed, and then the little company were bidden to rest till -the dawn broke. Just before cock-crow the priest called them to awake -and draw near to receive the bread and wine for the refreshing of their -souls in remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ. It was the first time -that Casca or the young Jewess had ever seen that solemn service. It -was familiar to Anna, and her thoughts went back to the forests of -Britain and the Radburn cave, where the holy Amphibalus had broken that -bread and drunk of that cup, when dangers of every kind were near. - -It was no new thing to the British slave to feel that the profession of -the Christian faith was the signal of danger. The scenes in the forest, -in the dark dungeon, were still as vivid as ever; but Casca had yet to -count the cost. The Jewish maiden felt herself drawn to this Christ of -whom the priest spoke. The lines round her mouth softened, and tears -gathered on her long dark lashes, like rain-drops, and slowly ran down -her cheeks. - -If only she dare believe that this Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah -for whom her people had looked for so long! but surely He, that -long-looked-for King, would come with imperial pomp and greatness; not, -as these his followers said, as the child of a humble mother, to die a -shameful death, such as malefactors died! - -Ah! that death of Christ! therein was hidden the _Life_, though she -knew it not as yet, nor could discern it. - -The little congregation were to separate at dawn, and Casca was led by -Anna through the long and tortuous galleries to another entrance than -that by which they had come in. - -It was scarcely more than a hole in the hill-side, and concealed by -the immense profusion of the rare yellow-berried ivy, which still hangs -upon the Walls of the Appian Way. - -When they reached the opening, Anna said-- - -“We must part here, dear master. I counsel you to conceal the -manuscript carefully, and read it with prayer in secret. We may meet no -more; for you pass now to the grand life of Antonius, and I must remain -in the Jews’ quarter, and you must run into no danger in seeking me -out. But I am often to be found here at dark after sunset, and before -sunrise, and it may be that the desire of my heart may be granted, and -you will seek baptism at the hands of the Father in Christ who spoke -to us this night. Ah! it is morning now; speed on your way.” Then Anna -swept the overhanging branches of ivy over the opening with her hand, -and disappeared, while Casca turned towards the city along the Appian -Way. - -The first faint pallor of the dawn was touching the colossal figures on -the tombs, as Casca passed along. - -In the dim and shadowy light these monuments of the past seemed even -more majestic than in the broad glare of the noonday sun. The boy’s -heart was filled with a yearning longing after some certainty about the -future life which was almost pain. - -All the great warriors who had fallen in battle for their country -covered with glory, whom these monuments commemorated--where had they -gone? That dim region of the dead, whence the old traditions said some -favoured ones had been snatched by the strong arm of the gods, and -returned to those who loved them--where was it? Had it, indeed--as many -thought in Rome--no existence but in the songs of the poet and in the -marble of the sculptor? - -If the great multitude of whom nothing remained but their ashes in the -urns which were deposited in the grand monuments were utterly gone; if -the life which had ended on the battle-field, or by their own hand was -over--quite over--how short it was! All hopes and fears, and learning -and culture, at an end. Death! which must then mean nothingness? - -But a voice in the boy’s soul told him of immortality; that living -witness within seemed to call on him to believe that the spirit within -him _could not die_. With what certainty had the priest spoken of the -cloud of living witnesses--living, caring for those on earth--_loving_ -them still! Surely, if this were true, it was a grander and nobler -thought than the consignment to the depth of Hades, or the utter -passing away and annihilation of which so many orators he had lately -heard declare was the fate of every man! Casca thought of his beautiful -young sister in the temple of Vesta, and remembered all their sweet -converse at home in the Villa of Severus, and on the long and perilous -journey to Rome. But she had gained her heart’s desire, and she was -satisfied. Surely her sweet young face, as he had seen it in the garden -on the Cælian Hill, had a happy and satisfied halo shed over it! - -He had never seen her look so happy before. She had left the luxurious -frivolous life behind her, and had entered upon her training for what -was considered the very highest vocation for a Roman maiden. She had -the privileges and honours of a vestal virgin before her--possibly she -might reach the highest office of all, and her father’s rank made this -probable; and then, as Vestal Maxima, Hyacintha would have fulfilled -the most sanguine desires which any one who knew her could cherish. - -And yet even that must end. Hyacintha must die and pass away from the -temple; her beauty must fade, her powers fail; death would not spare -the vestal virgin any more than the humblest peasant woman, like those -who had knelt with bowed heads and uplifted hands before the priest, -when he had given thanks for their preservation from the lions. - -Yes, death must pass on all men, and Anna, the British slave, had been -very near death; but she looked beyond, to the crowd of invisible -witnesses, to Jesus, who had, so the priest said, “Overcome death, and -opened the gates of the kingdom.” - -Casca remembered Ebba in the days that were past--uncertain, trembling, -fearful; but now that she had confessed Christ openly, she had a look -of resolute purpose on her face, and her plain features were often -shining with a light which Casca felt was the light of a steadfast -faith, which no cruel death, no terrible torture, could extinguish. - -When the boy reached the villa of Antonius it was broad daylight, and -the outer court was filled with slaves and servants preparing for the -morning meal and the day’s pleasure. - -Several young men were returning from the night’s carousal, and jested -with each other on the speed with which the young Casca had assumed all -the privileges of his manhood. They made many allusions which Casca did -not understand, and he passed through the atrium, anxious to find his -way to the rooms which had been appointed for him. - -Two attendants or slaves were waiting for him, and prepared to conduct -him to the bath, which, with its rich mosaic pavement, was a necessary -appendage to every Roman villa. - -The visit to the public baths came later in the day, for these baths -were the resorts of fashion and pleasure. The two slaves helped Casca -to lay aside his dress, and as the toga slipped off the manuscript roll -fell out. - -The elder slave picked it up, and a curious expression flitted over -his face, but he was silent. Indeed, unless permitted to speak, these -household slaves were generally silent in the presence of their -superiors. - -All Casca’s possessions of books and rolls and pens and parchments were -placed in a large coffer, and the slave, lifting the lid, dropped the -manuscript into it. - -Then the work of the morning proceeded. Casca was conducted to the -bath, and when he had bathed his limbs in the clear water, he was -rubbed with some sweet-scented ointment, and then sprinkled with -perfume. - -After this a long linen robe was thrown over him, and he was led back -to his room, where two more slaves awaited him, with richly-chased cups -and flagons, and some delicate dishes for the morning meal. - -When he had eaten, the chamber was darkened by the drawing of -violet-coloured curtains over the doors, and then he was left to dream -away the early part of the day, till the time came for resorting to the -public baths or the Coliseum, where there was frequently a hand-to-hand -gladiatorial fight, and wrestling with beasts. - -Antonius troubled himself very little about his new inmate; he had -received him in accordance with the wishes of Severus, and he was to -take him to the palace at a convenient season, where he was to hold -some office about the Emperor’s person, when duly qualified. - -In this life, marked out for him by his father, Casca would have been -miserable, had it not been for his studies and for the interest which -his visits to the Cæmeteria awakened in him. Little by little the boy -withdrew himself from the scenes of license and indulgence which formed -the atmosphere of the villa. He was, like one who had gone before him, -almost persuaded to be a Christian, and yet he held back. He was afraid -to profess what he did not really feel, and when he heard of many -who recanted at the last moment to avoid the torture or the fire, he -would argue with himself that it was better to be assured of his own -faith before he openly professed what in the hour of trial he might be -tempted to recant. - -He was not sure of his own heart. Sometimes he was lost in a maze -of doubt and uncertainty; at others he resigned himself to the calm -philosophy of the schools, which looked down from a high vantage-ground -on the old and young faith alike, and taught that the life of man on -earth, fleeting though it was, was all. No beyond, and therefore, no -anxiety as to the future--no cold shadow of dark fear. - -“Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die,” was the watchword of -thousands in Rome in those days. - -Then there were moments when, after careful study of the manuscript -which had been lent to him, he would be strangely moved, and St. Paul’s -eloquent description of all those _who had died in the faith_ would -fasten upon his imagination. Was not the same spirit of endurance -abroad at that very time? Some two hundred and seventy years had gone -by since St. Paul had made up that grand roll of names of those who -esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than any treasure, and -there was the same tale of suffering being told for the faith of which -these men and women were the valiant defenders. They had received the -promise, which promise reached beyond death to the life eternal. “If -only,” Casca thought, “he could know that it was true, would he not -have strength given him to confess Christ openly.” Then the natural -disposition of the boy asserted itself, and he would turn back to the -philosophy of the schools, and try to rest upon the hope rather than -the belief that there was no beyond. - -Like many since that time, Casca could not surrender his heart, and, -lost in the mists of human reasoning, he could not become a little -child that he might be wise. - -Casca’s natural sweetness of disposition won him friends in that large -and pleasure-seeking household, and the taunts and scoffs that he had -at first to endure, for his pure living and dislike of over-indulgence -and luxury, ceased. It was universally allowed that Casca, the son of -Severus, must be left to go on his own way undisturbed, and as he never -offended any one, it was by common consent conceded that no one should -offend him. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -JUNE, 313--THE FESTIVAL OF VESTA. - - -Years passed swiftly by, in the fourth century as in the nineteenth! - -They brought with them as they came many changes, they bore away with -them many hopes, and left behind the memory of many sorrows, and the -soft radiance of many vanished joys! - -The persecution of the Christians had in great measure ceased, and, -with the abdication of Diocletian, the edicts for their arrest and -slaughter had been revoked. - -It was comparatively a time of peace, and the conflict between the old -and the new faiths seemed for a season at rest. - -Constantius Chlorus had put a stop to the persecution of the Christians -in Britain in the year after Alban had suffered, and now, in the year -313, Constantine was Emperor, and well known to favour the religion of -Christ. - -But if the old faiths were shaken to their very foundations, every -effort was made to put on an appearance of increased enthusiasm at -public ceremonials, and to load the altars of the gods and goddesses -with the choicest offerings and the most costly sacrifices. - -The great festival in honour of Vesta was to be celebrated this year -with excessive pomp and circumstance. The preparations were organised -on a very large scale, and enormous offerings were continually pouring -in to the vestals’ house and the temple, some time before the great -day, which fell on the ninth of June. - -The Vestal Maxima, Terentia Rufilla, was overwhelmed with all the -arrangements which devolved upon her, and on the evening of the seventh -of June was lying on a couch in her own chamber, weary and sad. A -tall and most beautiful maiden was standing at a marble slab or table -covered with evergreens and flowers, which she was weaving into wreaths -and emblems with her long slender fingers. - -“Come and rest, Hyacintha,” Terentia said; “come and sit near me, I -have much to say. To-morrow is the day of your first ministration in -the temple, and you will henceforth be a priestess, fully qualified -for the service of the goddess. Surely, never had the goddess a more -beautiful and more true-hearted servant.” - -“Dearest lady,” Hyacintha said, “I feel but little worthy to take the -honour upon me; but my heart rejoices to have the longing of years -fulfilled.” - -“And thou hast no sad misgivings, dear child--no longings for the -ordinary lot of woman to trouble thee; the home of the matron, the -prattle of children’s voices, the maternal joy and pride which we -vestals can never know.” - -Hyacintha’s pure untroubled face was raised to that of her friend as -she answered-- - -“Nay, I have no such longings; I am contented, nay, thankful, to be -free from all those cares which harass the life of many a woman.” - -“Thou art very young yet, dear child, though by special permission thy -ten years’ probation has been shortened. Although in the tenth year of -thy discipleship, it was not till the time of Pomona that first thou -camest hither. How my heart went out to thee then, dear child, and how -much we have been to each other since!” - -“Yes,” Hyacintha said, “I have known great happiness with thee, and my -great ambition is, perhaps, too great to tell even to thy ear. It is a -high aim indeed.” - -Terentia smiled sadly as she laid her hand upon the beautiful rings of -clustering gold which shadowed Hyacintha’s brow. - -“Thy ambition,” she repeated. “Thy high aim--what is it?” - -“I was wandering last evening in the atrium,” Hyacintha said, “and -gazing, as I have done since I was quite a child, at the figures of the -past Vestals which stand there. I have often spoken to them. I feel -almost as if I knew them all and their histories, as you have told -them. I do know Flavia Publicia who has all the praises, and I cannot -wonder, so gracious, so beautiful is her face. But I love almost best -the face of Vibidia, who, as you have told me, so generously protected -poor Messalina. That is a grand deed of any one to be remembered--it is -so beautiful, dearest lady, to protect the weak.” - -“Is that thy ambition, then, my sweet one?” - -“Yes, that is part of my ambition; but the _whole_ is to be a Vestal -Maxima. Oh! do not think me foolish, dearest lady, but I should love to -have my statue carved in marble, and stand for ever in our noble hall, -and for those who pass to read my name, ‘Hyacintha Severa.’ Is it too -much to think of?” - -“Dear child!” Terentia said, “when I called you to rest by me, the -thought was in my mind which you have put into words. - -“To-morrow, as you know, you will take up your full duties in the -temple. The sculptor is to unveil my likeness in the pure marble in -which it was wrought. It will not be placed with my noble predecessors -till I resign my high office or die while holding it. Then it will be -placed in either case in the atrium, and my name will be followed by -whatsoever it may please the priest and the emperor to inscribe on -the pedestal. But I shall leave on record that it is my will that you -should be elected in my room, and that day may not be far off.” - -Hyacintha’s eyes sought those of Terentia anxiously. The joy of her -announcement was tempered with sorrow. - -“You must not leave us yet,” she said; “you must not speak of it. And -I am young and untried, and I fear----” - -“What dost thou fear, dear child?” - -“That many would consider others should take place before me.” - -“The future is hidden,” said Terentia. “I may live for years, instead -of months; we will not speak more of this now. Hast thou any longing -beside?” - -“Nay; except to hear of those I best love: Casca my brother, and my -faithful Ebba.” - -“They are both converts to the Christian faith.” - -“Yes,” Hyacintha said, “and they have had peaceful times at Alexandria, -whither they went with old Ezra. I have been hoping for news from -Britain to reach me on this occasion of my full profession in the -temple, but none has come.” - -“Thy father is now in the highest office in Verulam, and perchance may -send a special messenger. He knows well that our festival is on the 9th -of June, and it is possible some word may be sent.” - -“Dearest lady,” Hyacintha said, “does not all life seem like a -dream?--everything passing, nothing staying. While we say ‘This is -beautiful,’ it is gone; while we exult, the cause of exultation is -over; while we weep, the grief or the vexation is vanishing. Did you -ever feel as I do--as if I could not lay hold of, or grasp anything?” - -“Have I not felt it? Ah! child, a thousand times! But, sure, you have -no grief to make you weep.” - -“Nay, not grief,” Hyacintha said; “not deep heart-grief, but vexations -that arise in a large community like ours; and sometimes if I try to -stem a torrent of gossip and bitterness the shafts turn on me, from the -young disciple, child though she be, Cœlia, in particular. Not often,” -she said, smiling, “not often, but sometimes. And now that I shall have -to instruct those beneath me I feel there will be more trial.” - -“I do not think you will fail, dear one,” Terentia said; “you have had -great success hitherto.” - -“When I look back on the records of the priestesses,” Hyacintha said, -“I can but feel that there must be something stronger and more potent -than mere will which keeps us so secure. In all the long thousand years -that have passed since we were first entrusted with the sacred fire, -and Numa built us our first temple, to preserve the palladium of Troy, -so few have failed to fulfil their vow. Surely this is a proof that -what we profess is the true faith. When I first came hither, and Lucia -told me of the punishment which befel the vestals who broke their vow, -I dreamed of it, and used to fancy myself thrust into that dungeon to -starve--so fearful it is to think of--and yet”----Hyacintha paused. - -“Tell me what is in thy heart, my daughter; do not be afraid.” - -“And yet,” Hyacintha continued, “the disciples of the new faith would -cheerfully be shut into a dungeon and starved rather than deny the Man -of Nazareth whom they worship. It must be a reality to them, though a -false mirage to us. Is it not so?” - -Terentia Rufilla was silent. The young maiden, standing at the eve of -her full profession as a priestess of the goddess Vesta, had only given -words to thoughts which seemed to crave for expression within her own -heart. - -It must often have been so. The multitude, who knew nothing beyond the -old faith, and who were content with the outside show and splendid -pageantry that marked a festival like that to be celebrated the next -day but one, in honour of Vesta, might be content. But not the earnest, -cultivated, highborn woman like Terentia Rufilla, who had read much, -and thought much, and had put aside as beneath her consideration the -story of the Cross of Christ. - -Now that the Church of the Catacombs had been able to lift her head, -and openly practise the rites and celebrate the worship of the religion -of Christ, it was impossible that women like Terentia should fail to -consider what was forced upon their attention. For the vestals did not -lead a secluded life--the seniors amongst them were well acquainted -with what passed in Rome, and it was impossible for them to be ignorant -of the rapid advances which Christianity was making. It was all very -well for the careless and idle to ignore the fact, and deny that the -old temple was in danger, and the old ceremonies growing effete and -languishing. To the thoughtful observer, the base and mean, the low and -contemptible religion, was growing apace, and its branches were casting -their shadows on every side. - -“Yes,” Terentia said, “at least the delusion is apparently no delusion -in the eyes of the poor misguided ones who follow it. As a child may -try to reach the horizon line which meets the wide-spread Campagna, the -sky seeming to touch the earth, and the child believes it does touch -it, and runs fast and faster, and lies down at last exhausted, after a -fruitless chase. Let us say no more of the Christians now, Hyacintha, -but tell me if thy robe is ready for the morrow, and thy two-eared -pitcher prepared for the first mission thou hast to perform?” - -“Yes, dearest lady. I am to go alone to the fountain unattended, and -bring the fresh water to the goddess’s shrine.” - -“The lictor must attend thee to the gate of the garden, and await thy -return. Then follows the choice of a new disciple. They become less and -less numerous every year. I can recall the time when twice twenty young -children were waiting to be chosen, and how those who were rejected -were often sent away weeping. For the last two years the number has -been small, and the noble houses have sent but few aspirants. I -remember when thou first camest, dear child, a little wayworn maiden -clinging to the hand of Clœlia, who brought thee to the atrium, -timidly, and uncertain of thy reception. The daughter of Severus needed -no introduction to me in any case, but how gladly I welcomed thee, my -fair and lovely one!” - -Hyacintha pressed her lips upon the hand which was wound round her -neck, and then the two were silent--that silence of perfect sympathy -and affection which is so sweet, sweeter far than any words. - -The shadows deepened in the house of the vestals early in the evening -of the glorious June day. Even at noontide the light in the atrium and -state apartments was dim, for the Palatine cliff was behind them, and -the wall really supported the road above it. The Imperial palace rose -to the height of a hundred and fifty feet in the air; and it is not -surprising that sunshine, even at midsummer, only touched the upper -floor, and left the vast area below chill and dim with a mysterious -light. - -Damp must have been an enemy to the health of the vestals; but the -recent discoveries have brought to light some curious devices by which -the enemy was combated. - -Double walls have been unearthed, and double floors, with skilfully -diverted currents of hot air which flowed through the interstices, must -have in some measure warmed and dried the atmosphere. - -Hyacintha could hardly sleep, when at last she retired for the night. -She feared so much that she should not be awake at dawn, that she -begged Lucia to call her at the first cock-crow. But long before the -old vestal had thought of going to her chamber to rouse her, Hyacintha -was up and ready to start. - -She was conducted by a lictor to the gate of the garden, where we saw -her as a child, and went with the swift light foot of a young fawn -to the spring on the Cælian Hill. She carried the two-eared vase or -jug gracefully poised on her head, and she was leaning against the -rock whence the spring flowed, the very type of youthful beauty and -radiant health. The dim shadows of the vestals’ house had left her -untouched; no damp had been enough to steal the rose-colour from her -cheeks, nor the lustre from her beautiful eyes. She was indeed a vision -of loveliness, and the tall athletic soldier who, scaling the hill, -came all unawares upon her, as Ebba had done years before, might be -forgiven, if, with a sudden start, he drew back, and exclaimed-- - -“The goddess herself, methinks!” He was about to bend the knee before -Hyacintha, when he suddenly drew himself erect, and contenting himself -with taking off his heavy helmet, he stood, with bowed head, transfixed. - -Hyacintha’s cheeks grew crimson, her lips parted as if to speak, but -no sound came. The long years which lay between her and the home of -her childhood seemed bridged over. Memories of all that had passed in -the little upper chamber at Verulam came thronging back, words spoken -there, a promise made, all flashed upon her, and then with a voice that -was like sound of silvery music, she said-- - -“Claudius! it is indeed Claudius!” - -“Even so, fair and beautiful lady,” the soldier said. “I am Claudius, -and had I not renounced the worship of the false gods, I should lie -prostrate at your feet, and do you sacrifice.” - -“Nay, do not speak like that, good Claudius,” Hyacintha said. “I pray -you, let me hear if you bring me news from Verulam.” - -“I have seen much foreign service since I left Verulam,” Claudius said; -“I have led a battalion against the northern tribes. I have won my way, -and I am now in Rome the commander of a legion of fine troops. Where is -Casca?” - -“Alas! he left Rome some years ago. He is, or was, when last I had -tidings of him, at Alexandria, whither he accompanied Ezra and the -faithful Ebba. My brother and Ebba are both Christians. Alas, that I -should say it!” - -“I well know that Ebba is a Christian,” Claudius said; “you have heard -that I fulfilled my vow to you, and saved the British slave’s life?” - -“Ah, yes! ah, yes! good Claudius, I thank you. Ebba has told me of the -noble deed, and Casca, too, has spoken of you. But I have seen neither -of them for years. I thank you now for your deed of valour, good -Claudius.” - -As she stood in the light of the early morning, Claudius could not have -drawn nearer or taken her hand in his. An invisible but strong barrier -seemed to keep him back. - -“My father,” she asked, “is there news of him? I know my mother is -dead, and the little Livia also. These tidings were brought me by -Caius, whose galley has been several times to Londinium since those -far-off days, when he brought us hither, Casca and me.” - -“Your father, the noble Severus, has married my sister Junia. Has he -never told you?” - -“No,” Hyacintha said, the blush on her cheek fading. “No, I hear it now -for the first time. I would I had never heard it; forgive me, for Junia -is your sister.” - -“There is no need to claim forgiveness. I think as hardly of my sister -as any one, but I pray daily for her conversion, and I will believe not -in vain, for the Lord can change the heart and bring sweetness out of -bitterness.” - -“Art thou too a Christian?” Hyacintha asked, with an almost -imperceptible start backwards. - -“A Christian,” Claudius said, “ay, verily, and I would to God you were -one also.” - -“I,” said Hyacintha, proudly. “Nay, this day is my happy day, the day -when I, who have been for near ten years training under the care of the -sacred virgins, have my lot appointed me to minister in the temple and -sprinkle the shrine with this pure water, which I have been allowed to -draw myself alone at dawn for the first time. To-morrow is our glad -festival, and we shall walk through the city in a long procession, and -to-night I shall for the first time keep watch alone in the temple. It -is a great and wonderful thing to be a vestal! I would not exchange my -lot for an Imperial diadem,” she said, with a proud dignified motion of -her head. “I would I were more worthy to fulfil so high a destiny.” - -Claudius, who had led a Roman phalanx against hordes of barbarians, -and had never feared danger or shrunk from death, felt strangely timid -in the presence of this beautiful friend of his early years. - -He had kept her image before him, as the winning, lovely child, so full -of earnestness of purpose, so gentle and tender to the slaves in her -mother’s household, so full of sympathy with their pain and trouble, so -devoted in her service of affection to her delicate and weakly brother. -Claudius had preserved her image as a child, and loved her; now she was -standing before him in the full beauty of her womanhood, and he felt -his love was nearly worship. He was a Christian now. He had been won to -embrace the faith by the example of a few who professed Christianity -amongst Constantine’s army. Claudius had been with the Emperor’s force, -when he went to repress an incursion of the Franks, one of the hardy -Northern tribes on the banks of the Rhine. It was just at the time when -the treacherous Maximian had taken advantage of Constantine’s absence -to seize all the treasure at Arles, and dispensing it amongst the -soldiers who were stationed in Southern Gaul, hoped to establish his -authority by gifts and bribes. But before that was done Constantine had -returned with extraordinary quickness, and Claudius had been with his -army when he arrived at the gates of Arles with a force which it was -impossible to resist, and which scarcely gave him time to take refuge -in the nearest city of Marseilles. - -Claudius had indeed seen much active service since he had gone out -with Valens to pursue the little band of Christians in the forest -near Radburn, and many a time the cries and tears of that innocent and -inoffensive little band seemed to sound in his ears and reproach him. - -“I think,” he said, “the first time I ever felt that the religion of -Christ must be a reality was when I saw that brave woman Agatha quietly -submit to receive the dead Jewish girl in the dark dungeon, and, faint -and exhausted, as it proved, even to death, make no murmur at the -lonely vigil with the dead to which I left her. I would not speak to -you here,” Claudius continued, “of my deeds of prowess. Those scenes -in which I have taken part are no theme for your ear, most beautiful -Hyacintha, but I would fain tell you, that face to face with death a -hundred times, I have felt the power of God within me was mighty to -save. - -“In the last great fight at Saxa Rubra, where we came unawares upon the -army of Maxentius, I fought side by side with the friend who has so -deeply influenced me. He was a Christian indeed, and though he defended -himself valiantly, he indulged in no barbaric cruelty, such as we -soldiers have often witnessed, and--I say it with shame--indulged in.” - -“The story of that battle is well known amongst us,” Hyacintha said. -“We have been rid of the tyrant Maxentius, and Rome may have rest.” - -“There can be but little rest,” said Claudius. “I, for one, am weary -of the clang of arms and fighting. Methinks I shall resign my high -post, and try to find Casca in the far-off city where you say he is -gone. The roar of the vanquished ones as they rushed to meet their fate -in the swift-flowing Tiber sounds in my ear many a time and oft, and I -would fain lay down my arms. I have had a glut of battles, and could -almost take up Casca’s cry of--‘Anything but bloodshed.’ I am a rough -fellow, I know, but Christianity can tame the roughest, and subdue the -most ferocious nature. It would lift _you_,” he continued, in a voice -faltering from deep emotion, “to the very height of the angelic host.” - -A smile broke over Hyacintha’s face. - -“Good Claudius,” she said; “I am in no need of exaltation, neither of -humiliation. For when I think of all the great privileges which lie -before me to-day--of the lonely watch before the altar of Vesta, and of -the part which I shall take to-morrow in the great festival, I feel, -methinks, as if my heart swelled with proud thankfulness. - -“The time is come for me,” she continued, “to return, for the sun is -getting high above the horizon. - -“Ah!” she said, stretching out her arms to the lovely view before her. -“How beautiful the city is! how grand! how like a queen! and surely -I am highly favoured to be allowed to minister at the sacred altar, -and keep alive the purifying flame which shall ensure the safety of -thousands in Rome.” - -“Little do you dream in your seclusion of all the wickedness that -seethes like a turbid fountain whose waters cast up mire and dirt in -Rome!” Claudius exclaimed. “It may be well that you, in your purity -and innocence, should know but little--nay, nothing--of all that lies -below the surface--greed, and lust, and murder, all those things which -are the signs and token, or, rather, the fruits of the flesh.” - -“Do not tell me more,” Hyacintha said. “I cannot amend what is wrong. -I am content to believe, as those higher and nobler than I am have -believed for a thousand years.” - -“Are you indeed content to believe?” Claudius asked sadly. “I know that -if I were to draw a picture of all, that after only a short residence, -_I_ see in Rome, you would not be content. The wife and daughter of -Diocletian have been foully murdered. Think you not that the blood of -the Christian matrons and maidens who fell under the ban of the Emperor -did not cry for vengeance, and that the cry was answered by their -destruction?” - -“The innocent suffering for the guilty? Nay,” said Hyacintha, with a -light laugh; “if the God whom you worship decrees such judgment, He is -not worthy of love.” - -“And yet,” said Claudius, “and yet in the sufferings of Christ, the -pure, the undefiled, for the sinner, rests our safety.” - -“Nay! not your safety,” exclaimed Hyacintha; “or why did Christ leave -so many to perish, torn by wild beasts, stoned, and tortured?” - -“I am no scholar,” Claudius said. “I am not like Casca, learned in -argument and reasoning, but there is in me a witness to the truth -of what I say. The innocent suffered for the guilty, and there is -salvation in that suffering for all who believe; and I _know_ in whom I -believe!” - -Hyacintha was silent. Claudius had always seemed to her in her childish -days a brave and athletic youth, when feats of arms and success in the -games had so often brought her father’s angry and contemptuous taunts -on the head of her brother Casca. - -Many a time had she heard him declare that Claudius ought to have been -his son, and that the weakly Casca was scarcely better than a girl. -Hyacintha had often shrunk from Claudius’s roughness, his boisterous -laugh, his loud ringing voice as he rallied Casca on his depression. -Now she could but tell herself there was a change. The face, bronzed -by exposure, and scarred in two places by a sword-cut, was benign and -gentle in its expression. The voice that came from under that mass of -reddish hair was subdued and even musical. Claudius was changed--what -had brought about that change? She was, I think, unconscious that -as she stood there--the most winning and beautiful picture of -womanhood--that she filled Claudius’s strong and noble heart with -longing to possess her--to take her from this false faith, to bring her -to the foot of the Cross, that she might live in the true light that -lighteth every man. - -Hyacintha’s was one of those pure and noble natures to whom service is -a necessity, and who can know no selfish and ignoble aims. - -There was never a little disciple in distress about a torn garment -or a neglected lesson but she came to Hyacintha for help. There was -not wanting the mean spirit of jealousies amongst the vestals; bitter -tongues were often in motion; rivalries, and anxieties for the best -places at the games, and for notice from those in power were rife; the -choicest viands at the table were eagerly sought; and the weariness and -lassitude which are born of the service which is not heart-service, -and therefore becomes drudgery, continually produced ill-temper, which -is so often the outcome of discontent. It was rare, indeed, to find -Hyacintha cross or angry; she bore and forbare, and won her way through -all the trials of her surroundings with a wonderful patience. - -Her relationship to Terentia Rufilla, and the close friendship which -existed between them, excited, as was only probable, the envy of many -of her companions. But ill-will could not flourish near her. The bright -serenity of her nature triumphed over every obstacle, and, like the -sun, dispersed the clouds around her, as day by day she rose higher in -the estimation of those with whom she shared the daily routine of the -Vestals’ House. - -That these noble characters were by no means uncommon in the days -of which I write is beyond a question. They shine out amongst the -records of those times like stars in the firmament, and many women like -Hyacintha Severa have, when converted to the faith of Christ, shown -that they were true as steel and steadfast as a rock, and glad to -suffer and to die for the name of Christ. - -The fountain rippled, and the falling of the water made a low, -monotonous murmur; the sun rising above the hills turned every dew-drop -into a diamond, and lay upon the turf, which was jewelled with flowers -in golden bands. - -Hyacintha stood lost in meditation, Claudius watching her. - -He drew a step nearer, and she started, as if from a happy dream; then -he spoke in low, earnest tones. - -“Hyacintha, would that I could think you knew in whom you believe. -Sweet friend, I will pray for you, and my prayers--rough and untaught -soldier as I am--ascending continually, will be heard. I would not -hurt a hair of your head,” he continued, earnestly. “I would not even -bring the shadow of a cloud over you. I know that you have vowed to -give up all loves of earth, and that the vow you have taken is the vow -for life. Were you other than what you are, I might tell you of the -love I bear you--a love which has kept me in the thickest onslaught of -temptation! As you keep the sacred fire on the altar, so have I kept -this love for you in my heart. - -“It will burn there till I die, and after death it will still live -on.... Nay,” he said, as he saw the swift blush mantle Hyacintha’s -cheek--“nay, I would not awaken in you one troubled thought. I shall -never possess you, but the love I bear you is deathless. I seem to see -in the future a land more beautiful than mortal eye has ever looked -upon, and there something tells me I shall find you, my beautiful one, -in garments whiter even than that you now wear, and bought for you by -the Innocent who suffered for the guilty.” - -Claudius, like many another man who has loved as a pure, good man only -can love, seemed carried into eloquence by the force of the feeling -within him. - -He knelt for a moment at Hyacintha’s feet, took her hand and kissed it, -and the next moment he was gone. - -The awakening had come for the Vestal on the very eve of her full -admission to the duties she had so longed for: that awakening comes to -most of us; and there was never a true and good woman who could lightly -esteem the devotion of a noble-hearted man. - -Hyacintha stood leaning against the rock whence the fountain flowed; -for a few moments her heart beat fast, and her eyes were dim with -unbidden tears, as she thought over all that Claudius had said. - -He was, indeed, in earnest; truth was written on his fine face; and -truth rang out in the tones of his voice. - -For a few minutes a vague longing possessed her--a longing which could -hardly be clothed in words. Then she smiled as she said, softly-- - -“Good Claudius! Brave, noble Claudius! May he find all the happiness he -craves for me!” - -The two-eared vase was raised by her unfaltering hand, so that not one -crystal drop was spilled as she bore it on her stately head, and went -down to the gate where the lictors had awaited her coming patiently, -wondering much at her long delay. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -VANISHING. - - -Throughout that day of preparation for the festival, the new priestess -was continually thinking of her interview with Claudius on the -Cælian Hill. Not even the new dignities which were conferred on her -could entirely banish from her mind the words and bearing of the old -companion of her childish days in Britain. - -It was a grand thing to sprinkle with her own hands the sacred shrine -and Palladium, to be consecrated solemnly by the priest for all the -functions of her office, as she had once been dedicated as a child to -be trained to fulfil them. - -The beautiful new garments of spotless purity were solemnly placed upon -her, and when the ceremony was over, and she had rested for a time, -Terentia Rufilla led her to her place behind the altar, and gave into -her charge the sacred fire, which was to be replenished continually -during the silent hours of the night. - -Then, with a kiss, the Vestal Maxima departed, the temple door was -closed, and Hyacintha was alone. - -Through the opening in the roof the deep blue sky of the Italian night -was seen, studded with stars, and from afar came the sound of the -surging multitudes of Rome, like the distant roar of the sea, growing -less and less distinct as the summer night hushed even the busy throngs -of the Roman citizens to rest. - -Hyacintha felt a sense of awe, but not of fear. She looked up at the -face of the figure of the goddess, and then beyond it, upwards to the -stars, and she felt as far from the one as from the other. - -There was no bond of love between Vesta and her priestess, no sign that -for her she felt any particular care or affection. - -It was a high honour to be her priestess; from her childhood she had -craved for it, and now the honour was hers, and yet, surely, there was -a void, a want somewhere, which Vesta could not fill. - -It was service for Rome to guard that sacred fire, and as she moved -gently, with a sort of hushed reverence, to the silver vessels where -the fuel was kept, to replenish that clear bright flame, she almost -started at her own movements, and scarcely dared to breathe, as she -gently and reverently fed the sacred fire. - -“It is for the good of Rome and her people,” she thought, “it is a -service which many thousands might envy, but there is scarce the -response within my heart of which Claudius spoke; did he not call -it ‘a witness.’ I felt a great glow of joy to-day when I took poor -little Pulcheria to my chamber, and consoled her for her grief that -she was not thought fair enough to lead the procession of the children -disciples through Rome to-morrow. Poor little one! how she wept -because Valeria had been elected and she was rejected. As she threw -her arms round my neck and sobbed out that she loved to be with me, -and that she would not care about Valeria’s unkind words if I were her -friend, I felt that sweetness at my heart which I do not feel here. -Here, where I am fulfilling the most beautiful of offices--the guardian -of the Palladium--the replenishing of the sacred flame! - -“I ought to be satisfied and happy, with a happiness greater than that -of the pleasure-seeking ladies, whose life is passed in indulgence, and -who die at last, worn out with the search for that, to judge by many -sad faces, they never find. - -“I have a higher and nobler destiny to fulfil, and I can never become -like old Lucia or Agrippina, who go through all the service of the -temple with slow unwilling feet, dark sad eyes, and even mutter words -of dissatisfaction. - -“Nor can I ever grow into the nearly worn out victim of pleasure, -still less the sorrowful, heavy-hearted priestess, whose service has -lost its charm. Nay, for the twenty years I may spend here my life -shall at least be happier than that of my poor mother, who died, as -some have said, by poison, administered by a slave whom she had hated. -Yet, how beautiful she was in the atrium at Verulam, with Ebba--dear -Ebba--standing at her side. I can see her now, toying with her lovely -hair, when Ebba had plaited into the tresses the gold ornaments and -arranged the long violet ribbons with their gold fringe. Poor Ebba, and -dear Casca! Shall I ever see them again?” - -This desultory train of thought flowed on during the watches of the -short night. For the summer morning of the ninth of June soon broke -over the hills, and touched the Forum and the Temple, and the façades -of the Imperial Palace, and the long vista of stately figures on the -Appian Way, with a soft rosy light. The day of the great festival -dawned in exquisite beauty, and everyone within the precincts of the -Temple and the House of the Vestals was astir. - -But the great festival did not attract so much attention as in former -years. Even in the early days of her own priesthood, Terentia Rufilla -remembered how far more numerous were the applications from noble -houses for a place in the procession through the streets of Rome. -Nevertheless, the effect was sufficiently imposing, as the long line -flowed past the spectators, with all the garlands and crowns fluttering -gently in the summer air. - -The children came first--sweet grave-eyed little maidens--with -offerings in their hands for the altar of Jupiter Pistor, which was -erected expressly for the occasion. Then came the fully-consecrated -vestals, barefooted, in their flowing robes, which became them so well. - -Conspicuous amongst these was Hyacintha Severa. She carried the folds -of her large purple mantle with wonderful grace over her arm, and her -long white robe flowing beneath it to her feet, showed the outline of -her beautifully-proportioned figure to the greatest advantage. - -The close covering on her head, which was to some women far from -becoming, seemed only to enhance the beauty of her slender throat, -upon which her head was set like a flower upon a stalk. Long ribbons -floated at the back, and added to the effect of the picture, of which -the recent discoveries of the figures in the Vestals’ House, which the -sculptors of those days delighted to perpetuate in marble, have given -us some faint idea. But no sculptor or painter could perpetuate the -grave happiness which was shed, like the soft halo of a summer night -upon a lovely landscape, over the face of Hyacintha Severa. - -As the last fully-consecrated Vestal, she walked a little in front of -the five who followed her, and then came the noble and stately form of -Terentia Rufilla. She had lost, of course, all the charms of youth, but -her features were finely cut, and her carriage stately and imposing. -There were many gorgeously-dressed Roman ladies behind her, whose -splendid crimson and violet robes, glistening with jewels and sparkling -with pearls, contrasted well with the long train of white-robed maidens -which wound slowly on before them through crowds of spectators, the -lictors clearing the road which was in many places strewn with flowers -as they walked. - -Claudius was amongst the outside crowd which moved along with the -procession. His high rank as Commander of the Forces under the Emperor -Constantine ensured him respect, and he and a few of his officers -who were with him, drew up in martial array before the temple, as the -Vestals passed in to the great sacrifice. - -Some of his officers crossed the threshold and stood gazing at the high -ceremonial with curiosity, prostrating themselves in that mechanical -way which characterised the religious services of the temple in those -the last days of the worship of the heathen gods. - -Claudius’s great height placed him on a vantage-ground, and he could -see over the heads of the dense crowd before him. He had never once -lost sight of Hyacintha, but she was utterly unconscious of his -presence. All the enthusiasm of her nature was awakened by this public -acknowledgment of the service to which she had devoted her life. - -As the priest in his gorgeous vestments sacrificed before the goddess, -and the clouds of smoke rose and ascended to the sky through the -impluvium or open space in the roof, Hyacintha’s heart went up to -One whom she “ignorantly worshipped;” and if the desire of her soul -could have been put into words, it would have been that she might -be kept pure in her temple ministry, and that the fire of devotion -might be ever burning clear and bright in her heart, as she had vowed -to keep the sacred flame burning on the altar of Vesta. While many -of her companions were looking around them, to see what friends and -acquaintances were in the crowd, Hyacintha was lifted far above the -throng of worshippers, and gazers on the spectacle, and thought -only of the joy of service, and the happiness of being at last a -fully-consecrated priestess, one of a long line which reached back a -thousand years, and reached forward, as she believed, to a future age. - -The young priestess that day entering upon her office had no -presentiment of what was indeed the fact, that the years of the Vestals -were numbered, and that Terentia Rufilla was to have but two successors -as Vestal Maxima, and that one of these was herself. Terentia, however, -knew that many new influences were at work, which were undermining the -old traditions or scattering them to the winds of heaven. The fear at -her heart was as great as the joy which filled Hyacintha’s, and she -could scarcely assume a cheerful aspect at the banquet, to which many -of the highest families in Rome were bidden. - -The whole day was one of feasting, and games were celebrated, and the -Vestals were present in the Circus Maximus, where seats were, as in the -Coliseum, always reserved for them near those allotted to the Emperor. - -It was there that Hyacintha first seemed to be conscious of Claudius’s -presence, and when he saluted her with profound respect, she turned to -Terentia, and said:-- - -“This is good Claudius, my father’s friend,” and Terentia was not -slow to notice how the soft blush rose to Hyacintha’s cheek, as she -pronounced the few words of introduction. - -So the day wore on in feasting and pleasure, and then the shadows of -the evening came down upon the city. Hyacintha, who was sleeping after -the fatigue of the day, was awakened by Terentia’s voice:-- - -“It is drawing near the hour for thy watch, dear child,” she said; -“shall I watch to-night, and let thee dream? I have been looking at thy -sleeping face for some minutes,” she said, gently smoothing back the -golden-brown rings of short hair which clustered round Hyacintha’s brow. - -“Happy dreams they must surely have been, for there was a smile upon -thy lips.” - -“Yes,” Hyacintha said, “I had a vision, I think. Wait till I recall -it,” and she drew her hand across her eyes, and pressed it on her -forehead. “I remember,” she said,--“yes, I remember now. I thought I -was looking down on Rome from a high place--not the Cælian Hill or the -Quirinal--it was a hill far higher. Indeed, I saw them beneath me, and -I saw the temples beneath me, and our temple most distinctly of all. -Then, as I looked, it vanished. It was not thrown down or destroyed; -it melted into air slowly--very slowly; but soon it was gone: and then -I looked around me, and lo! all the temples were fading, and a voice -spoke to me, and it was the voice of a humble but true friend--Ebba, or -Anna, the British slave. She, too, was changed. She wore garments like -ours, only whiter and more dazzling, and she held out her hand to me, -and asked me to go up with her to the city to which she pointed. But -when I looked I could see only a golden glory, and nothing distinctly. -My eyes were dazzled, and I turned away. Then Ebba drew me on and told -me to listen, for there was sweet music. But my ears were dull; I could -not hear what she heard. Then she took me in her arms, and I laid my -head upon her breast, as I have often done when I was a child; and she -said:-- - -“‘Not yet--not yet; but you are coming out of the darkness into the -light.’ And a sweet peace stole over me, and I felt a cool hand on my -brow; and then I awoke, and it was not Ebba at all, but you, dearest -lady--sweet mother--as I love to call you. It was a happy dream; and it -is a happy awakening.” - -“It was a vision,” Terentia said, “for I do believe the temples are -vanishing, and soon only the memory will be left. I say soon; it may -not be in my life-time or in yours; but the end is coming, and the -time of our nightly watches yonder is short. I hear a rumour to-day -that an edict establishing Christianity will be published to-morrow, -and then the old faiths will be seen like the phantom of your -dream--vanishing--vanishing, and at last vanish away.” - -“And what will be the end?” Hyacintha asked; “what will come after?” - -“Nay, child; it is not given me to know, nor even dimly guess; but if -there be a future at all, that future is not for us.” - -The sorrowful tone of Terentia’s voice seemed like the -minor chord in the music of the young priestess’s soul. -Vanishing--vanishing--vanished! Was everything to vanish?--life and -youth and hope, and the sacred fire, and the Palladium, and the -goddess herself--all to pass away, and leave no trace behind? Well, it -was not for her to question, or cavil, or doubt. The daily service of -the temple--the nightly watch--these were marked out for her--these -were, at any rate, real and tangible. She would perform them zealously -and faithfully, and make each day like a pearl, which should prove ere -long a strong chain, uniting her with the Great Past, and so making -a bond with all her predecessors who had kept their vow and their -womanhood pure and undefiled. With that simplicity which is the outcome -of the highest gifts, with that entire absence of self-consciousness -which invariably marks those whose beauty is far beyond the ordinary -type of fair women, Hyacintha Severa stands forth to command our love -and admiration as a light that shone in a dark place--a star that -trembled on the verge of dawn, the dawn of a holier and purer day, -which was even then breaking over the world. - -The festival of the goddess Vesta had scarcely passed when a crowd -assembled in the Forum to hear the proclamation, that henceforth the -Christians were to be allowed freedom to worship their God without -being interfered with; and from that time Christianity might be said to -be established in Rome and the world. - -Great were the rejoicings in the Church. The hidden worship of the -Catacombs became now open and to be heard and seen of all men. The -orders of the Christian Church were enlarged, and bishops and priests -and deacons were appointed to minister to the people. The sun had -risen, at last, over the darkness of the heathen world, and in those -early days was as yet but little clouded by the mists of earth, by -those “superstitious vanities” which so grievously eclipsed the glory -of the Church of Rome in succeeding generations. - -Now there was purity of life and doctrine, and, like Claudius, -thousands were won over by the example of the converts rather than by -the preaching of the priests. - -The witness in every man’s soul who turned to the living God made -itself seen in the life and conversation, and there were dark places -indeed in that year of Christian freedom which made the opening of the -Christian life more beautiful by force of contrast. - -In this very year--313--the most shameful life of Maximian, and his -treatment of the unhappy Valeria, the widow of Galerius, had made even -the luxurious Roman shudder with horror. The story of the foul murders -at Nicomedia reached Rome, and filled many hearts with sorrow. If the -religion of Christ showed the way of escape from such wicked passions -and low base deeds, there was safety in it. - -And then, on the lower ground of personal security, many professed -themselves to be Christians; many who had not troubled themselves -to inquire into the doctrines of Christ’s disciples, saw that they -practised purity of life and manners, and now that there was no -persecution or torture to dread, Christianity became more widely -accepted, and the churches were thronged, while the temples were -deserted. - -It is not possible to take a comprehensive view of the Roman empire -at this time. The few incidents which are thrown together, directly -or indirectly, affect the action of the story, but a careful study of -these early days of Christianity, and the last days of heathenism, will -well repay the student; and the secret of silent advance and growth -of the faith of Christ will be found to be then, as now, more in the -influence of individual character than in fierce controversy or angry -invective. - -The Church of Rome, as it sprang to light when the edict of 313 was -published, was indeed different from the Church, many centuries later, -when the Monk of Erfurt entered the city by the Porta del Popoli, full -of enthusiasm, and ready to climb the “Scala Santa” on his knees in -expiation of his sins. - -He entered it a devout son of the Church of the Seven Hills; he left -it depressed, disgusted, but determined to do battle, like the valiant -soul that he was, against its corrupt practices. In ten years the young -monk who had saluted the city on his first entrance as Holy Rome, Rome -venerable with the blood of the martyrs, burned the Pope’s Bull in the -square of Wittenberg, and with a loud voice, which echoed through -Christendom, proclaimed that the Church of the Early Martyrs was so -overlaid by the wickedness of a corrupt age, that she must be utterly -purged of defilement, before she could be resorted to as the mother -under whose wings the people might safely take refuge. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -A.D. 333--ALEXANDRIA. - - -Again many years have passed away, and Casca, the son of Severus, is -leaning back in his old languid fashion on a couch placed near a window -commanding one of the loveliest views upon which the eyes of man have -ever rested. - -The house was near that magnificent Museum of Alexandria, which, -with its famous library, was famous beyond all fame of later times, -a fitting treasure-house for its precious manuscripts, and raising a -grand white roof against a sky whence rain seldom fell, and turning its -noble frontage of pillars and fresco toward the sapphire plain of the -tideless Mediterranean. - -There were no signs of undue luxury about Casca. The furniture of his -room was simple, and yet suggestive of grace and elegance. Large piles -of manuscripts lay on shelves, ranged on one side of the room, and -in another were the toys of a child, heaped up in confusion, as they -had evidently been left by some little tired fingers that were weary -of play. The room where Casca sat was divided by a portière from an -inner chamber, and a murmur might be heard from it of a woman’s voice, -singing in low monotonous tones. - -Below the wide open window there was borne on the soft warm air -the sound of chariot wheels passing in the street; the cry of the -charioteer, the voice of the newsman, and now and then the low growl, -which told that the menagerie was near at hand. The sound which was -“the electric touch” that the Poet speaks of, awoke memories in Casca’s -heart of that day, so many years before, when the roar of the wild -beasts which were to tear the Christians to pieces, floated to his ear -as he passed by the Forum to the schools at Rome. He remembered the -horror he had always felt at such sounds, and how once when Antonius -had insisted on his accompanying him to a great fight with the beasts, -he had fainted away, and on recovery had heard the mocking laugh of -some of his companions, and the scornful words of Antonius:-- - -“Bear him hence; he has not the courage of an infant of days.” - -How dreamlike it all seemed now--the fate of his patron Antonius, his -flight, disgraced and dishonoured, from his princely villa; the return -for a time to the house of Clœlia; and then the sudden resolve to cast -in his lot with the old Jew Ezra, and some of his people, who were -bound for Alexandria, learning that trade in precious stones and gold -was making the fortune of some of the Jewish race, who were forming a -large colony there. - -His father, Severus, cared little what became of him, and after his -mother’s death and his second marriage with Junia he had heard but -rarely of him. - -When he first came to Alexandria, he had to live partly by the office -of scribe, but by degrees his scholarship attracted attention, and his -quickness in deciphering old manuscripts, and his acquaintance with -many languages, for which he had a natural gift, was in his favour. -Casca Severus was now held in honour amongst the literary world of -Alexandria, holding a post in the magnificent library as custodian and -secretary, which had raised him to a position of competence if not -affluence. - -Some years before this time, Casca had married the daughter of a Greek -merchant, a beautiful gentle girl, who though less of a companion to -her learned husband than a joy for her beauty and goodness, was most -dear to him. After some years of waiting a little daughter was given -to them, and from the moment of her birth the mother drooped and faded -before Casca’s eyes. - -Old Ezra’s death happened about this time, and Anna, the Saxon Ebba, -returned to serve Casca, and to take charge of his motherless child. -The Greek name of Hyacintha, which had been given to Casca’s sister, -was now passed on to his little daughter, and the name was as a sound -of music in Anna’s ears. - -The dreaming over the past in which Casca indulged that morning was -broken in upon by the sound of footsteps, and one of his servants drew -aside the curtain from the doorway, and admitted a tall soldier-like -man with grizzled beard, and a face bronzed with exposure, who advanced -towards him with outstretched hands, pronouncing his name-- - -“Casca!” - -“Claudius, is it possible!” was the almost instant reply, and then the -two men looked at each other with that curious inquiring gaze with -which we scan the features of those whom we have known in youth, and -meet in later years. - -Time had dealt very gently with the scholar and philosopher. Casca’s -high brow, from which the hair had retreated, was smooth and but -gently marked by lines. His hands, which had wielded the pen to so -much purpose, were white and slender, and his robe fell around him in -graceful folds. - -As he and Claudius stood, with their right hands clasped together -and their left resting on each other’s shoulders, they made a fine -contrasted picture of the scholar and the soldier. - -Claudius was tall and stalwart, his skin bronzed with exposure to the -sun, several scars of sabre cuts on his brow and cheek, and many deep -wrinkles on his brow, still shadowed by thick masses of tawny hair -which, like his beard, were lined with silver. - -“Yes,” Claudius said, “we meet after many years.” - -“Do you come from Rome?” Casca asked, “or from Verulam?” - -“From Rome,” and Claudius sighed. “From Rome, and I bear you tidings of -your sister, now the Vestal Maxima.” - -“Hyacintha!” exclaimed Casca, “she is always dear to my heart, but her -life is on the mountain top, and we poor folk are on a lower level.” - -Claudius shook his head. - -“The mountain top is but a barren waste to her, I fear. She has much -trouble, and her elevation is dearly bought.” - -“Sit down and tell me all,” Casca said. “Ah! good Claudius, it is like -a draught of new wine to see you. Strange that when you entered I was -going over the past--the little chamber at Verulam, Hyacintha sitting -by my side, and your loud ringing voice bidding me meet life as a man, -and not as a coward. Brave advice, whether for the scholar or soldier, -eh, good Claudius?” - -“Yes; but methinks, Casca, it is you who must now cheer me, for my -heart is heavy within me, and I scarce dare to look forward or to look -within. You speak of those far-off days. Do you think I have forgotten -them? Nay, they are written on my heart. I would that I were a careless -fellow again, wrestling in the games at Verulam, and contented because -I knew of no life greater than the soldier’s. I am a Christian, it is -true, and ought to rejoice; but, somehow, there is no rejoicing left in -me.” - -“I pray you, good Claudius,” Casca said, “do not speak thus. I, too, -have had my sorrows. I have lost my fair young wife, Ianthe, and no -grief can be greater than mine was; but I can rejoice yet in the powers -God has given me, and I live for Him and for our child.” - -“Ah! then, Casca, yours is not a desolate, lonely life like mine. I -think, it is true, of the life beyond, and I crave for it with wearying -longing; but the beloved of my soul, your sister Hyacintha, is in -bitter trouble, and I, who would die for her, cannot move, or stretch -forth a finger, to help her.” - -And now, just as Casca was about to ask Claudius to tell him -everything, the sound of little naked feet pattering on the floor was -heard, and the curtain which separated Casca’s room from the inner -chamber shook, and from the division in the middle peeped out a little -sunny face, rosy with sleep, with eyes yet dim from dreams, and coral -lips drooping at the corners, as she caught sight of a strange man in -earnest conversation with her father. Casca rose and held out his arms, -and then there was a sudden rush and a pair of clinging arms wound -round his neck, as Cynthia buried her golden head on his shoulder and -said:-- - -“Send away that big old man.” - -“Nay, nay, my Cynthia, that is not the courtesy I would fain teach -thee,” said another voice; and turning, Claudius saw an elderly woman, -plainly dressed in a loose woollen garment, girt around the waist by a -broad belt, and wearing on her head a close cap, which concealed her -hair. - -“Nay, my Cynthia,” she repeated--and then Claudius laid his hand on her -arm. - -“Do you not know me, Ebba?” - -The great tide of memory swept over poor Anna; danger, torture, the -dungeon, and the death she had so dreaded, seemed to cover her again -with a great mantle of fear. Her knees trembled, and she would have -fallen forward had not Claudius’s strong arms prevented it. - -“Poor Ebba!” Claudius said, “do you think you are in the dungeons -again?” - -“Oh! pardon me, my noble Claudius! You know I was ever but a coward, -and now that I see you, my deliverer from death, I have no words to -thank you.” - -“I need no words, good Ebba. I have lived long enough now to know that -there are worse sorrows than death, which must pass on all men, to be -borne. The Lord, who is now my Master as well as yours, sent me to save -your life for a good purpose, I will not doubt.” - -“And you, too, are a Christian, thanks be to God!” Anna exclaimed -fervently. “See there, my Cynthia, here is the great Claudius who, at -the request of thy beautiful Aunt Hyacintha, my once dear mistress, -took me out of a dark dungeon, and saved my life. Say ‘Good Claudius!’” - -The child, who had raised her wondering face from her father’s -shoulder, now stretched out her arms towards the tall warrior, who had -at first frightened her, and said:-- - -“Good Claudius!” touching his cheeks with her hand. - -“And can you tell me aught of my dear mistress, the lady Hyacintha?” -Anna asked. - -“Yes; I have a tale to tell, but it is a sad tale.” - -“Take Cynthia in your arms, and sit down, Anna,” said her master. “You, -of all others, ought to hear the tale, be it sad or joyful.” - -“Yes,” Claudius said, “there is no reason why you should be in -ignorance of what is in my heart. Nay, I doubt not you know it already, -and that it will, as regards myself, scarcely be news. From my rough -boyish days at Verulam I have loved your dear mistress, and I must love -her always. Though never to be mine in this lower world, I may claim -her yet when all earthly taint of sin has passed away. - -“Since the death of Terentia Rufilla, the life of your gracious and -beautiful sister has been full of trial, noble Casca. Bitter jealousy -and envy of her acquirements have been rife in the community. Fair -without these white-robed Vestals may appear, but they not all are fair -within. - -“By the voice of the majority, and by the dying desire expressed again -and again by the late Vestal Maxima, Terentia Rufilla, Hyacintha Severa -was elected to succeed her. There was none so fitted as she was; her -rank, as the daughter of a noble house, so high; her accomplishments -and graces of mind and body so rare. But there never was a creature -like her who did not provoke jealousy and ill-will in some minds. Evil -tongues have set afloat rumours concerning her, which, though at first -none heeded, have been like fertile seed cast here and there, and at -last taking root. - -“It is not possible for me to see her. Some of the evil rumours say -that she has desired to renounce her vow, and, becoming a Christian, -be free to marry. Were I to present myself at the Vestals’ atrium -it might fasten the charge of aspiring to her on me, and add to her -trouble. Her rule, as those who know it well declare, has been marked -by its wonderful wisdom. The young disciples well-nigh worship her, the -priests consult her on every matter connected with the sacred rites. -The one who works the mischief is the daughter of a princely house, who -desires the highest office. - -“Finding all other accusations fail, she now insinuates that the Vestal -Maxima is a Christian in disguise, and that she merits the death of the -faithless virgin.” - -“Oh! may God forbid,” exclaimed Anna--“oh! may the Lord protect my -mistress.” - -“I think,” Claudius continued, “that they will be saved the trouble of -condemning her. The last time I saw her leading the procession along -the Sacred Way, she looked so wan and ill, and she leaned so heavily on -the shoulder of one of the young priestesses, and the expression of her -beautiful eyes as she turned them upon me was so mournful that----” - -Claudius stopped; emotion checked him. - -“Is there aught that I can do,” Casca asked, starting up; “aught to -relieve the burden which lies upon my sister! Tell me, Claudius, is -there a way to help her?” - -“It was to beg you to start for Rome for her solace and comfort that I -journeyed hither,” Claudius said. - -“I will start willingly,” Casca exclaimed, “and take Anna and my little -one with me. Surely the touch of her sweet kisses, the sound of her -merry laughter, will do much to console my sister! Yes; we will return -together, good Claudius. Shall it be next month?” - -“Nay, next month may be too late; the journey is long; set forth -without delay, or it may be too late--too late,” he repeated. - -“I will give orders to that effect. You have a band of your own people -here?” - -“Yes, my galley is manned with a brave band, and lies in the Port to be -ready at any moment. My ship is fitted with all things needful for her -voyage, and it remains for you to give the word for starting from this -fair city, the fairest that men’s eyes ever beheld.” - -“Anna, are you ready?” - -“Ready at my master’s word,” Anna said; “but the child, the sweet -child, is it safe for her?” - -“As safe as man can make it; the voyage in this fair weather ought to -be a pleasurable one; there are no hardships to fear, good Anna! and -I mistake me if any sea robbers will dare attack the ships manned by -soldiers who have seen service under their commander in many a battle -in the far north, with those rough Northmen who seem to be ever closing -round the southern folk in increasing numbers and with added strength. -Give but the word, Casca, and we will start ere the sun sets.” - -“Nay, a week hence,” was Casca’s reply. “I have to deliver a lecture -to-morrow in the south hall of the museum. I am pledged to expound a -hard passage of a Greek Poet on the day but one after--I----” - -“You have much to do truly,” said Claudius, impatiently. “Of such -labours of the brain I know nought; but this, I say, I believe your -sister hungers for a sight of you, and yearns to clasp your hand in -hers. She cannot speak of her faith, which has slowly risen like the -sun upon her soul, and dispersed the darkness. She may and does love -those around her as her children, but she cannot talk openly with them, -lest haply they should be condemned and punished with a punishment even -more severe than that which might fall on her. But delay your departure -if you will--it is not for a rough soldier like me to enter into the -reasons which a subtle and learned scholar may have for remaining here. -I know what a true heart means, and I have a strong sword-arm to prove -it, but as to the brain of you philosophers and poets, I know nothing -of it, having, as you will say, but a small share thereof myself.” - -“Nay, now, good Claudius, do not misjudge me; do not be angry. We will -be ready in the next week; meantime let us renew our close friendship, -and let me show you the treasures of the past and of the present, -contained within the walls of yonder stately pile of buildings, which -is the museum of the world!” - -Claudius’s temporary vexation passed away, and the two friends found -themselves knit together by a hundred subtle ties in the far-off past -of their early life. - -Claudius listened with surprise to Casca, as he detailed all the -varied phases of thought through which he and many hundreds of men had -passed in Alexandria. Casca was a Christian--that is to say he had -been baptised, and if questioned as to his faith, he would have given -a direct answer that he believed in the true God and his Son Jesus -Christ. But there could be no doubt that the learning of the schools -had the greatest charm for him, and if he studied the manuscripts of -the Gospels, it was more in a critical than a faithful spirit. - -He considered the writing of St. Luke’s Gospel so perfect that he -gloried in its study, and he showed Claudius a beautiful copy inscribed -by his own hand, with notes on the margin, for which he told him he had -won high praise and distinction. - -The old heathen worship, he said, was dying, and the temples were more -and more deserted day by day. But Casca had not embraced the faith of -Christ with the simplicity of a child; it was rather the acceptance of -a finer theory than any he had yet discerned. - -That witness within himself, of which Claudius had spoken to Hyacintha -long before, was wanting; and lost in the mazes of thought, and -yielding to the delight of learning, Casca had missed the humble -faith in a personal Saviour, which had taught the brave Claudius -self-restraint and self-forgetfulness, and made him, the valiant hero -of a hundred fights, humble in his own eyes. - -Casca showed Claudius the leading features of interest in Alexandria, -and the bustle and activity of the representatives of many nations -filled the Roman soldier with wonder; for at this time Alexandria, the -greatest sea-port in the world, was crowded with buyers and sellers, -and rich merchant princes from all quarters. - -Through the great Moon Gate there was a perpetual stream of camels, and -elephants, and humble asses, all laden with merchandise. - -Jews were there, with keen eager eyes; Greeks, with their graceful easy -carriage and soft musical tongue; Romans, too, and representatives of -the great Northern tribes, of which Claudius had spoken. - -Rome, the city on the seven hills, had filled the dreams of his boyhood -in Britain; it had been to him as a queen amongst cities in his later -years, but Alexandria was like a vision. - -The ranges of buildings were so vast, and the unbroken line presented -a _coup d’œil_ of magnificence scarcely if ever rivalled. Claudius -gazed around him, and but imperfectly heard or understood Casca’s -descriptions and explanations. He was dazzled and bewildered, and he -could only reply to Casca in monosyllables, which were scarcely less -irritating to Casca than silence. - -The friends who greeted Casca looked inquiringly at Claudius, and he -felt he had no part or lot in Alexandria; her beauty was a dead letter -to him, and all her treasures of art and literature sealed books. While -Casca lectured in the museum or attended the orations of philosophers, -Claudius found his chief delight centred in little Cynthia. She brought -back the old, old days when the other Hyacintha was the child, and he, -a rough untaught boy, felt always softened and subdued by her presence. - -He loved to take the Cynthia of the present on his knees, and while she -toyed with his rough beard, and the ornaments on his military coat, -he would listen to her babyish prattle, which was made up of various -languages, and find in her society far more consolation than in the -declamations of the orators and poets in the lecture-rooms of the -museum. - -Anna was much engaged with her preparations for departure, and leaving -all things in Casca’s household in good order. She would look in on -the great soldier sometimes and smile, and bid the child not be too -troublesome, or the good Claudius would weary of her. - -Anna had taught the little Cynthia the Gospel story, and Claudius found -that the Lord, who was his acknowledged Master, was a very real Being -to Casca’s little daughter. With the unquestioning faith of the little -child, Cynthia needed no other assurance than “Anna says so,” and -Claudius loved to hear her tell of the birth of the Lord Jesus, and of -the little babes who were killed for His sake. - -Cynthia was scarcely more than four years old, but she had inherited -her father’s gifts and her mother’s Greek grace and delicacy, so that -she was wonderfully forward for her age. She would draw with a pointed -stick, dipped in her father’s horn, upon the spare sheets of parchment -which lay about, and she could already form letters, though her great -idea was to “draw pictures.” - -Claudius would tell her of her aunt, the Vestal Maxima, at Rome, and -that they were going over the blue sea to see her and comfort her. - -“I know,” Cynthia said, one day; “I know you loved that lady, and -took Anna out of a dark hole because you promised. She was shut there -because she loved Jesus the Lord. Do you know Him? Father never says -‘love;’ he says ‘worship.’ I don’t know what that means!” - -No; little Cynthia knew only of love, nor had her childish heart -grasped as yet the great reality that love--perfect love--is the -highest form of worship. For love must serve, and service is adoration, -and so the circle is complete, and love must be in all service and in -all worship, and both are valueless without it. - -The day for departure came at last, and the finely-equipped galley in -which Claudius had sailed from Rome turned her helm towards the mouth -of the great canal at Alexandria, and with sails set, and oars keeping -precise time and rhythm, went over the Lake Mareotis, and thence out -into the blue waters of the tideless sea. The yellow sand-hills of the -desert shone like burnished gold in the evening light; the multitude -of sails stood up against the carmine sky which melted above the line -of the horizon into the tenderest rose-colour, and again into the -palest colour of the calyx of the daffodil, till it was lost in the -over-arched blue of the summer night. - -Stars studded that canopy like eyes of watching love, and Claudius, -seated with his little friend, pressed close in his strong arms, felt -his whole soul filled with the love of Him who is the Redeemer of the -world, and of _him_--wayworn and weary Claudius. - -Casca strained his eyes over the lines of a closely-written manuscript -till the light faded, and then Anna carried away little Cynthia, to the -bed prepared for her, where the murmur of the waves against the sides -of the ship soon lulled her to sleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE CROSS. - - -The atrium of the Vestals was full of life, and even merriment, one -bright morning of late summer, in this same year of 333. The want of -sunshine which was so much felt in the winter, was a gain now that the -fierce glare of August lay upon the streets of the city, and beat upon -the images of the gods and façades of the temples like a furnace. - -The Vestals were chatting gaily with each other about the grand chariot -race for which they had seats allotted to them. But two were standing -a little apart before a statue which had been placed recently by the -side of Flavia Mamilia, who was the most famous of the order, and whose -statues are multiplied and the descriptions of her graces and gifts -repeated again and again. - -“They have placed her in good company,” a tall, commanding-looking -Vestal said, with a little ring of irony in her voice; “how long will -she remain there, and what will be the story of her virtues inscribed -below, I marvel! A long one, doubtless--they will never get it all into -the space allowed.” - -The younger Vestal, a maiden of some twenty summers, who had lately -entered upon her fully-consecrated duties, replied:-- - -“The face is not nearly beautiful enough for our lady Maxima. Ah me! -how soon this stone resemblance will be all that is left us; she is -passing away from us, I know.” - -“There are some that say the sooner the better; nay, Hermione, do not -start back as if I were saying some dreadful thing. I repeat, the -sooner the better, for your gracious Hyacintha Severa is acting a part, -and the treachery will be discovered unless death prevents it.” - -“Treachery! nay,” said Hermione with youthful fervour; “nay, our lady -is as far removed from treachery as are the heavens from the earth.” - -“Poor child!” was the provoking rejoinder, “such faith as yours must be -sweet if it were not misplaced. I can give you a warning, that certain -books have been discovered in the possession of Hyacintha Severa which -would, in stricter times, have brought the masons hither to prepare one -of those little chambers, whence no one who entered ever came forth -alive. It would have been inevitable, but now a loose and careless -government has altered things somewhat.” - -“I cannot hear you speak thus, Cœlia, I cannot. You hate our noble and -beautiful lady because she is so far, far above you, because--” - -“Tush! now, silly little Hermione, I warn you again, be careful, or who -knows if a little chamber may not be ready for you, and then there will -be a Vestal less, and the stones which will prevent your exit will tell -no tales.” - -Hermione was preparing to hurl forth an angry invective, when a hand -was laid on her shoulder:-- - -“Hermione! nay, do not heed idle threats, but help me to ascend the -staircase; I am expected at the council of the priests at noon. I -have a statement to make to them which may please you to hear, Cœlia -Concordia. You will soon know what that statement is, and may it ease -your heart of the burden of rancour and unkindness which you cherish -towards me. It must needs be a burden, and I would fain, for your -own sake, that you laid it down. My poor statue shall not offend you -longer; orders shall be given to place it near the porta, the lowest -instead of the highest place.” - -She spoke slowly and with difficulty, for her breath was short, and a -little dry gasping cough interrupted her again and again. - -“You speak in riddles, most gracious lady,” Cœlia replied; “I admire -the excellence of your statue, and give the sculptor the highest meed -of praise for the manner in which it is wrought. Flavia Mamilia is -happy to have your near neighbourhood. I must hasten, as the elder of -the company who resort to the Circus Maximus, to collect my maidens. A -chariot race is a grand thing to witness, but there are many who find -it tame sport in comparison to that of former times, when Christians -were thrown, as they deserved, to the lions.” - -A strong emphasis was laid on the word _Christians_, and a glance of -hatred from the Vestal’s dark eyes, directed at Hyacintha, told its own -story, as she made the usual obeisance to the Vestal Maxima, and went -to the farther end of the atrium. - -Hyacintha stood for a few moments leaning heavily on Hermione’s arm, -and gazing at the marble resemblance of herself. - -A faint smile passed over her face, and she said in a low voice:-- - -“They will soon forget me, little Hermione, but you will ever love me.” - -“Oh, dear lady, we all love you, all but that proud and haughty Cœlia.” - -“She will succeed me, as Vestal Maxima,” Hyacintha said; “win her by -submission, and do not irritate her by rebellion. Now let us go.” - -She turned for a moment and gazed at the noble hall with its forest -of Corinthian columns, and watched the white-robed Vestals following -Cœlia to the porta on their way to the Circus. Memories of her first -appearance at that door, clinging to Clœlia’s hand, swept over her--the -child of nearly twelve years old, now the woman of mature age! - -“Thirty years ago,” she whispered, “thirty years ago! Ah, little -Hermione, I shall soon enter the city where _time_ is not--no counting -of years there. Come, let us begin to mount the staircase, slowly, for -I have but little breath in me.” - -In a state room in the upper part of the Vestals’ house the High -Priest sat in solemn conclave with his subordinates, and those who -might be called the Council of the order of Vesta. - -It was the custom of the Vestal Maxima to demand an audience, when she -had any especial business to transact, or any dereliction in duty on -the part of the Vestals to report. - -Hyacintha had given notice of her coming, and when she reached the -upper corridor which ran round the atrium, with pillars corresponding -to those below, she found a guard of honour waiting to escort her into -the presence of the High Priest. - -It was usual for the Vestal Maxima to be attended by two of the elder -Vestals on these occasions, but many had gone to the Circus, and only -Hermione was with her. - -To the surprise of the guards, and of Hermione herself, the Vestal -Maxima said:-- - -“I enter alone.” Then the curtain was raised, and Hyacintha Severa -passed in. - -Great respect was always paid to the Vestal Maxima, and the assembled -priests and those at the table with them rose, while Hyacintha was -conducted to a chair, into which she sank apparently exhausted. When -she had recovered herself, she asked permission to address the High -Priest from the chair, as her health had failed, and she could hardly -make herself intelligible if she had to encounter the fatigue of -standing while she spoke. - -First she drew from the folds of her pallium a parchment on which was -inscribed, by her own hand, all the financial details of the house, and -its present condition. When that had been handed in and laid on the -table, Hyacintha said:-- - -“I crave permission to resign the office of Vestal Maxima, and I pray -you, most noble father, to consider the election of my successor. I -have but a short space to live, and I would fain spend that time in the -retirement of my own chamber. The thirty years which are supposed to -limit the service of the Vestals are over. I entered the atrium, sent -hither by my late noble father Severus, in the year three hundred and -three. My consecration followed in due course, and then on the death of -Terentia Rufilla, of whose noble house I am a member, I was honoured -by your choice as Vestal Maxima. I have striven to perform my duty of -late in great suffering of body and of mind. I pray, therefore, to be -released therefrom, and that you appoint a worthy successor to all the -duties which have devolved on me.” - -There was a murmur of dissent amongst those who sat around, and then -one of the Council, fixing a pair of keen black eyes upon Hyacintha, -said:-- - -“There may be hidden motives why you, Hyacintha Severa, resign your -office. Nay, there _are_ hidden motives.” - -Then the High Priest raised his hand, and said in a tone of command:-- - -“We must defer this matter for a season, and we will ask you to appear -before us again at a future time. If matters there be that require -investigation, that investigation must be made.” - -Hyacintha rose and seemed about to speak, when a deadly paleness -overspread her face, and she slipped from the chair in a deep swoon -upon the floor. - -The attendants outside were summoned, and Hyacintha was carried to -her own chamber, Hermione following, where several women who were -her especial servants received her, and she was laid upon her couch, -apparently lifeless. But the usual nostrums and restoratives had the -desired effect, and the Vestal Maxima revived and looked round on them -all with her sweetest smile. - -They piled the cushions up behind her on the couch, and Hermione fanned -her with cool palm leaves, and, stooping every now and then, kissed her -on the forehead. If Hyacintha had been radiantly beautiful in youth and -early womanhood, she was beautiful now with a beauty which is not of -this world. Traces of the mental struggle through which she had passed -were seen on her face, it is true; the delicate flush of youth and -health had vanished, but over that noble countenance there was shed the -calm light of the evening--the earnest of a coming rest, the sign of -the victory won. - -Hermione was left alone with her before long, and then Hyacintha spoke. - -“Dear one,” she said, “I shall watch no more in the temple at night. I -shall feed the fire no more. I am, as Cœlia implies, a Christian. Would -you like to know how it has come to pass, my sweet one? I am stronger -now, and I will tell you all before I die.” - -“Oh! sweet lady, dearest mistress!” Hermione said, “you must not die, -you cannot die, to go down to the darksome Hades, to lose the sunlight!” - -“Ah, no! ah, no! my child. I go to _life_; death hath no more power to -quench that life which Jesus the Lord has given to me.” - -And as if that life of which she spoke had already begun, Hyacintha -raised herself on her cushions and said, with all her old fire and -earnestness:-- - -“In that silver coffer, child, are the precious Books--the Word of -Life. The holy father Eusebius has from time to time furnished me with -those Books. For many years I _could_ not let the whole beautiful -fabric of my earthly life slip from me. The struggle between the old -faith and the new--rather between the false and the true--has been a -fierce one to me. I have travailed in soul in the temple in the lonely -watches of the night. I have vowed again and again to the goddess that -I would never forsake her. I have gazed up at her image in the dim -light, and besought her, if she knew me, if she accepted my service, to -give me a sign. But there she has stood, with her veil flowing behind -her, in her long robes, motionless and calm. What were my tears to her? -What were my agonies of soul? She had never felt them. She had ears, -but she heard not; she had eyes, but she saw not. And yet, oh Hermione, -I verily believe no torture of martyrdom could be compared to what I -have suffered for the last six years. - -“While Terentia Rufilla lived, I had not this yearning of soul -after better things. I was not the head then, only a member of this -community, and if she, noble and gracious as she was, was content, who -was I, to doubt? - -“Once, on the Cælian Hill, on the very morning of my full consecration, -I learned that it was sweet to be loved. My woman’s heart told me that -this was the woman’s highest heritage--to be the beloved of a brave, -good man. In a vision, as with a lightning flash, I seemed to see a -fair landscape stretched out before me, where there was the song of -rejoicing and the happiness which comes of a mutual love. Then a cloud -swept over it, blotting it from my sight, and I was on a mountain -top, so high above others--a Vestal Virgin, devoted to the service of -the goddess; high above others--yes, high--but how cold! how lonely! -Rumours of the wickedness of the city reached me--foul deeds, which -made me blush for the women who took part in them. Emperors and great -ones fell; Christians were not exempt from the love of change; there -were dissensions amongst them; there were envies, and hatreds, and -heartburnings amongst their leaders. - -“The Jew hated and cursed the Christian, and yet they both believed -in the true God. Was it not better to be safe in these walls, guarded -from danger, than to go forth into the city, whose cry, under the name -of pleasure, was often a bitter cry, than to confess Christ, and leave -the shadow of the cloisters, the safety of the Temple? If I confessed -Christ, I reasoned, and came forth, how would the finger of scorn have -been pointed at me? how would the unworthiest of motives have been laid -at my door? And then, the cruel death had I been recaptured, the death -which is the slowest of all deaths to die. I might have escaped, for a -word was enough to him of whom I speak, but the motive was mixed, and -of the earth: and I trampled down the longing and went on my way. Dost -thou remember how, when a little child, they brought thee weeping to -Terentia? I held out my arms to thee, and thou didst nestle in them. -Ah! dear one, do not weep. Thy love has been my solace many a time.” -For Hermione had flung herself on her knees by Hyacintha’s couch, and -was weeping wildly and passionately. - -She soothed her as a mother soothes a child, and then she said, with a -weary sigh:-- - -“It has been a long fight, and a bitter struggle, but it is over -now, and the Lord Jesus has shown me Himself, the Crucified One -on the Cross, and that by the Cross alone we may win our Crown. I -have committed to my memory, which has ever been a good one, large -portions of the Gospels in the soft Greek tongue, and the words have -been as honey and the honey-comb. The good father Eusebius baptised -me yestere’en in the name of the Lord, and nothing now remains but -to commit my soul to Him who died for me, and for thee, also, sweet -Hermione, and for the whole world.” - -She was silent for a time, and Hermione thought she slept, but -presently she said:-- - -“My brother Casca, Claudius, good, faithful Ebba, I shall see them -soon! Hermione, in a few short years this temple will be deserted, the -company of Vestals will be broken up, for the Sun has risen far above -the horizon, and He has called the nations into His marvellous light.” - -Then she wandered on, no longer of the present, but of the past. The -cruel death of Alban, which was prominent in her childish dreams, the -departure of Ebba, the vow Claudius had sworn. “Good Claudius,” she -repeated, “good Claudius; and he kept that vow. Ah! yes; good, brave -Claudius!” - -Hermione and her devoted servants watched over her that night, and her -strength rapidly declined. - -There was almost universal sorrow shown when it became known that the -Vestal Maxima was dying. - -All the great Roman families sent representatives to the Vestals’ House -to inquire as to her condition. - -The young children, the lately-received disciples, were in tears; the -newly-consecrated Vestals went sorrowfully about their work, striving -to perform their duties for the sake of her, who would never again give -them the benefit of her counsel and advice. - -The whole community passed in one by one to bid her a farewell. - -She smiled on them as they knelt by her side, and murmured words which -were hardly intelligible. - -Cœlia Concordia came last. - -She dreaded the interview, and would fain have avoided it; but -Hyacintha asked for her again and again. - -Proudly and haughtily she stood by the couch of the dying Vestal. Her -dark eyes looked down on the beautiful face before her, without a -shadow of tenderness or sympathy in them. - -Hyacintha smiled, and said to Hermione:-- - -“Tell her to stoop down; I want to say something to her.” - -Cœlia obeyed, unwillingly enough, and to her surprise she caught the -words:-- - -“May the God whom I love in Christ fill you with peace. With my last -breath I pray Him for your conversion.” - -But the proud Vestal, wrapt in the impenetrable mantle of her own -self-assertion and self-exaltation, did not respond. She turned away, -whispering to herself:-- - -“It is true, then, she _is_ a Christian!” - -Nevertheless, so greatly was Hyacintha Severa honoured, that the -Council, who met the day after she had appeared before them, handed -over to the sculptor the inscription for the pedestal on which her -statue stood, with its high praise of her virtues and her services. - -She had failed in no duty; nothing but good was spoken of her by any -of her companions, with two exceptions, of whom Cœlia Concordia was -one, and the priest who had hinted at hidden motives, that might have -brought about the resignation of the Vestal Maxima, another. - -A resolution was carried by a majority in the Council that it was not -needful to enter into these motives. Besides, at the close of thirty -years’ devotion to the service of the temple, by an old statute, the -priestesses were free to depart if so they desired. Very few lived to -avail themselves of the freedom which was thus granted to them. And -those who did survive had become so accustomed to the routine of the -Vestals’ House that they showed no anxiety to leave its shelter in -their declining years. - -The privileges, too, of the Vestals were very highly prized, and of -late years their table had been luxuriously appointed, and their life -had been one of ease and refinement, so that the change to a more -ordinary manner of living would have been far from acceptable to many -who had severed the ties of earlier years, and who would have found -themselves adrift in the great city, outside the walls of the Vestals’ -House. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE CROWN OF LIGHT. - - -It was the dawn of the third day when Hermione was awoke from a light -slumber by Hyacintha’s voice. - -“The watch is nearly over,” she said; “the day is near. I have been in -the temple all night; how came I hither?” - -“Nay, dearest lady,” Hermione said; “you have been sleeping on your -couch, and I have watched----” - -“I thought I had been in the temple, and I saw there my brother and -Ebba, and myself a little child again. There was a sudden great light, -and it shone on them--and Claudius, good Claudius!” - -Hermione thought she was wandering a little, and beckoned to one of the -attendants to bring her a reviving draught. - -The Vestal Maxima smiled, saying, “I saw them, and I followed them up -a golden stair to the place where the stars were shining. Casca was -reading from a book the words of Socrates: ‘The soul is most certainly -immortal, and cannot perish; it will exist in the unseen world, taking -nothing with it but the discipline it has gained here.’ I know the -words well, and I cannot be mistaken. They were spoken by my brother’s -voice--Casca’s voice. Whether it were a vision I know not, or a reality -I cannot tell, but there is in me a certainty that Casca is near.” - -It not unfrequently happens that the spiritual perceptions of those -who are nearing the unseen world are quickened. However that may be, -Hermione was startled a few hours later by a hasty summons to the -atrium, where she was told some strangers were inquiring for the Vestal -Maxima. - -A pale ethereal looking man, in a long scholar’s robe, was holding -a lovely child of five or six years old by the hand, around whom an -admiring group of white-robed Vestals clustered. - -Behind stood a plainly-dressed, elderly woman, and a man in the full -accoutrements of a Roman officer by her side. - -Hermione recognised the officer. She had seen him often, for whenever -the Vestals were in public, that tall stalwart figure was always -hovering near; and once or twice in the early part of this year -Hyacintha had referred to him as a friend of her childhood’s days in -Verulam. - -Claudius had, indeed, watched her from a distance, never offending her -by approaching her, loving her with that purest of all loves, the love -which can sacrifice everything for the one beloved. - -Claudius had noted the gradual decay of Hyacintha’s strength, and -reading her aright, he had, as we know, hastened to Alexandria, to -bring, if possible, the brother whom she had so dearly loved to her -side. - -Casca now approached Hermione. - -“I am Casca Severus,” he said, “the brother of the Vestal Maxima, -Hyacintha Severa. Can I see her?” - -“She lies at the point of death,” Hermione answered, with a short quick -sob. “She is leaving us--and, ah! whither is she going?” - -Casca did not reply, but little Cynthia, looking up at the Vestal with -her clear wondering eyes, said:-- - -“She is going to God. Anna says that dead people are only gone to God.” - -Hermione stooped, and raising the child in her arms, motioned to Casca -to follow her. Anna’s wistful face seemed to ask that she might also -come, but Claudius turned away, and going to the porta, stood leaning -against the stone columns which supported it, where the lictors in -charge of the Vestals for that morning, coming and going, also stood -with quiet unmoved faces, as if carved in marble like the statues -behind them. - -Presently a man, with an attendant, who bore a basket of sharp tools, -came up. They passed Claudius, and he saw them go towards a statue. - -Then the workman’s sharp-pointed tools were examined, and a scroll of -parchment laid out on the ground. - -With easy grace the sculptor threw himself down at the feet of the -statue, and began to carve the inscription. Claudius watched him like -one in a dream. There was no need to tell him who that noble and -majestic statue represented. He turned and went a few steps further -into the interior of the atrium, and saw the sharp point of the tool in -the skilful hands of the sculptor, carving the words. - -They were words of praise, which have, after centuries of obscurity, -been lately brought to light. Every stroke of the chisel, every turn -of the well-skilled wrist, was watched by the brave soldier, who stood -leaning against one of the beautiful pillars. - -“Ob meritum castitatis pudicitiæ atque in sacris religionibusque -doctrinæ mirabilis, Hyacinthæ Severæ Virgini Vestali Maximæ.” - -That name, which had been for so many years enshrined in the brave -soldier’s heart, was just traced on the stone, when a group of Vestals -came fluttering towards the place. - -“The Vestal Maxima is departing,” an old Vestal said, touching -Claudius’s shoulder. “Hermione bids me conduct you to her chamber, -where her brother and her servant have watched for the last hour.” - -But Claudius stood rooted to the spot. He had feared his presence might -disturb the last hours of one he loved too well, to make his own wishes -of any moment. He bowed and shook his head, but remained standing, -watching the work of the chisel, while every letter seemed engraved in -his heart. - -Presently another messenger came--Hermione. - -“She asks for you,” she said--“come!” - -Then Claudius drew himself up to his full height, as if he were about -to face some advancing host, and with head erect, and hands clasped -tightly together, he followed Hermione, without uttering a word. - -As they passed along the corridor of the upper storey, they met Cœlia -Concordia. Hermione made the customary token of respect to the superior -Vestals from those who were beneath them, and said:-- - -“We go to see the Vestal Maxima, who is departing.” - -“The Vestal Maxima has departed already,” was the cold and haughty -answer. “I have just returned from the Council, where I have been -chosen as her successor in the office she quitted three days ago.” - -Hermione’s dark southern eyes flashed through the mists of tears. - -“The beloved lady Hyacintha, beloved of all the priestesses, is dying,” -she said, “and leaves no equal behind; her name will live. It is even -now inscribed upon the pedestal of her statue, beneath the words which, -by the common consent of the whole Council, were written on a scroll -for the sculptor, and despatched to him yester-even.” - -Cœlia passed on, saying in a low voice, words of which Hermione failed -to catch the meaning, but which were--“_her name shall perish_.” - -Hyacintha lay upon the cushions of her couch, with closed eyes; over -her features peace brooded. - -The conflict and the struggle were over, and she was only awaiting the -summons. - -Suddenly, with one of the flashes of consciousness, which are like -the leaping up of the flame before it dies out she opened her eyes and -said:-- - -“I see the golden stairs which lead upward to the stars: Claudius, good -Claudius--Claudius!” - -The brave soldier drew a step nearer, and in low husky tones, said:-- - -“I am here, Hyacintha, I am here!” - -A bright smile passed over her face as she said:-- - -“I have found the true Light, Claudius, the Dayspring from on high. I -am going where the Light shall never be put out, and you will come, -good Claudius--promise, vow!” - -“I will come, God helping me,” he said--“beloved, I will come.” - -Then the brightness faded from her face; she became confused, and -said in distress, that she had slept, and that the sacred fire was -extinguished. Then, with a cry, “The Light! The Light can never be put -out.” She extended her arms as if to greet one who was coming towards -her, and said:-- - -“I see Him--He is the true Light, Jesus the Lord!” - -And so her spirit departed, and Hyacintha Severa entered into the full -shining of the true Light which lighteth every man who cometh into this -sad and weary world. - - * * * * * - -In the sacred Pomœrium, the space marked out by religious rites along -the line of the old wall--the ashes of Hyacintha Severa were laid. - -The High Priest and Council, touched by her loss, refused to -acknowledge publicly that she was a Christian. Loved and honoured in -her life by many without, as well as by many within the walls of the -Vestals’ House, the old High Priest silenced the accusers, and carried -the point that the late Vestal Maxima should be honoured in her death, -as she had been loved in her life. - -For the old priest knew that the old faith was vanishing away; knew -that the Christians were multiplying daily; knew that even in that -community the seed had been sown, which might bring forth fruit, and -that Hyacintha would not be the only Christian amongst their numbers. - -This was no time for suppression by violence or by force; the -supporters of the old faith made the lives of the Vestals more and more -luxurious, increased their privileges, and the last thirty or forty -years of their existence were to all outward seeming their best years. - -But the faith in the goddess Vesta and the sacred fire which her -priestesses were vowed to keep a pure and inextinguishable flame, -was even now rotten at its heart. What had once been received with -childlike earnestness and simplicity of belief, was now but a hollow -profession, and the old faith was dying. - -Cœlia Concordia held the supreme office of Vestal Maxima for many -years. She was a woman of keen intellect, and a great friend, we -are told, of the famous champion of Polytheism, Vettius Agorius -Prætextatus. Her statue was set up in the house of that nobleman, and -he received the unwonted honour of having his raised in the Vestals’ -atrium. - -A powerful, vigorous woman, Cœlia Concordia carried things with a high -hand. The little children, timid and tearful in the first few weeks -of their discipleship, did not come to her with their sorrows. The -maidens confided in her none of their hopes and fears. Cœlia loved the -power the office gave her too well to resign it. Strong in body as in -mind, she saw her old companions pass away, the children fade and die, -the maidens droop and lose their fresh bloom; and she persecuted by -a thousand little acts of tyranny two or three whom she suspected of -having embraced the Christian faith; and Hermione was one who felt the -full bitterness of her satire, and often quailed beneath it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -ONWARD AND UPWARD. - - -When Claudius turned away from the Vestals’ home on the day of -Hyacintha’s death, there was in his noble heart only one longing--to -follow her whither she was gone. - -Casca and little Cynthia were his guests, with the faithful Anna; and -when Casca spoke of returning to Alexandria, Claudius begged him to -delay. It seemed to Claudius like a second parting from the love of -his whole life to lose the child who bore her name, and who returned -the devotion of the old soldier with a childish affection which was -inexpressibly sweet to him. - -But Casca was anxious to return to Alexandria, where now he had made -his home. Rome had lost its charm for him; there were few left to -sympathise with him in his learned researches, and the great Museum of -Alexandria, with its inexhaustible treasury of literature and art, had -no rival in Rome. - -To linger about the place where Hyacintha had lived, to recall her in -all the long years of faithful and pure devotion which he had lavished -upon her--this was the comfort of Claudius’s heart, but, naturally, -with Casca it was wholly different. - -He had loved her as a brother, and had retained his affection for -her in the long years of separation, thinking tenderly of her as his -little sister in the old home at Verulam, when she cheered him in the -struggles which his early boyhood had known, in the consciousness of -physical weakness, and the inward conviction that he had the mental -power which, if it were but allowed scope, would stand him in far -better stead than the sword and the battle-axe. - -But he had made new ties, and gathered round him the joys of home. -While his young wife lived he had been happy in the present; and the -past, which was all to his friend Claudius, was to him like a pleasant -but fading dream. - -Then, when his wife was taken from him, his pride and joy centred in -his child, who seemed, even at this early age, to inherit the beauty -and graces of her aunt in no scant measure. - -It is always hard to those who are growing old to feel that while -others of their friends and contemporaries have gathered round them -interests and the sweet ties of home-life, they are standing, like the -last of some old forest trees, companionless and alone. - -Claudius had been a brave soldier, and was considered a distinguished -officer, who had earned his laurels on many a bloodstained field. But -his brethren in arms, who gave themselves up, on their retirement from -active service, to all the luxuries and often license of Roman society, -found him but a dull and speechless companion. - -Gradually Claudius withdrew more and more from public life; and now -what had been the one great interest of his daily routine at Rome was -over! - -To watch the Vestal Maxima at a distance, to divine her every look -and gesture, to be present at all public ceremonials where she was -to be seen, to be the presiding genius of her life, though never -to approach her or give her cause for uneasiness--this had been -Claudius’s mission. He had heard of the evil rumours which Cœlia had -tried to sow broadcast; he had watched the once stately step growing -more feeble, the deep earnest eyes lose their intense glow, the -beautifully-chiselled features grow more pinched and wan, and his heart -had sunk within him. - -He had held much counsel with the good Father Eusebius, and knew -that the Christian faith which he held dear had taken deep root in -Hyacintha’s heart. And this had been at once the consolation and the -fear of his life of late. Consolation, for he knew well what was the -support of the Faith of Christ; fear, lest the sharp eyes which were -directed towards the Vestal Maxima should scent out the truth, and that -she should be given up by her accusers to disgrace. - -This had been assisted by Hyacintha’s resignation at the time when such -resignation was allowed, and the love which she had awakened in the -hearts of the many had triumphed over the maliciousness of the few. - -Anna was old now, and her strength did not hold out for the long walks -in which little Cynthia at six years old delighted. So it fell to -Claudius to drive her in his chariot, or take her hand in his and -lead her along the Appian Way, telling her stories of the old heroes, -as Clœlia had told them to Hyacintha and Casca long ago. But their -favourite walk was to the Cælian Hill, and there sometimes they would -meet Hermione on her way to the spring, when, dismissing the attendants -who followed the Roman soldier and the fair child at a distance, they -would sit and speak of the Vestal Maxima, and Hermione would fondle the -little Cynthia, and say to Claudius “that she, too, might have been a -Vestal, so beautiful she was, and so full of wit and cleverness.” - -“Ah, no! the child has another and a higher mission than that of the -Vestal virgin. She will be the joy and glory of some good man’s home, -so I pray the good Father of us all, who loves the little children.” - -“Who loves the little children,” Cynthia repeated, as she leaned -against Claudius’s knee, her hands full of violets and anemones which -empurpled the hill’s side. “When I am a woman I shall tell every one -about the Lord, who was a little child Himself on earth, and loved -the children who came near Him, just as I come near you, Claudius. -Hermione, don’t you love Him?” - -Poor Hermione’s eyes filled with tears. She had not the courage to -confess the Faith openly, which would needs draw upon her instant -dismissal from her office, and end in imprisonment, and perhaps death. -She was suspected, and jealously watched, by the Vestal Maxima; and -nothing but the noble family from which she came, and the rich gifts -which they constantly showered upon the temple of the goddess, could -have saved her. - -“Don’t you love Him, Hermione? My aunt loved Him. Anna loves Him, and -so does good Claudius. Father adores Him; he does not say he loves Him.” - -Hermione turned away her face. She was like thousands in those days of -persecution, struggling out of the shadows into the light; scarcely -prepared to give up all for Christ, and yet yearning after Him with -that tender yearning which is the aspiration of the soul for One who, -though unseen, it loves. - -Shall we not think of such in every age with sympathy and pity? -Shall we not leave them in the loving hands of Him who knoweth our -infirmities, and remembers that we are but dust? - -Hermione quickly rallied herself, and said, “My time of leave is over. -I must be hastening home, or the lictors at the gate will be impatient. -When do you depart for Alexandria, good Claudius?” - -“Nay, I know not whether I depart at all; but Casca and the child, and -their attendants, are sailing from the Portus Augusti next week.” - -Hermione took Cynthia from Claudius for a moment, and said, “Listen, -Cynthia; you must not forget me, for I loved your aunt, and she loved -me. You will write to me as soon as you are able to wield the pen, and -you will tell me of all you learn, and all you do in Alexandria. And do -not forget poor Hermione.” - -Cynthia clasped the Vestal round the neck, and said, “Come with us to -our pretty home in Alexandria. Why cannot you come?” - -“I am tied and fettered here,” said poor Hermione; “and here I must -live till death comes to me and frees me from bondage.” - -“Ah!” said the child, “I am glad I am not to be a Vestal, but that I -belong to the Lord Jesus--so glad!” - -Hermione kissed the child fervently, and then turned away, waving her -hands in token of farewell, saying, “Remember your promise, little -Cynthia.” - -“What has she asked of thee, little one?” Claudius said, when the child -had returned to him. - -“She bade me write to her, and never forget her,” Cynthia said. “I -shall make haste to learn to write; and father says already I am a -little scholar. You will help me to write, good Claudius.” - -“Nay, then, little one, this hand of mine is not skilled in using the -pen or scribbling in parchment; but there are many others who will -teach thee.” - -“You are going to Alexandria with us? You will not leave us, good -Claudius?” - -“Nay, we will not speak of parting yet--not yet.” - -“_Never!_” exclaimed Cynthia, emphatically; “never!” And Claudius -evaded a direct answer, but promised that he would at least take care -of her on the coming return voyage, for the season was late, and they -would probably meet with storms in the inland sea through which they -must sail to the fair city of Alexandria. - -Claudius found the attractions at Alexandria, where he shared the -home of Casca and his little daughter, too great to be withstood. He -vibrated, it is true, between the two cities for a year or two, but as -age sapped his strength, and brought low the once athletic and vigorous -frame, he became less inclined for action, and was content to live the -quiet life in which his friend Casca delighted, and to enjoy with him -the society of the little daughter who, as she grew in years, grew in -all the graces and attractions which had distinguished the aunt whose -name she bore, and whom she so strongly resembled. - -“Good Claudius,” the commander of many brave troops of soldiers, -the noble, valiant, and courageous warrior, became in his old age -gentle and subdued; but his deeds of valour had not died out of the -remembrance of some who had shared in them; and in his retirement at -Alexandria he was sometimes visited by those who had some connection -with him as a leader or companion in arms. - -One day, when Cynthia was about fifteen, eight or nine years after the -voyage to Rome and the death of the Vestal Maxima, Claudius was walking -slowly and feebly along the smooth walks of the Museum gardens, waiting -for Cynthia to return from one of the academies, where, attended by one -of her maids, she studied with several young maidens, under a lady who -lectured upon the Greek poets and the Greek authors of a bygone time. - -Casca’s anxious desire that his only child should be distinguished for -accomplishments of every kind, and have her mental gifts cultivated to -the utmost, was not likely to be disappointed. - -Cynthia was already known as one of the most promising of Zoe’s pupils, -and she seemed to have no difficulty in acquiring and retaining -knowledge. - -On this lovely spring morning, Claudius, being a little weary, seating -himself on a bench near one of the principal fountains, which made a -soft musical murmur as the waters fell into a deep marble basin, turned -suddenly as he heard his name. - -A man about his own age, leaning on the arm of a youth of eighteen or -twenty, advanced towards him. - -“Sure,” he said, “I see before me Claudius, who commanded the fourth -legion under Constantius?” - -The two old men stood facing each other silently for a few moments, and -then grasped each other’s hands. - -“I never expected to meet you, brave Claudius, again, least of all at -Alexandria.” - -“And I, my noble friend and old ally, Varrus, never expected to grasp -your hand in mine again. Methought you lived at Marseilles?” - -“Ay, and I have left it only for a short space, to bring hither to this -seat of learning my only son, Heraclitus, who craved for the schools -of wisdom here, and desires to add the learning of the scholar to the -courage of the soldier. And here, my son,” he continued, “is as brave -a soldier as ever wielded a sword, the good and valiant Claudius.” - -“It seems that I see your father again in you,” Claudius said. “Varrus, -you live again in your boy.” - -“Ah! and I have two fair daughters, whom I have left with their mother -at Marseilles; and here, if I mistake not, comes one of yours.” - -For at that moment, speeding towards the place where Claudius sat, came -the graceful figure of a young girl, dressed in pure white silk, her -over-mantle of pale greenish-blue, and a handkerchief embroidered with -gold, in the familiar pattern we call the “key pattern,” thrown over -her sunny head. - -“Nay, I have no ties of home, Varrus; I never married. She who is -coming towards us is as dear as any daughter. Why does she tarry?” - -For Cynthia had suddenly stopped, and, throwing her large crimson -satchel to her maid, she skirted the marble basin of the fountain with -swift steps. - -“I see! I see!” exclaimed the young man; “a little child is dangerously -near the brink of the fountain--and----” - -He said no more, but sprang across the emerald turf to the edge of the -deep marble basin, where the clear waters were gently rocking on their -breast the broad leaves of the water-lily, already showing their snowy -heads from the thick green calyx. - -But the waters suddenly became disturbed by something more than the -gentle fall of the jets of the fountain. They were swollen into little -wavelets, and as the two elder men reached the spot they heard a cry, -and saw Heraclitus plunge into the basin, which was some six feet in -depth, and some two hundred feet in circumference. - -“My mistress plunged in to save a child who had fallen into the water,” -exclaimed Cynthia’s attendant. “Ah me! Ah me! Will she be drowned?” - -Then the girl, after the fashion of such maidens in every time, uttered -a long and piercing shriek, which brought to the spot a good many of -those who were wandering about in the Museum gardens on this early -spring morning. - -Claudius’s face was blanched with horror, and he clutched the arm of -his friend Varrus for support. - -“Be of good courage,” Varrus said; “my son has rescued both the child -and the maiden. See! they are already safe!” - -“Yes, dear Claudius,” Cynthia struggled to say, as, breathlessly, and -her clothes heavy with water, Claudius bent anxiously over her. - -“Yes, safe; and the little child--is he safe?” - -“Thanks to your noble efforts, fair lady,” Heraclitus said, “no harm is -done. Hearken!” And a loud scream from the little boy, as his mother, -who carelessly allowed him to stray too near the edge of the fountain, -clasped him frantically to her breast, testified to the truth of the -young man’s words. - -“It is all well, then. Nay, good Claudius, do not be frightened. I -will go home now, and change my wet garments. Ah! look at my poor -handkerchief; see, the gold border is spoiled.” - -She said this with childlike earnestness, and then, helped to her feet -by Varrus, she said-- - -“Who is my father, Casca, to thank for coming to my rescue? You, too, -brave sir, will need change of garments. Claudius, do bid my deliverer -to come to our house.” - -Cynthia was fighting against a feeling of faintness and exhaustion -which the sudden plunge into the water had caused; and Heraclitus was -quite forgetting his own share in the rescue of the child, in the -admiration he felt for the beautiful maiden who had so promptly gone to -save the child’s life. - -“Come home with us,” Claudius said, in a tremulous voice; “come home, -and let my friend Casca and me show our gratitude. Our greatest -treasure has been in peril, and we owe her preservation to you.” - -The mother of the little boy, less grateful than she might have been, -hastened away with her struggling, screaming son, and very soon the -voice of the fountain, which had for the time been lost in the tumult, -was again heard, and the gentle motion of the clear waters rocked the -budding lilies on its breast undisturbed, as before. - - * * * * * - -Some months later a letter from Cynthia to Hermione, written with a -finely-pointed quill on smooth parchment, was delivered by a messenger -at the House of the Vestals at Rome--for Cynthia had never forgotten -her promise, and her letters, at first mere scrawled hieroglyphics, had -been the greatest events in her sad life; for Hermione lived in the -shadow, tolerated simply because of her rank and wealth, but looked -upon, as I have said, with suspicion and dislike by the proud Vestal -Maxima, Cœlia Concordia; and all those who wished to win favour with -her kept aloof from Hermione. - -How many sad and disappointed lives, bound by the fetters of an -enforced vow, have been hidden alike in the House of the Vestals, and -later in the monasteries of mediæval times! - -Of all pathetic cries which ascend to the Throne of the Father of us -all is the cry of the woman who, mistaking her true vocation as a -helper and consoler, has chafed like a bird against its prison bars, -to obtain the liberty which alone gives the zest to service. Hermione -had, indeed, ceased to struggle against her fate, and a cold and numb -despair had destroyed her beauty, and made her a prematurely old -woman. Her eyes were too dim to read Cynthia’s letter in the shadows -of the atrium, and she hid it in her robe, and took it with her to -the familiar spot on the Cælian Hill, where she had so often come as -a young maiden with Hyacintha Severa, and had watched over the lovely -child who had inherited her grace and wonderful gifts of mind and -person. - -“From the Museum Street of the city Alexandria, Cynthia, the daughter -of Casca Severus, greets with affection Hermione, a Vestal virgin, in -the House of the Vestals at Rome. - -“When I wrote to you last, dear friend, I was but a child; and now, -though but eighteen months have passed away, I am no longer ‘little -Cynthia,’ but a woman. Ah! dear Hermione, it is a beautiful gift of -God--our God--this heritage of woman. I am as one who has been toying -with flowers in the valley, contented with the flowers, and thinking of -nothing above them, and then suddenly lifted on a mountain top, whence -there lies stretched out a lovely landscape, and a voice tells me it -is mine, that I reign over it, and that the blue arch of heaven above -me encircles me with love. Yes, Hermione, as by a miracle your little -Cynthia has forgotten her childish days, and has come into possession -of her inheritance as a woman. - -“But I would fain tell you of all that has happened since eighteen -months ago, when I last wrote to you. It has been a long, long pause, -but I will make up for it now. I will take time, and write fully the -story of this wondrous change. - -“It was a bright spring morning, and I was returning from the lecture -room at the Museum, through the gardens, when, just as I was hastening -to join good old Claudius on a bench where he rested, I saw a little -child balancing himself on the slippery edge of the wide basin of the -central fountain. - -“In another instant he was in the water; and what could I do, as no one -else was near, but plunge in and seize the boy by his little toga. - -“As I had neared good Claudius I had noticed he was not alone, but -that two men were apparently talking to him. It was one of these, -Heraclitus, who sprang forward, and had soon brought from under the -crystal water myself and the child. - -“Ah, Hermione! as that noble face bent over me, and I gazed up at it, -I felt at once that thrill which is half-awe, half-joy, like that -foreshadowing of the break of day, which makes the little bird stir in -its nest--for though as yet nothing is clear, and nothing defined, the -_day is near_. - -“The day was dawning at that moment; the day of love which has been so -beautiful and fair ever since. Nor can night cast any shadow over that -day of love, with its dark mantle, for my love stretches forward to -that city fairer than Alexandria, fairer than Rome, where there is _no -night_ and no darkness at all, for God is the Light. - -“I must, however, go on with my narrative of events. The youth who -snatched me from the water, and laid me on the turf with the child, -is named Heraclitus. His father was a friend and companion in arms of -dear Claudius, and he had come from Marseilles to seek education and -advantages here in Alexandria for his only son. - -“You may be sure, Hermione, that my father, Casca, bade both father and -son a warm welcome, and from the first there seemed a bond between us -all. When the father of Heraclitus returned to Marseilles, Heraclitus -was left with my father and good Claudius. - -“Heraclitus showed from the first the greatest powers of mind and body, -and from the very first he seemed to account it his greatest happiness -to be with us. Ah, Hermione! with _me_. - -“Soon that gentle thrill of awakening in my heart grew stronger. Soon -I knew that I was loved as my father Casca had loved my fair mother, -Ianthe, as Claudius had loved my beautiful aunt Hyacintha. - -“The cup of bliss seemed full to overflowing, when there came a drop -of exceeding bitterness to spoil the sweetness. Good old Claudius, in -passing down the long flight of steps from the Museum, fell heavily, -and it was with difficulty that Heraclitus brought him home. - -“For many weeks he lay helpless and uncomplaining. Sometimes he would -say, ‘It was a strange end for a soldier, to lie on soft cushions, and -be tended by women’s hands.’ - -“We did tend him carefully, and cheered his last days with the warmth -of a love we might well bear one who had been so closely bound up in -life with my father Casca and my aunt the Vestal Maxima. - -“Claudius spoke much of the past, but little of the present. The -farther off the scene, the clearer the vision. My father, always -absorbed in his manuscript, would sometimes raise his head and smile, -as Claudius spoke of Verulam, and the small upper chamber there and -little Hyacintha and her hair shining under the light of the silver -lamp which hung from the roof. Then of Ebba and her conversion to the -faith of the Christian; his own vehement and angry persecution of the -Christians, and of the dark dungeon into which he entered, bearing the -dead Jewish girl in his arms. - -“All this was clear before him, but of the later days at Rome he said -little, and that little was confused. He loved to hear me read the -Gospels, and the vision of the great Apostle of Love at Patmos, I would -repeat again and again. He spoke to me of Heraclitus, and said he was -worthy of my love, if my father consented, but father, dear father, -held back a little. He seemed unable to give me up, even to Heraclitus. - -“It was almost the last words that passed dear Claudius’s lips--‘Give -Hyacintha to the young Heraclitus’--for when he lay dying, Claudius -ever called me by my full name. He would gaze at me with dreamy eyes, -and said, though I was so high above him he loved me still. - -“He was thinking of the other Hyacintha, no doubt. - -“He departed in peace; and then, within a month, dear Anna followed -him. Ah, Hermione! she died in the Faith, and she has left behind her -the memory of true service, which will never pass away. - -“My father said no word on the subject nearest my heart. And -Heraclitus, brave and true, and noble, said he would not press an old -man unduly, for there was time before us; we were both so young. - -“But it happened one day that another suitor came to my father, and -asked his leave to marry me. I hated this man, though he is one of -the richest in all Alexandria. My father put him off with the excuse -that he could not spare me, and that I was very young, but he did not -acknowledge what was indeed the truth, that in my secret heart I was -bound to Heraclitus. - -“My father, ever quiet, and gentle, and courteous, can scarcely think -of others as less so than himself, and he was perhaps not sufficiently -firm in his refusal. Be that as it may, I was walking with my -attendant, Portia, in the Museum gardens one evening, with a book in my -hand, when this hateful man accosted me. He said at first all manner -of smooth and flattering things, and then when I turned away, he grew -angry, and seized my arm. I was frightened, and struggling to get away, -called for help. Help was near. With one blow Heraclitus had felled the -man to the ground, and, leaving him there, bore me in his arms to my -father. - -“‘Give her to me,’ he exclaimed. ‘Give me the right to protect her from -all insult henceforth.’ And so it was settled. And my dear father made -preparations for our marriage, and we live with him in such happiness -as I can never tell. - -“It cannot but happen that living as I do with such scholars as my -father and my husband, I should become well versed in the literature -of the schools. I love to hear those who are so full of learning -discourse. We have a large house now, and many frequent it. I am the -mistress of it, and I have to fulfil its duties. Ah, Hermione! why am -I so blessed by God? What have I done to merit His goodness, thus -shown to me? It makes me sad at times, to think of you, in your dark, -dim, shadowy life, in the old Vestals’ House. That is not real life, -Hermione, cut off from all the sweet home ties which bind a happy wife -with silken fetters. - -“I pray you to send me a letter, and tell me if _she_ is less arrogant -and hard to you, and if the faith of our Lord, yet unconfessed, is -growing clearer to you. I crave to hear it is so. And now, fare you -well. I would fain greet you with a kiss. Think of me as your friend, -the happy wife of Heraclitus, and daughter of Casca Severus.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -TRIUMPH. - - -Hermione did not live long after the reception of this letter. She -kissed it many times, and kept it safe in the breast of her robe, never -allowing any eye to read it, never telling its contents to any mortal -ear. - -Sometimes a smile would flit over her sad face as she pictured the -bright and happy Cynthia--the child grown into the woman, the loved and -loving wife of a brave, good man. - -Hermione had to suffer much, and the few lines she traced before -her death, addressed to Cynthia, did not reach Alexandria till long -afterwards. - -But they breathed of hope in the lovingkindness of the Redeemer of the -world, and told of the humble assurance, that, like as a father pities, -He had pitied her, and would of His mercy receive her to the home of -the blest in heaven. - -Hermione’s death was felt to be a relief by the Vestal Maxima, Cœlia -Concordia, who now held undisputed sway in the Vestals’ House. As we -know, she loved the power the office gave her. When Hermione passed -away, a gleam of triumph might be seen to glance from those dark -eagle-like eyes; for another obstacle was removed from her path, -and the accomplishment of a long cherished scheme became easier. The -priests, who had decreed that her predecessor’s memory should be -crystallised for future generations by the laudatory lines engraved on -the pedestal on which her statue was raised, were all in their turn -consigned to the sacred Pomœrium, and their names were soon forgotten. - -It did not deeply affect the friend of the great Prætextatus to see the -old and the feeble pass away. She was known and admired in the highest -circles of the time at Rome; but love never seemed to come near her or -soften her proud heart. - - * * * * * - -It was in the stillness of the night, when all the Vestals but the one -who watched in the temple were sleeping, some fifteen years after the -death of Hyacintha, that the tall commanding figure of Cœlia Concordia -passed between the columns of the atrium, bearing a lamp in her hand. - -She threaded her way cautiously in the darkness, her silver lamp -casting a ray of bright light before her. She paused at last before the -statue of Hyacintha Severa, and, waving her lamp up and down, examined -the clearly-cut noble features with a triumphant smile. - -“Shall thy name live?” she asked, as if addressing the statue, “nay, -thy name shall perish; if I am powerless for aught else, I am powerful -for this.” Then she put down the lamp, and drew from the folds of her -pallium a sharp instrument. She examined the blade carefully, and -kneeling so that she was on a level with the pedestal, she began to -scrape out the letters of the name she hated. - -It was no easy task, but at last it was accomplished, and nothing but -the number remained:-- - -“No. XIII.” Which signified simply the order in which the statues stood -in the atrium. - -“Thy name has perished,” she said, rising and addressing the noble -face, which seemed to answer her bitter smile with a quiet calm beauty. - -“Thy name has perished, thy praises shall remain, but when future -generations shall ask to whom their false flattery refers, there shall -be but one answer:-- - -“No. XIII.” - -When the erasure of the name was discovered in the light of the next -morning, inquiries were made, but without success. Various opinions -were expressed, and it was generally supposed that some one, through -wanton mischief, had erased the name. - -At first there was a talk of re-inscribing it, but the Vestal Maxima -always found some excuses for delay, and at length, as all who had -loved her had passed away, the subject dropped out of memory, and -Hyacintha was forgotten. - - * * * * * - -It was in the reign of Constantius, in the year 357, that the Emperor -paid a visit to the ancient capital of his empire. Julian had married -Helena, and had been accepted as Cæsar of the west, at Milan, with -loud acclamations, while Constantius proceeded along the Emilian and -Flaminian ways, to Rome. - -The grandeur of that procession has been described at length, and a -splendid train of nobles and courtiers took part in it. - -The Emperor took up his abode in the ancient Palace of Augustus, and, -we are told, presided in the Senate, assisted at the games, and that -the thirty days he passed in the city may be described as one long -festival. - -Delighted with his reception in Rome, and filled with the sense of his -own importance, Constantius cast about in his mind for some suitable -gift to the city, which should eternally mark his satisfaction with it -and with himself! - -At first, we are told that he wished to imitate the colossal statue in -the Forum of Trajan, but finally he decided on presenting the city with -the huge obelisk which his father, Constantine, had removed from the -Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis and floated down the Nile to Alexandria. - -This decision gave universal satisfaction. Orders were at once -dispatched to Alexandria for the transmission of the obelisk. - -A ship of huge proportions and strength was provided to convey this -enormous mass of granite from the banks of the Nile to the Tiber. - -The command of the expedition was entrusted to a man of high family and -reputation in Alexandria, and preparations for departure were speedily -completed. - -Heraclitus was seated with the parchments and drafts before him, in -his own beautiful home at Alexandria, lost in thought, wondering if -the enormous outlay required would not exceed the expectations of the -Emperor and his officers of state, when a light hand was laid on his -shoulder. - -“Take me to Rome with thee, dear husband, I pray thee.” - -“Nay, nay, my pretty one,” was the reply, “the voyage may not be a -quick one, thy health might suffer, and if the huge obelisk is swamped -by the way, there will be great delay and danger to me, for I am -responsible.” - -“Dear husband,” said the sweet voice, “I have a longing to see Rome. -Thou knowest I went thither as a little child, with my dear father, -and nurse, and dear good old Claudius. I pray thee, do not refuse me -my prayer. I have a dim dreamy memory of my beautiful aunt, the Vestal -Maxima, who died in the faith of Christ. I should like to see the place -where she lived, and the spring on the Cælian Hill, where Claudius -said she looked like an angel, as she filled her vase from the pure -fountain. Dear husband, grant my request.” - -She had been the happy wife of Heraclitus for some years now. Her -father had died in the preceding summer. Claudius and Anna had both -passed away, and Cynthia, who was standing with her hand on her -husband’s shoulder, urging her plea, is the only link left with those -whose lives, or rather the fragments of whose lives, we have followed -in this story. - -Cynthia had known sorrow: one by one her children had faded in their -infancy, and died before she had fully tasted the sweetness of -motherhood. - -Perhaps it was the remembrance of this trouble, which had left its -trace on the fair face which was bending over him, that made Heraclitus -feel as if he would not refuse his wife’s request. - -“Dear husband,” she pleaded, “I have but thee, and what should I do for -all the long months of thy absence, alone?” - -“My sweet one, it is a long voyage, and my mind is so occupied with the -business in hand, the arrangements, and the responsibility which lies -on my shoulders, may so engross me, that I may seem cold and neglectful -of thee.” - -“As if that could be! I will not trouble thee with questions; let me -have my own galley, and my maidens, and thou canst come to me for -solace and comfort. Remember, dear husband, I have none but thee to -love, since God has willed that no dear little ones should gladden my -life. I am never lonely with thee, but without thee!” - -Heraclitus threw down his quill, and pushed the parchments and charts -aside, taking his wife on his knee and stroking her fair head, as it -rested on his breast with a tender and gentle hand. - -“Sweet wife, am I not better to thee than ten sons? If it be God’s will -that we should never see a child grow up, to be our pride and joy, let -us recall how many sons there are who are the curse and sorrow of their -parents’ lives, and at least be thankful we are spared such grief as -that would be to us.” - -“I am ashamed to murmur while I have thee,” she whispered, “but do not -leave me here while thou art gone to Rome, with that huge obelisk. It -might be a year of absence, and I feel as if I could scarcely live -without thee.” - -“Dear wife, if I carry out this mission with success, I may be -raised to a higher rank, and give thee many more of the luxuries and -adornments of life. But I feel I must have a mind entirely abstracted -from other matters, or I _may fail_, and then--!” - -Cynthia sprang up, exclaiming--“Fail! nay, my presence shall assure -thy triumphant success. Let me only come to share thy danger and -difficulty, and I am content.” - -The sadness and depression had passed away now, and Heraclitus looking -down into his wife’s eyes, saw in them an earnest of success. - -“Be it so then, my sweet one--the galley shall be prepared for thee and -thy attendants. Make thy preparations, and we will go to Rome together!” - - * * * * * - -Like the faint memory of a dream the scene of her childhood came back -to Cynthia, as she presented herself, a few months later, with two of -her maidens at the door of the Vestals’ atrium. Thoughts of her father, -and of Claudius, of dear faithful Anna, to whose hand she clung on -that morning long ago, came thronging to her heart. - -She remembered how, when her father and Anna led her to the room where -the Vestal Maxima lay dying, Claudius held back. The greatness of his -unselfish and unchanging love seemed to be clearer to her now than it -had ever been before--the love which was divine in its character, the -love which forgot everything but the good of the one beloved, seemed to -present itself to the fair wife of Heraclitus, as she stood at the gate -of the Vestals’ House. - -It was yet early, and there seemed to be no one stirring. The big heavy -door was closed, and the faint tap which Cynthia’s little slender hand -made upon it was not answered. - -“Nay, then, lady,” exclaimed one of her maidens, “you must rap harder -than that. What a dark and gloomy place,” she went on; “and yet you -say it is accounted an honour to be chosen a Vestal virgin. Forsooth! -I would account it an honour to be left out of such a choice. See how -the great Palace seems to tower over us, as if it might fall and crush -us as we stand. Except for the sky above, which we can only see by -straining our necks till they are like to break, I can hardly believe I -am in the same world as when I am in our own bright Alexandria.” - -Cynthia scarcely heard, or heeded if she heard, the girl’s chatter; but -Portia, who was a sedate, middle-aged woman, said, “We cannot stand -here all day; you will be over-fatigued before you enter this dark -place, which looks like a prison.” And Portia knocked with such good -will at the door that the sound of footsteps within was heard, and the -Vestal in charge of the outer gate or door threw it open. - -The Vestal was young, and answered Cynthia’s inquiries carelessly and -indifferently. - -“I crave permission to examine the statues of the Vestales Maximæ,” she -said. - -“You can enter, if you choose,” was the reply; “the statues are all in -the atrium.” - -Cynthia felt chilled by her reception; and after the brilliant light of -the early day out of doors, the atrium seemed so dark and gloomy. - -But she passed on, and began to examine the statues. - -There were three or four statues of the same Vestal Maxima, Flavia -Publicia, and her praises were on every side. Cynthia wandered about -the atrium, trying to decipher the names. - -“Terentia Rufilla!” Cynthia read. “Ah! she was my father’s kinswoman. -It was in her time that my aunt came hither. Cornelia Maxima! Campia -Severina! Severina! Can this be the one I seek? Ah, no! for it is -Severina, not Severa, and the year is 240; besides, why Campia?” - -After a long, fruitless search, Cynthia turned to the Vestal who was -following her-- - -“May it please you to conduct me to the presence of the Vestal Maxima. -I have a question to ask her.” - -The Vestal hesitated. - -“Nay, I do not know whether I may disturb her. She is in her own -apartment.” - -“Say that the wife of Heraclitus, who is charged with the safe transit -of the great obelisk from Alexandria, by the will of the Emperor, seeks -information regarding one of the statues.” - -The Vestal shook her head, and, turning to a severe-looking old Vestal -who was passing, seemed to refer the matter to her for decision. - -“Nay, surely, the Lady Maxima must not be disturbed. She has been -watching all night, and is resting. Who seeks her?” - -“That lady, with two attendants. She says she is the wife of a great -personage.” - -Then Cynthia, with her sweet voice, accosted the tall, severe-looking -Vestal, saying, “May it please you to tell me if I can find the statue -of Hyacintha Severa, one of the Vestales Maximæ?” - -The dark eyes of the Vestal looked down on the slight form of Cynthia -with a penetrating glance; and, struck with awe, Cynthia hastened to -say:-- - -“The Vestal Maxima was my father’s sister. I came hither with him when -a little child, of which I have a dim memory; but my aunt was held -in great honour, and love and reverence, by my father and by good -Claudius, our friend, and I wish to see her statue.” - -“Methinks,” said the Vestal, grimly enough, “thou art altogether -dreaming. There is one Campia Severina here, but I know of no Severa -whose name is recorded on the pedestals: but,” with a stately bow, -“you are free to search; the statues are all collected here. There are -duplicates of many, but I do not know the name of which you speak.” - -Then the Vestal disappeared, and Cynthia, disappointed and sad, -continued her search. - -At last one of her ladies exclaimed:-- - -“Here is a beautiful statue, with no name; only a number-- - -“No. XIII.” - -Cynthia gazed up at the statue for a few moments intensely and lovingly. - -“I think that must be my aunt Hyacintha,” she said; “but oh! how dull -and dismal it is here; no sunshine, no warmth. Come, let us depart; it -makes me sad to stay.” - -The ladies obeyed her not unwillingly. Rome might be grand, and had -its ancient temples and noble statues, and its yellow, slowly-rolling -Tiber; but life was sweeter and brighter far in sunny Alexandria, where -the waves of the blue Mediterranean danced and sparkled, and the air -and light of heaven were free to come and go. - -As they ascended from the House of the Vestals, and climbed the Cælian -Hill, Cynthia spoke for the first time. - -The prospect before them was the same over which Hyacintha Severa had -so often looked, as child, and fair maiden, and mature woman. - -“I can think of my aunt better here,” Cynthia said, “the beautiful and -the good. I feel her nearer me here than in that dark, gloomy hall; the -statue beneath which is only written, ‘No. XIII,’ may be her likeness, -but I love to think of her as Claudius told me always to think of -her--passed from the darkness of earth into the Light of God, wearing -the Crown of Light, after bearing the Cross of suffering. All earthly -things fade and vanish, but that Crown fadeth not away. Ah! I am glad I -am a Christian!” - -And now the shadow of the Great Past closes over those whose lives, -or rather the fragments of whose lives, we have followed through long -years in this little story. The silence which throws its mantle like a -veil over the ruins of the temple and the atrium of the Vestals cannot -be broken. - - * * * * * - -The statues of the Vestales Maximæ stand like voiceless messengers from -that time of darkness--a darkness which was, as we know, the darkness -before the dawn. In the old Rome, which is so continually brought to -the surface from the covering dust of centuries, there can scarcely be -a figure round which so much interest might be supposed to gather as -round the nameless statue of the Vestal, whose story imagination may -supply in many colours and in many forms--each one, for himself, as -he stands before it, may clothe it as he will. But that of the noble, -earnest soul struggling towards the Light, and rising from the dry -chrysalis of a worn-out faith to the flight of the unimprisoned spirit -upward to God--who is the Light--has seemed as full of probability as -of charm. And it is easy to believe that a woman like Cœlia Concordia, -herself unable to soar and yet conscious that her aims were after all -but earthly and sordid, might grudge one of the most beloved and most -highly gifted of the priestesses the unsparing meed of praise which -the inscription commemorates. Yet, she might have reflected, if the -inscription remained without a name the identity of Hyacintha would -never be discovered, and thus the once-honoured and beloved Vestal -would be known henceforth only as - -NUMBER THIRTEEN. - - -THE END. - - - - -PRINTING OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER. - - - - -FOOTNOTES: - - -[A] The Caracalla was a long garment like the habit of a modern monk, -sometimes with, sometimes without, a hood or cowl. - -[B] Although there is no record extant of the Jews settling in Britain -till some centuries later than this time, still it is probable that a -few scattered merchants of the despised people may have come over with -some of the Roman nobility--performing menial offices, and conducting -barters with the native Britons for their Roman masters. - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - Archaic or alternate spelling has been retained from the original. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of No. XIII; or, The Story of the Lost -Vestal, by Emma Marshall - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL *** - -***** This file should be named 62548-0.txt or 62548-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/5/4/62548/ - -Produced by Tim Lindell, David E. 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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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: No. XIII; or, The Story of the Lost Vestal - -Author: Emma Marshall - -Release Date: July 3, 2020 [EBook #62548] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL *** - - - - -Produced by Tim Lindell, David E. Brown, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from images made available by the -HathiTrust Digital Library.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="" /></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<p><span class="xlarge">COLLECTION</span><br /> - -OF<br /> - -<span class="xxlarge">BRITISH AUTHORS</span></p> - -<p><span class="xlarge">TAUCHNITZ EDITION.</span></p> - -<p><span class="xlarge">VOL. 2388.</span></p> - -<p><span class="xlarge">No. XIII; OR, THE STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL</span><br /> - -BY<br /> - -EMMA MARSHALL.</p> - -<p><span class="large">IN ONE VOLUME.</span></p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - -<p class="ph1">TAUCHNITZ EDITION.</p> - -<p class="center">By the same Author,</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" summary="table"> - -<tr><td>MRS. MAINWARING’S JOURNAL</td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>BENVENUTA </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>LADY ALICE </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>DAYSPRING </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>LIFE’S AFTERMATH</td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>IN THE EAST COUNTRY </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>IN FOUR REIGNS </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>ON THE BANKS OF THE OUSE </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>IN THE CITY OF FLOWERS </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>ALMA </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>UNDER SALISBURY SPIRE</td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE END CROWNS ALL </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>WINCHESTER MEADS</td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>EVENTIDE LIGHT </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>WINIFREDE’S JOURNAL</td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>BRISTOL BELLS </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>IN THE SERVICE OF RACHEL LADY RUSSELL </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>A LILY AMONG THORNS </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>PENSHURST CASTLE </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>KENSINGTON PALACE IN THE DAYS OF QUEEN MARY II. </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE WHITE KING’S DAUGHTER </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE MASTER OF THE MUSICIANS </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>AN ESCAPE FROM THE TOWER</td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>A HAUNT OF ANCIENT PEACE</td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>CASTLE MEADOW </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>IN THE CHOIR OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY</td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE YOUNG QUEEN OF HEARTS </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>UNDER THE DOME OF ST. PAUL’S </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -<tr><td>THE PARSON’S DAUGHTER </td><td> 1 vol.</td></tr> -</table> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_title.jpg" alt="" /></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>NO. XIII;<br /> - -<span class="tiny">OR, THE</span><br /> - -<small>STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL.</small></h1> - -<p>BY<br /> - -<span class="xlarge">EMMA MARSHALL,</span><br /> - -AUTHOR OF “LIFE’S AFTERMATH,” “DAYSPRING,”<br /> -“IN THE EAST COUNTRY,” ETC.</p> - -<p><i>COPYRIGHT EDITION.</i></p> - - -<p><span class="large">LEIPZIG</span><br /> - -<span class="large">BERNHARD TAUCHNITZ</span><br /> -<span class="large">1886.</span></p> - -<p><i>The Right of Translation is reserved.</i></p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="indent5">“The darkness is past,</div> -<div class="verse">And the True Light now shineth.”</div> -</div></div> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="center">“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">INTRODUCTION.</h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Recent</span> discoveries in the Roman Forum have -brought to light many interesting relics. Amongst -these are the statues of the Vestales Maxim, of which, -in spite of the efforts of the lime-burners and stone-cutters -of the Middle Ages, who were distinguished for -their work of wholesale destruction, thirty-six inscriptions, -and fourteen statues, have been discovered.</p> - -<p>The pedestals on which the statues were placed -bear inscriptions, and the names of the Vestales -Maxim whose virtues are recorded.</p> - -<p>There is one exception—the name is carefully -erased—and we can know her of whom so much is -said in praise, only as <i>Number Thirteen</i>.</p> - -<p>An attempt has been made to clothe the memory -of this Vestal with some probable, though of course -wholly fictitious, incidents; and to assume as a certainty -the idea, which has been thrown out as a possibility, -that her conversion to Christianity was discovered, -and that one in authority desired to leave -no trace of her family or her name to future generations.</p> - -<p>But, though her name has perished, her virtues -remain engraven on the imperishable stone, and these -help us to call her before us, in all the grace and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -dignity of a beautiful life, passed in the cloisters of -the Vestals’ home.</p> - -<p>The incidents which have gathered round her supposed -history, are more or less connected with the -persecution and martyrdom of the Early Church in -Britain, and afterwards in Rome.</p> - -<p>A glance like this into the past may be made useful -to the young reader, if it should quicken a desire -for the intelligent study of history, and help the student -to look upon the events of bygone ages as they affected -real men and women, who had the same hopes and -fears, and aims and ends, as we have, who are living -so long after them.</p> - -<p>We are, naturally perhaps, too apt to think of -those of whom we read in these distant ages, as myths -rather than as the brothers and sisters of the one -great family of God, to which we all belong. Their -human hearts beat with the same affections as ours, -and through the mists of superstition and ignorance -the lamp of an undying love shines out here and there, -as a light in a dark place.</p> - -<p>Thus, through the symbol of the sacred fire, which -the Vestals vowed to keep for ever burning, we may -see the foreshadowing of the mission of every Christian -woman, matron or maiden, whose high vocation it -is to keep the light of truth, purity, and love, for ever -burning in her daily life, and by giving light to those -around fulfil the command of her Master, when He -said—</p> - -<p>“Let your light so shine before men, that they -may see your good works, and glorify your Father -which is in heaven.”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS.</h2></div> - - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" summary="table"> - - -<tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td class="tdr">Page</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr"><span class="smcap">Chapter</span></td><td class="tdr"> I.</td><td class="tdl"> A silent City</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_9"> 9</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> II.</td><td class="tdl"> Night</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_21"> 21</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> III.</td><td class="tdl"> The missing Slave</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_39"> 39</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> IV.</td><td class="tdl"> Capture and Death</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_55"> 55</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> V.</td><td class="tdl"> Claudius fulfils his Vow</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_72"> 72</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> VI.</td><td class="tdl"> By Land and Sea</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_92"> 92</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> VII.</td><td class="tdl"> Rome</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_105"> 105</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> VIII.</td><td class="tdl"> Discipleship</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_122"> 122</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> IX.</td><td class="tdl"> Dayspring</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_142"> 142</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> X.</td><td class="tdl"> Sunset</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_161"> 161</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> XI.</td><td class="tdl"> June, 313—The Festival of Vesta</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_177"> 177</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> XII.</td><td class="tdl"> Vanishing</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_198"> 198</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> XIII.</td><td class="tdl"> <small>A.D.</small> 333—Alexandria</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_211"> 211</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> XIV.</td><td class="tdl"> The Cross</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_227"> 227</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> XV.</td><td class="tdl"> The Crown of Light</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_240"> 240</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> XVI.</td><td class="tdl"> Onward and Upward</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_248"> 248</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td class="tdr">—</td><td class="tdr"> XVII.</td><td class="tdl"> Triumph</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_266"> 266</a></td></tr> -</table> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> - - -<p class="ph1">No. XIII;<br /> - -<span class="tiny">OR,</span><br /> - -<small>THE STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL.</small></p> - - -<hr class="tiny" /> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER I.<br /> - -<small>A SILENT CITY.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> was silence in the city of Verulam on a -bright summer day now nearly sixteen hundred years -ago. It was a strange silence which reigned in the -deserted streets of the old Roman city, which, with its -baths and public buildings, was reckoned one of the -finest in that sea-girt island, which the mistress of the -world had made her own.</p> - -<p>A vast crowd had left the city gates at dawn on -that cloudless morning of early summer; women and -children, stately matrons and tender maidens, all -poured out of the town towards a river, some in -chariots, many on foot, but all eager to get a good -position on a flower-covered hill where a scene which -would fill their hearts with an unhealthful excitement -was to be enacted. For many of the Roman ladies,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> -who wore costly robes, and fared delicately, and were -at once the envy and admiration of the Britons, had -inherited for the most part the passion for a sight -which would now blanch the cheeks of their descendants, -and fill their hearts with horror and shame.</p> - -<p>There are exceptions to every rule, and though at -a first glance the city looked entirely deserted, business -and pleasure alike stopped, and the forum and -temples empty, yet from one or two of the houses of -the higher class of Roman nobility the inhabitants -had not gone forth with the multitude, but had -preferred remaining at home.</p> - -<p>The villa of the noble Roman, Severus, was one -of these; it was built, like all Roman houses, round a -square, which was open to the sky above. A fountain -played in the centre, and round the marble basin were -planted the golden iris with its long-pointed leaves, -and palms with their fan-like foliage; while the water-lilies, -just opening their rounded buds, were rocking -on the water, as it rose and fell with a gentle -splash, pleasant to the ear and soothing to the spirit.</p> - -<p>Couches covered with rich stuffs were arranged -round this outer hall or “atrium,” and on one of them -a lady was reclining; a little maiden of eleven years old -at her feet, and a slave standing by her side, with a -cup in one hand and a cloth in the other, fringed with -gold lace, with which she wiped the lips of her -mistress when she sipped the draught offered her, -after nibbling at a sweet hard cake which she held -in her hand.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>The early sunshine had not yet come into the -court, and the lady said, shuddering—</p> - -<p>“Another scarf, Ebba, it is so cold. Ah, me! how -I long for the warmth of my own country.”</p> - -<p>Ebba placed the salver on a shelf which was just -behind the couch, and taking a rich violet mantle -from a carved chest threw it round her mistress.</p> - -<p>“Is thy master gone with the multitude, and has -he taken Casca with him?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, lady, there is no one left in the house but -myself and the child Hyacintha.”</p> - -<p>At the sound of her name the young girl looked -up. She had been so engrossed with a chain of -Venetian shells she was threading upon gold silk, -that she had apparently no thought for anything -besides.</p> - -<p>“Mother!” she exclaimed, “tell me about the sight -every one has gone forth to see. Why could I not go? -My father might have taken me with Casca.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, Hyacintha, the crowd would have been too -great. I dare not expose thee to its dangers.”</p> - -<p>“The man who is to die is a very evil man, is he -not, mother?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, child, I have not heard so much said.”</p> - -<p>Then the fair-haired British Ebba turned towards -the child.</p> - -<p>“The man is a good man,” she said. “He gave -bread to the hungry, he clothed the naked, and he -has perished because he would fain save the life of -his friend.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>“Ah, that is noble!” said the little maiden with a -light of interest kindled in her clear eyes. “Ah! that -is noble; why should he die?”</p> - -<p>“Thou art too young, my daughter, to understand -the reason why a man like this Alban should die. -But the reason is good, nevertheless. The old faith -must be protected and defended, if it be possible.”</p> - -<p>Ebba’s lips were seen to move, but no sound -passed them.</p> - -<p>“These Christians,” the lady continued, “are trying -to upset, and pull down, and destroy our religion -and our worship; it is only meet that they should be -hindered from further mischief.”</p> - -<p>Again Ebba’s lips moved, and the child, looking -up, thought she caught the words—</p> - -<p>“They cannot be hindered, for God is for them.”</p> - -<p>“Ebba is murmuring to herself, mother,” Hyacintha -said. “Bid her to speak so that we may hear.”</p> - -<p>But the curtain which fell over the entrance to the -dining-hall was seen to quiver as the British slave-girl -disappeared behind it.</p> - -<p>Then the lady exclaimed, “I wish Ebba would -take more heed of her ways, for if she is defiled with -the foreign superstitions, there will be trouble for us. -There is enough trouble as it is. Ah! me, why do -people make so much of religion? Jupiter or Apollo, -or the Christian’s God, it is all the same to me!”</p> - -<p>And the lady leaned back upon her pillow, and -very soon the dark lashes were resting on her cheeks, -and she was wrapt in a gentle slumber.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>There are always people in all ages of the world -of the same easy temperament as this wife of the -noble Severus. The city might be deserted; the -rage of a tyrannical governor might vent itself on the -brave and loyal-hearted Alban, by torture and death, -but what did it concern Ccilia?</p> - -<p>As I said, many other ladies of her rank had gone -out that day to see the cruel sight, and to feast their -eyes on a scene from which delicately nurtured women -might have been supposed to turn with loathing. But -Ccilia, the wife of Severus, hated trouble, and looking -on life as one long festival, disliked to think of -anything which seemed to point to the probability, -that to many it was a season of trial and suffering. -So, lulled by the fountain in the atrium of her husband’s -beautiful villa, she enjoyed a dreamy repose, -and was unconscious of all that was passing about her, -and that her little daughter had put aside the shells -and also disappeared behind the curtain.</p> - -<p>Ebba was on the gallery that ran round the -atrium, and when she saw Hyacintha pull aside the -curtain she came to the head of the marble stairs, and -beckoned to her.</p> - -<p>The child went up to her, saying—</p> - -<p>“What is it you said, Ebba?”</p> - -<p>“Come hither and look from the gallery over the -country, and you will see.”</p> - -<p>As she spoke, Ebba mounted still higher to the -square opening in the roof, on one side of which was -a small covered gallery, whence an extensive view was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> -spread out, of the town and river and country beyond. -The child gazed upon the view before her with wistful, -questioning eyes.</p> - -<p>The throng of people spread over the fields, which -were smiling in the June sunshine; and along the -great Watling Street, and across the bridge, there was -a continuous stream of all ages and sexes.</p> - -<p>The low murmur of the moving multitude reached -the place where the Briton slave and her little mistress -stood, and upon a hill rising on the opposite bank by -the river there was an erection, round which the -glittering helmets of soldiers were shining in the sun. -Hyacintha drew closer to Ebba, and said, in a low -tone—</p> - -<p>“Tell me, Ebba, are they going to see the man -killed? I wish you would speak, and,” she murmured, -“tell me all you know.”</p> - -<p>“If I were to tell you that,” the young Briton said, -“I should be seized and tortured; and I am not ready -to confess my faith.”</p> - -<p>“Thy faith? Is not thy faith to believe that the -gods are above, and watch over men; and that if men -and women submit to their decrees they are protected -and safe.”</p> - -<p>Ebba shook her head.</p> - -<p>“I know not if the Romans are safe under the -care of their gods. I know they have enslaved us -and are stern masters.”</p> - -<p>“Am I not kind to thee, Ebba?” said Hyacintha; -“I would fain be kind; but of late thou hast been so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -strange and sad. Never can I win a laugh from thee. -Never wilt thou play the harp for me to dance and -sing. Tell me all that is in thy heart.”</p> - -<p>Ebba clasped her hands, and leaning upon the -balustrade she said—</p> - -<p>“If I were brave, and not a coward, I should tell -thee all. Nay, I should tell the world; but I am a -coward, and I durst not.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha seated herself on one of the cushioned -seats on the balcony, while Ebba continued to look -out on the moving multitude and the distant hill, the -shining river and the sunny slopes around it, silently -and sadly.</p> - -<p>Ebba was a large, strongly-built maiden of some -eighteen or twenty years. She had been born a slave -in the Roman’s household, and had never known any -other life. Her complexion was florid, and her hair -the richest auburn. She wore the badge of her master -on her arm; and her dress was of woollen material, girt -in at the waist by a band, but falling loosely to her -ankles.</p> - -<p>Ebba was skilful and clever, and was a favourite -with her mistress, who had many attendants, but -always gave Ebba the preference. Time had been -when Ebba had been foremost in providing amusement, -for she could dance to the tambourine, and her -broad face was generally lighted by a smile.</p> - -<p>She was quick in arranging flowers, in plaiting her -lady’s hair, and weaving into it coins and gold ornaments -with a skill which few could rival.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>Of late a change had passed over her, and instead -of a merry girl, who had a light jest and a sally for -every one, she was a grave, sad woman, often speaking -to herself in low tones, and taking no part in the -festive revelries of Severus’s household. The child -Hyacintha was, even at eleven years old, most unusually -beautiful. She was born of a patrician race -on both sides, and fulfilled all the conditions of her -noble birth in her form and features. Her figure, even -now, when childhood was passing into girlhood, was -lithe and supple, and the Roman maiden developed -early, for fourteen was considered as the entrance -into womanhood.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha’s eyes were of that dusky hue which, -taking a new colour with every varying light, defies -description. Her hair was of a deep golden brown; -and though she had every distinctive feature of her -race in the well-cut features, and curved, short upper -lip, with rather a massive chin, her complexion was -fair.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha had been born in the north during her -father’s first year of office about the person of the -Governor; thus the Italian sunshine had not given her -complexion the rich dark hue which characterised her -mother.</p> - -<p>No one could look at Hyacintha, even at that early -age, without seeing that there was in her something -beyond the ordinary type of girlhood. Her mother -might dream away life, and know no higher pleasures -than the acquisition of beautiful dresses and ornaments,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -and in the entertainment of guests, and driving along -the level Watling Street in her well-appointed chariot, -but Hyacintha had already other aims and views. -The child had heard from her father that maidens of -their house had been chosen to keep the sacred fire -burning in the temple of Vesta—that fire which was -never to be quenched—that light which, coming from -heaven, was to keep the sacred flame alive in every -Roman’s hearth and heart!</p> - -<p>Hyacintha would ask her mother many questions -about this temple, and the beautiful city so far away, -and when her mother complained of the chilling winds -and dark skies of the northern climate, she would -ask—</p> - -<p>“Why do we not return to Rome?”</p> - -<p>The British slave-girl, Ebba, could tell her nothing -of that distant city; but of late, when she spoke of it, -she would speak of another city fairer and more beautiful -than Rome could be, and when Hyacintha asked -how people reached it, she would clasp her hands and -say—</p> - -<p>“By a rough and terrible way, from which the -timid shrank, but the brave of heart went forth boldly -to tread.”</p> - -<p>Several times in the course of that long summer’s -day did little Hyacintha mount to the balcony and -look out on the crowd which covered the hill-side.</p> - -<p>Now and then a few stragglers returned, or a -chariot with prancing steeds rolled along the great -Watling Street.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>Women, tired of carrying their children, came -back to the city, and by the evening there were knots -of people in the city all talking of what had happened -on the hill above the river. Just at sunset the servants -of Severus’s household returned, and the evening -meal was laid in the inner hall or banqueting-room. -Very soon the wheels of chariots were heard rolling -up, and Hyacintha ran down to meet her father and -brother, and hear the news.</p> - -<p>Severus had several officers and gentlemen with -him, and was scarcely conscious of his little daughter’s -presence till she pulled the sleeve of his robe.</p> - -<p>“Tell me, father, is the man dead?”</p> - -<p>“Ay, little one, and so may all the enemies of the -gods perish. But such a story is not for thy ears, my -Hyacintha. See, take thy lute and play to us while -we sup. These fellows have had enough of freedom -for one day, and the supper is late. How now, slaves!” -Severus exclaimed, clapping his hands, “let the guests -be served.”</p> - -<p>The couches were soon filled by the company, and -Ccilia reclined at the head of the board, dressed in -the richest violet silk, with gold trimmings, a long -veil floating at the back of her head.</p> - -<p>Ebba was in attendance, and a seat at the end of -the sofa or couch was reserved for Hyacintha.</p> - -<p>“Where have you left Casca? Where is my son?” -Ccilia asked.</p> - -<p>“The boy is weary, and the day has been too -much for him. He has not the nerve and muscle of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -Spartan,” was the reply; “not so much as our little -maiden here, I verily believe.”</p> - -<p>“And, indeed,” said a grave man, who was one of -the guests, “it was a sight to affect a boy of your -son’s tender years.”</p> - -<p>The Roman father laughed.</p> - -<p>“Nay, may he never see worse sights than that we -have witnessed to-day. There was not enough terror in -it; these miserable Christians need stronger discipline; -they are so stubborn. When the beasts spring on them -in the arena, and a huge leopard plays with one like a -ball, then it is somewhat thrilling, I grant, but to-day! -Fill the cups, and let us drink to the health of the -Governor, and pour out a libation to the gods in token -of gratitude that it has been given to us to crush out -another at least of these reptiles.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, now,” said a young man, “you forget the -executioner.”</p> - -<p>“Aye, so I did, that was a fine addition to the -scene. I could laugh now to think of it!”</p> - -<p>Severus saw that his little daughter was following -every word that was said with extreme earnestness, -and that Ebba, who was standing with a scent-bottle -and a large fan close to her mistress, was scanning the -face of the last speaker eagerly.</p> - -<p>“Bid the musicians strike up,” Severus said; “our -talk is scarcely pleasant for ladies to hear. And then, -when we have had a good stirring melody, my little -daughter shall sing us a good-night strain on her lute. -Eh, my pretty one?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>“Father, I pray you to excuse me to-night,” -Hyacintha said; “I am weary, and I have no heart to -sing.”</p> - -<p>She stepped down from her place on her mother’s -couch, and with a curtsey, and graceful wave of her -hand to the guests at the table, disappeared.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER II.<br /> - -<small>NIGHT.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Although</span> Casca and Hyacintha were their parents’ -only children, there were no very intimate relations -existing between them.</p> - -<p>Casca was almost entirely at the schools, where -he was preparing for active service, and receiving such -training as was deemed needful for a young Roman. -His father was disappointed that his only boy should -be pale and delicate, that his arms should not be -muscular, and that he was always at fault in any -game, or trial of strength. Severus did his best to -harden his only son, and it was with that idea that he -had taken him with him that morning to see the execution -of Alban.</p> - -<p>Severus was in attendance on the Governor, and, -shrinking and frightened, the boy stood by his father’s -side, hiding his face in his short toga, when the -martyr was scourged till the ground was moistened -with his blood. Judge and Governor alike were pitiless, -and, believing they were performing an act of service -to their gods by crushing out the confessors of the -Christian faith in Verulam, they were determined to -make the whole scene as impressive as possible.</p> - -<p>Alban was no common man: it was necessary<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> -that his execution should be conducted in no ordinary -fashion.</p> - -<p>He had lived in one of the finest villas in the city, -he was a learned scholar, and had unquestioned taste -in the fine arts which the Romans were introducing -into Britain.</p> - -<p>Although born at Verulam, Alban had, in his -youth, travelled to Rome, and when he returned had -been looked upon with veneration and respect. Although -a Pagan, and scrupulous in his attendance on -all high ceremonies in the temple of the gods, Alban -had always been charitable and compassionate, and -the poor found in him a friend.</p> - -<p>Thus, full of kindness, when the Emperor’s edict -published against the Christians at Rome and in all -Roman provinces was issued, Alban opened his house -to a man who was fleeing from his persecutors, and -a minister of the religion of Christ. This was the -turning-point of Alban’s life; this was the first step to -the martyrdom which he had suffered gladly on this -summer day for the faith of Christ crucified.</p> - -<p>It is hard for us to realise, or grasp as facts, the -terrible persecutions of those distant times.</p> - -<p>Perhaps nothing is a stronger testimony to the -Christian faith than that the more it was attacked, and -the fiercer the persecution of its disciples, the more it -grew and strengthened.</p> - -<p>It has been so in all times; it will be so in all -future ages, “for the Lord remaineth a King for -ever.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>Hyacintha went to find her brother. The child’s -head was filled with a strange yearning curiosity to -know all particulars of what had passed.</p> - -<p>She went up the marble staircase once more, and -again looked out from the balcony over the city and -the country.</p> - -<p>The western sky was still aglow, and the outline -of the hill was marked against it in purple lines. The -river caught a reflection from a crescent moon which -hung above it, and rippled in the silvery light.</p> - -<p>The country beyond the city was asleep, but the -city, which had been so quiet in the morning, was -now astir. The buzz and murmur of voices rose on -the still air, and slaves were seen conducting Roman -citizens of note to their homes. Torches were lighted, -silver lamps burning in the “Halls,” while strains of -music and the voices of singing girls were borne on -the breath of the evening air.</p> - -<p>But Hyacintha did not stay on the balcony long; -she turned from it to a room on the opposite side of -the square opening, where she knew she should find -her brother.</p> - -<p>She went softly round to the doorway, and gently -clapped her hands.</p> - -<p>“Enter!” was said in a low voice; “is that you, -Claudius?”</p> - -<p>“No, Casca, it is only Hyacintha;” and Hyacintha -pushed back the curtain and stood half shyly by her -brother’s side.</p> - -<p>He had thrown himself down on a couch, his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -hands folded behind his head, and his whole attitude -one of extreme weariness.</p> - -<p>“What do you want, Hyacintha?”</p> - -<p>“I want news,” she replied; “tell me what you -have seen to-day. Do tell me all the truth about the -death of the evil man.”</p> - -<p>Casca sprang up.</p> - -<p>“Hush! Do not speak of that you know not, child. -Evil, forsooth! he was good, not evil.”</p> - -<p>“That is what I want to be sure of. Be kind, -brother, be kind, and tell me the story.”</p> - -<p>But Casca sank back again upon his cushion, and -said—</p> - -<p>“Not to-night. I shall never sleep if I rehearse it. -I could not go over it again. Who are below?” he -asked, as the sounds of music and singing came from -the atrium.</p> - -<p>“A few guests, some that my father brought home; -no ladies but my mother.”</p> - -<p>“Is not Junia there, the sister of Claudius?”</p> - -<p>“No, unless she has arrived since I left the banqueting-hall. -I would not stay, though father prayed -me to sing to the lute. I could not stay, because I -wanted to find thee.”</p> - -<p>“Dear little sister,” Casca said, “I would not be -rough to thee.”</p> - -<p>“Thou art never rough, brother,” was the answer, -“and I love thee dearly. I only wish I knew more of -thy secrets. May I stay with thee?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, draw that stool to the window, and pull<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -the curtain aside. I like to see the sky and the -stars.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha obeyed, and waited for what her brother -would say next; he was contemplating the graceful -outline of her head against the sky, as, with her elbow -on the deep stone ledge of the window, her cheek -resting upon her hand, she made a study any artist -might long to put on canvas. Hyacintha waited patiently -for her brother to speak, and at last he broke -the silence, though not in the way she expected.</p> - -<p>“I am a bitter disappointment to our father, Hyacintha, -a poor, puny weakling like me; there are times -when I long for death, to be free of this life. It may -be that the gods would be merciful to me and give -me the strength hereafter I lack here. But to-day, -when I saw death, I shuddered and swooned. I am -a wretched coward, with no power to live, and no -power to die.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha’s eyes filled with tears. What comfort -had a heathen to offer in all these exigencies of life -and death? What could Hyacintha say to throw any -light or hope over her brother’s darkness? Though but -a child, she had heard much, from the grown-up -people with whom she associated, of the world, and -the pleasures of dance and song, and the games and -all the luxuries and refinements of life, which were -supposed to be a cure for heart-aches and trials. But -Ebba had talked of feeding the hungry, nursing the -sick, and clothing the naked, as a way to be happy. -She said this man, Alban, had done these things, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -that there was always a light on his face which was -not shed there by any of the pleasures in which others -indulged. Poor Hyacintha’s mind was all confused -and bewildered; she almost wished she could be gay -and careless like Junia, whose voice, singing a familiar -song, now sounded from the atrium.</p> - -<p>She began dimly to grasp the fact that something -was wanted to make life different from the life her -mother led, and many ladies, who frequented the -atrium and lay on the luxurious couches there, and -toyed with their bracelets and ornaments.</p> - -<p>“I will pray my father,” Hyacintha thought “that -I may go to Rome, and be trained for a priestess, in -the temple of Vesta. Yes, I will pray him that I may -do this, then I shall be happier far, for it will be doing -something grand and noble.”</p> - -<p>Her meditations were a second time broken in -upon by her brother’s voice.</p> - -<p>“Hark! I think I hear Claudius’s footstep. Yes; -run, Hyacintha, and admit him.”</p> - -<p>But Claudius did not wait to be admitted. He -came springing in with a light step, and a cheery -voice, a voice that had laughter in it, like the ripple -of a brook hidden amongst moss and stones.</p> - -<p>“So, here you are, hiding and moping! Wherefore -such dolorous looks, young Casca? I am in the highest -spirits. What think you? I am chosen for the race -to-morrow, and I will win, too. Your pardon, fair Hyacintha. -I did not perceive you in the shadow of the -curtain. What ails you, Casca?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>“Weariness of myself and life, that is all,” the boy -said; “you are in its full zest and enjoyment, while -I——”</p> - -<p>“Pish! what folly! The best time is coming. Why, -as soon as you wear the toga virilis you will feel the -man. Were you on the hill to-day?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, I was <i>forced</i> to be there by my father.”</p> - -<p>“Forced! Well, it was a fine spectacle; though to -say the truth, there’s many a worse fellow than Alban -about the city. Those sly Christians are doing secretly -here in Verulam what Alban did openly, there’s the -difference. They may be unearthed any day, and the -sooner the better.”</p> - -<p>“I do not know the whole story,” Hyacintha said. -“I pray you, Claudius, tell it to me. If I ask my father -he puts me off; and my mother says it is only that -some wicked men should be got rid of. And Ebba -is full of mystery, and sighs and mutters, but will not -speak.”</p> - -<p>“I will speak, if so it pleases you, little Hyacintha,” -said Claudius, “and tell what there is to be told, always -providing that I agree with your lady mother, -the sooner the reptiles are crushed out the better.”</p> - -<p>“You will find a draught in yonder cup,” Casca -said, raising himself lazily on one arm; “that will refresh -you before you begin.” Claudius soon trained -the contents of the cup, and then replenished it from -a flagon which stood by it.</p> - -<p>“Aye, that is like nectar,” he said. Then he threw -his large muscular limbs upon some cushions piled up<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -in a corner near the window, where Hyacintha sat, -her figure a little bent forward, and her eyes fastened -upon the boy, as he began his tale.</p> - -<p>“Only a few months ago, Alban was one of the -most devoted worshippers in the temple of Apollo. -He spent large sums on sacrifices, and if he poured -out a libation, it was of the purest wine. There was -no stint with him, as you know, or ought to know. A -man who professed to teach and preach this new -superstition was fleeing from his pursuers. Walking -along Watling Street, Alban, noticing his breathless -condition, inquired what ailed him. He said the -Governor’s minions were upon him. Alban, struck -with the man’s agony, hastily conducted him to his -house, and harboured him there in secret.</p> - -<p>“It is said that the miserable fugitive prayed night -and day to his God, asking for help, and also that -Alban should be turned from the old faith to believe -these lies.”</p> - -<p>“Are you—is any one—sure they <i>are</i> lies?” Casca -asked.</p> - -<p>“Look you, Casca,” said Claudius, “it is not for -any one here to ask that question. Suffice it, that -they are lies, base lies.”</p> - -<p>Casca sighed heavily, and Claudius continued—</p> - -<p>“The fugitive, whose name was Amphibalus, at last -succeeded in his base designs. Alban, whom every -one respected and honoured here, professed himself a -Christian, and then the scene changed. So well had -Alban hidden this fellow, that it was not for many<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -days that suspicion was directed to his house. When -at least it was searched, he, the stranger, had fled. -Alban had give him one of his best robes, and wearing -that, he escaped suspicion, and passed through -the gates. But Alban himself, clothed in the Caracalla, -which is the robe the fellow wore, was now under -suspicion. ‘You will suffer in his stead, unless -you at once sacrifice to the images of the gods,’ the -judge said.”</p> - -<p>“To tell the truth,” said Claudius, “there was -something noble in the fellow, for no tortures could -make him give in. Hush! what is that?”</p> - -<p>A low voice was heard to say—</p> - -<p>“Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay -down his life for his friends.”</p> - -<p>“It is Ebba’s voice,” Hyacintha exclaimed, and -running towards the door, she found Ebba standing -there.</p> - -<p>“It is Ebba,” Hyacintha repeated. “Permit her to -enter and hear the story to the end.” Casca nodded -his head by way of assent, and Ebba, leaning against -the wall over which a curtain hung, listened intently -while Claudius finished his story.</p> - -<p>“No tortures,” he continued, “would make the -fellow give in. The scourge ploughed his back pretty -well. He had thirty-nine stripes, and we expected to -see him fall down dead.”</p> - -<p>“Were you in the hall?” Casca exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“Yes, I have seen the whole play played out,” the -boy said carelessly. “The grand climax was to-day,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -when the executioner threw himself at Alban’s feet, -and begged to die with him, or for him. And then -there was an uproar indeed. A great multitude pressed -round Alban, who was praying and calling upon his -God, and crying to Jesus to have mercy, and turn the -hearts of the people to himself.</p> - -<p>“The governor and judge, however, made short -work. A new executioner, one of the soldiers, was -easily found, and it was not long before the heads of -both Alban and Heraclius were rolling on the turf, -and their blood sprinkled on the flowers. But they -say in the city to-night that there are many who are -full of this superstition, and that there will be many -more. Thank the gods I am not one!”</p> - -<p>Ebba, who had been standing motionless by the -door, murmured something, which was not distinctly -heard, and then vanished.</p> - -<p>“I believe Ebba is one of them,” Casca said. “If -it is so, it will bring us all into trouble, and my father -ought to know.”</p> - -<p>“Well, a truce to the poor wretches. Now,” said -Claudius, “let us talk of other things. Ah! here is -Ebba with the light. She will not leave us in darkness.”</p> - -<p>Ebba did not speak, but lighted the two hanging -lamps, which cast a soft radiance on the room, and on -those who were in it. The beautiful childlike face of -Hyacintha was brought out from the shadows, and -large tears were seen upon her cheeks.</p> - -<p>“Do not tell father, dear brother,” she said, “about<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -Ebba. I pray you, do not. It might end in her death. -And, oh!” exclaimed Hyacintha passionately, “I do -dread death, the darkness whither we must go, before -we reach the Elysian fields.”</p> - -<p>“Do not fret, little sister. You are too grave for -your tender years; come, sing to me and Claudius -the good-night song you refused to sing to the guests -below.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! sing to us, and then I must seek for my -sister, and conduct her home. The guests are leaving -the hall, some of them are hilarious enough.”</p> - -<p>As he spoke, loud laughter ascended from the -atrium, and the torches which the attendants and -slaves lifted flashed through the street. There was -not much need of their light this evening. The days -of our northern climate were at their longest, and almost -before daylight faded from the west, streaks of -dawn brightened the east.</p> - -<p>The people of Verulam had gone through a tiring -day, and the city was wrapt earlier than usual in repose.</p> - -<p>It was just between midnight and the first hour of -the coming day that a figure, veiled closely, glided -across the square, which lay on one side of the villa -Severus, and following the course of the river crossed -it towards the hill, where the great spectacle of the -day before had been witnessed by so many thousands. -These were for the most part sleeping peacefully in -Verulam, but some were yet watching on the spot -where the martyrs had shed their blood.</p> - -<p>One of them was the priest whose life Alban had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -saved at the expense of his own, and as the dark-veiled -figure crept up the hill-side he advanced to -meet it.</p> - -<p>“Is it thou, my daughter, Ebba, the slave of the -Roman house?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, father, and I would fain follow thee. I am -not afraid now. I will confess Christ before men. If -I am to die, He will be with me, and I cannot—I dare -not—tarry any longer. Baptise me; I am ready.”</p> - -<p>“Art thou sure thou art in truth ready to leave all -for Christ, to dare to confess thy faith?”</p> - -<p>The girl’s lips faltered, and she said—</p> - -<p>“I would fain remain with my mistress if it were -possible. I love her little daughter so well.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! I see, thou art <i>not</i> ready to leave all for -Christ. There must be no halting between two -opinions. My daughter, he who was done to a cruel -death on this spot to-day, and whose blessed body we -have buried here in silence and darkness, did not -halt. Never can I forget the decision he showed. In -the very hour that he believed, he confessed, and gave -up all. Think what a renunciation it was: his fine -house, whither the noblest and the most learned scholars -amongst the Romans resorted; the honour paid him -when he went to the temple to sacrifice to the false -gods; the respect also felt for his gifts and talents. -Yet he never faltered, and when the great trial-hour -came he sent me forth in his robe, with a face as glad<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -as if, when he arrayed himself in my Caracalla,<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> he -had donned his wedding garment.</p> - -<p>“That robe was the signal for his death. He did -not fear to die for Christ, and he stood before the -Governor, so those tell me who saw him, with a face -shining like that of an angel. I have been in hiding -near by, and have remained under cover of the darkness, -to make known to the faithful whither I am gone, -that they may perchance follow me, and in the fastnesses -of Wales, we may add daily to our number -such as shall be saved. Say, Ebba, wilt thou follow? -See, there are signs of dawn in the east. I may not -tarry. That group yonder seen in dark, dim, outline, -is composed of those who are following me to a meeting-place -I have indicated. Wilt thou join thyself to -them?”</p> - -<p>The poor British slave bowed her head, and clasping -her hands, said, “I will follow thee.”</p> - -<p>Then the priest led her to a spring, and baptised -the heathen Ebba by the name “Anna.”</p> - -<p>The morning star was shining brightly, and the -summer dawn breaking over the hills, when, by the -grave of the two martyrs, the cross was signed upon -the forehead of the British slave.</p> - -<p>The ceremony was performed in haste, and then -the little band dispersed, to escape observation, some -in one direction, some in another, but all to meet in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -a thick wood, near a place called Radburn, three -miles distant from the city of Verulam.</p> - - -<p>Ebba, or Anna, as we must now call her, was -committed to the care of a recent convert, named -Agatha, who had concealed a little band of Christians -in her house in the city, and who was an aunt to -the soldier who had thrown away his sword and died -rather than execute the savage commands of the -Governor and Judge. There was no time for many -words. Agatha kissed Anna on the forehead and -said—</p> - -<p>“I welcome thee, my daughter, to the inheritance -of the saints, be it death or be it life.” And then in -silence the two women pursued their way through -the flower-scented meadow-land, and reached the -shelter of the tangled wood at Radburn before the -sun rose.</p> - -<p>A cave in this wood, the mouth of which was -covered with brushwood, was the appointed meeting-place. -Here Amphibalus the priest had been hiding -since Alban had permitted him to escape. And here, -worn out with the events of the previous day, on beds -made of dry leaves and heather, Anna lay down with -her new friend to rest.</p> - -<p>The cave was of some extent, and had several -divisions. A fissure in the rock above lighted the -inner part, which was allotted to the women. Even in -summer it was a cold habitation, and only when the -sun was high in the heavens could any warmth and -cheerfulness penetrate it. As Anna lay gazing up into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -the roof, she could see the blue sky far above her -through the interlacing boughs of brambles, and low-growing -maples which grew over the opening.</p> - -<p>The thrushes were singing their morning song, -and there was innumerable chirping of newly-fledged -birds, while the lowing of distant cattle and the -nearer humming of bees, kept up a continuous low -murmur.</p> - -<p>Poor Anna could not sleep; she was thinking over -the life in the Roman villa, of all the little offices it -would soon be time to perform for her mistress and -for Hyacintha. She knew full well that she would be -missed before long, and perhaps pursued and found. -That punishment, if not death, was the doom of the -escaped slave, she knew well. The band, the badge -of that slavery, was still on her arm, and could only -be taken off by the hand of a smith. It would betray -her as the runaway slave of the noble Severus, though -the cross, the sign of her new faith, was invisible to -all eyes but the angels.</p> - -<p>Anna’s was not a strong, heroic soul; she was, as -she had told her little mistress, a coward. “Yet He -giveth strength to the <i>weak</i>” was a promise to be fulfilled -in her case, as in that of the thousands who -have learned to “count all things but loss for the love -of Christ.”</p> - -<p>Agatha was of a very different nature. She was -sleeping as soundly and quietly as a child, while her -young companion tossed and turned with wide-open -eyes and restless limbs till noonday was near. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -outer caves were getting full, and the whispers of the -fugitives awoke Agatha.</p> - -<p>“Have you slept, my daughter?” she said.</p> - -<p>“Nay, I cannot sleep. I do not feel any peace, -though I would not go back if I could.” Then she -added hastily, and in a weak, low voice, “I am -hungry.”</p> - -<p>Agatha smiled.</p> - -<p>“Ah!” she said, “hunger and weariness are a -part of the cross we must bear after Christ; but -thou art young, my child, and I will see whether I can -find thee some food. We have had but scant measure -here.”</p> - -<p>Agatha disappeared within the outer cave, and -presently returned, beckoning Anna to follow her.</p> - -<p>Awe-struck, the girl obeyed, and there, in the -outer cave, a little congregation was gathered round -Amphibalus, who was kneeling at a rude table formed -by a fragment of rock which blocked up the entrance -to the cavern.</p> - -<p>At a sign from Agatha, Anna knelt with the rest, -and then Amphibalus rising, turned to the people, -and bade them draw near and receive the sign of -the love of the Crucified One, the bread and the wine -which He had commanded. In a few short words, -he rehearsed the story of the Cross to those poor -trembling converts who at any moment might be discovered -and dragged off to a cruel death. He told -of the life which now is, and that hope of the life to -come, as the blessed experience of the Christian, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -his anchor. For life here without Him is darkness, -and life there without Him is a dread void. What -did stripes and persecution weigh in the balance, -when the future exceeding glory and joy were on the -other side! Then he went on to speak of Alban, and -the soldier who died with him, rather than live without -him, and to bid all those present to encourage -each other in steadfastness and courage.</p> - -<p>The Communion was then celebrated; the water -from a neighbouring spring, being coloured with wine -which Amphibalus had preserved in a small leathern -flask in a secret pocket of his robe, filled the rude cup -which was offered to the little band, and small fragments -of wheaten bread were eaten.</p> - -<p>The command thus obeyed in all simplicity of faith -brought its blessing with it. Surely the strengthening -and refreshing of these fugitives were a great reality, -and poor Anna, rising from her knees with a smile on -her lips, whispered—</p> - -<p>“I will feed on Thee in my heart, O Saviour, and -I shall know neither hunger nor thirst.”</p> - -<p>There was need of faith, for the bodies of the -little band were nearly exhausted before food came. -It was not till darkness covered the face of the country -that a messenger was sent to Radburn to buy bread. -He returned about midnight, with loaves concealed in -his clothes, and a pewter flagon or cup, that could be -filled from the spring, and was handed round.</p> - -<p>When the bread was divided every one of the -fainting converts received the right share, and then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -Amphibalus prayed for a blessing, and that this food -might support the bodies of those who partook of it -till more bountiful provision was vouchsafed.</p> - -<p>A consultation was held as to the future, and it -was decided that the small band should remain in -hiding in the cave to await the coming in of any more -fugitives from the city.</p> - -<p>Agatha, who was a strong and active woman, -busied herself in making the three caves more habitable, -by heaping up the heather and dried leaves for -beds, and plaiting some of it into small baskets, which -might be useful for exchanging for food whenever -there was any obtainable in their wanderings.</p> - -<p>Wales was the probable destination of the little -community, where it was hoped they might find employment -as keepers of pigs and cattle, and in the -fastnesses of that district make converts from the -scanty population, and by degrees found a church -there.</p> - -<p>Agatha’s cheerful, bright spirit infected Anna, and -she began to take heart, and as the Gospel story was -told her by her friend her soul expanded under its -influence, and she only longed that her dear little -mistress could have the same good news, and bitterly -repented that through fear and terror of the consequences -she had kept silence, and that she had not -answered many earnest questions that the child had -asked her.</p> - -<p>It was too late now.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER III.<br /> - -<small>THE MISSING SLAVE.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> was a good deal of consternation in the -household of the noble Severus when Ebba’s flight -was discovered.</p> - -<p>An ominous frown upon Severus’s brow, as he -entered his wife’s chamber, showed that a storm was -brewing.</p> - -<p>His lady had just had her morning bath, and was -crying in a very undignified way for Ebba, declaring -that the attendant, who was doing her best to supply -her place, scorched her head with the crimping iron; -that no one could plait her hair as Ebba did; that no -one could twist into it the gold threads, or place the -plait in the right position, but Ebba.</p> - -<p>“Silence!” exclaimed Severus; “what mean you, to -chide and wail like a weakling infant? Begone, all of -you,” he said, clapping his hands; “begone, slaves, nor -return till I bid you.”</p> - -<p>The attendants, frightened by their master’s threatening -air, took flight like a flock of pigeons, and only -Hyacintha remained.</p> - -<p>“Didst hear my order, child?”</p> - -<p>But Hyacintha, whose eyes were swollen with -weeping, said—</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>“Father, do not send me hence, I pray you.”</p> - -<p>Severus seldom said a harsh word to his little -daughter, and it was not often that she witnessed his -outbursts of passion.</p> - -<p>He offered no opposition when Hyacintha nestled -closer to her mother on the couch, merely saying—</p> - -<p>“Then hold your peace if you stay, nor make a -single objection to what I have to say. This slave, -Ebba, has, it seems, been in league with the poor -reptiles whom, by order of the Emperor, we are to do -our best to crush out of this land. By the gods! it is -no pleasant thing for me to have cold and scornful -looks turned on me in the Governor’s hall to-day; to -be suspected as the master of a household of these -creatures. ‘Forsooth,’ one said in my ear, ‘the runaway -slave is not the only tainted one in thy house.’ -I swear by the gods, that if he referred to my own -son, I will not spare him, no, I will deliver him up.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha, who buried her face in her mother’s -mantle, gave a low cry of terror.</p> - -<p>“Peace, child,” said her father; “I do not know if -Casca is infected, but I will take care to stop the infection -if it be so. I have set a price on Ebba’s -head, and do not doubt I shall scent her out; but it -is of this daughter of ours I wish to speak. I propose -to send her to Rome without delay, to begin her training -under our kinswoman, Terentia Rufilla. It is -time—high time—and I shall proceed at once.”</p> - -<p>Ccilia was not a mother to be too much concerned -about her child’s future. The loss of Ebba, which entailed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -personal inconvenience, really distressed her more -than this proposed separation from her only daughter. -Hyacintha had for some time heard a rumour that -this office in the temple of the goddess Vesta was to -be her appointed lot. As, in later times, the daughters -of noble families were consigned to the convent, and -given no choice in the matter by their parents, but -compelled to take the veil, so, in the era of which I -write, there was no question as to the propriety of -devoting them to the service of Vesta, which was considered -the most honourable of all services connected -with the temples of the gods.</p> - -<p>There were often difficulties in the way, as many -requirements had to be satisfied before a candidate -for the office was accepted, but Hyacintha could fulfil -these. She was of noble birth, and fair to look upon; -her disposition was gentle, and her temper sweet. She -had never rebelled against her parents’ wishes in her -short life, and she was not likely to do so now. Indeed, -of late she had been herself looking forward to the -temple service; child as she was, she hungered for -service, to do some great and noble deed, and know -some higher life than that which the ladies about her -led, of feasting and song, of excessive ornaments and -luxurious plenty on the board of food and wine.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Severus continued, “I can obtain an excellent -convoy for Hyacintha in the course of a few -days, and Casca shall accompany her. The family of -Burrhus are returning thither by way of Gaul with a -maniple. The Emperor has ordered their return, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -Burrhus’s services are needed about Diocletian. His -wife will care for our little one, and she will be safe. -What sayest thou, Hyacintha, my fair blossom?”</p> - -<p>The stern brow relaxed now, and the child saw it. -She stepped down from her mother’s couch, and going -to her father said—</p> - -<p>“I say, I will go to be trained to serve in the -temple, though I grieve to leave thee and my mother.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! Hyacintha,” exclaimed her mother, “thou -wert always strange in thy tastes. Even thy foster-mother -said thou never didst care for toys, and such -things as infants love. It will run through thy life, -methinks.”</p> - -<p>“If I had but Ebba. If I had——”</p> - -<p>“Peace! no more of thy hankering for the slave. -I will let thee see her head when it is brought in. A -meek-faced hypocrite! I know her well,” said her -father.</p> - -<p>“She was ever a helpful maiden to me, and I shall -want her sorely,” complained Ccilia. “I pray she -may escape thy wrath. And be patient with Casca. -The boy has——”</p> - -<p>“The boy has no strength of mind or body,” was -the answer, as Severus left the room.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha summoned back the attendants at her -mother’s order, and listened for some time to a succession -of complaints and regrets for Ebba, which -apparently took as little effect on the other maidens as -the dropping of the water on the marble of the atrium -had upon the smooth polished surface.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>At length the toilette was completed, and the lady, -richly dressed, repaired to the public bath, which was -as much frequented in Verulam as in Rome. The -baths of these times answered to the fashionable clubs -and resorts of to-day. Acquaintances and friends met -there, discussed the news, expressed surprise at the -slow arrival of the post from Rome, one of the chief -stations for news being placed at Verulam, talked -gossip and scandal, as is the custom with unoccupied -women of every rank and every nation, in that time, -as in our own.</p> - -<p>Ccilia was accounted beautiful, and a person of -distinction. She was one of the leaders of fashion, -and her cosmetics and perfumes were the admiration -of her friends, and the envy of her enemies.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the word “enemy” is too strong a word to -use. Ccilia had scarcely enough character to provoke -an enemy. Her colourless nature knew no strong -shadows and no bright lights. She lived for herself -and the passing hour, and the maternal instinct was -dead within her—dead, so far as any trouble about -her children was concerned. She could love them -till they needed anything at her hands, but if that -point were reached, her love could not show itself in -taking any trouble on their behalf. From all we can -gather in contemporary records, the atmosphere in -which the fashionable Roman lady of these times -lived and moved was a deadening one. A few sprang -out of it, who read and studied their own Latin -authors and the Greek tongue, and with a wonderful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -persistency of purpose mastered many abstruse questions, -and hungered after higher and better things, -and nobler aims.</p> - -<p>But Ccilia, the wife of Severus, was content to be -ignorant; she thought this Christianity, which had cost -her the services of her slave, low and vulgar, too low -and vulgar for her to give it a thought, if she had -one to give. And when she had settled herself on a -couch in the public baths with her three attendants, -she was not well pleased to find Junia, the sister of -Claudius, next her, and intent on asking questions -and getting them answered.</p> - -<p>Junia was the daughter of a British chief, or noble, -as the Romans preferred that title, who had married -an Italian girl, previously attached to the person of -one of the ladies brought by a former governor from -Rome.</p> - -<p>The stern and rough old Briton had become -enslaved by the beauty and fascination of the young -Cornelia, and had laid himself and all he possessed -at her feet.</p> - -<p>She had withered under the cold breath of the -north country, and the rude luxury of the Briton’s -home had been little in harmony with the early life -Cornelia had spent in Italy. She had died and left -her husband disconsolate, with two children on his -hands, whom he found it hard to manage. They -united the bold daring of the Briton with the quick, -hot passions of the Italian, and before Junia was fifteen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -she had thrust a stiletto, in a fit of rage, into the -breast of a slave, and killed her!</p> - -<p>To our notions this dreadful act would have -brought upon the girl a lifelong misery, and she -would have been for ever withdrawn from the society -of her friends and relations. But it was widely different -then. The sharp and highly-polished stiletto -was always at hand, and a prick from it, which drew -blood, was frequently administered to a careless or -idle slave.</p> - -<p>If the wound had by chance been deeper than was -intended—well, it was only the loss of a piece of property, -and the master would bear it!</p> - -<p>One slave, more or less, was not of very great -moment to a wealthy proprietor. And the slave herself, -unless, as in the case of Ebba, who had suited -the whims of her mistress, was scarcely missed.</p> - -<p>Junia was a bold, dark-eyed girl, with the free -and confident manner which was sufficiently dangerous -in a society like that in which she moved. She -was conscious that her British extraction on one side -placed her on a lower level than the proud Roman -ladies of Verulam, but if conscious of it, she never -showed it, and was perfectly unabashed and self confident.</p> - -<p>Junia now threw herself down by Ccilia’s side, -and tossing back the broad red ribbon which confined -her hair, she exclaimed, “So the faithful Ebba, the -paragon of perfection, is gone. What will you do -without her services, fair Ccilia?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>“I have other maidens at hand,” said Ccilia, -coldly. “They are skilful.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, doubtless,” Junia said, laughing, and showing -a row of white teeth. “Yes, let her go, I say; -but I know the noble Severus will have her head. I -only hope it will not come in alone, but have company.” -And again there was a ringing laugh.</p> - -<p>“And tell me, beautiful Ccilia, is it true that -Hyacintha is to be sent to Rome?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, Hyacintha is to go to Rome without delay,” -Ccilia answered.</p> - -<p>“To be trained for a priestess to the goddess -Vesta?”</p> - -<p>“I think it may be so.”</p> - -<p>“Alas! What a doleful life for the lovely maiden—a -priestess—no marriage for her, no love, no freedom. -I would rather be buried at once in one of the -subterranean places they tell us so much of.”</p> - -<p>“My daughter is of tender years,” said Ccilia. -“She will at present only be educated under the care -of her father’s aunt—the noble Terentia Rufilla. The -hall of the Vestals is no mean home. They have -everything that is meet for the children of noble -Romans. And,” continued Ccilia, with a languid air -of pride, “be it remembered that Vestals can only be -chosen from the noblest houses of pure, unmixed -descent.”</p> - -<p>Junia laughed.</p> - -<p>“I see,” she exclaimed, “no poor maiden whose -father is a son of the conquered race could hope for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -the honour. Ah! well, she courts it not. Here comes -my warlike brother. Well, Claudius, how fares it -to-day in the wrestling? Hast thou thrown down -Casca?”</p> - -<p>“Casca!” he exclaimed. “Casca was not in the -course at all.”</p> - -<p>“What, noble Ccilia,” the boy said, “is it really -true that you part with Casca and Hyacintha? The -arena and the schools are full of rumours to-day. -Some say one thing, some another, but all agree that -Christian superstition has laid an egg in the house -of the noble Severus, and that a brood has been -hatched.”</p> - -<p>“I am sick of questions,” exclaimed Ccilia, -shrinking, as we all do, from the knowledge that our -private affairs are made food for hungry gossips. So -many of us are like the ostrich, and, hiding our heads -in the sand, persuade ourselves that we are unseen -and unnoticed. It was really very troublesome and -fatiguing to be cross-examined by this boy and girl -about private matters, Ccilia thought! She clapped -her hands, and the maidens in attendance, who had -retired to a quarter of the hall where they and other -slaves and attendants were congregated, signified her -desire that her chariot should be ordered for an -airing on the wide, smooth road known as Watling -Street.</p> - -<p>Claudius conducted her to the chariot with an -easy grace which he inherited from his mother.</p> - -<p>He had been quick to notice the cloud which he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -had called up on the lady’s face, and Junia’s laugh -reached his ear, as, turning to some young associates -with whom she was popular, he heard her repeating -the news of the day to them.</p> - -<p>“I crave pardon if I have seemed to fail in -respect, lady,” he said. “I must ask leave to visit -Casca before sunset.”</p> - -<p>Ccilia bowed, and smiled graciously.</p> - -<p>“We shall see you at supper-time,” she said. “My -husband has bidden the Greek dancing-girls to perform -before us, and one of them plays the lute with -uncommon skill. This will afford amusement for you -and Casca.”</p> - -<p>Claudius thought truly that Casca was in no mood -for dancing-girls and music, but scarcely expected -to find him in the state of melancholy prostration -in his chamber, which at first seemed almost like -despair.</p> - -<p>Claudius had a warm heart, and was sincerely -attached to his friend.</p> - -<p>He took his accustomed place opposite him, and -rallied him on his sad looks.</p> - -<p>“Have you heard my fate?” Casca asked.</p> - -<p>“Fate! I hear you are to depart to Rome with -Burrhus: a very pleasant fate, by Apollo! I would I -were to accompany you. But, for the sake of all that -is holy, try to wear a brighter face. Half the young -Romans in Verulam will envy you, to say nothing of -a hybrid like me, your humble servant. Nay, now, -Casca, be not a woman,” Claudius exclaimed, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -some contempt in his tone; “it is womanish to give in -and moan.”</p> - -<p>Casca had hidden his face in his long, thin hands, -and tears trickled through his fingers.</p> - -<p>“If you had a father like mine,” Casca murmured, -“you would not wonder at my condition. He came -up hither this morning, raving like a beast in the -arena. He seized me by the robe, and poured forth -a string of epithets I will not repeat. He accused -me of conniving at the poor slave’s flight, of contaminating -my sister, of being the laughing-stock of -all Verulam, a poltroon, a fool, and I know not what -beside. He swore by all the gods that I should be -placed under Burrhus to fight as a true Roman should -if the Emperor sends out a legion to one of the insubordinate -provinces. And I, oh! Claudius, I loathe -fighting. I hate bloodshed. I crave for peace.”</p> - -<p>“I would I could take your place,” said Claudius, -“but my old father would not hear of it if your father -agreed thereto. He looks upon me as the guardian -of Junia, though, forsooth, I am but a poor guardian. -She springs like a tigress if I attempt to check her in -any wild course,” Claudius sighed. “Now, you have -a sister who is like a daughter of the gods. You may -well be ready to lay down your life for her. How can -her parents send her hence?”</p> - -<p>“It is all from the same cause, the dread of the -Christian superstition,” Casca said. “They dread her -being infected by poor Ebba’s teachers. The poor -wretch seldom spoke of her new religion; until the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -day of Alban’s execution she kept silence. I trust we -shall be spared the sickening spectacle of her head -brought back. I can never forget the horror when the -ghastly head of the runaway Syra was brought into -the atrium,” and Casca shuddered.</p> - -<p>“Nay, Casca, thou wert surely not designed by -the gods for a Roman. Thou shouldst have been born -in one of those far-off islands in the south, where -the effete Greeks lie in flower-wreathed bowers, and, -chewing the leaves of the lotus, pass away life in -alternate slumber and song. Especially, good Casca, -wert thou never designed by the gods to live in our -own rude country and associate with us poor Britons.”</p> - -<p>“Nay,” Casca said, “you misjudge me, Claudius. -I would that thou were to accompany me to Rome, -and then I could take heart, but as it is——”</p> - -<p>“As it is, you must be like a man, and determine -to win good opinions and make a name; fight for -Rome if so it be ordered, and end at last in continuing -the noble race to which you belong, and -then——”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” said Casca, “and <i>then</i> die, and be remembered -no more. Claudius, I think often of all the -great dead, the old Greeks, their brave soldiers, their -wise philosophers, Socrates and Plato, Aristides and -Themistocles. Their poets and their heroes, all alike -gone—gone as the man yesterday went on the hill-top—gone, -and <i>whither</i>? If it be true that there is -another life, what <i>is</i> that life? I torture myself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> -with questions, and I know that if I were led out to -die as Alban was, I should shiver and tremble, aye, -and pray for mercy. While <i>he</i>—there was light in his -eye, there was a ring of victory in his voice, and -no wonder that the executioner refused to perform -his office, and died with Alban rather than see him -die by his hand. I say, there must be something -grand and noble in the faith which can give a man -courage not only to meet death, but to welcome it, -to court it, and to see beyond it, instead of darkness, -light.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” said Claudius, “but remember, my good -Casca, that thousands of Romans, tens of thousands -of Greeks, aye, and of our own poor Britons also, have -met death as bravely as this man Alban did. There -is a difference in our bodies—thine and mine, to wit”—and -Claudius stretched out his young, muscular arm, -bronzed and bare, from under the loose sleeve of his -toga virilis, which was indeed a contrast to the white, -slender arm of his companion. “There is a difference, -my good Casca, in the make and build of men, aye, -and of women too, and it is the same with their -natures. Some are brave as lions, others as timid as -sheep. Christian or Roman, Greek or Briton, it is the -same.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Casca, starting up, “but it is <i>not</i> all -the same. Poor Ebba was as timid and shy as any -sheep, and yet she has gone to meet death, for I feel -sure they will track her out. May I be gone hence -ere that time comes! But I say it is something more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -than what we call nature, which is at work with those -who meet death as Alban did.”</p> - -<p>“Hist! good Casca, be not too free with thy -tongue, or it may bring trouble. Keep thy thoughts -to thyself; even now I fancy I see the curtain moving. -But I must away; I have to practise in the course, -and I have to attend my father to a trial of strength -in the circus, where he is to bestow a prize on the -swiftest runner and strongest arm in throwing the quoit. -Vale! good Casca, and pluck up thy courage.” Claudius -sprang lightly from the couch, swept the curtain aside, -and disappeared.</p> - -<p>In the gallery, which I have before described, at -the top of the villa, he found Hyacintha. She was -looking out over the country, as she had looked with -Ebba two days before. When Claudius stood by her -side she raised her pure, sweet eyes to his, and said, -“I have been here whilst thou hast been talking to -Casca. I wanted to speak to you, so I waited here. -I am only a child, and I scarcely know which way I -should turn to find the good and forsake the evil, but -this I know, Ebba was good—faithful and good—and -I dread lest she should be cruelly killed. Claudius,” -the child continued, pleading with her eyes as with -her voice, “Claudius, will you try to save her if by -any means she falls in your way? If the Christians -are found out she will be found with them. Do your -utmost to save her life, my noble, good Ebba.”</p> - -<p>“Beautiful Hyacintha,” Claudius said, “I would -serve you to my last breath. Yes, I swear if I can<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -find any trace of Ebba, I will strive to save her life -and put her in a place of safety till the storm has -passed over.”</p> - -<p>“They have been talking of getting her head, -and that of Amphibalus, the man Alban hid in his -house, and they have missed another woman, who was -aunt or mother to the soldier who would not kill -Alban. There is a boy who dresses the flowers and -shrubs in the atrium, and he has told me that it is -said in Verulam that the Christians have hidden themselves -not far off, and a watch is set on the hills to -hinder their escape to Wales. That is what is said. -I know not if it be true.”</p> - -<p>“True or false, I will obey thy bidding. Say, Hyacintha, -what shall we do without thee.”</p> - -<p>“Without <i>me</i>!” the child repeated. “Ah! I do not -think any one wants me here. My mother will have -the little Livia from the nurse. She is the child of -my uncle Fabius, and the adopted daughter of my -father. She is very beautiful, and my mother can pet -her, and toy with her, and will love to hear the praises -which her loveliness will win. And when my father’s -service is over in Britain they will all return to Rome, -and I shall greet them there, when I am a priestess, -and I shall greet thee also, Claudius.”</p> - -<p>“Nay,” said the boy, “thou wilt forget the poor -half-Briton, half-Roman, when thou art a grand priestess, -wearing the white stole.”</p> - -<p>“Forget! nay, I shall never forget—how can I -forget? And when I have to tend the fire in the great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -temple at night, and the stars look down at me, and -the wind whispers low, I shall pray that the goddess -may bless thee, Claudius, and keep ever in thy heart -a pure bright flame of love to the city of Verulam -first, and of Rome after, and that thou wilt remember -little Hyacintha.”</p> - -<p>“I will remember thee through life till death,” the -young man said. “I will worship thee from afar, and, -perchance, I may come to Rome only to behold thee, -as I behold a star in the heavens, who blesses me with -its beams, though I can never attain to it.”</p> - -<p>He took one of the child’s hands in his, bent his -face over it for a moment, and when Hyacintha withdrew -it, it was wetted by the tear which had fallen -from Claudius’s eyes.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IV.<br /> - -<small>CAPTURE AND DEATH.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> warm summer weather was in favour of the -little band of Christians who had concealed themselves -in the cave at Radburn. But the long days and -short nights made their marches towards Wales very -slow, as all had to be done under cover of darkness, -and not until they had moved away some miles from -Verulam did Amphibalus dare to allow them to march -by daylight. The little company always separated into -detachments, and Agatha kept Ebba, the Christian -Anna, under her especial care. Agatha was the right -person to inspire poor Anna with confidence. She -was bright and active, and had a cheerfulness and -even merriment at command which often surprised the -timid and retiring Anna.</p> - -<p>The warm, dry weather made it easy to sleep out -of doors, and Agatha and Anna, with an old man and -his daughter, had arrived one morning at a clearing -in a thick wood, where a stone altar showed that it -was a resort of the Druids.</p> - -<p>“We must not tarry here,” Agatha said, “the danger -from the Druids would be as great as the danger from -the Romans. We must push on westward, and I believe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -there is a deep forest where we can easily hide. -Amphibalus mentioned it as a secure resting-place for -a few days, and we are sure to meet him before the -day is spent.”</p> - -<p>“It is so pleasant here,” Anna said; “let us at any -rate take some food, and perform our morning worship.”</p> - -<p>But Agatha said they must move on, as it was -dangerous to tarry near what was evidently a resort of -the Druids. She had scarcely done speaking, when -some tall figures were seen approaching: an old man, -with a white beard and still whiter robe, and most -venerable aspect, and a few young men and boys.</p> - -<p>There was nothing alarming in their appearance, -and Agatha, rising, made a deep reverence. The old -man bore in his hand a golden crescent-shaped knife, -and he wore on his white robe a heavy chain of -rudely-moulded emblems.</p> - -<p>“Art thou come to worship, my daughter?” said -the old priest. “The sun has risen, and the hour is -at hand.”</p> - -<p>“Nay,” said Agatha boldly, “I am a fugitive from -the Roman city of Verulam, and only crave permission -to pass onwards, with my companions.”</p> - -<p>The young men now drew nearer, and scanned the -little party with curious, eager eyes.</p> - -<p>“The Romans are our masters and tyrants; no -marvel you would escape them.” Then, turning to -Anna, “You, poor child, look pale and wan, and you, -old man, aweary. If it be possible for you, I bid you<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -halt awhile, while I proceed with our short worship; -afterwards we will share a repast with you.”</p> - -<p>But Agatha shook her head. “You are very gracious, -my lord, but we are anxious to get on our -way;” and she added, “We are Christians, and worship -only the true God.”</p> - -<p>There was a murmur amongst the young men, and -Anna trembled. She knew full well that human sacrifices -were a part of her old religion, for the Briton’s -religion was then chiefly represented by the Druidical -faith.</p> - -<p>But Anna need not have been afraid. The old -priest waved his hand, and then, disappearing in a -thicket with his followers, chanting a low dirge-like -monotone, he returned with a large cluster of the -mistletoe, the sacred plant which was cut and offered -on the altar at intervals at the morning worship. Then -followed a strange invocation muttered in a low, guttural -voice, the Druid priest raising his hands to the -summer sky.</p> - -<p>The sun was just high enough to strike athwart -the grassy glade, and illuminated the boles of the -trees with a golden radiance. The priest’s white robe -shone in the new-born light, and every leaf was turned -to an emerald, every dew-drop to a diamond.</p> - -<p>The birds sang, and there was the rustle of awakening -activity in the forest. A squirrel hopped from the -overhanging boughs of a tall larch, and the wood -pigeons told their sweet monotonous story of love.</p> - -<p>All things seemed to swell the chorus of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -earth’s thanksgiving hymn for light and blessing -bestowed.</p> - -<p>And who shall say what dim visions of a beautiful -and unknown God filled the heart of the aged priest, -as he offered his orison according to the form hallowed -to him by the usage of ages!</p> - -<p>When all was over he waved his hand, and his -little congregation dispersed, the priest returning presently -with a quantity of dried fruits and cakes which -had been baked over an open fire.</p> - -<p>There was also a rudely-shaped stone jar, from -which was poured a drink distilled from certain herbs, -and pleasant to the taste.</p> - -<p>That beverage, the priest said, had wonderful properties, -and he continually dispensed it as a medicine -when strength was exhausted.</p> - -<p>Agatha ate a hearty meal, and so did the old man -and his daughter, but Anna could not eat. She was -weighed down with a sense of danger and distress, -and her heart turned continually to those whom she -had left behind at Verulam. At Agatha’s order, however, -she drank a little from the jar, and ate a few -crumbs broken off the thick mass of dried cake, which -had a bitter rather than a sweet flavour, as it was -mixed with the flour ground out of acorns.</p> - -<p>Presently the old priest said—</p> - -<p>“Ye are Christians, you say. There has been an -arm of fury stretched out against you, so we have -heard. For ourselves, we have no bitterness against -you. The Romans are our conquerors as well as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -yours, but they leave us to our old faith undisturbed -for the most part. How have you incurred their dire -displeasure? I tell you, you cannot resist the Romans’ -power; they are the masters of the world. They will -treat you like beasts of burden if you resist not, but -they will kill you if you are rebellious. From whom -do you flee?”</p> - -<p>“We flee from the persecution, which has taken -the life of a holy man named Alban. We are under -the guidance of one Amphibalus, who is to gather us -safely in a certain valley amongst the mountains of -Wales, where we may worship our Lord, and form a -struggling church.”</p> - -<p>“You will fail to do it; the bloodhounds will track -you out. Renounce your false religion, and go back -to your homes.”</p> - -<p>“Never!” said Agatha, “we will never bow the -knee in the heathen temple, or worship at the sacrifices -of the false gods.”</p> - -<p>The old Druid priest shook his head sadly.</p> - -<p>“My daughter, you are fighting against a legion; -you will never prevail. I know,” he continued, “that -the old faiths are shaking. I know many of our people -have been massacred. We have peace now, but I see—I -see in the distance, when I am dead—I see the -legions of the North Sea conquering, trampling down -our faith as yours, and wading through the blood of -Druid and Christian alike. We are peaceful, and there -are many of the sick and the stricken in body, even -lepers, who come to us, and not in vain, for cure. We<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -have salves for wounds, and physic for pain; we are -skilled in the compounding of the herbs which are -given for the good of mankind. But we are a body -of men diminishing year by year, and our time is -short.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! father,” said Agatha, touched by the pathos -of the old man’s words, “oh, father, have you never -heard of Jesus the Lord, who died a cruel death to -save us all? I would that I could show you the way -to Him. The father, Amphibalus, could show it. But -I tell you that He opens His arms wide to receive -you, and all the Britons, and every dweller on the -face of the earth. Oh! could you but come to Him!”</p> - -<p>“Aye,” said the old Christian, “would that you -could come!”</p> - -<p>“Come whither?” asked the Druid proudly.</p> - -<p>“To the Cross of Christ,” said Anna firmly. This -was the first time that she had spoken, and her words -sounded with peculiar power.</p> - -<p>“To the Cross of Christ,” she repeated, “and if we -bear it after Him, we shall wear a crown.”</p> - -<p>The old priest extended his hand towards Anna -as if in blessing, and said—</p> - -<p>“And where is that crown, my daughter? It is -not to be found in the depths of the forest, where the -wolves roar at night, and the dangers of robbers and -thieves are all around.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Anna said, “the crown may be even there. -As for me, I am a poor faint-hearted girl, and I can -speak with no true courage, as Agatha can, but like a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -whisper in my soul from heaven I hear the words, -‘The crown is laid up in the heavens for you, who -are kept by God’s power through faith.’”</p> - -<p>“Our Lord,” Agatha continued, as Anna stopped, -“our Lord wore a crown of thorns, that we might wear -a crown of jewels. We know in Whom we believe. -If those who are seeking us were to break through -the thicket yonder, and shed our blood on your altar, -yet through death, as Jesus passed, I know that we -should pass to our joyful resurrection. And, oh!” exclaimed -Agatha, “think you we would give up the -precious possession of the love of Christ? Have I not -seen its power? Do I not know that it is as the sunshine -piercing the deep of the forest at dawn, and -bringing life and light to the soul? We may not -tarry,” she continued, “for we have to press forward -on our journey, but we will pray for you, father, and -may our God reward you for your charity towards us, -the poor hunted Christians, who nevertheless rejoice -in their name.”</p> - -<p>The four then moved away, and the thick summer -foliage soon hid them from the Druidical priest.</p> - -<p>He stood gazing after them like one in a trance, -and the young men gathered round him, expecting to -hear from his lips some strange, prophetic utterances, -or some recital of the past glory of their race. But -no words came, and after a few minutes of profound -silence the young men departed, one by one leaving -their chief still wrapt in his devotions and meditations.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>The way through the forest was long and toilsome, -and poor Anna often lay trembling by Agatha’s -side, listening all night to the howling of the wolves. -Amphibalus joined them from time to time, and at -last, when the first golden leaf was telling the story -of coming autumn in the woods, the whole band was -settled in a remote village on the borders of Wales, -girt in with mountains, and entirely hidden as they -thought, from the eyes of their persecutors.</p> - -<p>There were continued additions to their numbers, -and we are told that there were a thousand converts -baptised by Amphibalus’s hands.</p> - -<p>Amphibalus himself was often absent for days together, -and boldly preached Christ to the poor native -idolaters of the district. Some drank in the good -tidings eagerly, like drops of living water, and the -little colony throve for a time.</p> - -<p>The mountain streams provided them with fish, -and the woods with wild rabbits and hares, for meat. -They constructed huts with twigs and reeds curiously -plaited together, and covered with a sticky clay which, -when mixed with water, kept out the rain and the -wind.</p> - -<p>The life was a hard one, but it was peaceful, and -none of those who had given up all for Christ turned -regretful looks backward.</p> - -<p>The leading spirit amongst the women was Agatha, -who was always cheerful and full of hope.</p> - -<p>Anna’s skill with her hands was much appreciated, -and the women of the little band were taught by her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> -to plait their hair, and mend their torn garments, with -the delicate spikes of the fir-trees for needles, and -slender strands of dried, long grass for thread.</p> - -<p>Amphibalus returned from one of his missionary -expeditions early one morning. By common consent -Agatha was considered the adviser-in-chief of the -community, and Amphibalus came at once to the hut -where she and Anna were busily engaged in tying up -the long leaves of the bulrush and iris, which were to -be twisted into wicks for the rude lamps that were to -lighten the long winter nights. The oil was made -from the fat of the animals which were snared for -food, and carefully preserved by Agatha’s orders.</p> - -<p>Amphibalus’s face was grave and anxious when he -appeared at the door or opening of the hut, and he -beckoned Agatha to come outside.</p> - -<p>“Is aught wrong?” she asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” he said, “the heathen idolaters of the old -British gods have discovered our hiding-place, and -they will be upon us with more fierceness than the -Romans. I dread them, daughter, more than I dread -the Roman torture. Not for myself,” he added, “but -for the weak women and maidens, and the young -boys in our community. I have seen a horde of these -wild people, with fierce and threatening aspect, yesterday, -and overheard their jargon, which, as far as I -made it out, told of enmity and bad intentions. An -effort must be made to escape from their clutches, -and we must separate, the women under protection of -the bravest men amongst us, and take different ways<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -through the forest. This village must be broken up, -and we must leave as little trace behind us as we can. -But I would fain gather the people together for a last -word of prayer and praise, and break the bread and -drink the cup once more ere we part.”</p> - -<p>By mid-day, nearly all his people had assembled, -and Amphibalus then addressed them. He told them -he had reason to believe they were discovered by -their enemies, and that the church must be scattered. -But he added—</p> - -<p>“Let it be scattered as seed. Let every one of -you hold fast the faith, and wherever you wander, tell -the people of the God whom you serve, and be not -afraid to confess Christ. As for myself, I feel that the -time of my departure is at hand, and I will gladly -follow the dear and honoured Alban, who laid down -his life for me. Weep not for me, for I may say, ‘I -am ready to be offered, and I fear not.’”</p> - -<p>Then, amidst tears and sighing, the service was -proceeded with, and scarcely had the blessing left the -priest’s lips when the whole congregation separated in -detachments under his orders, having first pulled -down the huts they had so lately erected; and taking -different routes, they spread themselves once more in -the forest.</p> - -<p>Amphibalus led the little band, in which were -Agatha and Anna, with some sixteen more, stout of -heart and strong of limb, able to offer resistance. -There were women and children amongst them, who -were placed in the centre of the square, four men at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -the rear, and four in the van, and four on either side. -In this order they marched along for three days, -Amphibalus’s aim being to get into another district -nearer Verulam, where he knew a church had been -founded.</p> - -<p>It was on the evening of the third day’s march -that one of the outposts came running in breathless -to the place, under an overhanging rock, where some -thirty of the wanderers had encamped for the night.</p> - -<p>“The Romans are upon us!” he exclaimed; “I -have heard the clanging of armour, and climbing a -tree, I saw nearly fifty soldiers, and heard them say -they had got on the track of the fugitives.”</p> - -<p>Scarcely had the man delivered himself of his -message, falling down exhausted with the exertion he -had made to reach Amphibalus, when the trampling -of horses’ hoofs was heard, and the Roman officer who -was in command of the fifty men called to them to -halt, “for the game was scented out at last.” By the -side of the Roman commander was a young man -scarcely past boyhood, who had prayed to be allowed -to accompany the expedition, that he might, as he -said, see some service for his master, and track out -the Christians to their destruction. This young man -was Claudius, the son of the Briton who held a high -position in Verulam.</p> - -<p>At a word from the commander of the force, a -rough, stern man, named Valens, the Christians were -seized and bound with manacles, and told they were -to follow on foot to Radburn. But the strong men<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -made a desperate resistance, and a fearful struggle -ensued. Amphibalus in vain exhorted them to cease -to fight, for that he was ready to accompany Valens, -and no coercion would be needful for him. But no -one listened to his voice, and Anna, clinging to Agatha, -hid her face, that she might not see the terrible conflict -which dyed the green sward with blood, and -made the wood resound with cries and groans. Some -of the women of the company cried out that they -would recant, and Agatha in vain exhorted them to -be firm to their faith. Terror-stricken and distressed -for their husbands and brothers, they threw themselves -before Valens and entreated for mercy.</p> - -<p>Alas! none was shown, and Amphibalus was bound -tightly, and constrained to stand by and see his followers -fall one by one dead upon the turf, where -several of the Romans’ bodies lay, covered with blood, -which flowed from ghastly wounds.</p> - -<p>At last, when the slaughter was ended by the entire -mastery of the Roman band, the word was given -to march, and by the light of a pale moon the remnant -of Amphibalus’s followers, fainting and exhausted, -were obliged to follow their captors towards Radburn.</p> - -<p>Before they reached Radburn the next day news -was brought in that the idolaters of South Wales had -fallen upon and slaughtered the rest of Amphibalus’s -church; and there was a thrill of triumph through the -Roman band that the martyrdom of Alban had not -increased the numbers of the Christians in these parts, -for nearly all those who had been won over by Amphibalus<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -were killed. Only a few remained. Agatha and -Anna, and some half-dozen more women and children, -with two old men, whose aged feet could scarcely -bear them along the rugged paths of the forest.</p> - -<p>Radburn was reached the next day, and here the -Christians were consigned to dismal dungeons to await -the Governor’s orders.</p> - -<p>Agatha and Anna were shut into a damp cell, -where a little water and some dry bread were all the -food allotted to them, and Amphibalus was separated -from the rest of the poor converts, and, heavily fettered, -was literally thrown into a dungeon under the rude -stone dwelling which served for a prison, and where -neither light nor air could penetrate.</p> - -<p>He was brought out the next day, and a hasty -tribunal was formed. He stood before his accusers -with a calm and unmoved countenance. He was -asked if he would save his life, and he answered—</p> - -<p>“I would save it were it my Lord’s will, but if -He calls me to the crown of martyrdom, as He called -my friend, who laid down his life for me, I will -humbly receive it.” He was roughly struck upon the -mouth, and then asked if he would at once resort to -the temple at Verulam, and, prostrating himself there, -renounce his evil practices.</p> - -<p>“Nay,” he said, “I know of no evil practices to -renounce, but I will never deny my Lord.”</p> - -<p>“Have you nought else to say?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, save that I would pray you to shield two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -weak women of my company from the sight of my -sufferings.”</p> - -<p>This request, as might be expected, had the -opposite effect to what Amphibalus desired. Agatha -and Anna were dragged out to the open space, where -a crowd scarcely less numerous than that which had -assembled to witness the death of Alban were pressing -round to see Amphibalus suffer.</p> - -<p>It may truly be said that they stoned Amphibalus -calling upon God, and commending his spirit to Him -for Whose sake he lay down his life. Death by -stoning seemed to make a more profound impression -on the spectators than death by the sword, and the -savage executioners who were hired to fling the stones -upon the martyr showed no pity. Rather, they delighted -to prolong his sufferings, and they were -intense.</p> - -<p>Scarcely less intense were those of the two women -who were compelled to see the cruel deed accomplished. -A deep swoon mercifully spared Anna the -prolonged torture which Agatha had to undergo, nor -could she at the first raise her voice, as her friend -did, to cheer and encourage the martyr.</p> - -<p>There was one present who watched Anna with -something more than common interest. Claudius remembered -the words of little Hyacintha, and his promise -to save her, if it were possible. Now, the boy -knew well enough that to help a Christian to escape -was scarcely a less heinous offence than to profess the -faith himself. But Hyacintha’s pleading eyes, her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -gentle voice, her beautiful little hands raised in appeal, -rose before him, and he was thinking over every -possible way whereby he could save Anna. The two -women were remanded to their cell to await the -Governor’s pleasure, and Claudius obtained permission -of Valens after he had conducted them thither to remain -as their guard.</p> - -<p>“Thou art early in thy zeal for the gods, brave -Claudius, but thy strong arm yesterday did such good -service that I am willing to leave thee in command -here of a handful of soldiers large enough for the -occasion. One of the women looks dead already, and -will save us further trouble. As to the rest, I think -the Governor may desire to apply torture before finally -disposing of them. By the gods, Claudius, what fools -these Christians are!”</p> - -<p>“Fools, indeed,” said Claudius. “I do not care -what short work I make with the men. I slew three -yesterday, after a fierce tussle, but women—weak -women—well, I’d as lief not crush them out.”</p> - -<p>“Who are these two women?” Valens asked.</p> - -<p>“One belongs to the family of the soldier who -refused to strike off Alban’s head.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! then she is a dangerous reptile. The other -looks harmless, poor wretch; and what hair—like the -autumn leaves with the sun on it!”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Claudius replied, hastily, “yes, she is a -Briton, methinks.”</p> - -<p>“Has aught been heard of the runaway slave of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -the noble Severus? He offered a high price for her -head.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, not that I know of. He has forgotten it ere -now; the fair Ccilia has supplied her place by a -Greek, so Junia, my sister, affirms.”</p> - -<p>Valens shrugged his broad shoulders. “The fair -Ccilia has freed herself of all burdens now. That -little daughter of hers, and the weakling Casca, are -sent off to Rome under Burrhus’s convoy; the maiden -is to be buried for life in the Temple of Vesta. Why, -her beauty, at this tender age, is enough to turn the -heads of a legion. Perhaps it has turned thine, good -Claudius!”</p> - -<p>“I have something else to think of than fair faces,” -said Claudius. “Has news arrived of Burrhus’s reaching -Rome?” he asked, carelessly.</p> - -<p>“Nay, I am not so like to hear as thou art. Thy -sister, Junia, is continually a guest in the house of -Severus. He is a high and mighty man, forsooth; -they call him second to the Governor. Methinks he -has more power than the Governor: and I must not -delay any longer, but seek both noble personages and -find out their will, and I think I may claim a reward -for the last day’s work. We tracked out the wretches -cleverly enough, and came upon that band of thirty -with a swoop. Catching the chief, Amphibalus, was -somewhat a greater catch than if we had only surprised -the others.”</p> - -<p>“We were saved that trouble by the Welsh folk,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -Claudius said. “A man came in this morning to say -not one of the eight hundred is left.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, but that is good hearing. I can now claim -my reward with some assurance. Crushing out the -whole swarm of Christians was more than was expected. -I’ll put in your claim, young Claudius; which -shall it be, a gold chain or a slave, eh!”</p> - -<p>“I desire neither,” said Claudius, haughtily. “Methinks -we Britons want no slaves, and as to gold collars, -let my sister have the chain, if one be accorded. -Commission for foreign service is the only reward I -claim.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll leave you to press the claim yourself,” Valens -said, in an offended voice. Then in a loud stentorian -tone he told off half-a-dozen of his men, and ordered -them to remain under the authority of the young -Claudius until he returned on the following day, and -brought back orders as to the fate of the prisoners -who were confined in the dungeon.</p> - -<p>And then Valens, followed by his troop, rode off -towards Verulam.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER V.<br /> - -<small>CLAUDIUS FULFILS HIS VOW.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Claudius</span> was no more inclined to the Christian -faith than he had been when we last saw him in the -room of Casca, the son of Severus. But he felt himself -pledged to perform his vow, sworn by the gods, -that if ever it were in his power he would save Ebba, -the British slave, so well beloved by Hyacintha, the -daughter of the noble Severus.</p> - -<p>Since she and her brother had left Verulam, in -the sunny days of July, for that distant Rome, which -was then, to all intents and purposes, as far from -Verulam as San Francisco or Lima would be from -the St. Albans of to-day, Claudius had felt a terrible -blank in his life. Games and athletic sports, feats of -arms, and dashing military exercises, were much to -him, but till he had lost Casca he did not know how -his life had been bound up in him. Those pleasant -talks in the twilight with Casca, who had read much, -and was of a studious rather than a warlike nature, -were all over. Claudius had felt the fascination of -Casca’s conversation, although he professed to despise -all those aspirations and longings which were in the -boy’s heart, and welled up like an irrepressible spring, -which could not be stopped in its overflow. With<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> -Casca and his young sister’s departure all the gentler -elements had died out of Claudius’s life, and he had -thrown himself more eagerly into any amusements, or -any occupation which could drown reflection, living -only in the present, and persuading himself that the -present was enough. His old father had filled a post -of honour under Carausius, who had held Britain as -an independent province for ten years. Then Carausius -was assassinated by Allectus, who had at first asserted -himself, and held the command with but few Roman -soldiers, and a large army of the northern tribes, who -are now known to be the Caledonians.</p> - -<p>When at last the whole province was united under -the Imperial sway of Diocletian, old Caradon lived on -in gloomy subjection to Roman authority, asking no -public office, and allowing his two children, left to -him by his Italian wife, to follow their own devices. -He found them harder to control than any of the -savage tribes over whom, during the temporary rule -of Carausius, he had held authority; and the evening -of his days was spent in a state of inaction and regret -for the times which were past.</p> - -<p>Severus treated him with a hardly concealed contempt, -and his temper was soured and his patience -tried by the wild freaks of his daughter Junia, and -the independent spirit of his son Claudius, who had -eagerly caught at the offer of accompanying Valens to -hunt out the Christians under Amphibalus: little thinking -that he should find Ebba amongst them, and be -compelled to fulfil the solemn vow he had made to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -Hyacintha, the daughter of Severus, and the sister of -his friend Casca.</p> - -<p>Now, as he paced up and down before the rude -stone building which was used as a sort of courthouse -and prison in Radburn, Claudius thought on all possible -means to effect her escape. As soon as it became -known that Ebba was one of the two women who had -been brought to Radburn with Amphibalus, she would -be seized and beheaded, so that the price set upon -her head in the spring might be claimed.</p> - -<p>Claudius well knew the risk he ran in aiding and -abetting Ebba’s escape, but he was brave and honourable, -and held his vow made to Hyacintha by the -gods as binding.</p> - -<p>There was no time to lose. Valens would at once -see the Governor and Severus at Verulam, and it was -only too probable that the two women, Agatha and -Anna, would be taken before them the next morning. -They would be called upon to renounce their faith, -the British slave Ebba would be recognised, and for -her there could be no hope of mercy; while Agatha’s -connection with the soldier who had died rather than -carry out the sentence of death on Alban, would -probably cause her to be tortured, if not instantly -beheaded.</p> - -<p>Under cover of the darkness of the late October -night, before the moon, now on the wane, rose in the -eastern sky, Claudius felt whatever he did must be -done at once.</p> - -<p>He summoned the men under his command to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> -small square hall in the building. A fire had been -kindled there, and the smoke made its way out by -the slits and apertures which pierced at intervals the -thick walls. Claudius was a young commander, and -the stout Roman soldiers were at first rather inclined -to resent his authority. Claudius, however, had that -free, pleasant manner which the roughest and hardest -natures find it impossible to resist.</p> - -<p>He ordered two of the men to go out and cater -for provisions, adding, “We will sup together to-night, -and will not spare the cup. See that every one of -you gets his fill.”</p> - -<p>Then he seated himself at the board on the rude -bench which was placed near it, and the village of -Radburn was soon found sufficient to supply the -wants of the little band, and satisfy even their large -appetites.</p> - -<p>They ate and drank, and grew first hilarious and -then heavy. The man in charge of the dungeon was -invited to join the party, and several people from the -village were also bidden to come in as they stood -round the open door, and the soldiers’ carousal ended -by their stretching themselves on the floor, and -sleeping heavily, from the effects of over-eating, over-drinking, -and fatigue; for the forced marches through -the forest, and the fierce contest with the Christians, -had tried even their herculean strength to the uttermost.</p> - -<p>So far, Claudius’s scheme had answered; he feigned -to sleep heavily, and when all was quiet, about nine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> -o’clock, he crept softly past the sleepers, and went out -into the darkness.</p> - -<p>As he went down the steep incline from the courthouse, -he stumbled against some dark object, and a -piteous voice exclaimed—</p> - -<p>“For the love of Heaven, have pity on me!”</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” Claudius asked.</p> - -<p>“A poor wandering Jew, whose only daughter has -fallen down, worn out with illness and fatigue, and -has passed hence, in the darkness, to Abraham’s -bosom.”</p> - -<p>“You dog!” Claudius exclaimed, “how came you -hither?”</p> - -<p>“I came over to Britain seeking for pearls, with -which your rivers abound, but I have found none, but -lost my own pearl. She is dead! she is dead!” he -moaned. “I have carried her thus far, and none in -this heathen village would give me shelter. I know by -the heavy weight with which she lies in my arms that -she is dead.”</p> - -<p>Claudius strode back to the hall, and taking a -burning ember from the mass upon the hearth, and -returning, threw the light of a torch he had kindled -upon the girl’s face. Yes, she was dead—must have -been dead for hours.</p> - -<p>Her father, gazing on her, burst into a low wail, -and rocking himself to and fro, cried for pity and -mercy from Jehovah.</p> - -<p>A sudden thought flashed upon Claudius.</p> - -<p>“Hearken, old man, wretched dog as you are, if<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -you will do me a service I will pay you in gold pieces, -but it must be done at once. Leave your daughter’s -body to me for burial, and betake yourself to a -thicket just beyond the village. Stay there till I come -to you, and I will ensure you safe departure. If -you refuse, by the gods, I will drag you before the -Governor to-morrow, and see you torn limb from limb.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! good sir! Oh! kind sir! have pity. My -daughter! my daughter!”</p> - -<p>“She is dead,” Claudius replied, as throwing the -light of the torch on the pale, still face, wan and attenuated -by sickness, and set in its frame of raven -hair it looked white as snow.</p> - -<p>“Poor creature!” Claudius said, “she is young to -die, but we all die, some old, some young; it is the -fate of all, and the gods take the best first. Now, -Jew, there must be no delay. Shall I carry away your -daughter, and in return will you, for gold, which I -will bring you, do my behest? It must be now, or it -will be too late.”</p> - -<p>As he spoke, Claudius took the old man roughly -by the arm, and setting him on his feet, raised the -body of the dead maiden in his arms, and bidding the -Jew follow him, went down to the road below.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The long, dark hours had passed slowly in the -dungeon, where, after the cruel scene of the morning, -Agatha and Anna had sat together, waiting for death. -Anna had revived when she had swallowed a few -drops of cold water, and Agatha, though utterly exhausted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -herself, seating herself by the wall, had -gathered the girl tenderly into her maternal arms, and -revived her, as best she could, by chafing her cold -hands, and pressing her close to her bosom.</p> - -<p>Then, while Agatha watched, Anna had slept at -intervals, and the elder woman did her best to encourage -and comfort the younger.</p> - -<p>“It has been a fearsome day and fiery trial for -thee, Anna,” Agatha said. “How wilt thou bear the -morrow?”</p> - -<p>“I think,” said poor Anna, in a low but firm voice, -“I think I can bear my own pain better than witnessing -that of another.”</p> - -<p>“Thou hast no lurking fear, then, that when the -trial comes thou wilt deny thy Lord?”</p> - -<p>“Nay,” Anna said, “I, who have been so weak-hearted, -feel that He gives me strength; and, Agatha, -I have had a wondrous and beautiful dream. I dreamed -I saw the golden city, and the great gates, through -which only the pure of heart can pass. There was a -soft light all round, like the light in the atrium when -all the silver lamps were kindled, and there was the -murmur of many waters. Then, as I stood at the -gates, afraid to enter, I heard a voice say, ‘Come up -hither.’</p> - -<p>“I answered, ‘I dare not; I am only a slave, a -poor slave;’ and the voice said—</p> - -<p>“‘I have bought thee with a price, and thou art -Mine.’ And then, Agatha, I saw my own beautiful little -mistress, Hyacintha. I wondered to see her there,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -standing at the gate. I thought it must be the temple -of Vesta, and not the Holy City. My mistress was -still a child, yet not a child. She wore a long white -robe, and her figure was tall and stately. Her hair -was bound with a gold fillet, which made a shining -circle around her head. She held out her arms to -me, and said—</p> - -<p>“‘Anna! Anna!’ Then I wondered why she called -me Anna, for I had ever been Ebba to her—Ebba, -the British slave-girl. Then she said—</p> - -<p>“‘I have come to meet thee at the gate. I have -come to bid thee welcome; the Lord has sent me for -thee.’</p> - -<p>“I marvelled much how that could be, for I knew -my little mistress was to be a priestess of the goddess -Vesta, and that she must worship her, and not the -Lord Jesus.</p> - -<p>“But then the voice of one I could not see, seemed -to answer my thoughts, and said—</p> - -<p>“‘I have bought you both with a price, you are -Mine; enter ye into the Heavenly City, and go out no -more.’ Then my little mistress, fair Hyacintha, took -my hand, and we went up the golden street together, -and there was again the sound of many waters, and -of sweet music, and countless glad voices; and then I -opened my eyes, and all was dark—so dark—but I -felt thy arm pressing me to thy heart, Agatha, and was -comforted.”</p> - -<p>“My poor child,” Agatha sighed, “I would that -thy dream were true. There is sharp pain first before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -thou canst enter through the gates. Say, wilt thou -be able to endure to the end, as our master, Amphibalus, -and holy Alban did?”</p> - -<p>“I am but weak; I am but weak and young,” Anna -said, “but He is with me. I hope we shall go together, -Agatha.”</p> - -<p>“I would fain hope so; but it may not be; perchance -that would be too great a favour at the hands -of our persecutors. While thou hast been dreaming, -a dream, I doubt not, sent to thee from heaven, by -the love of our Lord, I have been thinking over my -life. Here, in this dark dungeon, I saw before me a -peaceful hut, on the borders of the great river, where -as a girl I played, and often went with my father in -the coracle, to gather the oysters from their bed as -the water ebbed, and to pick out the pearls from them -when the shells were forced open. I mind me that -my father would say that the oysters the hardest to -force open always held the finest pearls. Since I -have become a Christian, I have thought often of those -words. For verily the Pearl of Great Price is not easy -to obtain, and we find it with much pain and searching. -I became afterwards the wife of a brave man, and -the mother of two noble boys. I saw them all killed, -in a fight between our people and some who owed -allegiance to Carausius. I thought my heart was broken -then, and I wanted in my blindness to end my life -by plunging a dagger into my breast. But it was -then that I came with Heraclius, my kinsman, under -the teaching of Amphibalus, and the Lord showed me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -that to live according to His will was a nobler thing -than to give up the life He had bestowed, ere it was -His good pleasure to recall it. Thus I lived, and I -have nursed the sick at Verulam, and, in my humble -way, held the cross of Christ before the eyes of those, -who, clasping it to their hearts, have found it turned -into a crown. It was at the secret meetings of the -Christians that I first saw thee, the frightened, trembling -Ebba, the slave of the rich and noble Severus. -Then how my love flowed forth to thee on the hill-side, -on that early summer night when Amphibalus -baptised thee, and thy name was no longer Ebba but -Anna. And we have shared perils and trials together -since then, dear one, and love has knit our hearts in -a bond that death cannot break.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! that we may die together,” Anna said. “I -thought this morning, when the darkness came over -me like a cold wave, it was death. Will dying be -like that swoon, thinkest thou?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, for thou wilt open thy eyes in a glorious -light instead of in this black, chill cell,” Agatha replied.</p> - -<p>Thus the two poor prisoners talked to one another, -and comforted one another with the words of Him -who had gone the rugged way before them; and the -shadow of the dark valley—for they looked for death -on the morrow—was brightened for them by the -presence of their Lord.</p> - -<p>Presently Anna said—</p> - -<p>“They are pulling back the bolts! they are unlocking<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -the gate! Are they at hand who will kill us, here -in the darkness?”</p> - -<p>Agatha sat upright and listened; yes, there was -the slow, grating noise made by the pulling back of -heavy bolts, and the rusty key turned in the rude hole -which formed a lock.</p> - -<p>Then the heavy gate opened, a draught of chill -air came in, and some one was evidently entering -slowly, as one who bore a burden.</p> - -<p>No one spoke, the door was closed, and then a -lamp or lanthorn, formed with a wick floating in oil, -was uncovered, and showed a tall young man, standing -by the prostrate figure which he had evidently just -deposited at his feet.</p> - -<p>“Another prisoner!” Agatha exclaimed. “Sir, -what brings you here?”</p> - -<p>Anna, shading her dazed eyes with her hands, -exclaimed, “It is the noble Claudius, the friend of -my young mistress Hyacintha!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is I. I was with Valens in the expedition; -you saw me then.”</p> - -<p>“We saw you, young Claudius,” Agatha said, “and -may God forgive your part in the slaughter of that -cruel day. Are you come to end our sufferings with -your sword? If it be so, hasten your work.”</p> - -<p>“Nay,” Claudius said; “nay, I have sworn a solemn -oath to save Ebba, the British slave, if it lay in my -power. There is only one way by which I can do it; -this dead girl shall be left here, and Ebba shall come -forth with me, to take her place with her father, whom<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -I have, under cover of the darkness, hidden in the -thick brushwood just beyond the village. Thither I -will guide Ebba, leaving the dead girl with you, and -taking the living one to a place of safety.”</p> - -<p>Anna clasped her hands.</p> - -<p>“I cannot, I cannot come,” she said. “I will -remain here to die.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, that must not be,” said Claudius. “I swore -to the pure fair maiden who was your mistress, and -who loved you so well, to save your life. I must -perform my vow. See here, you elder woman, I shall -return to-morrow to lead you out at the Governor’s -command. I call upon you to make no sign whereby -you betray that this poor child lying at your feet is -other than the Christian who was present with you -yesterday. If you do make that sign, you will cost -me my life. If not, I will order the soldiers to kindle -a funeral pile, and all that will be left of this poor -child, whom her father calls Rachel, will be burned to -ashes before the sun sets to-morrow. Now,” said -Claudius, “I have not a moment to lose,” and stooping, -he raised Anna in his strong arms, and was -striding away with her, when Agatha said,</p> - -<p>“Hold! Good Claudius, I will utter no lie about -this dead child. I am forbidden by my Lord to lie. I -may be mute, but I will not speak, if by speaking I -am to tell that this corpse is that of Ebba the Saxon -slave.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! I pray you, I beseech you, good sir!”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -Anna exclaimed, “leave me here. I cannot, cannot, -leave Agatha alone with the dead!”</p> - -<p>“My vow is upon me,” Claudius said, “and you -must come, whether you will or no.”</p> - -<p>“But whither? whither? to die in a forest? to—”</p> - -<p>“Hush! I pray you, dear Anna,” Agatha said. -“This is the hand of God. He may desire thy young -and vigorous life for service for Him. The means are -in His hands. But I pray you, noble Claudius, assure -me that this poor lamb, who lieth here so still and cold, -met her death by no evil practice.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, I know nothing, save that when disturbed -in mind as to how I could perform my vow, and -escape the anger of the gods, I stumbled on an old -whining dog, of the people they call the Jews, crying -over his dead child. Here seemed the way for Ebba’s -escape, and I took it, and I can sacrifice to the gods -to-morrow with a good heart.”</p> - -<p>“Go then, dear child, my child in the Son of God -and faith in Christ, and may the Lord be with thee; -one more kiss, and then——”</p> - -<p>There was not time for another word; Claudius -threw the light burden over his shoulder, and departed -cautiously, as he had come, drawing the bolts and -turning the key, and leaving Agatha, the Christian -woman, alone in darkness with the dead.</p> - -<p>Claudius strode along through brambles and thicket, -till he reached the very cave where the Christians had -taken refuge after Alban’s martyrdom. While hunting -here one day in the late summer, he had come upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> -this cave, and explored it. The beds of heather were -still piled up as Agatha had left them, and on one of -these the young man gently laid his burden down.</p> - -<p>“Where is that old dog of a Jew?” he shouted; -“has he played me false!”</p> - -<p>“Nay, I am here, good sir, kind sir; and a broken-hearted -father. Woe is me! that ever I left my own -people; but I was tempted to come in the train of a -Roman, with wife and daughter and two noble boys. -All, all are dead—and I—whither shall I flee?”</p> - -<p>“Get out of Britain as fast as may be,” said -Claudius, “and take this maiden as your daughter. -Make for the coast, and board a ship which is to -cross to Gaul; here are nine gold pieces for thy -pouch.”</p> - -<p>“But my daughter, my Rachel!” moaned the old -man. “Wilt thou give her body burial—burial, not -heathenish burning? Vow, young man.”</p> - -<p>“If possible, I will have her body thrown into a -hole, if you deem that to be a higher fate than burning; -but I do not promise. And now I must be gone. -Take two hours’ rest, and then away before day -dawns. You know these parts.”</p> - -<p>“Ay, but too well,” the old man said. “This hard -rugged Britain, and its rough people. I would that -I had never been tempted by the thought of goodly -merchandise to cross the sea—the angry sea—and -suffer thereby the bitter loss of all I count dear!”</p> - -<p>“I dare say you have managed to get together a -few pearls. I mind hearing of some of your race who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -carried off the biggest pearls from the river on which -Londinium is built, and in conducting the barter with -the Britons for their masters,<a name="FNanchor_B_2" id="FNanchor_B_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_B_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a> well filled their own -pouches, as I dare to say yours is filled. Now I must -away. Ebba, remember I have fulfilled my vow at the -risk of my life; and if ever you see the fair Hyacintha -commend me to her with these words, ‘I have kept -my vow, and when she makes prayers to the goddess -in the temple where her presence lingers, bid her -remember Claudius.’”</p> - -<p>When Claudius was gone the Jew carefully stowed -away the coins in his pouch, and drew from it some -dried fruit and a small vial of mead. Then he said,</p> - -<p>“Daughter, for I am to call thee daughter in place -of her who is in Abraham’s bosom—better there than -in this cold world; come and eat, before we go on our -way.”</p> - -<p>At first Anna refused to eat and drink, but then -she remembered the words of Agatha:—</p> - -<p>“It may be that the Lord has work for thee to do -for Him, and He spares thy life to do it.”</p> - -<p>After a pause, therefore, she roused herself, and -in the dim light which the waning moon shed through -the aperture, she saw the Jew’s face—a face lined -with furrows, and giving the appearance of a very old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -man, while, in truth, Ezra was scarcely sixty. Poor -Anna felt that she need not fear the old man, and as -she saw tears coursing each other down his cheeks -she drew nearer to him.</p> - - - -<p>“Father,” she said, “I would fain eat, as you desire, -and live to help and comfort you.”</p> - -<p>Ezra shook his head from side to side, rocking -himself to and fro, after the fashion of his people.</p> - -<p>“None can comfort and none can help, but I am -as well pleased to have thy company as to be solitary. -He setteth the solitary in families,” the old man said.</p> - -<p>“Are you a Christian?” Anna asked, timidly.</p> - -<p>She was surprised at the fierce denial that the Jew -hurled at her. “A Christian! nay. If you mean a -follower of the Nazarene—nay, by the Holy Father, I -say <i>nay</i>!”</p> - -<p>Frightened at the sudden change from calm sorrow -to vehement rage, Anna said no more.</p> - -<p>Ezra handed her the vial and the dried fruit, and -bade her eat and drink, and said in the strength of -that meal they must pursue their way, and that the -youth bade them not delay.</p> - -<p>Before three o’clock the old man and the maiden -were on their journey eastward, making their way to -the sea. When day dawned, they were about five -miles from Radburn, and Ezra halted by a spring, -and, stooping down, took a draught of the pure cold -water in the hollow of his hand, bidding Anna do the -same. Then the Jew drew out more dried fruit; -and they reached a straggling village of mud dwellings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -about noon. The people were friendly, and Ezra -thought it wise to tarry there for the rest and refreshment -of his companion, who was, indeed, but the -ghost of the Ebba whom we first saw standing by -Ccilia’s couch.</p> - -<p>Ezra drew from his wallet a variety of articles, -and giving Anna a handkerchief of soft white stuff, -bordered with gold, he bade her bind it on her head -and confine her hair under it.</p> - -<p>“No daughter of our race had ever hair so light -in colour,” he said, “and it is better that thou shouldst -take the semblance of my daughter—my Rachel—my -flower of beauty. Eheu! Eheu! She had borne up -so long, but, weak and ailing, she tripped and fell on -Watling Street, striking her head upon the stones of -the highway, and scarcely spoke a word after. I bore -her in my arms to a house in Verulam; but they were -rough and cruel barbarians, and turned us out.</p> - -<p>“Then I thought to reach Radburn, where I knew -the people were more friendly; and hearing a small -body of Roman soldiers were guarding some prisoners -there, I essayed to ascend the steps to the guard-house, -and here my child struggled hard for breath. -I sat me down with her, and then all was still—her -spirit had departed, and Ichabod is my name!”</p> - -<p>Anna had heard of the Jewish race, and knew that -her Lord had been born of them. She knew, also, that -the Jews had crucified Him, and that the Cross had -been set on a hill in their city. Once she remembered -to have seen a man richly clothed in long garments,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> -and heard that he had come with merchandise -and pearls to the Roman nobles. He was one of the -scattered people, who, like the Greeks, were sometimes -conveyed to Britain in the train of the Romans. -But Anna knew little about the Jews. Agatha had, -indeed, while rehearsing in her ears many of the instructions -which had fallen from the lips of Amphibalus -and Heraclius, told her of the Jews’ city, Jerusalem, -and how the Romans held the province as they -held Britain; and that the Jews, as a punishment for -their sins, were sent forth to wander restlessly over -the face of the earth. But all this time a Jew was -seldom seen in Britain except as an appendage of -some great person, so that Anna had never seen other -Jews besides the man in the rich garment, of whom -she heard afterwards that he had been robbed of his -treasures and slain on the highway, no one interfering -to save or protect him.</p> - -<p>Her heart was filled with strange doubts as she -heard the Jew, who denounced her Saviour with fury, -pray to his Lord Jehovah, and chant in a low monotone -from a roll of parchment which he kept hidden -in the breast of his robe, and fastened by a band -round his neck. The low, monotonous chant was one -of the Psalms of David—the Penitential Psalm—</p> - -<p class="center">“Out of the deep have I called.”</p> - -<p>But the Hebrew rhythm, though pleasant to the ear, -was an unknown tongue to the British maiden, and -while Ezra chanted and wept, Anna, soothed, she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -scarcely knew why, rested on a skin which was spread -upon the floor of the hut, and slept till Ezra awoke -her and said they must push on towards the sea.</p> - -<p>Fatigue and hunger, and weariness of body and -mind, had dulled the sense of pain for the time; but -when her powers were more fully awake, the hideous -scenes of the stoning of Amphibalus, the mad shouts -of the people, and the darkness of the dungeon, became -once more a haunting reality. Then came the -bitter fear of what might have been the fate of Agatha, -her tender friend, who had been left fainting and ill -in darkness and solitude with the dead, while she, -who had shared so many dangers with her, was borne -away. She reproached herself for cowardice, and in -broken words, with many tears, prayed the Jew to let -her return towards Radburn.</p> - -<p>But Ezra was proof against her entreaties, and -bade her thank Jehovah for the life He had spared; -nor waste strength and time in feeble wailings.</p> - -<p>“I have lost my only one,” he said, “the only -thing left to me in this land of strangers; but I go on -towards Rome, the great city, where a company of -my people is gathered, and thence to Jerusalem to lay -my bones where the prophets and righteous men have -laid theirs; nor will I weakly faint or fail of my purpose. -I was on my way to the sea coast when this -misfortune befel me, to find by chance a little company, -with whom my child and I might be protected -through Gaul. We push on thither now, and may the -Almighty be our strong tower and house of defence.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>This prayer was answered, and the longing fulfilled; -the Jew and the maiden were mercifully protected -from harm.</p> - -<p>Their quiet, inoffensive bearing, their sorrowful -faces and gentle demeanour, served as a shield as -they passed through the widely-scattered villages of -the old Britons and the more pretentious towns of their -conquerors the Romans. They reached the fort of -Lyme in safety, and Claudius’s gold pieces purchased -their passage across the stormy channel in one of those -strangely-built boats, with large curved prow and short -mast, which had taken the place of the mud-lined -coracles of the conquered race.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VI.<br /> - -<small>BY LAND AND SEA.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> party under the convoy of Burrhus had embarked -from Lyme, in Dorsetshire, very soon after -Alban’s martyrdom. The remains of the old harbour, -although at a distance from the sea, which has receded -from this part of the coast, can still be seen by -those who may be curious to discover them. The -channel had been smooth, for a great gale had passed -over it some days before, and the weather was exceptionally -calm and favourable.</p> - -<p>The pain of parting was over, and Hyacintha -and her brother gave themselves up to the full enjoyment -of travel, unthinking of the dangers which in -reality threatened them, and delighting in the thought -that every day brought them nearer to Rome.</p> - -<p>There was also in Hyacintha’s child-heart a strange -yearning for the office for which she was to be trained -under her kinswoman. Years must pass, she knew, -before the care of that sacred fire could really be entrusted -to her, but the time would come, and then -what life on earth could be found to compare to it? -Had Hyacintha lived in our day, she would have had -the same visions and dreams of a vocation higher -than that which is pursued year by year by those who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -live only for the present. In the higher rank of society, -which corresponds to that in which our little Hyacintha -was born, there is the same imperative demand made -for all that can conduce to pleasure.</p> - -<p>The London season of to-day, with its ceaseless -round of gaiety, its slavish adherence to prevailing -customs, the glare and false brilliancy of the life of -the votaries of fashion, is found quite insufficient for -many who are caught in the vortex and hurried along -the stream, to be carried they have scarcely time to -ask whither.</p> - -<p>The human heart, with all its joys and sorrows, is -the same in the nineteenth as it was in the fourth -century.</p> - -<p>The surroundings may be different, and this difference -in outside things is likely to make us look upon -the men and women of a remote age as apart from -us, and forget that they had their cares, and joys, and -hopes, and fears, as we have them now.</p> - -<p>The woman’s heart then, as now, often sent up a -cry for something that could satisfy it; and half-unconsciously -to herself that cry was making itself heard in -Hyacintha’s young heart, like the first notes of a bird -sent forth to meet the dawn.</p> - -<p>All travelling was long and dangerous in those -times. The tribes of Gaul—the Burgund—had -risen in 287, and Carausius, who had carried all -before him for ten years in Britain, had once been -amongst them.</p> - -<p>The troop which Burrhus commanded did not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -pass through the country without several fierce encounters -with the Burgund, and the women were -terror-struck with the clash of arms, and the savage -cries of the wild bands which again and again attacked -them. The wife of Burrhus was attended by -several ladies and slaves, and Hyacintha and Casca -each had their own attendant. Hyacintha’s was a -girl of Roman birth, who thought it an honour to be -the servant of a young aspirant to the office of a -priestess in the temple of Vesta.</p> - -<p>In one of the most alarming encounters Casca was -wounded in the shoulder. His father had given -Burrhus instructions to lose no opportunity of hardening -his son, and to do everything that might make -him worthy to be a Roman soldier, so that he was -placed in the front rank of this skirmish.</p> - -<p>Poor Casca suffered terribly from his wound, -though in the eyes of the soldiers it was but a trifling -one.</p> - -<p>His sensitive organism, so widely different from -that of the big and burly Burrhus, excited contempt -rather than pity, and as it was a drag upon their movements -to have to carry a litter with a wounded man, -Burrhus determined to embark his troop on board -two Roman galleys which were lying in the port of -Marseilles, and perform the rest of the journey by -water.</p> - -<p>This plan was hailed gladly by the ladies of the -party, and especially by Hyacintha, who could sit -continually by her brother, as he lay on the deck of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -the galley, and talk to him, or be silent, as he liked; -but Casca was gloomy and sad, and lamented that -the spear of the wild warrior who had overpowered -him had not made an end of him altogether.</p> - -<p>The galley was lying one evening off the coast of -that part of southern France and northern Italy we -know as the Riviera.</p> - -<p>Beyond the rugged outline of the rocky range, -lofty mountains rose—the peaks of eternal snow, the -white-crowned line of the Alpes Maritimes. The evening -was fair and calm, and the sails of the galley -hung idly in the gentle breeze.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha’s soul was filled with the beauty before -her, and Casca’s large mournful eyes were turned towards -the snowy peaks, now blushing rosy-red with -the last kiss of the setting sun.</p> - -<p>“That,” Casca said, “looks like the city Ebba -murmured about. I never could make out where it -was, nor how it was to be reached. Poor Ebba!” he -repeated. “I wonder if she is dead, like Alban, and -passed hence? and if so, whither?”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha did not reply. She was looking down -upon the sapphire water which rippled against the -low, cumbrous vessel, and her eyes were scanning a -dark object which floated slowly past.</p> - -<p>“See, Casca!” she said, “see! There are dead -women in that boat, drifting whither?”</p> - -<p>“As we drift,” said the boy, raising himself on his -elbow, “as we drift. But I heard some one say that -the people of these parts place their dead that they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -love best in boats, that they may reach Arles—the -holy city—with money to pay for their burial.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha did not answer, but continued to gaze -down upon the boat till it was carried beyond her -sight.</p> - -<p>Death everywhere, the child thought. Death by -sword, and fire, and tempest, and sickness. Death! -and she had heard Ebba say something about One -who was the Life. Life was so beautiful, and so sweet, -and yet the shadow of death was everywhere.</p> - -<p>“I shall be beyond the sights and sounds of woe -and trouble in the temple,” she thought. “I shall -have so many beautiful things about me, and I shall -forget all that is dark and dreadful.”</p> - -<p>As the sun went down, a cool brisk breeze sprang -up, and the little convoy, of which the ship in which -the brother and sister were sailing was the middle -one, began to dance merrily on the water.</p> - -<p>The galley on board of which were Burrhus and -the chief officers of the maniple was the scene of -feasting and merriment.</p> - -<p>There were sounds of music, and of voices singing, -and nothing seemed to depress or sadden the rest of -the party.</p> - -<p>“How different they are from me,” Casca said. -“Do not you wish to join them in the other vessel?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, brother, you know I love best to be with -you,” Hyacintha said, “but I would fain see you -happier. Be not so faint-hearted; think of Rome, -and all you will see and do there; and how proud I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -shall feel when I hear of my brother as foremost -in all things in which young and noble Romans -excel.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, little sister, I crave only for peace and -study. I know full well that, by my father’s orders, I -shall be hunted about at Rome, as I have been at -Verulam, and I shall have no Claudius to cheer me -and help me there. I marvel much, Hyacintha, what -has become of Ebba. If the faith of the Christian -should be the real faith! It seemeth to give the -weak strength and the faint-hearted courage, and for -that alone it should be the faith for such as me.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha turned quickly from her contemplation -of the water, and said, brightly—</p> - -<p>“Nay, but Casca, there are brave and courageous -ones who follow the old faith; you forget that everyone -is not sad, and——”</p> - -<p>“A coward like me”—Casca finished the sentence. -“A coward like me! Well, little sister, you have -courage enough for both. I hate bloodshed.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Casca! Think you that I love to see it? -When my mother made me sit with her, when the -wild boars and bulls were let loose on those poor -slaves in the arena at Verulam, I hid my eyes. It is -not that sort of courage I mean. I mean, courage for -great and noble things. When the wild barbarians -fell on our troop near Arles, I shuddered. And -oh, Casca! when I saw thee brought in, bleeding so -terribly, I could scarce bear it. I shall be glad to be -in Rome, safe in the Vestal’s atrium, where I am to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -learn all that befits a priestess of the beautiful goddess -Vesta. I dream of her; and she comes to me in -white robes. I saw her last night walking on the sea—so -calm and beautiful—and on her head burned a -star, like that,” the child said, pointing to a planet -which was setting in the eastern heaven, and shone -with a steady radiance in the opal sky.</p> - -<p>“The dangers of the way are nearly over now, -and then it will be Rome, and I shall be learning all -that I could never learn in Verulam.”</p> - -<p>“And have you no longings for our mother and -our father? I, who did not love them, or seem to be -loved by them as you were, I have longings. Our -beautiful mother and our noble father! He was hard -enough on me—stern and hard—but then, while it is -a gift of the gods to have a beautiful daughter like -thee, Hyacintha, it is a curse for a brave man to have -a weakling like me for an only son.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha was silent for a minute, and then said,</p> - -<p>“If they had wanted me sorely it would have been -hard to part, but my mother did not want me. Even -Ebba was more to her than I was. And my father’s -desire was that I should be a chosen priestess, as -many of his race have been before; therefore, I am -content. And it may be that our parents will return -to Rome, if it be the great Emperor’s will—all he -wills comes to pass. It was his will that the Christians -should be put to death, and who could gainsay -him?”</p> - -<p>Two of the attendants now came to spread the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -evening meal under a canvas canopy, which bore -upon it the picture of an eagle with outstretched -wings. This sheltering canopy was made of the most -beautiful and costly material in the ships which -belonged to any great Roman noble. Even that of -Burrhus was of purple silk with an embroidered edge, -but the other two small galleys were less costly in -their furnishings, and Hyacintha slept in the superior -vessel, only boarding the other in the day-time that -she might be near her brother.</p> - -<p>This vessel was under the command of a Roman -named Caius, who was a fine, noble-looking man, of -few words; but who, nevertheless, had conceived a -great interest in the two children of the noble house -who were under the care of Burrhus.</p> - -<p>He now drew near, and asked Hyacintha whether -she and her attendant would repair to the galley of -Burrhus, or remain on board to partake of the evening -meal with Casca.</p> - -<p>“I would fain stay here,” she answered, “till the -merriment is over there. The loud voices and music -drown the sweet ripple of the water against the prow, -which I love to hear. And, moreover, good Caius,” -Hyacintha said, “I feel safer aboard your vessel from -the pirates’ attacks.”</p> - -<p>Caius’s dark eyes were fixed on a spot in the -horizon, and he did not reply. He stood motionless -at the prow, gazing out in the same direction, till the -moon, nearly at the full, lifted her round face above<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -the distant horizon, and sent a flood of silvery light -across the water which seemed to come straight to -the spot where the galley was curtseying on the rising -waves.</p> - -<p>A dark speck upon the line of light was now -visible to all eyes.</p> - -<p>“Is that a Roman galley?” Casca asked.</p> - -<p>Before he could get an answer, Caius had given -the word for all sails to be set.</p> - -<p>Then he went to the prow, and shouted to those -in Burrhus’s galley that the foe was nearing them -fast.</p> - -<p>“All sails set,” was shouted back from the third -galley.</p> - -<p>And then much trampling and confusion and noise -were heard on board Burrhus’s ship. There had been -free circulation of the wine cup, and it was difficult to -get those who were drowsy from drink to perform their -office.</p> - -<p>The sailors were all at cross purposes, and the -officers on board shouting their orders, and countermanding -them as soon as given.</p> - -<p>Meantime, there could be no further doubt of the -intentions of the large ship which was bearing down -upon them.</p> - -<p>There was not a moment to lose, and Caius, having -his men under orders, with all sails set, drove before -the wind, speedily increasing the distance between his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -ship and that of Burrhus and the small galley behind -it, which contained the baggage of the maniple.</p> - -<p>There was only one large pirate vessel; and, probably -concluding that the Roman galley with the -richer awning contained the more important people, -it tacked, and, giving up the pursuit of Caius’s galley, -came alongside that of Burrhus, who was unprepared -to defend himself.</p> - -<p>Cries and shouts, and the clang of weapons, came -borne upon the waters; and as the gallant little ship -commanded by Caius increased the distance between -the vessels, Casca and Hyacintha stood hand-in-hand -on the prow, watching in the bright moonlight the -conflict which was evidently raging.</p> - -<p>Just as Caius’s ship had rounded the point which -now marks the frontier at Ventimiglia, the pirate vessel -was seen skimming the waters with her head set out -to sea, while Burrhus’s vessel and the small galley -were evidently fastened to the victorious cruiser, and -soon became but specks on the distant line of blue -waters.</p> - -<p>“We have escaped,” said Caius, “but I fear me all -your baggage is lost; and as for me, I have lost all -but honour. I have saved one galley, and had the -fellows on board Burrhus’s ship been sober, and not -drunk, I could have rescued them also. Now they will -be seen no more.”</p> - -<p>“Were lives lost, think you?” said Casca.</p> - -<p>“Ay, if they made a fight for life, they would be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -hewn down by those swarthy Moors—for Moors they -were. They have the sharpest scimitars of any nation -under heaven, and strong arms to wield them. You -are bound for Rome, methinks?”</p> - -<p>“Ah! yes,” said Hyacintha; “I am going to be sent -to the noble Terentia Rufilla, the Vestal Maxima, in -the temple of the goddess; but my brother was to have -remained with Burrhus, and now——”</p> - -<p>“Fret not for him,” said Caius. “I can bestow him -in my home—a humble one, it may be—till orders -can be received from the Governor of Britain or your -father, the noble Severus; and I will conduct you and -your attendant to the palace of the vestals. But we -are not at Rome yet; there is a long voyage before us, -though with this fresh wind and fair weather, we -ought to make the Portus Augusti in a few days. We -must make the best of it,” Caius added, “but I fear -the accommodation on board my vessel is not what -the fair Hyacintha has a right to expect.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me,” Hyacintha said, “what will be the fate -of Burrhus and all the people with him.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, I cannot tell a maiden of thy tender age of -all I fear may befall them, especially the women of -the band. Let us thank the gods that thou art safe, -and thy brother also, who looks little fitted to bear -the brunt of war.”</p> - -<p>“You know Rome well?” Casca asked. “I pray -you tell me if I shall find it easy to frequent a school -of learning there. Now that I am free of Burrhus,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> -though I wish him no ill, yet I do feel that I lose a -hard master. It is learning for which I crave.”</p> - -<p>“Thy craving for learning can be satisfied, boy,” -said Caius, “as all things can be satisfied in Rome. -Rome holds within her hand all that her sons and -daughters can need, be it for war, or fame, or pleasure, -or learning. There is a school, kept by one Cassius, -who may receive you for learning by day; and as for -a home, I have a poor little villa not far from the -schools, where my good mother lives, and there, as I -have said, you will be welcome till the good pleasure -of your father, the noble Severus, is known. For myself, -I must present myself before the Emperor’s -minions and report the loss of the chief part of the -maniple under Burrhus, and the capture of the large -galley and the small baggage vessel by the swart -African pirates.</p> - -<p>“May the gods protect us from further attacks from -them! I did not forget to sacrifice to Neptune before -we set sail. I think I was the only man who did so -propitiate the god; and see how he has rewarded me! -Ay, it is beyond a doubt that no sacrifice or libation -poured out is in vain; and here I have proved it, as -my good mother will be glad to hear. She is one -who is always amongst the first in the temples at grand -ceremonies, and the very sight of you, fair maiden, -about to be vowed to the highest service, will fill her -old heart with pride that she is allowed to touch your -hand.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>“And now it is time for rest. Your couch, and -that of your slave, is made ready; and if Neptune and -olus deign to favour us, we shall be well on our -voyage ere you open your eyes on another day.”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VII.<br /> - -<small>ROME.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> are many travellers in the present day who, -when they reach Rome, and exchange the railway for -an omnibus, feel a throb of disappointment.</p> - -<p>The “eternal city” of their dreams vanishes for the -moment into thin air, and in place of it there is only -a modern town, where the voices of the great past are -lost in the noise and din of the present.</p> - -<p>But the Rome upon which the eyes of Casca and -Hyacintha gazed with intense wonder, on the September -afternoon of 303, may hardly be adequately -described, even by the aid of those wonderful discoveries -which the zeal and untiring exertions of -exploring labourers in the work of excavation have -lately brought to light.</p> - -<p>There has been, indeed, a partial resurrection of -the buried Rome; the city lying beneath the heaped-up -excrescences of a degenerate age has been unearthed. -We can now dimly picture the glories of the noble -Forum, with its temples and statues, the long stretch -of the Appian Way, and the vast and almost illimitable -proportions of the Circus Maximus, with its belt of -distant mountains, and over all the cloudless sky, which -seemed, on this glowing autumn day, to be hanging<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -like one great canopy of celestial blue over the city -set upon her seven hills.</p> - -<p>The good Caius had taken the tired boy and girl -to his mother’s house, as he had promised, with their -two attendants. The stately old Roman matron received -her son with a smile of welcome; and as they -stood in the little atrium, uncertain what to do, she -advanced to Casca and Hyacintha, and bade them -welcome to enter, and rest for a season.</p> - -<p>Caius, in a few words, related the events of the -past few weeks; and when he came to the encounter -with the pirates, and the deliverance of the small -galley under his command, Clœlia clasped her hands, -and said—</p> - -<p>“Neptune has been pleased to receive my offerings, -made daily for you, my son, since you left me -for the region of the barbarian, now three years ago.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, good mother, we speak not of barbarians -now in Britain. Verulam is a little Rome, and as fair -a daughter of our great mother as you can picture. -The villa of Severus, which is the home of this fair -maiden and her brother, is scarcely to be excelled -here in all its furnishings and appointments, though, -of course, less in size and extent.”</p> - -<p>Clœlia led Hyacintha and her attendant to a small -chamber, separated from her own by a curtain, and -Caius took Casca, who was still weakened by the -effects of his wound, to his own apartments, which in -his absence were always prepared for his return at any -moment.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>Caius’s position answered to that of a naval officer -of our time; he was sent out with the troops for foreign -service when a galley was required, and he was, -as we have seen, an able commander of a vessel in -time of danger.</p> - -<p>Casca and Hyacintha remained two days in the -home of Clœlia, and it was agreed that Clœlia should -accompany Hyacintha to the house of the vestals on -the third day.</p> - -<p>The child’s heart was filled with wonder as she -passed through the streets of Rome with her new -friend.</p> - -<p>All her worldly possessions had been carried off -by the pirates, and there was therefore nothing for her -to carry to the Vestals’ house.</p> - -<p>It was a grand event in Clœlia’s life to think of -presenting herself there, and inquiring for the Vestal -Maxima. For these vestals were looked upon as beings -of a superior order, and far above the usual rank of -Roman women.</p> - -<p>Clœlia had donned her best robe, which was plain -in colour and material, and had no embroidery or -ornament except the purple segmentum, which is the -badge of widowhood. Clœlia wore a veil over her -silvery hair, and walked with the graceful dignity -which distinguished the Roman matron.</p> - -<p>As they passed along Clœlia pointed out to Hyacintha -the principal objects of interest, and paused at -the Forum, where a variety of business and some religious -rites were going on.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>A sacrifice was being offered before the temple of -Dioscuri, and a large car, drawn by milk-white horses, -and preceded by a band of girls and boys playing on -silver trumpets, was followed by a large crowd.</p> - -<p>Clœlia paused by one of the huge pillars, which -seemed to lift its head to the very skies, and bade -Hyacintha look round at the grand statues and buildings -which were on every side.</p> - -<p>From one rostrum an orator was speaking to a -listening crowd, and accompanied his oration with the -graceful action which kept up the rhythm of the -words as they left his lips, and attracted many to his -feet.</p> - -<p>A large caravan rolled past, which seemed to attract -attention. From their post of observation at the -base of the pillar, Clœlia addressed a woman, a widow -like herself, and asked, nodding her head in the direction -of the caravan—</p> - -<p>“More beasts for the arena?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” was the answer, “and more sport for them. -A whole body of Christians have been seized to-day -while burrowing like ants in their underground resort. -There will be good sport to-morrow or next day. Will -you not come with me to see it? They have two huge -Barbary lions in that caravan, six leopards, and a -panther that has already done to death two of his -keepers.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, there will be fine sport,” the woman repeated, -her dark eyes flashing with a cruel light. “Ah! -They have caught another. See! Two!—three more!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -Look! they are trying to escape; they are seized by -the lictors. One looks as if she would be a sweet -mouthful for the lion. I must hasten to find out who -they are.”</p> - -<p>The woman turned away, and Hyacintha could -distinguish three figures being borne off by the guards, -one a girl of her own age, the others two older -women.</p> - -<p>“They refused to do homage on their knees at the -sacrifice,” a voice said near them. “The vile wretches! -It seems they can never be stamped out.”</p> - -<p>“No,” laughed another man.</p> - -<p>“They swarm like lizards on a sunny wall. They -say the Governor in Britain has done good service, -and several of the reptiles have been caught and made -an end of. The Emperor has vowed he will never -stop till he has got rid of the whole brood, and those -fellows in that caravan will be happy to carry out his -intentions!”</p> - -<p>A laugh greeted this sally, and, as if in reply, a -loud roar from the captive lion sounded through the -Forum.</p> - -<p>Then the laugh was repeated, and Clœlia and Hyacintha, -as they moved away, heard the cry of the -people answering the roar of the lions.</p> - -<p>“Away with the Christians! to the lions let them -go! Away with them from the face of the earth! Away -with them!”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha caught the cry, and there came back to -her thoughts of the hill-side outside her native city, of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -the earnest, watching gaze of Ebba, and of the news -of Alban’s death, which had been brought into the -atrium by her father.</p> - -<p>And it was the same here in Rome; the Christians -must be killed; they must all be stamped out, like so -many “lizards on a sunny wall,” as the man had -said.</p> - -<p>Death, then, was here—as everywhere—and was -lying like a shadow over the sunlit Forum, with all its -throngs of people, intent on business or pleasure.</p> - -<p>The circular stalls of the bookseller and the scrolls -of popular authors attracted Hyacintha.</p> - -<p>Then there were the keen-eyed, sharp-featured -money-lenders, seated at Medius Janus with their clerks -around them. Here might be seen young Romans, -who wasted life and substance in all the luxury and -folly of the baths, trying to raise loans at an enormous -rate of interest, some successful, departing with a jaunty -air, their slaves following them; others gathering their -robes about them and slinking off with a look of despair -in their faces, to plunge deeper and deeper -into the sea of self-indulgence and misery which it -caused.</p> - -<p>Clœlia drew Hyacintha onward, for she saw she -attracted attention, and many bold dark eyes were -turned towards her.</p> - -<p>“We must hasten,” she said; “let us skirt the Forum -to the left, where the crowd is less, and we shall -reach the House of the Vestals.”</p> - -<p>As they got into a quieter thoroughfare those who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -were passing gave way; then a body of lictors appeared, -and a most stately, queenlike figure, clothed -in a long stole, which reached to her feet, moved -through the street, with two female attendants.</p> - -<p>The lady’s eye fell upon Hyacintha, whose remarkable -beauty was likely to arrest any one’s attention. -By a little movement of the foot-passengers, Hyacintha -was pushed out of the line of those who were standing -aside, and a lictor roughly called to her to—</p> - -<p>“Stand back!” touching her with no gentle hand -on the shoulder.</p> - -<p>Then the lady paused.</p> - -<p>“Nay,” she said, “do not be rough with the -maiden;” and she looked down upon Hyacintha with -a smile, which seemed to raise her drooping spirits, as -the sun raises the head of a flower after a storm.</p> - -<p>It was but momentary, and the lady passed on.</p> - -<p>“Who is that beautiful lady?” Hyacintha asked.</p> - -<p>“She is the Vestal Maxima, the very lady whom -you desire to see,” Clœlia said. “I dare not speak, -for the vestals must never be addressed by the commoner -folk when they walk abroad; they are always -guarded by lictors, as you see. But let us follow; we -shall reach the House of the Vestals in a short space -now.”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” Hyacintha exclaimed, “I am glad that gracious -lady is my father’s kinswoman; her smile is so -beautiful. It is a great honour, I think, that I may -one day be a Vestal Maxima.”</p> - -<p>“A long time ere that day comes,” said Clœlia.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -“Ten years must pass ere you are allowed to take -any especial or high office in the temple, and then -it is not every vestal who attains the high rank of -Maxima.”</p> - -<p>“No,” said Hyacintha, humbly. “I know that well, -but there is hope that it <i>may</i> be my honourable post -one day.”</p> - -<p>Clœlia nodded her head, and then Hyacintha, -feeling that the time of parting was near, said—</p> - -<p>“I pray you to be kind to my brother Casca; he -is far tenderer than I am, and loves quiet and study. -As soon as Caius lets it be known to my father that -he is under your roof he will reward you, for he is a -noble, and can command money and treasures.”</p> - -<p>Clœlia’s colour rose.</p> - -<p>“I need not money or treasures,” she said, “nor -aught at thy father’s hands. Be not afraid, I will tend -thy sickly brother till his wound be healed, and Caius -will settle the rest. Our fare is simple, and we know -nought of the luxuries of the Romans of to-day. We -belong to a far stronger race, a race which I fear me -is dwindling down from giants to pigmies. I have, -thank the gods, a son who fears neither storm nor -tempest; sword nor famine. He is known as the bravest -of the brave, thank the gods!”</p> - -<p>Clœlia’s speech made poor Hyacintha feel as if -she had said something that had unwittingly offended -her new friend. Her tender heart was a little wounded, -and she hastened to say—</p> - -<p>“I know well how brave good Caius is. I know<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> -that we owe our lives to him. If we had been aboard -Burrhus’s vessel, we should have perished. Oh yes! -I know how brave he is, and I shall keep the memory -of his goodness for ever in my heart. We shall meet -sometimes, for my father saith the young disciples of -the goddess have leave to come and go under guard.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, we shall meet,” Clœlia said, “but there is a -great gulf between a vestal and one in my position. -We are nearly at the porch of the cloisters now. What -if they do not receive thee?”</p> - -<p>The possibility now presented itself that in the -travel-stained little maiden, whose robe was far from -fresh, and whose chief covering and ornament were -her golden-brown tresses tied back by a plait to which -hung a veil that had been drenched with sea spray -and torn in several places, the grand lady vestal -might not recognise a child of the noble and wealthy -Severus. But it was too late now to draw back. They -had crossed the threshold of the cloisters, and two -guards demanded their business.</p> - -<p>“We seek an audience with the noble lady, -Terentia Rufilla, the Vestal Maxima.”</p> - -<p>“What credentials have you?” asked a small -woman in a purple robe and dark veil.</p> - -<p>“I come from my father, the noble Severus, of the -house of Rufilla,” Hyacintha said, in her sweet silvery -tones. “I am to be admitted to be a disciple of the -goddess, to serve in her temple.”</p> - -<p>“Forsooth, you are bold enough,” said the woman, -who called to another in the same dress.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>“Here, Julia, here! This child says she is come -to be admitted to the discipleship.”</p> - -<p>“Send her off,” was the scornful reply; “she looks -like it, forsooth. Verily, send her off, nor waste thy -own time in prating. Why, child, those who aspire to -such an office as this do not come to present themselves -like beggars.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha’s breast heaved, and tears sprang to her -eyes.</p> - -<p>Clœlia now spoke—</p> - -<p>“The maiden has suffered perils on the way from -Britain. She was brought with her brother to my -house three days ago. The ships were beset by pirates, -and everything the maiden possessed is lost. My son, -the brave Caius, brought a small galley safe into the -Portus Augusti a few days past, and he can tell you -of the truth of my story.”</p> - -<p>“I wear upon my breast,” Hyacintha faltered, “a -pierced gold coin attached to a chain. This coin -bears on it the letters of my father’s house, and his -name.</p> - -<p>“I bore with me,” she continued, “a letter and -many precious things addressed to the great lady, -Terentia Rufilla, but the pirate ship boarded that on -which my baggage was placed, and I reached Rome -in a sorry plight.”</p> - -<p>There was now a very perceptible change in the -manner of the two women. The family of Rufilla was -one to win respect, and the elder said—</p> - -<p>“Will it please you to follow me?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span>These words were addressed to Hyacintha, and -she was about to obey when the sound of steps in the -long cloisters made the women turn. And there, -coming from the shadows into the dim light where -they stood, was the same graceful, dignified lady who -had passed by them on their way from the Forum. -Terentia Rufilla was no longer young—indeed, it was -impossible for the virgins to attain the highest office -at a very early age. Ten years had to pass as a noviciate, -and ten more was generally considered as a -necessary probation before the honour of Vestal Maxima -could be aspired to.</p> - -<p>The servants and attendants all bowed low as the -lady approached, and Hyacintha’s heart beat so loudly -that she could almost hear it.</p> - -<p>“What brings you hither, my daughter?” the lady -asked.</p> - -<p>“I am the daughter of Severus, of the house of -Rufilla,” said the little maiden. “I crave to be -admitted to the service of the temple, and my -father has sent me hither from the city of Verulam -in Britain.”</p> - -<p>“Thy father! Yes, a post brought in despatches -from Verulam yesternight, and there was a letter from -thy father, Severus. Welcome, my daughter,” the lady -said, bending over the little shrinking figure. “Welcome; -and I will receive thee here and examine thee -on some matters necessary to be known ere thy training -begin. How old art thou?”</p> - -<p>“I am eleven years old, lady,” Hyacintha said.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>“Eleven! Ten is the accustomed age. Thy companions -have mostly entered upon their services at -ten, but we will not let that hinder us, if other matters -prove convenient. Is that good woman related to -thee?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, lady,” said Clœlia, advancing; and then, -encouraged by Terentia’s kindly manner, Clœlia drew -nearer, and, bowing low, kissed the hand extended -to her.</p> - -<p>“And canst thou tell me aught of this maiden?” -Terentia asked.</p> - -<p>Clœlia, in a few words, gave the account of the -perils by sea which the maniple under Burrhus had -met. She did not forget to extol the merits of her -son Caius, and to let it be known that by his skilful -seamanship one galley had been saved. “The maiden -has lost everything she possessed; because her sick, -weakly, brother was aboard my son’s galley, and she -spent the days with him, and returned to the vessel -of Burrhus by night under the care of his lady Cornelia. -The pirate attacked them at sundown, and -soon overpowered the men under Burrhus, while -Caius, seeing it hopeless to help men in their cups, -and fearing this maiden might meet a fate worse than -death, set his little vessel’s head to the breeze and -escaped.”</p> - -<p>The lady listened with courteous attention, and -then taking Hyacintha’s hand, she said—</p> - -<p>“I will now receive her into the house of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -vestals consecrated to the service of the goddess. -Has she an attendant?”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Hyacintha exclaimed, “I have one attendant, -but she remains at the house of the good -Clœlia.”</p> - -<p>“And so may she remain. Of what nation is she—a -Briton?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, gracious lady,” Hyacintha said, “she is of -Roman birth, and her family are to be found here.”</p> - -<p>“Seek them out then,” said the Vestal, “and let -her return to them. I must commit thee, child, to the -care of those who will clothe thee in the proper habit, -and to-morrow at dawn thou shalt be led to our -high priest, who shall examine thee, and then consecrate -thee for thy high office in the temple of the -goddess.”</p> - -<p>Clœlia understood that the time for leaving -Hyacintha was come, and she bade her farewell, -making a low reverence to the stately lady, who, -taking Hyacintha by the hand, was leading her away, -when she turned quickly—</p> - -<p>“I pray you, Clœlia, commend me to my brother -Casca, and let me know of his welfare. I pray you -assure him of my affection.”</p> - -<p>“It shall be as you desire,” Clœlia said, as she -turned to pursue her way towards her home on the -further side of the Forum.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha was led through the cloisters, up a -staircase by which the upper floor was reached, to a -small hall where several vestals were seated, employed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -in weaving a fine tissue embroidered with gold and -silver, which was used for the service of the altar.</p> - -<p>As the Vestal Maxima entered the hall the sound -of voices ceased, and the maidens rose as a token of -respect.</p> - -<p>“I desire to speak with Lucia, who is the custodian -of the robes. I need the garments for this young girl, -who is the daughter of the noble Severus of my own -patrician house, and who is sent hither from the wilds -of Britain, to be restored to the high rank her family -has ever held in Rome.” Then turning to Lucia, who -had answered a summons from an inner hall, separated -by a heavy purple curtain from the larger one, the -Vestal Maxima continued—</p> - -<p>“Take this maiden, and clothe her in becoming -garments, Lucia. See that she rests well and has -proper food, and just before dawn, when I am leaving -the temple, bring her to my presence, where she will -meet the priest and be received as a disciple. Till -then,” she said, waving her hand, “I give her into -your keeping.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha was a little surprised at the change in -the manner and bearing of the maidens the instant -their superior was out of hearing.</p> - -<p>They had stood in respectful silence, with their -silks and threads in their hands, and their tongues, -like their fingers, had come to a pause. But both -were now in active operation again. They clustered -round Hyacintha, asking her questions, which she, from -imperfect acquaintance with the colloquial language<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -which they spoke, could hardly understand. It is true -that the Romans of noble birth in Britain had kept -most strictly to their native tongue, regarding the -British language as that of slaves. Still, there were -differences then, as now, in dialect—those differences -which we call provincial—and thus Hyacintha found -it far easier to understand the lady Terentia than -these vestal maidens, who were as yet only disciples, -and chattered in the fashion of young creatures in -every age and in every country, clustering round the -new arrival like a flock of pigeons round an addition -to the dovecot.</p> - -<p>Lucia, who was older and more considerate, said—</p> - -<p>“Peace, will you deafen the child with your rattle! -It is truly like the brawling of a brook down the hill-side. -Peace, and return to your tasks.”</p> - -<p>Dazed and bewildered, Hyacintha suffered Lucia -to lead her away, but when on the other side of the -purple curtain she began to breathe more freely.</p> - -<p>“You are tired, child, and need rest,” Lucia said. -“See, I will measure you for a stole, and cut off your -hair, and then you shall have a refreshing bath, and -lie on one of the couches till it is time for supper. -After that meal is over I will fit your garments again -on you, and at dawn you shall be taken to the door -of the temple to meet the priest.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha was quite passive under Lucia’s hands, -and as she operated on her she talked of the vestal’s -life, of the insubordination of some of the disciples, -of the serious defalcation of two professed vestals, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -of the fearful punishment which had been awarded -them.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha listened with a mingled awe and amazement -to all she heard.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Lucia said, as one by one the golden-brown -tresses dropped to the marble floor. “Yes, -there have been terrible scenes amongst us, and I -often think that children like you, who come hither, -know but little of all that lies hidden within these -walls.”</p> - -<p>“But,” said Hyacintha, “is it not the most noble -and beautiful life for any woman to keep the sacred -fire for ever burning for the Roman people all over -the world. Surely, it is nobler and more beautiful -than to live only for things which when attained make -none happy.”</p> - -<p>“Happy! Ah, my child, happiness is like the bow -across the wide Campagna. You see its many-coloured -arch and hasten to reach it, and, lo! it is gone; the -nearer you think you get to it, the further it seems. -But the gods are kind to us poor mortals, and our -goddess Vesta does not forget us. You are but a -child, a young child,” Lucia said, surveying Hyacintha -as she stood up before her in a loose underrobe, with -all her marvellously lovely hair gone, and the little -slender figure, beautifully formed, giving the appearance -of extreme youth.</p> - -<p>“I am nearly twelve years old!” Hyacintha said.</p> - -<p>“Twelve years old. Ah!” Lucia said, with an -appraising critical glance, “there is something in your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -eyes which tells of thought and reflection which a child -under ten years of age could not possess. And what -hands and feet! Only a Roman patrician could show -such. Well, if you are ready, we will go to the bath -that is always required before the stole can be worn.”</p> - -<p>“I would fain keep the token of my birth, and -that I am the daughter of Severus,” Hyacintha said, -as she saw Lucia casting aside in a heap all her travel-stained -garments, and the chain which she had worn -round her neck with the coin attached to it.</p> - -<p>“I know not whether you will be permitted to -retain it,” Lucia said, “but I will put it in this casket, -and consult the Vestal Maxima. And now let us go -to the bath.”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VIII.<br /> - -<small>DISCIPLESHIP.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Hyacintha</span> slept soundly after her bath, and a -supper of fruit and delicately-baked bread, crisp and -fresh, after the fashion of our modern biscuits. A -draught of the pure water from the spring on the hill -above the house of the vestals was refreshing, and it -was the daily duty of the vestals to draw it for the -service of the house and the temple.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha was awoke by Lucia’s voice.</p> - -<p>“It is nearing the dawn,” she said; “the cock has -crowed twice, and I see the first signs of Aurora’s -coming feet in the eastern sky. Now arise, little -maiden, and I will dress you for your presentation to -the priest.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha sprang up at once, and after another -ablution of clear cold water, the attendant vestal put -upon her little feet a pair of sandals, and the fine -robe which she was to wear under the stole. The -stole itself and the fillet which was to bind her hair -the vestal placed in a basket, and then telling Hyacintha -to follow her, she led the way to the chamber -of Terentia Rufilla.</p> - -<p>This chamber was nearly adjoining the temple, -and to reach it, it was necessary to descend again and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -cross the large atrium, now almost dark, except for -the faint light of a lamp which hung in the large -porta or gateway.</p> - -<p>The sunshine could not reach this stately hall, -which consisted of eight Corinthian columns of veined -marble, with pure white bases.</p> - -<p>The state apartments were on this lower storey of -the vestals’ house, and as the floor was thirty feet -below the Nova Via, with the walls resting against -the Palatine, it must have been very damp and chill; -the pure air of heaven could never reach it; and in -spite of double walls, double floors, and hot-water -currents—of which distinct traces are left—it could -not have been a healthy abode.</p> - -<p>The living rooms from which Hyacintha and Lucia -had descended were, perhaps, more salubrious, but the -Imperial Palace, rising at that time one hundred and -fifty feet above the building, must have always over-shadowed -the whole house, and prevented the light -from entering, as well as the air.</p> - -<p>A heavy curtain was drawn aside by one of the -servants of the temple, and the next moment Hyacintha -found herself in the presence of the Vestal Maxima, -her father’s kinswoman.</p> - -<p>She had been keeping watch that night in the -temple, and wore a different and more elaborate dress—as -the sign of her high vocation—than that in -which Hyacintha had seen her on the preceding -evening.</p> - -<p>The Vestal Maxima wore a long stole of snow-white<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -linen, drooping gracefully to her feet. A loose -hood, falling a little from the back of the head, displayed -a close-fitting cap, bound with gold fillets, -and lay in easy folds over her shoulders. A large -pallium, of a deep violet colour, was gathered over -her left arm, and wound closely round her waist. -Terentia Rufilla was in the autumn of her life, and -when the little novice made her profound reverence, -as Lucia had instructed her to do, a smile, -which was half pitying and half admiring, spread over -her noble countenance.</p> - -<p>“Welcome, little maiden,” she said. “Thy name -is of Greek origin, and scarcely one to be registered -as a vestal. Was that name chosen by the noble -Severus?”</p> - -<p>“I know not, lady,” said Hyacintha. “Methinks -my mother chose it because she loved the flower and -its sweet scent, but I cannot tell.”</p> - -<p>“It will, perhaps, be better to register thy name -as Severa, and yet Hyacintha suits thee so well, I -think it must stand.</p> - -<p>“Hyacintha Severa, the daughter of the noble -Severus,” she said, waving her hand to the maidens; -“lead the way.”</p> - -<p>The maidens turned towards an entrance to the -chamber opposite to that by which Lucia had entered, -and as two of their number held the curtain aside, -the others passed through, chanting a low monotonous -song as they went.</p> - -<p>The sun had risen now, and the sky above the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -temple court was bright, and of the indescribably -lovely blue of early day.</p> - -<p>The light fell upon the vestals’ white garments till -they glistened like snow, and upon the short clustering -curls of little Hyacintha’s head till they shone -like gold.</p> - -<p>The procession crossed the court and ascended -a flight of wide and very shallow steps, shadowed by -the portico, on which were seen, in bas-relief, many -figures, illustrating the past history of the vestals, from -the earliest date to the time of which I write.</p> - -<p>A nation’s history was almost told by these figures, -to which Hyacintha did not even raise her eyes, so -engrossed was she with the first sight of the temple of -her dreams.</p> - -<p>At last they were within the sacred building, -where in the gloom and shadows the sacred light of -the fire upon the altar shone like a star of glory.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha had eyes for nothing but that light—that -clear lambent light—shed by the sacred and -never-to-be-extinguished fire, which had been brought -down from high heaven and preserved here by those -consecrated and set apart for the office.</p> - -<p>The child’s heart thrilled with a sense of awe, and -a gentle sigh escaped her. She clasped her hands, -and looking up to the opening in the temple roof to -the clear azure sky, her eyes filled with tears, which -one by one fell upon her bare hands and arms in -crystal drops.</p> - -<p>The Vestal Maxima noticed this unwonted expression<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -of feeling, and her thoughts went back to -the day—now thirty years ago—when she, too, had -entered the temple for the first time to be presented -to the priest.</p> - -<p>The prime of youth was over for her; the “sacred -fire” had grown dim. The heavenly light and warmth -had, she knew, waned. At her noble heart there was -an aching void, and there was a hungry yearning for -something—for <i>some one</i>—which was not satisfied. -As she looked at the little earnest enthusiast by her -side, she wondered if all the long years of temple -service which stretched before her would be as barren -of real satisfaction and true peace as hers had been.</p> - -<p>Terentia Rufilla saw at a glance that Hyacintha, -the daughter of Severus, was not of the ordinary type -of the maidens over whom she held rule. Many of -them came with no serious thought of responsibility; -many with positive distaste, and simply because the -vocation was chosen for them by their parents, and -they had no choice in the matter.</p> - -<p>It was confessedly a grand office, this of the vestal -virgins, in the eyes of the world. To be a vestal -was to bear about the imprimatur of patrician birth -and noble ancestry. No plebeian might ever wear -that snow-white stole, or aspire to the high office of a -Vestal Maxima.</p> - -<p>This pride of rank and personal aggrandisement -were often the distinguishing characteristics of the -vestal virgins. As they passed through the public -streets, the way was cleared for them by attendant<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -lictors. If by chance they met a slave on his way to -the arena or the fire, and he prayed for mercy, the -vestal could procure his pardon. Her word was -enough, and the life of the criminal was spared!</p> - -<p>All these things conspired to feed the self-importance -and vanity of many women; and then there -was their palatial atrium, and their own chambers, -which were furnished with all things befitting the -high rank of Roman ladies.</p> - -<p>Terentia Rufilla had seen many of the proud ones -brought low, and the vain and frivolous ones made -shipwreck. The cases of the latter were rare, but -there had been such, even during her time of office, -and her heart might well be heavy as she thought -over them.</p> - -<p>The beauty and rare simplicity of her little kinswoman -had touched her from the first moment of -their meeting, and now as she led her up to the old -priest, who was awaiting them in a side vestibule, -she felt a yearning tenderness and love for Hyacintha -which made her silvery voice almost mournful as she -said—</p> - -<p>“I bring you the daughter of the noble Severus, -to be consecrated for the service of the goddess and -of Rome, in this temple.”</p> - -<p>The priest, an old man, who had received the -candidates for many, many years, went through the -usual form of questions as to Hyacintha’s willingness -to take the solemn oath he tendered to her.</p> - -<p>The child understood but little of the meaning of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -much that was said to her, but she knew that the -penalty was death if she should break her vow.</p> - -<p>As she knelt before the old priest her childlike -transparent soul received no impression but that she -was never to have any other home than the temple; -and she wished for no other. She was to learn to -spin and weave the sacred curtains and veils for the -altar, and she desired nothing better.</p> - -<p>She was to submit herself entirely to the rule of -the Vestal Maxima and those of the sacred virgins -whom she should appoint to watch over her and -instruct her. She was to be under training for eight -or ten years, as the Vestal Maxima should see good, -and then her full consecration would take place, and -she would take her turn in watching in the temple at -night and feeding the sacred fire—which only the -fully consecrated were ever allowed to do.</p> - -<p>“And now, beloved,” the priest said, “Hyacintha, -the daughter of the noble Severus, I give thee entrance -as a disciple, to be educated for a vestal priestess, to -minister in sacred things, and to do for the Roman -people what the law has appointed.”</p> - -<p>Then Hyacintha took the vow in the prescribed -form, and, rising, the Vestal Maxima invested her -with the stole, and bound a purple fillet round her -head; then bending with an irresistible impulse, she -kissed the pure sweet brow of her little kinswoman, -and with a reverence to the priest, she committed her -to the care of Lucia, and, followed by the band of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -vestals, chanting low as they went, she slowly left the -temple.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Hyacintha’s new life was hardly what she had -pictured it would be; what seemed so solemn and -grave a responsibility to her, was an everyday routine -to many of her companions.</p> - -<p>The appointed tasks were done, and the appointed -work fulfilled, and then Hyacintha was free to wander -about in the gardens, which sloped up the Clian -Hill, and where the pure cold water of the spring -was drawn of which Hyacintha had drunk a refreshing -draught on the first evening of her arrival.</p> - -<p>Lucia had committed the little Hyacintha to the -especial care of a Roman maiden, who had nearly -passed her time of probation, and would soon be -allowed to take charge of the sacred fire in the stillness -of the night.</p> - -<p>When this vestal, who was named Chloe, went -abroad with her lictors in attendance, Hyacintha often -accompanied her; and when the autumn and winter -was passed, and the glory of the Roman spring broke -over the Campagna, strewn broadcast with the flowers -of every hue, Hyacintha’s spirits seemed to rise to -meet it, and the child’s heart within her beat with a -gladness which it had not known since she left her -northern home a year before.</p> - -<p>Clœlia had paid her several visits; and once or -twice, under the charge of an older vestal, she had -seen her brother.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>Casca was still living in Clœlia’s house, awaiting -more definite orders from his father, which had not -yet arrived. For though the posting service of the -Romans was wonderfully arranged and carried out, -whole months must elapse before the perils and losses -of his children could reach the ear of Severus. It -would, indeed, be a downfall to his pride to know that -both his son and daughter had reached Rome robbed -of all the possessions which had been provided for -them, as meet for the children of a man holding high -office in the Roman city of Verulam.</p> - -<p>Casca was well content. He attended the schools, -and listened with the most profound interest to the -orations delivered daily from the Rostra, where the -eloquence of distinguished scholars was in itself an -education.</p> - -<p>The military training, on account of his wound, -would not have been possible for Casca under any -circumstances, and he rejoiced with all his heart to be -spared the discipline.</p> - -<p>The boy’s gentleness and goodness won more and -more upon Clœlia’s heart, and while Casca wrote upon -parchment wise sayings, which he gathered from the -teaching of the philosophers and poets, Clœlia would, -when the boy paused for a few minutes to rest his -hand, tell him stories of old Roman valour and adventure, -which was a delight to her to recount and to -Casca to hear.</p> - -<p>Never had a winter passed so rapidly for Casca; -and when, with lengthening days, the outdoor life of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -the city began again, neither Clœlia nor Casca was -altogether pleased to think that their long evenings -in the little atrium of the Villa Caius were over.</p> - -<p>“Who can foresee what another winter may bring,” -Clœlia said. “The noble Severus will surely send -orders for your future, and if he decrees it, you must -leave my humble roof. I know not when I shall see -Caius again; he is never at rest on shore, and must -ever be fighting pirate or storm. The gods have -preserved him hitherto—it may be that they will not -forsake him while I, his mother, live. And for the -rest, sons are made for something better than to sit -with folded hands by their mother’s side. That, at -least, is not the place of a true Roman.”</p> - -<p>It was a sunny morning, early in March, when -Casca set forth for the school with a bundle of papers -and vellum rolls, fastened together and hung across -his shoulder.</p> - -<p>He yet wore the short toga prtexta which reached -below the knee, and the golden bulla, which was a -hollow ball of gold, hung round his neck.</p> - -<p>Casca had easily obtained admission to the school, -which was presided over by a master who had no fear -that the son of Severus would fail to recompense -him for his trouble. And, indeed, there was something -very winning in the gentle boy. His nervous -temperament and dislike of all scenes of bloodshed -and warfare had irritated his warlike father, but they -were qualities which endeared him to the scholar and -the poet, and Casca had become a great favourite in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -the schools, and was remarkable for his ability and -quickness in learning.</p> - -<p>It was now many months since the martyrdom of -Alban, and Casca began to think of that dreadful -scene which his father compelled him to witness as a -hideous dream. The persecutions of the Christians -still raged, but in Rome there was so much space and -so wide an area that the boy had not necessarily been -brought in contact with the scenes which were continually -enacted in the Coliseum.</p> - -<p>To-day there was a chariot race in the Circus -Maximus, and when the morning school was over one -of Casca’s companions invited him to stroll with him -in that direction, in the hope of getting near the race. -The Circus Maximus was of such enormous extent -that this was no easy matter.</p> - -<p>The arena had in the centre a group of columns -and obelisks on a raised platform, and round this the -chariots raced. The judges sat here, and those to -whom the chariots and horses belonged, moved round -and round, shouting and waving their hands, and encouraging -those who were in the arena to urge on -their fiery horses to the utmost speed.</p> - -<p>The spring sunshine illuminated the temple and -buildings on either side of the arena. The tiers of -seats were filled with a vast multitude all in holiday -attire, while the Emperor and his suite occupied a -vantage-ground above the rows of seats on the right -hand of the arena.</p> - -<p>These seats were reached by long flights of steps<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -which divided the long line into twelve compartments, -and the two boys found some vacant places near the -end and commanding a view of the whole arena, -though perhaps a distant one.</p> - -<p>It is difficult to picture anything more beautiful -than the aspect of the Circus Maximus on a day like -this. The range of mountains which seemed to shut -it in at the further end, were seen in distinct outline -against the clear blue sky—the clear and beautiful -sapphire blue of Italy, which is never seen in our -northern climates.</p> - -<p>The dark line of the foliage of spiral cypresses and -round-topped pines set off the snowy whiteness of the -marble pillars to which they made a background, and -Casca was more fascinated by the grandeur of the -place itself than interested in watching the race.</p> - -<p>Something in the boy’s heart seemed to respond -to the beauty around him; and while his friend Fulvius -was excited to frenzy at the hairbreadth success which -one of the chariots won, Casca was lost in his own -meditations, from which he was awoke by the over-turning -of one of the unsuccessful carriages, and the -cry of pain, which sounded through the first shout of -victory.</p> - -<p>“The charioteer was killed!” he heard a voice -near him say, “and the horses will never be worth a -silver coin again. So much the worse for Cassianus, -who owns them.”</p> - -<p>The fallen horses and the dead charioteer were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -hastily removed, and then another race was proclaimed -by the herald. And again there was breathless anxiety -as to the result.</p> - -<p>Casca turned presently at the sound of a voice, -which seemed familiar.</p> - -<p>“Do not push him roughly; he will make way!”</p> - -<p>“A cursed dog of a Jew!” was the answer, “standing, -forsooth, in the way of a noble.”</p> - -<p>“Turn him out!” and then two lictors, who were -stationed at the entrance of every one of the galleries, -seized the old man roughly by the shoulder, and -pushed him before them to the outside of the Circus.</p> - -<p>Casca forgot the race and the shouts which proclaimed -another victory, forgot Fulvius, and that he -had agreed to remain with him and return to supper -with him, and followed the old man, who was leaning -on the arm of a woman whose voice had been -familiar.</p> - -<p>“Do not push him roughly,” the voice now said. -It was the voice of Ebba, the slave of his mother -Ccilia.</p> - -<p>Casca followed the pair at a little distance, till he -was beyond the shouts of the crowd which was thronging -the entrances to the Circus.</p> - -<p>Then he laid his hand on Ebba’s arm. She started, -and turned round—</p> - -<p>“Is it possible!” she exclaimed; “but do not speak -to me, dear master.”</p> - -<p>“Speak! yes, I must speak, and learn whence you -came, and who has brought you hither.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>“Nay, not here, not here; it is dangerous for you -and me here.”</p> - -<p>“Come on, my daughter,” moaned old Ezra, “come -on, nor delay, for this is no place for us. Young man, -what is your business?”</p> - -<p>“I will come, father,” said Anna, “I will come. I -would you had heeded me, and never come near the -race.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, but I furnished the harness—the gold—for -the chariot of Cassianus, and now”——</p> - -<p>“Hush, I pray you, father,” Anna whispered. “We -are watched.” Then turning to Casca, she said—</p> - -<p>“To-morrow, at dawn, near the fountain of Egeria, -that is near to the temple of Vesta, to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>And then Anna hurried on, and Casca was accosted -by a man.</p> - -<p>“Do you know the woman and the old man?”</p> - -<p>Casca shook his head. “The old man is a stranger -to me, but <i>not</i> the woman,” was the rejoinder.</p> - -<p>“I would have you beware, Casca, the son of -Severus: that woman is one of the Christians, though -she lives with an old Jew, a dealer in precious stones -and pearls, a charlatan and sorcerer. Beware!”</p> - -<p>“I know not,” said Casca, with some dignity, “why -you should issue these commands against me.”</p> - -<p>“I have the best reason. I have to-day, by the -special messenger from Verulam, received commands -from your father, the noble Severus, that you are to -be committed to my care till you come to man’s estate. -I went to seek you at the house of Clœlia Pudentia,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -and she bade me seek you at the schools, and thence -again I was sent to the Circus Maximus. Return with -me and watch the race out.”</p> - -<p>“Nay!” Casca said, “I have had quite enough of -the race.”</p> - -<p>“You will prefer the Coliseum to-morrow,” the man -said, with a malignant smile. “There is fine sport -coming on there, to which I bid you. But you must -see my credentials for thus accosting you. If you will -not return to the Circus, accompany me to my house -at the foot of the Quirinal Hill, and I will lay before -you your father’s letter. Surely you have heard my -name—Antonius Scva—I hold a high office in the -Emperor’s household. I am as well known as the -Palatine,” he said, with a cynical smile.</p> - -<p>Casca accompanied his new companion rather reluctantly, -and listened to his somewhat bombastic talk -with disgust.</p> - -<p>He would greatly have preferred remaining with -Clœlia, in the quiet retirement of her humble home. -He dreaded the return to the life that he had led at -Verulam, and yet the commands of his father, he -knew too well, could not be set aside, and he had no -alternative but to obey.</p> - -<p>Antonius’s house was one of the most magnificent -in the valley below the Quirinal and Esquiline Hills.</p> - -<p>Besides the spacious atrium, or large outer court, -there was a third large peristyle, from which immense -apartments opened, furnished in the most magnificent -style. There were carpets from Eastern looms, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -many coloured curtains of purple and gold embroidery, -from Babylon. Curious carving in ivory and metal -were on every side; and Antonius said, as he led -Casca to one of the most magnificent chambers—</p> - -<p>“Well, there is no great hardship in taking up -your abode with me. The emperor himself is pleased -to frequent this house, and we are ready with a -banquet for him at any moment. A penalty, you may -say, to pay for imperial favour. Now we will take that -couch and throw aside these parchments, and have a -light repast.”</p> - -<p>Antonius clapped his hands, and as if by magic a -retinue of slaves appeared, bearing all kinds of refreshments, -in silver and gold cups and flagons, with -dishes of all the viands then most in favour with the -luxurious Romans, the degenerate representatives of -the noble and hardy race which had laid the foundation -of the great empire, even now hastening to its -fall!</p> - -<p>Antonius led the usual life of the Roman nobles -of that time. He lounged, drank, and played for high -stakes at the gaming-tables at the baths. He sauntered -into the Forum, and listened to some favourite -orator, or later in the day he attended the Court, and -either drove in his gaily-decorated chariot, or sauntered -in the gardens where the beauty and fashion of -Rome resorted. Then he would bid guests to his supper, -who were never unwilling to respond to his invitation, -for his board was always spread with sumptuous -fare, and the emperor himself was frequently announced<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -by heralds as deigning to confer the favour -of his presence upon Antonius.</p> - -<p>When Antonius had dismissed the slaves and attendants, -he said—</p> - -<p>“Here is your father’s letter. He begs me to make -a Roman of you, and mentions that by reason of -robbers by land, and pirates by sea, you had arrived -in a sorry plight. You can be equipped by my people -in native attire, and it is time that you left off that -prtexta, if your father’s version of your age be true—near -fifteen. He says, and truly, that you are small -and slender, and a contrast to him in all things. He -does not think you will make a soldier.”</p> - -<p>Antonius laughed. “And I agree with him; we -must turn you into a Roman, befitting in manners and -appearance your high rank. You have a sister a -vestal, I hear.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, a young sister received as a disciple,” -Casca said.</p> - -<p>“A vestal’s brother must needs be careful to do -her honour, and you must submit yourself to the hands -of my dresser, and acquire some accomplishment, play -on some instrument, as well as play high at other -games. The Emperor may look kindly on you, and I -will get you a place in his household.”</p> - -<p>Then Antonius yawned, and lazily stretching himself -on his luxurious couch, leaned over a few parchments -and made a cabalistic sign on one or two, and -then settled himself to his siesta.</p> - -<p>Meantime Casca was reading his father’s letter,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -which Antonius had tossed to him, and there was -also a short one addressed to himself. He knew -already the contents of that written to Antonius, but -Severus’s counsel to his young son may bear to be -transcribed here as a specimen of paternal counsel in -those days of Roman decline.</p> - -<p>“Severus, pro-consul at Verulam, to my son Casca, -greeting.</p> - -<p>“My son,—News has reached me of your disasters -by sea and land on your journey towards Rome. This -will reach you by the hand of the noble Antonius, -who will by his goodness receive you into his household, -to prepare you to take office in that of the Emperor -himself. You refused the study of arms, to my -great disquiet, therefore you must now study diligently -to shape your manners after those of the young nobles -at Rome. You must learn to sing, game, and become -an adept on some instrument of music. You must -study dress and deportment, and lie as occasion -requires, when the flattery of your superiors demand -it. My office in this distant province, amidst these -barbarous tribes, has obliged me to live the life of the -soldier only. You refused that life, therefore you -must cultivate that of the courtier.</p> - -<p>“Have no more intercourse with the woman at -whose house you lodged. I have directed that gold -should be given her. Her son Caius did his part -well, but, alas for Burrhus and his maniple! they are -prisoners and slaves, and we doubt if a ransom would -avail if offered. We must leave them to the gods.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>“I have received news also from my noble kinswoman -Terentia Rufilla, that my daughter finds favour -in her eyes, and that her beauty and wisdom are far -beyond her years.</p> - -<p>“Her mother and yours sends greeting. Beware -of the vile reptiles calling themselves Christians; it is -told me that they swarm in Rome like ants. Here in -Verulam we have done good work amongst them, and -thanks are due to Valens and Claudius, who crushed -out a goodly number in the forest beyond Radburn. -The chief Amphibalus was done to death by stoning, -and when the cell was opened on the morning after -his execution, to our great astonishment the woman -Agatha and the miserable slave Ebba were found -dead.</p> - -<p>“Claudius lighted a pyre at once and the bodies -were burned to ashes, before we knew we were saved -the trouble of roasting them alive. We had been -counselled to try burning, as execution by the sword, -and even stoning, bore small fruit. Again, I say, beware -of the Christians as of lepers and the plague.</p> - -<p>“Vale!”</p> - -<p>Neither of these letters was in the hand of Severus, -who could wield the sword and battle-axe, but hardly -a pen. They were written on the parchment roll in a -clear hand by the man who fulfilled an office which -we should call that of secretary to the Governor’s -court.</p> - -<p>As Casca read this letter, his face betrayed surprise<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -and emotion, which Antonius, lying back with half-closed -eyes, was not slow to discern.</p> - -<p>“I crave leave,” Casca said, “to return whence I -came till the morrow. I have books and parchments -which I must have carried hither, and I must see -good Clœlia, the mother of Caius, and take leave of -her.”</p> - -<p>“Well, be it so,” was Antonius’s reply, in a lazy -tone. “Meet me in the Coliseum to-morrow, when -there will be some sport with thy father’s enemies, the -Christians. By Jove!” Antonius said, “I care not -whether they live or die, though we should miss some -sport if there were no more to be thrown to the -beasts. Vale! Vale!” he exclaimed, waving his hand, -and leaving Casca free to depart.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IX.<br /> - -<small>DAYSPRING.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Clœlia</span> received the news of Casca’s immediate -departure with that self-repression which at the time -of greatest trial characterised the old Roman matron.</p> - -<p>The inevitable was accepted, and she merely said—</p> - -<p>“It was but likely that your noble father should -desire to place you amongst the nobles, but you depart -to scenes of license, I fear, and to see the hunt -after pleasure put before honour and the welfare of -Rome. It was not always thus. There were times -when the sons of our great city strove after all those -gifts which should make them her worthy protectors -and defenders. They call Rome now the mistress of -the world, but her children have grown weak since -the arms of their great mother have embraced so many -strangers and aliens. I would, my son Casca, that -you were to be committed to one even of less exalted -rank than Antonius, who, if report speaks truly, lives -the life of luxury and ease which is as a canker-worm -at the root of the gourd.”</p> - -<p>Casca’s tender, gentle spirit was touched at the -emotion which Clœlia could not entirely hide under -her quiet calm manner.</p> - -<p>“I would that I could stay with you, dear Clœlia,”<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -said the boy. “I am not fitted for the life to which -I go.”</p> - -<p>“There is no choice for us; a son must obey his -father; and it may be that in some time of need the -mother of Caius may stand you in good stead, as -once the son did, when he rescued you and your -sister from the pursuing sea-robbers and brought you -safe into port. If the time ever comes when you need -Clœlia, she will not fail you.”</p> - -<p>Clœlia embraced Casca affectionately as she spoke, -and then she bestirred herself to prepare the evening -meal, which they were to eat together for the last -time.</p> - -<p>Casca thought it wisest to keep the appointment -with Ebba to himself. He intended to leave the -house long before dawn, and to return to make final -arrangements for his departure later in the day. The -strange announcement in his father’s letter of the -death of both Agatha and Ebba seemed a mystery -he could not unravel. He knew nothing of Agatha, -nor could he believe that it was Ebba who was with -her in a cell at Radburn, and that both women should -be found dead when the prison door was opened.</p> - -<p>Certain it was, however, that he had seen Ebba at -the Circus—he felt sure he could not be mistaken. -She knew him, and addressed him as “Master,” and -he wanted no further proof.</p> - -<p>How she came to Rome, and why she was with -the old Jew, he could not understand, and he was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -anxious for the meeting at the fountain of Egeria, -below the Clian Hill.</p> - -<p>It was quite dark when Casca left Clœlia’s house -the next morning, except, indeed, for the light of the -stars, which had not yet begun to fade before the -dawn.</p> - -<p>When the boy reached the deserted and silent -Forum, faint streaks of the coming day were just -enough to show the outline of the columns which -supported the faade of the temples, and the statues -which surrounded the pillars.</p> - -<p>There were a good many sleepers about the steps -of the temple and plinths of the statues. The outside -garment or toga was rolled up for a pillow, and the -poor Roman citizens, who lived, for the most part, -desultory lives out of doors, and earned a scanty -pittance by helping to unlade the mules which came -in from the country to supply fruit and milk and -vegetables to the city, never desired easier or more -luxurious couches! Then Casca threaded his way -cautiously along till he took the narrow path which -wound by the temple of Vesta to the Clian Hill. In -the hush before the dawn every sound was distinctly -heard—the ripple of running waters—the low splash of -fountains—the fall of solitary footsteps. Once there -was the sound of a band of revellers, who were returning -to one of the palaces in the Palatine, after a night -of wild bacchanalian license. The noise grew nearer, -passed below the place where Casca stood, and then -grew fainter and fainter, and died away in the distance.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -Then there was a low sullen roar, which was -often heard in the stillness of a Roman night—the -lions roaring at daybreak for their prey, the food -which would be supplied to them in the arena before -sunset, when the Christians who might have been in -captivity in some of the adjoining cells would be -brought out to die!</p> - -<p>Casca pursued his way, leaving the temple of -Vesta behind him, pausing every now and then to -look back at the place where his little sister was one -day to minister, to keep the sacred fire burning, for -the safety and welfare of the Roman people all over -the world.</p> - -<p>The boy’s heart went out in loving tenderness -towards Hyacintha, and he longed for one hour of -free intercourse, such as they used to have in the villa -of Severus, in Verulam.</p> - -<p>The footpath between the gardens was very narrow, -and wound in and out, till the summit of the Clian -Hill was reached. Here Casca paused again, and was -soon conscious that a figure clothed in a long dark -stole and hood was seated on a fragment of stone -waiting for him. It was, indeed, Ebba, the Christian -Anna, who advanced to him, saying—</p> - -<p>“Dear master, the son of my lord the noble -Severus, I greet you with humble affection. I have -been yearning to see you, for I knew that you were in -Rome, and I have watched and waited, and now you -are here!”</p> - -<p>“Good Ebba,” exclaimed Casca, “I am right<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> -glad to find you here. But tell me how it has come -about.”</p> - -<p>“I was delivered from death by Claudius, your -noble-hearted friend, who bade me see my dear young -mistress, and tell her that he had fulfilled his vow. -But I have never dared to present myself at the -temple, or the house of the vestals, for I might perchance -bring trouble upon my dear young mistress, -for I am a baptised Christian.”</p> - -<p>Casca started back—</p> - -<p>“A Christian!” he exclaimed. “There is greater -peril here than in Verulam. There is a fresh outbreak -of persecution, and a number are to be thrown -to the beasts this very day.”</p> - -<p>“I know it,” Anna said, in a firm voice. “The life -that my Lord has given back to me I will guard, nor -rashly deliver myself up. But, oh! my young master, -why will you not accept the cross and bear it after -Jesus?</p> - -<p>“He is rising over the world,” Anna continued, -“like yonder light, which proclaims the near approach -of the sun. He is coming to flood this sinful world -with righteousness, even as the golden flood of sunrise -is bathing the Alban Hills.” As she spoke, she pointed -with her hand to the scene stretched out before them, -as they stood under the shadow of the ilex trees, and -looked down upon the prospect, which lay like a -vision of beauty, rather than a reality of this lower -world, in all its loveliness. For one by one the -peaks of the Alban Hills rose from the plain, and a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -rosy flush touched the highest of all, where the old -temple of Jupiter once stood, the common meeting-place -and shrine of the early Latin race. Soon the -Campagna smiled in the early level rays of the sun, -and everything became imbued with life!</p> - -<p>Casca was strangely moved as Anna said—</p> - -<p>“Here, or at Verulam in the caves, or in the forests -of Britain, the Lord is the light. Oh! my noble -Casca, I pray you bathe your soul in His light, and -you will have peace and joy in His presence!”</p> - -<p>Casca folded his arms and looked out upon the -shining landscape, wondering much that the slave-girl -should have become a woman on whose face was -written a high and noble resolve, the outcome of the -reality and fervour of her faith.</p> - -<p>“Yes!” she continued, “I am now living in the -Jews’ quarter, on the slope of the hill. I hear from -them the words of their prophets and sibyls, and I -know that these foretold the coming of the Saviour of -the world. They did not know Him, and he was -nailed to the cross, like a malefactor, by the Roman -Governor’s order, in the province of Juda. The Jews -clamoured for His life, as the Romans clamour for the -lives of the Christians. And He laid it down, to take it -again, dying for Roman and Greek, Jew and Christian, -Briton and Druid, alike.”</p> - -<p>“I would I could believe,” Casca sighed, “for -there is a hunger of the soul nothing can satisfy. But, -Anna, this may be a fable or a phantom, this Christ -of whom you speak.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>“Nay, dear master, He is no fable and no phantom. -He lives in <i>us</i> and we live in Him. But——”</p> - -<p>She broke off suddenly, for two figures clothed in -the purest white garments were seen ascending the -hill with light, agile steps. The taller of the two bore -a pitcher on her head, with the grace with which only -the women of Italy know how to carry a burden. Her -young companion had no burden. She had gathered -a large bunch of the pale violet anemone which carpets -the turf in every Roman garden in spring, and had -fastened it under the fillet with which her short shining -curls were bound.</p> - -<p>“Two vestals!” Casca said, springing to his feet. -“The younger one is—yes, surely it is—Hyacintha!”</p> - -<p>In another moment the brother and sister stood -face to face. Hyacintha gave him a rapturous greeting.</p> - -<p>“Chloe!” she exclaimed, “this is my brother -Casca.”</p> - -<p>Chloe, who had set down her pitcher, smiled pleasantly. -And then, with a wild cry of joy, Hyacintha -discovered that Anna, her Ebba of other times, was -with her brother.</p> - -<p>“We have come to draw the water from the -spring,” she exclaimed; “little did I think I should -find you here. Oh, Ebba, tell me how you came -hither!”</p> - -<p>“I have been longing to see you, dear mistress, to -give you a message. My story is indeed so strange, -that even to myself it is scarce like reality.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>“Tell it to me, tell it to me! Oh, Chloe, may I -stay, and hear what she says? She was the dear attendant -of my mother and myself, in my old home at -Verulam. She has brought me a message.”</p> - -<p>“You can remain here while I go to the fountain,” -said Chloe. She was good-natured and kindly, and -the little Hyacintha had been her especial care and -joy since the day of her arrival in the house of the -vestals, now six months before.</p> - -<p>Indeed, Hyacintha had won all hearts. There was -a gentle grace about her, and yet a sunny brightness, -which made the vestals call her their singing bird.</p> - -<p>The deep earnestness of her nature, and her serious -desire to fit herself for the high office of a vestal, -did not prevent her from entering into every innocent -pleasure with the keenest delight.</p> - -<p>The anxiety which had awoke in her young heart -at Verulam, to find a more excellent way of life than -that led by the ladies she saw in her mother’s society, -had been a weight upon her child-heart. But now she -had found, as she believed, her vocation; and while -leaving far behind her, her young companions in the -accomplishments in which they were all instructed, she -was always simple and humble, and her exceeding -beauty, which was increasing month by month, did not -make her vain.</p> - -<p>“A great gift to lay at the shrine of the goddess,” -Terentia had told her, and Hyacintha joyfully laid -down that gift, and would gladly lay down others also,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -for the honour of the goddess who had the sacred fire -in her keeping.</p> - -<p>Ebba could scarcely restrain her expressions of -admiration as Hyacintha seated herself on a stone -bench beneath an outspread ilex tree, and said,</p> - -<p>“Now, Ebba, my message, my message! Dear Ebba, -you look so happy now, no longer like a sad slave, -but free and happy.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, dearest lady, I am free—free from the fetters -which bound me, no longer a slave, but a <i>child</i> of -a loving Father.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha’s questioning eyes were turned wistfully -upon Anna as she spoke. She could hardly understand -her.</p> - -<p>The sunlight flickered through the branches upon -Hyacintha’s spotless robe, and touched the ruddy gold -of her hair with glory.</p> - -<p>Her little sandalled feet peeped out beneath the -hem of her robe, as they rested on the mossy turf. -Her beautifully-formed hands were folded in a sort of -happy expectation as to what Anna might say next, -what the message might be from her home beyond the -stormy sea, and her whole attitude was one of attention -and wonder as to what was coming.</p> - -<p>Casca watched his sister with eyes of tender -brotherly admiration, and he wondered it had never -struck him before, how beautiful she was!</p> - -<p>“Poor Ebba,” Hyacintha said, “the child of a loving -Father! I do not understand. I know you left our -home, in Britain, after they had killed the man on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> -hill-side, near Verulam. I know my father was angry -at your loss, put a price on your head, but I know no -more.”</p> - -<p>“Nor need I tell you all that happened, for it -would serve no good end, nor would I throw over -your brightness so dark a cloud as the story of my -life since we met would surely throw.”</p> - -<p>“I was baptised by the holy Amphibalus on the -night of my escape. Then our little band wandered -towards the fastnesses of Wales, after hiding in a cave -at Radburn. We were settling in a village, in peace -and rest, converts daily brought in by the teaching of -Amphibalus, when we were surprised by the barbarians, -and to escape them a band of thirty fell into -the hands of a Roman convoy under Valens and Claudius.”</p> - -<p>“Claudius! good, dear Claudius!” Hyacintha exclaimed; -“nay, I do not believe he hunted you -down.”</p> - -<p>“He did as he was commanded, and many fell. -Some were carried to Radburn as prisoners. I was -one, and Agatha, the mother’s sister of Heraclius, who -perished before the holy Alban rather than take his -life,—Agatha was my support and stay. We were -thrown into a dungeon together, from which we were -dragged to witness the martyrdom of Amphibalus.</p> - -<p>“I remember little more after that, till I found myself -committed to the care of old Ezra, the Jew, by -brave Claudius, who rescued me from death, and bade -me say to you, dear Hyacintha, that he had fulfilled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -his vow made to the gods and to you, and had saved -the life of the slave whom you loved.”</p> - -<p>“Whom I must love always,” Hyacintha murmured. -“But how was it done?”</p> - -<p>“I have since heard from Ezra that his daughter -died on her toilsome journey from Verulam to Radburn, -and that Claudius, finding him weeping over -her body, took it up and carried it to the dungeon, -where he left it with Agatha, and carried me away. -I have never heard what befel Agatha—my friend -and mother—for a mother in Christ she was, truly, -to me.”</p> - -<p>Severus’s letter to his son became intelligible now. -The boy sprang to his feet.</p> - -<p>“I can tell you,” he said. “Both women, so my -father writes in his letter—both women were found -dead in their cell, and their bodies were burned to -ashes the next morning. My father believes that you, -Ebba, were one of those women.”</p> - -<p>Anna raised her eyes to the sky above her, and -the tears which gathered there flowed down her -cheeks.</p> - -<p>“She is with Him whom she loved, in Paradise,” -she said, “only, would that our Father had taken me -with her!”</p> - -<p>“Dear Ebba, do not grieve,” Hyacintha said.</p> - -<p>“Nay,” Casca sighed out, “nay, it is over for her, -it is to come for you and for me. Tell me where I -can get instruction in the faith of which you speak.”</p> - -<p>“Come to the Via Appia in the early morning, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> -in the late evening. I will be on the watch, for I -steal thither unperceived, as hundreds of our faith -steal. In the last sleeping-place of the Christians the -faith of the living is built up, and you shall be instructed -in that faith. Think you, Casca, that there is -no Rome but that which you see? Yes, there is a -Rome, invisible to all mortal eyes, over which the -angels watch the Christian people of the great city, -who are compelled to worship their Lord in secret and -silence.”</p> - -<p>“I will come,” Casca said.</p> - -<p>“Go whither, dear brother?” asked Hyacintha; -“nay, run into no danger.”</p> - -<p>Casca smiled.</p> - -<p>“I am never bold or daring, little sister; has not -that weakness of mine been ever foremost? Did not -good Claudius try to harden me to danger? Did not -my father look on me with scorn, as unworthy of his -noble ancestors? I will run into no danger.”</p> - -<p>Chloe’s footsteps were heard approaching, on her -return from the fountain, where she had filled the -pitcher with pure crystal water.</p> - -<p>This water was used to sprinkle the altar of -Vesta, and only those who were fully qualified by -their term of probation were ever allowed to perform -this office.</p> - -<p>“Now, Hyacintha,” Chloe said, “the day wears on -apace, and we must return to the temple.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha embraced her brother, and then turned -to follow Chloe. The path bore a little to the left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -before it descended to the gate of the garden, and -there Hyacintha paused for a moment, and with her -hand waved her farewell to the two who stood below -her. The low level rays of the lately-risen sun -glanced through the vines and olive trees amongst -which she stood. Her white robe glistened and -glowed in the sunshine, and her face—that beautiful -face—so childlike, and yet so womanly, made Anna -exclaim—</p> - -<p>“She is like the Hyacintha of my dream in the -dungeon! Oh, that the journey was indeed over, and -that she was standing to welcome me at the golden -gate! but it will come at last—at last.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha had disappeared at the garden gate. -A lictor stood to escort the two vestals along the -public thoroughfare to the door of the vestals’ house. -The vestals were never allowed to appear in public -without a guard; for from their high office they formed -a part of the sacred magistracy and state of the city -of Rome.</p> - -<p>When Casca and Anna were left alone together, -Anna said—</p> - -<p>“We must not be seen together in the public streets; -therefore, dear young master, I will depart first, and -you can follow. The quarter where the Jews live is -below the hill, and I reach it by a side path.”</p> - -<p>“Are you happy with that old man, Ebba? Is he -good to you?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, at times,” was the answer. “He mourns for -his lost Rachel and his lost treasure. The name of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> -Christian is scarcely less hated by the Jews than by -the heathen, and I live a secluded life with Ezra. -But he has taught me much of the words of the old -prophets and sibyls in whom he believes, who worshipped -the God of Israel, and I have learned to sing -some of the songs written by one of their kings to the -praise of Jehovah. And now we part till the evening, -when I will conduct you to the place where you shall -hear much which my poor tongue cannot tell. But -be wary, for the eyes of many are upon all who are -suspected of being Christians.”</p> - -<p>In another moment Anna had glided away, and -Casca was left alone.</p> - -<p>A new life was beginning for the boy that day; -he was to exchange the toga prtexta for the toga -virilis—the boy’s garment for the man’s—a sign of -manhood which the Romans looked upon as imperative.</p> - -<p>Before that bright day had closed, Casca had -bidden Clœlia farewell, and, with a heavy heart, had -committed his books and parchments to two slaves -from Antonius’s household, who had arrived for them -about noon.</p> - -<p>Then he penned a dutiful epistle to his father, -which would be despatched by the next special -messenger who might be sent on official business -from Rome to her distant province of Britain, and -prepared himself for his fresh start in the palace of -Antonius.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>It is very hard for us to realise the events of the -fourth century, and any picture of those times, and of -the men and women who took part in the scenes then -enacted, must, at the best, be shadowy. To the eye -of the casual observer, Rome, seated on her seven -hills, under the sway of the Emperor Diocletian, was -at the zenith of fame and prosperity.</p> - -<p>The throngs in the Forum—the gay crowds in the -gardens of Circus Maximus, the race-course, the arena—all -told of wealth and prosperity and pleasure. But -this very love of show and outward grandeur, this -excessive devotion to the indulgence of every selfish -desire, was sapping the foundation of the great empire, -and its decline had even then set in.</p> - -<p>Still, out of sight, and hidden from general observation, -a kingdom was growing daily in strength and -numbers. Like the grain of mustard seed, like the -little lump of leaven, the Church of the Catacombs -was gathering force and extending its boundary, -month by month, year by year. But if it requires a -strong effort of the imagination to call back the individual -life of the men and women who flocked to -the resorts of pleasure and business in the Forum and -the Circus, it is almost more difficult to realise the -buried life of Rome at that time, which, nevertheless, -was as a spark to be kindled into a light that should -cast its bright beams over the world, when the splendour -of the great Empire, with all its false brilliancy, -should have sunk in gloom and darkness.</p> - -<p>The Christians grew and multiplied, and we are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -told that thousands were even now converts in heart, -though held back by fear from confessing Christ -openly.</p> - -<p>The persecution which was raging fiercely in 304 -had, perhaps, the effect of driving timid ones into -obscurity, but it was as a stimulant to many steadfast -souls, who died with a smile of victory on their faces -and a song of rejoicing on their lips.</p> - -<p>Anna, the British slave, lived in the Jews’ quarter, -with old Ezra, and faithfully fulfilled her duties as -his daughter. The old man was querulous and exacting; -the desire of gain, which had taken him to the -distant pearl-fisheries of Britain, was strong upon him. -He found Anna’s skill with her fingers most useful to -him, and she was now engaged in the embroidery of -a quantity of rich velvet with gold and seed-pearls, -which Ezra was to sell to a dealer, for the train -of the Empress, and for which he was to receive a -fabulous sum. But it was the gold, and not the advantages -which the gold could bring, which was precious -to Ezra. The Jews’ quarter, hidden under a -spur of the Clian Hill, was thickly populated, and -the low square buildings where they dwelt were poor -and overcrowded. They had one rather larger than -the rest, which was set apart for their synagogue, and -here the more devout worshipped the God of their -fathers at the appointed seasons.</p> - -<p>The community was not a happy or particularly -harmonious one; jealousies were rife, and Ezra was -believed to have amassed riches, though he lived in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -a mean way, and professed to be poor. One of the -Jewish women would often come and sit with Anna, -while she bent over her embroidery, and she would -talk of the expected deliverer of Israel, who was soon -to come, “As a king, to reign,” she would say. And -then Anna would tell of the King who <i>had</i> come—whose -dominion was to spread from sea to sea, and -who was to put all enemies under His feet.</p> - -<p>Anna had been well taught by Amphibalus and -Agatha, and instructed in the Scriptures, so that she -could tell Rebekah many things of which she had -never heard.</p> - -<p>As the spring day waned to its close, Anna’s eyes -ached with the continuous work, till pearls and gold -thread looked one confused mass; she laid aside her -frame, and invited Rebekah to accompany her to the -Cmeteria, as soon as the shadows fell upon the -city, and they might pass unnoticed. Rebekah hesitated -a little, but finally agreed to bear Anna company, -stipulating that she might return if she heard -anything spoken against the God of Jacob in the -place where Anna said she would be instructed in her -faith.</p> - -<p>“Nay, you can hear no word against the God of -Jacob, for He is our God for ever and ever,” Anna -answered. “You will hear of his Son the Deliverer, -whom your people, knowing not what they did, nailed -to the cross.”</p> - -<p>Rebekah shook her head. “Our Jehovah would -never suffer Messiah to perish like a malefactor, it was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -contrary to His nature. He is the Lord God merciful -and gracious.”</p> - -<p>“But,” Anna quietly added, “He will in no wise -spare the guilty.”</p> - -<p>“We have sacrifices offered for sins once a year,” -was the reply, with a proud sense of security.</p> - -<p>“But this one sacrifice of Christ, once offered, -avails for all time and for all people.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” the young Jewess said, “I will accompany -you, for it is at least a diversion. I am weary of -pining for my espoused husband Joel. He has departed -hence and I have had no tidings of him for two years, -and I can scarce bear my life shut up in this dull -corner of Rome, while I know in Jerusalem I should -have a high place in all the feasts and joyful meetings -of my own people. It was a woeful day for me when -my father Ezekiel came hither.”</p> - -<p>Rebekah was a fine Jewish woman, with the strongly-marked -features and raven hair of her race, but her -face was hard, and the expression of her mouth cross -and discontented.</p> - -<p>“I loathe this place,” she repeated, “and I marvel -how any one like you can abide here. You are bound -by no tie to old Ezra.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, a strong tie,” Anna said; “by the death of -his daughter my life was saved. I must be as a daughter -to him while I live.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I would not count such a man as a father,” -was Rebekah’s reply. “When shall we start? the sun -has nearly set.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>“As soon as you please,” Anna replied; “I must -get ready my long cloak, and cover my head, and set -out the evening meal, and light the lamp in the outer -court, that Ezra may find all ready, and think I am -gone to rest.”</p> - -<p>“Then do not tarry,” Rebekah said, “for I am -cramped with sitting on the low cushion, and long for -air and sights and sounds pleasanter than those which -greet me here. Hark! there’s the sound of a multitude -shouting, there must be sport in the arena; food for -the lions, no doubt.”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER X.<br /> - -<small>SUNSET.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> sun which had been shining with cloudless -brilliancy throughout the day shed the rich glow of -its level beams across the Via Sacra or Appian way. -In the clear transparent atmosphere, every monument -and every stately statue stood out sharply defined -against the sky—a sky of clearest azure, except at -the horizon, where lines of violet and rose-coloured -clouds, tinged with gold, floated in saffron depths, -which were shaded into flaming orange below them, -and to the tenderest daffodil as it mingled in opal -transparency with the blue canopy above.</p> - -<p>The grandeur of a Roman sunset must be seen, -and cannot be described—no pen or brush can paint -it; and as Anna gazed at the glorious pageantry -before her, her lips moved as she repeated in a low -voice—</p> - -<p>“The street of the city is gold, as it were transparent -glass. Surely the gates of heaven—the heaven -of the Christian’s hope—might well be there.”</p> - -<p>Her companion Rebekah was not thinking of the -sky, nor of the grandeur of that road between the -tombs along which they passed.</p> - -<p>A few horsemen in rich and splendid accoutrements<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -were riding slowly along, and on the broad -footway several groups of people were walking, and -she was far more interested in them.</p> - -<p>Presently a cry was heard that the Christians were -coming. And then there was a rush of many feet, -and two women bound with cords were seen hurried -along towards the spot where Anna and her Jewish -companion stood.</p> - -<p>“They have been captured near the Cmeterium,” -a voice said.</p> - -<p>And then there was a sudden hush and pause; -the oncoming crowd stood still, as all eyes were turned -in the opposite direction, and a voice cried—</p> - -<p>“The Vestal Maxima!”</p> - -<p>“They are saved then,” exclaimed Rebekah; “all -prisoners on their way to execution have a free pardon -if they are met by a vestal. And this is the Vestal -Maxima.”</p> - -<p>Anna looked earnestly, as if she could never look -away, at the stately figure of Terentia Rufilla and the -young disciple at her side, Hyacintha Severa, as she -was called.</p> - -<p>The vestals who were in attendance were all -dressed in their long stoles of dazzling whiteness, and -they were preceded by a guard of lictors.</p> - -<p>The child, Hyacintha, had in her hands a large -quantity of flowers, which had been gathered from -the grounds of one of the spacious palaces where -Terentia Rufilla had been paying a visit.</p> - -<p>So high was the esteem in which the priestess of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -Vesta was held that the members of the Imperial -family could not receive greater homage. Those who -were guarding the prisoners halted, and knelt, and -Terentia asked, in a clear ringing voice—</p> - -<p>“Who are the prisoners, and of what rank?”</p> - -<p>The chief lictor replied that they were peasant -women of no rank or name, and that they were obstinate -followers of the false religion.</p> - -<p>Terentia’s beautiful expressive face showed but -little sign of pity, for the Christians were enemies of -her goddess, and ought to perish, and there was in -the heart of the Vestal Maxima only a sense of duty -and scarcely of satisfaction as she said—</p> - -<p>“It is our pleasure that the captives be set free.”</p> - -<p>To the surprise of all around, one of the women -exclaimed—</p> - -<p>“We desire not freedom; we cannot recant; we -believe in Jesus the Lord.”</p> - -<p>“To the lions with them—they want sport for the -arena,” exclaimed a voice. “If they do not recant, -spare them not.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, spare them, spare them!” exclaimed Hyacintha.</p> - -<p>“There is no need for entreaty,” said Terentia, -haughtily. “Unloose the cords and let the women -free. It is the invariable favour granted by the -priestesses of the goddess Vesta, nor can I remit it, -though, forsooth, I have rarely seen a favour so coldly -received. Move on,” she said.</p> - -<p>And then the crowd separated, and the two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -prisoners’ cords being loosed they were flung aside, -with rough blows and angry exclamations. And the -people poured on towards the Coliseum, where they -yet hoped to find the beasts were not disappointed of -their prey.</p> - -<p>The two women sank down on the highway, utterly -exhausted. They had been rescued from death, but -had hardly power to realise it. Anna put her arm -round one of the women, and said—</p> - -<p>“Can I lead you home?” and Rebekah, less gently, -had taken her companion by the shoulder and tried -to rouse her.</p> - -<p>“Are they gone?” she murmured.</p> - -<p>“They are gone where you will follow unless you -rouse yourselves. Your lives have been spared; make -haste to flee.”</p> - -<p>“Whither shall we flee?” said one poor woman. -“We had come in from the country, footsore and -weary, when we were seized. We were resting on the -steps of the monument of Ccilia Metella, when we -were asked if we had attended the great sacrifice in -the temple of Jupiter. Nay, we said, for we are -Christians and worship only the Lord Jesus.”</p> - -<p>“I can take you to comparative safety,” Anna said, -“if you will come with me. It will be a refuge for -you; you will be taken care of.”</p> - -<p>One of the women said, “We are poor peasant -women, who have come into the city to get food. -The Lord seemed to point the way, and we knew -there were good Christians in Rome.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>“There are good Christians,” said Anna, “but persecution -is raging amongst them now. Lean on me -and we will try to find a safe place.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose I must not leave you,” Rebekah said, -“but I would we had not met the poor wretches.”</p> - -<p>Then by slow degrees the poor women passed -along the sacred way amongst the great monuments -of the past glory of Rome, till they turned in at a low -opening in the wall, and a voice said—</p> - -<p>“Who enters?”</p> - -<p>“In the name of Christ,” was Anna’s answer.</p> - -<p>Then out of the darkness a tiny spark was seen -burning. It was the light of a lamp hung from the -roof at the distance of some hundred yards.</p> - -<p>“I am here also,” Casca said, touching Anna’s -arm. “I have escaped from the Coliseum, where I -was forced to go with Antonius.”</p> - -<p>Anna made no rejoinder, except to put her hand -upon the boy and lead him on. The two poor peasant -women and Rebekah followed, and the long passage -ended just where the lamp hung. By its dim light -they crossed to another low doorway, and then guided -by another lamp, threaded their way through several -galleries and passages, till they reached an open -space where some fifty people had assembled. This -larger space was pierced through the rock and ground -above with several openings, through which the sky -could be seen. Two lamps hung over the slab of a -tomb of one of the faithful departed, and there the -vessels for the Holy Communion were placed.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>A young deacon was speaking when Anna and -her friends came in, leading the poor women by the -hand. The young deacon ceased speaking, and inquired -the names of the new-comers, and their errand.</p> - -<p>“I have brought this youth,” Anna said, “a Roman -of noble birth, who is anxious to know more of the -Faith. This young woman is a Jewess, and these -peasants,” she continued, “have just been rescued -from the jaws of death. They were being dragged -to the arena, when they were met by a procession -of vestal virgins and released.” Several of the little -assembly rose, and made the new-comers welcome, -getting food and drink for them, in their fainting -condition, from one of the openings behind the tombs.</p> - -<p>The Catacombs at Rome are now visited by many—and -what pictures rise out of the past as the long -subterranean passages become peopled with the early -Christians, who bore thither their dead, laying them -in the tombs cut out of the rock, and encircling them -with all the tender memories of Him whom they believed -to have opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all -believers.</p> - -<p>The word Catacomb, is, we are told, modern; but -the Greek word, Cmeteria, or sleeping place, was the -one dear to the Christians, and always used by them -to express their faith in the words—“Them that sleep -in Jesus shall God bring unto Him.”</p> - -<p>It was this sleeping in Christ and this glorious -awakening, which to those early Christians, with their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> -simple unwavering faith, was a near and great reality, -of which the preacher spoke that night.</p> - -<p>Casca, who had been studying deeply since he -came to Rome the words of poets and philosophers, -who had listened with profound attention to the -learned orations from the Rostra, and who had, even -before he had left Verulam, pondered much the -mysteries of life and death, now followed every word -with hungry eagerness.</p> - -<p>The spirit of unbelief in the old system of the -gods was spreading rapidly.</p> - -<p>The Olympus of old Rome was fading into thin -air.</p> - -<p>Many in the educated and higher ranks of society -went through the form of attending the sacrifices, and -offering at the shrines on appointed festivals, who felt -it was but a form.</p> - -<p>But here, in the dim seclusion of the Catacombs, -there was no formal acceptance of a creed—the -Christian faith was to the faithful an indwelling reality.</p> - -<p>The young deacon who had questioned or catechised -the congregation, and instructed them by the -familiar form of question and answer, was followed -by an older man, a priest, who had been consecrated -by the bishop or overseer of that hidden Church in -the Catacombs of St. Calixta.</p> - -<p>He, too, noticed and welcomed the strangers whom -Anna had brought, and Casca, the young Roman, in -his new and handsome toga virilis, interested him, -and he drew him aside and gave him a roll of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -manuscript, promising to supply him with others when -he returned these.</p> - -<p>It was St Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews, and -from the portion which tells of the great cloud of -witnesses the priest founded a discourse, or, as we -should call it, a sermon. He spoke of the invisible -watchers over that hidden Church; many had been -sufferers for Christ, and their bodies were lying in -niches of those long galleries awaiting the call of -their Master, which would be surely heard when He -came to claim His own. He spoke of the dangers -which surrounded the living, the torture and the -flame, the terrible ordeal of fire, or the fierce conflict -with the beasts. He described the scene which had -been enacted in the Coliseum that very day, and he -bade them all remember that their turn might come -next.</p> - -<p>Were they ready? or would they faint and fail in -the trial hour?</p> - -<p>They could do all things through Christ, who -strengthened them, and he would not allow that -one would turn back on the way to win the crown, -though the cross might be exceeding bitter and a sore -burden.</p> - -<p>Prayers followed, and then the little company -were bidden to rest till the dawn broke. Just before -cock-crow the priest called them to awake and -draw near to receive the bread and wine for the refreshing -of their souls in remembrance of the sacrifice -of Christ. It was the first time that Casca or the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span> -young Jewess had ever seen that solemn service. It -was familiar to Anna, and her thoughts went back to -the forests of Britain and the Radburn cave, where -the holy Amphibalus had broken that bread and -drunk of that cup, when dangers of every kind were -near.</p> - -<p>It was no new thing to the British slave to feel -that the profession of the Christian faith was the -signal of danger. The scenes in the forest, in the -dark dungeon, were still as vivid as ever; but Casca -had yet to count the cost. The Jewish maiden felt -herself drawn to this Christ of whom the priest spoke. -The lines round her mouth softened, and tears -gathered on her long dark lashes, like rain-drops, and -slowly ran down her cheeks.</p> - -<p>If only she dare believe that this Jesus of Nazareth -was the Messiah for whom her people had looked -for so long! but surely He, that long-looked-for King, -would come with imperial pomp and greatness; not, -as these his followers said, as the child of a humble -mother, to die a shameful death, such as malefactors -died!</p> - -<p>Ah! that death of Christ! therein was hidden the -<i>Life</i>, though she knew it not as yet, nor could discern -it.</p> - -<p>The little congregation were to separate at dawn, -and Casca was led by Anna through the long and -tortuous galleries to another entrance than that by -which they had come in.</p> - -<p>It was scarcely more than a hole in the hill-side,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -and concealed by the immense profusion of the rare -yellow-berried ivy, which still hangs upon the Walls of -the Appian Way.</p> - -<p>When they reached the opening, Anna said—</p> - -<p>“We must part here, dear master. I counsel you -to conceal the manuscript carefully, and read it with -prayer in secret. We may meet no more; for you pass -now to the grand life of Antonius, and I must remain -in the Jews’ quarter, and you must run into no danger -in seeking me out. But I am often to be found here -at dark after sunset, and before sunrise, and it may -be that the desire of my heart may be granted, and -you will seek baptism at the hands of the Father in -Christ who spoke to us this night. Ah! it is morning -now; speed on your way.” Then Anna swept the overhanging -branches of ivy over the opening with her -hand, and disappeared, while Casca turned towards -the city along the Appian Way.</p> - -<p>The first faint pallor of the dawn was touching the -colossal figures on the tombs, as Casca passed along.</p> - -<p>In the dim and shadowy light these monuments of -the past seemed even more majestic than in the broad -glare of the noonday sun. The boy’s heart was filled -with a yearning longing after some certainty about the -future life which was almost pain.</p> - -<p>All the great warriors who had fallen in battle for -their country covered with glory, whom these monuments -commemorated—where had they gone? That -dim region of the dead, whence the old traditions said -some favoured ones had been snatched by the strong<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -arm of the gods, and returned to those who loved -them—where was it? Had it, indeed—as many thought -in Rome—no existence but in the songs of the poet -and in the marble of the sculptor?</p> - -<p>If the great multitude of whom nothing remained -but their ashes in the urns which were deposited in -the grand monuments were utterly gone; if the life -which had ended on the battle-field, or by their own -hand was over—quite over—how short it was! All -hopes and fears, and learning and culture, at an end. -Death! which must then mean nothingness?</p> - -<p>But a voice in the boy’s soul told him of immortality; -that living witness within seemed to call on -him to believe that the spirit within him <i>could not die</i>. -With what certainty had the priest spoken of the cloud -of living witnesses—living, caring for those on earth—<i>loving</i> -them still! Surely, if this were true, it was a -grander and nobler thought than the consignment to -the depth of Hades, or the utter passing away and -annihilation of which so many orators he had lately -heard declare was the fate of every man! Casca -thought of his beautiful young sister in the temple of -Vesta, and remembered all their sweet converse at -home in the Villa of Severus, and on the long and -perilous journey to Rome. But she had gained her -heart’s desire, and she was satisfied. Surely her sweet -young face, as he had seen it in the garden on the -Clian Hill, had a happy and satisfied halo shed -over it!</p> - -<p>He had never seen her look so happy before. She<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -had left the luxurious frivolous life behind her, and -had entered upon her training for what was considered -the very highest vocation for a Roman maiden. She -had the privileges and honours of a vestal virgin before -her—possibly she might reach the highest office -of all, and her father’s rank made this probable; and -then, as Vestal Maxima, Hyacintha would have fulfilled -the most sanguine desires which any one who -knew her could cherish.</p> - -<p>And yet even that must end. Hyacintha must die -and pass away from the temple; her beauty must fade, -her powers fail; death would not spare the vestal virgin -any more than the humblest peasant woman, like -those who had knelt with bowed heads and uplifted -hands before the priest, when he had given thanks -for their preservation from the lions.</p> - -<p>Yes, death must pass on all men, and Anna, the -British slave, had been very near death; but she -looked beyond, to the crowd of invisible witnesses, to -Jesus, who had, so the priest said, “Overcome death, -and opened the gates of the kingdom.”</p> - -<p>Casca remembered Ebba in the days that were -past—uncertain, trembling, fearful; but now that she -had confessed Christ openly, she had a look of resolute -purpose on her face, and her plain features were -often shining with a light which Casca felt was the -light of a steadfast faith, which no cruel death, no -terrible torture, could extinguish.</p> - -<p>When the boy reached the villa of Antonius it was -broad daylight, and the outer court was filled with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -slaves and servants preparing for the morning meal -and the day’s pleasure.</p> - -<p>Several young men were returning from the night’s -carousal, and jested with each other on the speed with -which the young Casca had assumed all the privileges -of his manhood. They made many allusions which -Casca did not understand, and he passed through the -atrium, anxious to find his way to the rooms which -had been appointed for him.</p> - -<p>Two attendants or slaves were waiting for him, -and prepared to conduct him to the bath, which, with -its rich mosaic pavement, was a necessary appendage -to every Roman villa.</p> - -<p>The visit to the public baths came later in the -day, for these baths were the resorts of fashion and -pleasure. The two slaves helped Casca to lay aside -his dress, and as the toga slipped off the manuscript -roll fell out.</p> - -<p>The elder slave picked it up, and a curious expression -flitted over his face, but he was silent. Indeed, -unless permitted to speak, these household -slaves were generally silent in the presence of their -superiors.</p> - -<p>All Casca’s possessions of books and rolls and -pens and parchments were placed in a large coffer, -and the slave, lifting the lid, dropped the manuscript -into it.</p> - -<p>Then the work of the morning proceeded. Casca -was conducted to the bath, and when he had bathed -his limbs in the clear water, he was rubbed with some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -sweet-scented ointment, and then sprinkled with perfume.</p> - -<p>After this a long linen robe was thrown over him, -and he was led back to his room, where two more -slaves awaited him, with richly-chased cups and flagons, -and some delicate dishes for the morning meal.</p> - -<p>When he had eaten, the chamber was darkened -by the drawing of violet-coloured curtains over the -doors, and then he was left to dream away the early -part of the day, till the time came for resorting to the -public baths or the Coliseum, where there was frequently -a hand-to-hand gladiatorial fight, and wrestling -with beasts.</p> - -<p>Antonius troubled himself very little about his new -inmate; he had received him in accordance with the -wishes of Severus, and he was to take him to the -palace at a convenient season, where he was to hold -some office about the Emperor’s person, when duly -qualified.</p> - -<p>In this life, marked out for him by his father, -Casca would have been miserable, had it not been for -his studies and for the interest which his visits to the -Cmeteria awakened in him. Little by little the boy -withdrew himself from the scenes of license and indulgence -which formed the atmosphere of the villa. -He was, like one who had gone before him, almost -persuaded to be a Christian, and yet he held back. -He was afraid to profess what he did not really feel, -and when he heard of many who recanted at the last -moment to avoid the torture or the fire, he would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -argue with himself that it was better to be assured of -his own faith before he openly professed what in the -hour of trial he might be tempted to recant.</p> - -<p>He was not sure of his own heart. Sometimes he -was lost in a maze of doubt and uncertainty; at others -he resigned himself to the calm philosophy of the -schools, which looked down from a high vantage-ground -on the old and young faith alike, and taught that the -life of man on earth, fleeting though it was, was all. -No beyond, and therefore, no anxiety as to the future—no -cold shadow of dark fear.</p> - -<p>“Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die,” was -the watchword of thousands in Rome in those days.</p> - -<p>Then there were moments when, after careful study -of the manuscript which had been lent to him, he -would be strangely moved, and St. Paul’s eloquent -description of all those <i>who had died in the faith</i> would -fasten upon his imagination. Was not the same spirit -of endurance abroad at that very time? Some two -hundred and seventy years had gone by since St. Paul -had made up that grand roll of names of those who -esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than -any treasure, and there was the same tale of suffering -being told for the faith of which these men and women -were the valiant defenders. They had received the -promise, which promise reached beyond death to the -life eternal. “If only,” Casca thought, “he could know -that it was true, would he not have strength given him -to confess Christ openly.” Then the natural disposition -of the boy asserted itself, and he would turn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -back to the philosophy of the schools, and try to rest -upon the hope rather than the belief that there was -no beyond.</p> - -<p>Like many since that time, Casca could not surrender -his heart, and, lost in the mists of human -reasoning, he could not become a little child that he -might be wise.</p> - -<p>Casca’s natural sweetness of disposition won him -friends in that large and pleasure-seeking household, -and the taunts and scoffs that he had at first to -endure, for his pure living and dislike of over-indulgence -and luxury, ceased. It was universally allowed -that Casca, the son of Severus, must be left to go on -his own way undisturbed, and as he never offended -any one, it was by common consent conceded that no -one should offend him.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XI.<br /> - -<small>JUNE, 313—THE FESTIVAL OF VESTA.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Years</span> passed swiftly by, in the fourth century as -in the nineteenth!</p> - -<p>They brought with them as they came many -changes, they bore away with them many hopes, and -left behind the memory of many sorrows, and the soft -radiance of many vanished joys!</p> - -<p>The persecution of the Christians had in great -measure ceased, and, with the abdication of Diocletian, -the edicts for their arrest and slaughter had been -revoked.</p> - -<p>It was comparatively a time of peace, and the -conflict between the old and the new faiths seemed -for a season at rest.</p> - -<p>Constantius Chlorus had put a stop to the persecution -of the Christians in Britain in the year after -Alban had suffered, and now, in the year 313, Constantine -was Emperor, and well known to favour the -religion of Christ.</p> - -<p>But if the old faiths were shaken to their very -foundations, every effort was made to put on an -appearance of increased enthusiasm at public ceremonials, -and to load the altars of the gods and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> -goddesses with the choicest offerings and the most -costly sacrifices.</p> - -<p>The great festival in honour of Vesta was to be -celebrated this year with excessive pomp and circumstance. -The preparations were organised on a very -large scale, and enormous offerings were continually -pouring in to the vestals’ house and the temple, some -time before the great day, which fell on the ninth of -June.</p> - -<p>The Vestal Maxima, Terentia Rufilla, was overwhelmed -with all the arrangements which devolved -upon her, and on the evening of the seventh of June -was lying on a couch in her own chamber, weary and -sad. A tall and most beautiful maiden was standing -at a marble slab or table covered with evergreens and -flowers, which she was weaving into wreaths and -emblems with her long slender fingers.</p> - -<p>“Come and rest, Hyacintha,” Terentia said; “come -and sit near me, I have much to say. To-morrow is -the day of your first ministration in the temple, and -you will henceforth be a priestess, fully qualified for -the service of the goddess. Surely, never had the -goddess a more beautiful and more true-hearted -servant.”</p> - -<p>“Dearest lady,” Hyacintha said, “I feel but little -worthy to take the honour upon me; but my heart -rejoices to have the longing of years fulfilled.”</p> - -<p>“And thou hast no sad misgivings, dear child—no -longings for the ordinary lot of woman to trouble -thee; the home of the matron, the prattle of children’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -voices, the maternal joy and pride which we vestals -can never know.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha’s pure untroubled face was raised to -that of her friend as she answered—</p> - -<p>“Nay, I have no such longings; I am contented, -nay, thankful, to be free from all those cares which -harass the life of many a woman.”</p> - -<p>“Thou art very young yet, dear child, though by -special permission thy ten years’ probation has been -shortened. Although in the tenth year of thy discipleship, -it was not till the time of Pomona that first -thou camest hither. How my heart went out to thee -then, dear child, and how much we have been to each -other since!”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Hyacintha said, “I have known great happiness -with thee, and my great ambition is, perhaps, -too great to tell even to thy ear. It is a high aim -indeed.”</p> - -<p>Terentia smiled sadly as she laid her hand upon -the beautiful rings of clustering gold which shadowed -Hyacintha’s brow.</p> - -<p>“Thy ambition,” she repeated. “Thy high aim—what -is it?”</p> - -<p>“I was wandering last evening in the atrium,” -Hyacintha said, “and gazing, as I have done since I -was quite a child, at the figures of the past Vestals -which stand there. I have often spoken to them. I -feel almost as if I knew them all and their histories, -as you have told them. I do know Flavia Publicia -who has all the praises, and I cannot wonder, so gracious,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span> -so beautiful is her face. But I love almost best -the face of Vibidia, who, as you have told me, so -generously protected poor Messalina. That is a grand -deed of any one to be remembered—it is so beautiful, -dearest lady, to protect the weak.”</p> - -<p>“Is that thy ambition, then, my sweet one?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, that is part of my ambition; but the <i>whole</i> -is to be a Vestal Maxima. Oh! do not think me -foolish, dearest lady, but I should love to have my -statue carved in marble, and stand for ever in our -noble hall, and for those who pass to read my name, -‘Hyacintha Severa.’ Is it too much to think of?”</p> - -<p>“Dear child!” Terentia said, “when I called you -to rest by me, the thought was in my mind which you -have put into words.</p> - -<p>“To-morrow, as you know, you will take up your -full duties in the temple. The sculptor is to unveil -my likeness in the pure marble in which it was wrought. -It will not be placed with my noble predecessors till -I resign my high office or die while holding it. Then -it will be placed in either case in the atrium, and my -name will be followed by whatsoever it may please -the priest and the emperor to inscribe on the pedestal. -But I shall leave on record that it is my will that you -should be elected in my room, and that day may not -be far off.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha’s eyes sought those of Terentia anxiously. -The joy of her announcement was tempered -with sorrow.</p> - -<p>“You must not leave us yet,” she said; “you must<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -not speak of it. And I am young and untried, and I -fear——”</p> - -<p>“What dost thou fear, dear child?”</p> - -<p>“That many would consider others should take -place before me.”</p> - -<p>“The future is hidden,” said Terentia. “I may -live for years, instead of months; we will not speak -more of this now. Hast thou any longing beside?”</p> - -<p>“Nay; except to hear of those I best love: Casca -my brother, and my faithful Ebba.”</p> - -<p>“They are both converts to the Christian faith.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Hyacintha said, “and they have had peaceful -times at Alexandria, whither they went with old -Ezra. I have been hoping for news from Britain to -reach me on this occasion of my full profession in the -temple, but none has come.”</p> - -<p>“Thy father is now in the highest office in Verulam, -and perchance may send a special messenger. -He knows well that our festival is on the 9th of June, -and it is possible some word may be sent.”</p> - -<p>“Dearest lady,” Hyacintha said, “does not all life -seem like a dream?—everything passing, nothing -staying. While we say ‘This is beautiful,’ it is gone; -while we exult, the cause of exultation is over; while -we weep, the grief or the vexation is vanishing. Did -you ever feel as I do—as if I could not lay hold of, -or grasp anything?”</p> - -<p>“Have I not felt it? Ah! child, a thousand times! -But, sure, you have no grief to make you weep.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, not grief,” Hyacintha said; “not deep heart-grief,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -but vexations that arise in a large community -like ours; and sometimes if I try to stem a torrent of -gossip and bitterness the shafts turn on me, from the -young disciple, child though she be, Cœlia, in particular. -Not often,” she said, smiling, “not often, but -sometimes. And now that I shall have to instruct -those beneath me I feel there will be more trial.”</p> - -<p>“I do not think you will fail, dear one,” Terentia -said; “you have had great success hitherto.”</p> - -<p>“When I look back on the records of the priestesses,” -Hyacintha said, “I can but feel that there must be -something stronger and more potent than mere will -which keeps us so secure. In all the long thousand -years that have passed since we were first entrusted -with the sacred fire, and Numa built us our first -temple, to preserve the palladium of Troy, so few have -failed to fulfil their vow. Surely this is a proof that -what we profess is the true faith. When I first came -hither, and Lucia told me of the punishment which -befel the vestals who broke their vow, I dreamed of -it, and used to fancy myself thrust into that dungeon -to starve—so fearful it is to think of—and yet”——Hyacintha -paused.</p> - -<p>“Tell me what is in thy heart, my daughter; do -not be afraid.”</p> - -<p>“And yet,” Hyacintha continued, “the disciples of -the new faith would cheerfully be shut into a dungeon -and starved rather than deny the Man of Nazareth -whom they worship. It must be a reality to them, -though a false mirage to us. Is it not so?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>Terentia Rufilla was silent. The young maiden, -standing at the eve of her full profession as a priestess -of the goddess Vesta, had only given words to thoughts -which seemed to crave for expression within her own -heart.</p> - -<p>It must often have been so. The multitude, who -knew nothing beyond the old faith, and who were -content with the outside show and splendid pageantry -that marked a festival like that to be celebrated the -next day but one, in honour of Vesta, might be content. -But not the earnest, cultivated, highborn woman -like Terentia Rufilla, who had read much, and thought -much, and had put aside as beneath her consideration -the story of the Cross of Christ.</p> - -<p>Now that the Church of the Catacombs had been -able to lift her head, and openly practise the rites -and celebrate the worship of the religion of Christ, -it was impossible that women like Terentia should -fail to consider what was forced upon their attention. -For the vestals did not lead a secluded life—the -seniors amongst them were well acquainted with what -passed in Rome, and it was impossible for them to be -ignorant of the rapid advances which Christianity was -making. It was all very well for the careless and -idle to ignore the fact, and deny that the old temple was -in danger, and the old ceremonies growing effete and -languishing. To the thoughtful observer, the base and -mean, the low and contemptible religion, was growing -apace, and its branches were casting their shadows on -every side.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>“Yes,” Terentia said, “at least the delusion is -apparently no delusion in the eyes of the poor -misguided ones who follow it. As a child may try to -reach the horizon line which meets the wide-spread -Campagna, the sky seeming to touch the earth, and -the child believes it does touch it, and runs fast and -faster, and lies down at last exhausted, after a fruitless -chase. Let us say no more of the Christians now, -Hyacintha, but tell me if thy robe is ready for the -morrow, and thy two-eared pitcher prepared for the -first mission thou hast to perform?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, dearest lady. I am to go alone to the -fountain unattended, and bring the fresh water to the -goddess’s shrine.”</p> - -<p>“The lictor must attend thee to the gate of the -garden, and await thy return. Then follows the choice -of a new disciple. They become less and less -numerous every year. I can recall the time when -twice twenty young children were waiting to be chosen, -and how those who were rejected were often sent -away weeping. For the last two years the number has -been small, and the noble houses have sent but few -aspirants. I remember when thou first camest, dear -child, a little wayworn maiden clinging to the hand of -Clœlia, who brought thee to the atrium, timidly, and -uncertain of thy reception. The daughter of Severus -needed no introduction to me in any case, but how -gladly I welcomed thee, my fair and lovely one!”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha pressed her lips upon the hand which -was wound round her neck, and then the two were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -silent—that silence of perfect sympathy and affection -which is so sweet, sweeter far than any words.</p> - -<p>The shadows deepened in the house of the vestals -early in the evening of the glorious June day. Even -at noontide the light in the atrium and state apartments -was dim, for the Palatine cliff was behind -them, and the wall really supported the road above -it. The Imperial palace rose to the height of a -hundred and fifty feet in the air; and it is not surprising -that sunshine, even at midsummer, only touched -the upper floor, and left the vast area below chill and -dim with a mysterious light.</p> - -<p>Damp must have been an enemy to the health of -the vestals; but the recent discoveries have brought to -light some curious devices by which the enemy was -combated.</p> - -<p>Double walls have been unearthed, and double -floors, with skilfully diverted currents of hot air which -flowed through the interstices, must have in some measure -warmed and dried the atmosphere.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha could hardly sleep, when at last she -retired for the night. She feared so much that she -should not be awake at dawn, that she begged Lucia -to call her at the first cock-crow. But long before the -old vestal had thought of going to her chamber to -rouse her, Hyacintha was up and ready to start.</p> - -<p>She was conducted by a lictor to the gate of the -garden, where we saw her as a child, and went with -the swift light foot of a young fawn to the spring on -the Clian Hill. She carried the two-eared vase or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -jug gracefully poised on her head, and she was leaning -against the rock whence the spring flowed, the -very type of youthful beauty and radiant health. The -dim shadows of the vestals’ house had left her untouched; -no damp had been enough to steal the rose-colour -from her cheeks, nor the lustre from her beautiful -eyes. She was indeed a vision of loveliness, and -the tall athletic soldier who, scaling the hill, came all -unawares upon her, as Ebba had done years before, -might be forgiven, if, with a sudden start, he drew -back, and exclaimed—</p> - -<p>“The goddess herself, methinks!” He was about -to bend the knee before Hyacintha, when he suddenly -drew himself erect, and contenting himself with taking -off his heavy helmet, he stood, with bowed head, -transfixed.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha’s cheeks grew crimson, her lips parted -as if to speak, but no sound came. The long years -which lay between her and the home of her childhood -seemed bridged over. Memories of all that had -passed in the little upper chamber at Verulam came -thronging back, words spoken there, a promise made, -all flashed upon her, and then with a voice that was -like sound of silvery music, she said—</p> - -<p>“Claudius! it is indeed Claudius!”</p> - -<p>“Even so, fair and beautiful lady,” the soldier said. -“I am Claudius, and had I not renounced the worship -of the false gods, I should lie prostrate at your feet, -and do you sacrifice.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span>“Nay, do not speak like that, good Claudius,” -Hyacintha said. “I pray you, let me hear if you bring -me news from Verulam.”</p> - -<p>“I have seen much foreign service since I left -Verulam,” Claudius said; “I have led a battalion -against the northern tribes. I have won my way, and -I am now in Rome the commander of a legion of fine -troops. Where is Casca?”</p> - -<p>“Alas! he left Rome some years ago. He is, or -was, when last I had tidings of him, at Alexandria, -whither he accompanied Ezra and the faithful Ebba. -My brother and Ebba are both Christians. Alas, that -I should say it!”</p> - -<p>“I well know that Ebba is a Christian,” Claudius -said; “you have heard that I fulfilled my vow to you, -and saved the British slave’s life?”</p> - -<p>“Ah, yes! ah, yes! good Claudius, I thank you. -Ebba has told me of the noble deed, and Casca, too, -has spoken of you. But I have seen neither of them -for years. I thank you now for your deed of valour, -good Claudius.”</p> - -<p>As she stood in the light of the early morning, -Claudius could not have drawn nearer or taken her -hand in his. An invisible but strong barrier seemed -to keep him back.</p> - -<p>“My father,” she asked, “is there news of him? I -know my mother is dead, and the little Livia also. -These tidings were brought me by Caius, whose galley -has been several times to Londinium since those far-off -days, when he brought us hither, Casca and me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span>“Your father, the noble Severus, has married my -sister Junia. Has he never told you?”</p> - -<p>“No,” Hyacintha said, the blush on her cheek -fading. “No, I hear it now for the first time. I -would I had never heard it; forgive me, for Junia is -your sister.”</p> - -<p>“There is no need to claim forgiveness. I think -as hardly of my sister as any one, but I pray daily -for her conversion, and I will believe not in vain, for -the Lord can change the heart and bring sweetness -out of bitterness.”</p> - -<p>“Art thou too a Christian?” Hyacintha asked, with -an almost imperceptible start backwards.</p> - -<p>“A Christian,” Claudius said, “ay, verily, and I -would to God you were one also.”</p> - -<p>“I,” said Hyacintha, proudly. “Nay, this day is -my happy day, the day when I, who have been for -near ten years training under the care of the sacred -virgins, have my lot appointed me to minister in the -temple and sprinkle the shrine with this pure water, -which I have been allowed to draw myself alone at -dawn for the first time. To-morrow is our glad festival, -and we shall walk through the city in a long procession, -and to-night I shall for the first time keep -watch alone in the temple. It is a great and wonderful -thing to be a vestal! I would not exchange my -lot for an Imperial diadem,” she said, with a proud -dignified motion of her head. “I would I were more -worthy to fulfil so high a destiny.”</p> - -<p>Claudius, who had led a Roman phalanx against<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -hordes of barbarians, and had never feared danger or -shrunk from death, felt strangely timid in the presence -of this beautiful friend of his early years.</p> - -<p>He had kept her image before him, as the winning, -lovely child, so full of earnestness of purpose, so gentle -and tender to the slaves in her mother’s household, so -full of sympathy with their pain and trouble, so devoted -in her service of affection to her delicate and -weakly brother. Claudius had preserved her image as -a child, and loved her; now she was standing before -him in the full beauty of her womanhood, and he felt -his love was nearly worship. He was a Christian now. -He had been won to embrace the faith by the example -of a few who professed Christianity amongst Constantine’s -army. Claudius had been with the Emperor’s -force, when he went to repress an incursion of the -Franks, one of the hardy Northern tribes on the banks -of the Rhine. It was just at the time when the -treacherous Maximian had taken advantage of Constantine’s -absence to seize all the treasure at Arles, -and dispensing it amongst the soldiers who were -stationed in Southern Gaul, hoped to establish his -authority by gifts and bribes. But before that was -done Constantine had returned with extraordinary quickness, -and Claudius had been with his army when he -arrived at the gates of Arles with a force which it was -impossible to resist, and which scarcely gave him time -to take refuge in the nearest city of Marseilles.</p> - -<p>Claudius had indeed seen much active service -since he had gone out with Valens to pursue the little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -band of Christians in the forest near Radburn, and -many a time the cries and tears of that innocent and -inoffensive little band seemed to sound in his ears -and reproach him.</p> - -<p>“I think,” he said, “the first time I ever felt that -the religion of Christ must be a reality was when I -saw that brave woman Agatha quietly submit to receive -the dead Jewish girl in the dark dungeon, and, -faint and exhausted, as it proved, even to death, make -no murmur at the lonely vigil with the dead to which -I left her. I would not speak to you here,” Claudius -continued, “of my deeds of prowess. Those scenes in -which I have taken part are no theme for your ear, -most beautiful Hyacintha, but I would fain tell you, -that face to face with death a hundred times, I have -felt the power of God within me was mighty to save.</p> - -<p>“In the last great fight at Saxa Rubra, where we -came unawares upon the army of Maxentius, I fought -side by side with the friend who has so deeply influenced -me. He was a Christian indeed, and though -he defended himself valiantly, he indulged in no barbaric -cruelty, such as we soldiers have often witnessed, -and—I say it with shame—indulged in.”</p> - -<p>“The story of that battle is well known amongst -us,” Hyacintha said. “We have been rid of the tyrant -Maxentius, and Rome may have rest.”</p> - -<p>“There can be but little rest,” said Claudius. “I, -for one, am weary of the clang of arms and fighting. -Methinks I shall resign my high post, and try to find -Casca in the far-off city where you say he is gone.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -The roar of the vanquished ones as they rushed to -meet their fate in the swift-flowing Tiber sounds in -my ear many a time and oft, and I would fain lay -down my arms. I have had a glut of battles, and -could almost take up Casca’s cry of—‘Anything but -bloodshed.’ I am a rough fellow, I know, but Christianity -can tame the roughest, and subdue the most -ferocious nature. It would lift <i>you</i>,” he continued, -in a voice faltering from deep emotion, “to the very -height of the angelic host.”</p> - -<p>A smile broke over Hyacintha’s face.</p> - -<p>“Good Claudius,” she said; “I am in no need of -exaltation, neither of humiliation. For when I think -of all the great privileges which lie before me to-day—of -the lonely watch before the altar of Vesta, and -of the part which I shall take to-morrow in the great -festival, I feel, methinks, as if my heart swelled with -proud thankfulness.</p> - -<p>“The time is come for me,” she continued, “to -return, for the sun is getting high above the horizon.</p> - -<p>“Ah!” she said, stretching out her arms to the -lovely view before her. “How beautiful the city is! -how grand! how like a queen! and surely I am highly -favoured to be allowed to minister at the sacred altar, -and keep alive the purifying flame which shall ensure -the safety of thousands in Rome.”</p> - -<p>“Little do you dream in your seclusion of all the -wickedness that seethes like a turbid fountain whose -waters cast up mire and dirt in Rome!” Claudius exclaimed. -“It may be well that you, in your purity<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -and innocence, should know but little—nay, nothing—of -all that lies below the surface—greed, and lust, -and murder, all those things which are the signs and -token, or, rather, the fruits of the flesh.”</p> - -<p>“Do not tell me more,” Hyacintha said. “I cannot -amend what is wrong. I am content to believe, -as those higher and nobler than I am have believed -for a thousand years.”</p> - -<p>“Are you indeed content to believe?” Claudius -asked sadly. “I know that if I were to draw a picture -of all, that after only a short residence, <i>I</i> see in Rome, -you would not be content. The wife and daughter of -Diocletian have been foully murdered. Think you -not that the blood of the Christian matrons and -maidens who fell under the ban of the Emperor did -not cry for vengeance, and that the cry was answered -by their destruction?”</p> - -<p>“The innocent suffering for the guilty? Nay,” said -Hyacintha, with a light laugh; “if the God whom you -worship decrees such judgment, He is not worthy of -love.”</p> - -<p>“And yet,” said Claudius, “and yet in the sufferings -of Christ, the pure, the undefiled, for the sinner, -rests our safety.”</p> - -<p>“Nay! not your safety,” exclaimed Hyacintha; “or -why did Christ leave so many to perish, torn by wild -beasts, stoned, and tortured?”</p> - -<p>“I am no scholar,” Claudius said. “I am not like -Casca, learned in argument and reasoning, but there -is in me a witness to the truth of what I say. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -innocent suffered for the guilty, and there is salvation -in that suffering for all who believe; and I <i>know</i> in -whom I believe!”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha was silent. Claudius had always seemed -to her in her childish days a brave and athletic youth, -when feats of arms and success in the games had so -often brought her father’s angry and contemptuous -taunts on the head of her brother Casca.</p> - -<p>Many a time had she heard him declare that -Claudius ought to have been his son, and that the -weakly Casca was scarcely better than a girl. Hyacintha -had often shrunk from Claudius’s roughness, -his boisterous laugh, his loud ringing voice as he -rallied Casca on his depression. Now she could but -tell herself there was a change. The face, bronzed by -exposure, and scarred in two places by a sword-cut, -was benign and gentle in its expression. The voice -that came from under that mass of reddish hair was -subdued and even musical. Claudius was changed—what -had brought about that change? She was, I -think, unconscious that as she stood there—the most -winning and beautiful picture of womanhood—that -she filled Claudius’s strong and noble heart with longing -to possess her—to take her from this false faith, -to bring her to the foot of the Cross, that she might -live in the true light that lighteth every man.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha’s was one of those pure and noble -natures to whom service is a necessity, and who can -know no selfish and ignoble aims.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>There was never a little disciple in distress about -a torn garment or a neglected lesson but she came to -Hyacintha for help. There was not wanting the -mean spirit of jealousies amongst the vestals; bitter -tongues were often in motion; rivalries, and anxieties -for the best places at the games, and for notice from -those in power were rife; the choicest viands at the -table were eagerly sought; and the weariness and -lassitude which are born of the service which is not -heart-service, and therefore becomes drudgery, continually -produced ill-temper, which is so often the outcome -of discontent. It was rare, indeed, to find Hyacintha -cross or angry; she bore and forbare, and won -her way through all the trials of her surroundings -with a wonderful patience.</p> - -<p>Her relationship to Terentia Rufilla, and the close -friendship which existed between them, excited, as -was only probable, the envy of many of her companions. -But ill-will could not flourish near her. The -bright serenity of her nature triumphed over every -obstacle, and, like the sun, dispersed the clouds around -her, as day by day she rose higher in the estimation -of those with whom she shared the daily routine of -the Vestals’ House.</p> - -<p>That these noble characters were by no means uncommon -in the days of which I write is beyond a -question. They shine out amongst the records of -those times like stars in the firmament, and many -women like Hyacintha Severa have, when converted -to the faith of Christ, shown that they were true as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -steel and steadfast as a rock, and glad to suffer and -to die for the name of Christ.</p> - -<p>The fountain rippled, and the falling of the water -made a low, monotonous murmur; the sun rising above -the hills turned every dew-drop into a diamond, and -lay upon the turf, which was jewelled with flowers in -golden bands.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha stood lost in meditation, Claudius watching -her.</p> - -<p>He drew a step nearer, and she started, as if from -a happy dream; then he spoke in low, earnest tones.</p> - -<p>“Hyacintha, would that I could think you knew in -whom you believe. Sweet friend, I will pray for you, -and my prayers—rough and untaught soldier as I am—ascending -continually, will be heard. I would not -hurt a hair of your head,” he continued, earnestly. -“I would not even bring the shadow of a cloud over -you. I know that you have vowed to give up all -loves of earth, and that the vow you have taken is the -vow for life. Were you other than what you are, I -might tell you of the love I bear you—a love which -has kept me in the thickest onslaught of temptation! As -you keep the sacred fire on the altar, so have I kept -this love for you in my heart.</p> - -<p>“It will burn there till I die, and after death it -will still live on.... Nay,” he said, as he saw the -swift blush mantle Hyacintha’s cheek—“nay, I would -not awaken in you one troubled thought. I shall never -possess you, but the love I bear you is deathless. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -seem to see in the future a land more beautiful than -mortal eye has ever looked upon, and there something -tells me I shall find you, my beautiful one, in -garments whiter even than that you now wear, and -bought for you by the Innocent who suffered for the -guilty.”</p> - -<p>Claudius, like many another man who has loved as -a pure, good man only can love, seemed carried into -eloquence by the force of the feeling within him.</p> - -<p>He knelt for a moment at Hyacintha’s feet, took -her hand and kissed it, and the next moment he was -gone.</p> - -<p>The awakening had come for the Vestal on the -very eve of her full admission to the duties she had -so longed for: that awakening comes to most of us; -and there was never a true and good woman who -could lightly esteem the devotion of a noble-hearted -man.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha stood leaning against the rock whence -the fountain flowed; for a few moments her heart -beat fast, and her eyes were dim with unbidden tears, -as she thought over all that Claudius had said.</p> - -<p>He was, indeed, in earnest; truth was written on -his fine face; and truth rang out in the tones of his -voice.</p> - -<p>For a few minutes a vague longing possessed her—a -longing which could hardly be clothed in words. -Then she smiled as she said, softly—</p> - -<p>“Good Claudius! Brave, noble Claudius! May he -find all the happiness he craves for me!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>The two-eared vase was raised by her unfaltering -hand, so that not one crystal drop was spilled as she -bore it on her stately head, and went down to the gate -where the lictors had awaited her coming patiently, -wondering much at her long delay.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XII.<br /> - -<small>VANISHING.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Throughout</span> that day of preparation for the -festival, the new priestess was continually thinking of -her interview with Claudius on the Clian Hill. Not -even the new dignities which were conferred on her -could entirely banish from her mind the words and -bearing of the old companion of her childish days in -Britain.</p> - -<p>It was a grand thing to sprinkle with her own -hands the sacred shrine and Palladium, to be consecrated -solemnly by the priest for all the functions of -her office, as she had once been dedicated as a child -to be trained to fulfil them.</p> - -<p>The beautiful new garments of spotless purity -were solemnly placed upon her, and when the ceremony -was over, and she had rested for a time, -Terentia Rufilla led her to her place behind the altar, -and gave into her charge the sacred fire, which was -to be replenished continually during the silent hours -of the night.</p> - -<p>Then, with a kiss, the Vestal Maxima departed, -the temple door was closed, and Hyacintha was alone.</p> - -<p>Through the opening in the roof the deep blue -sky of the Italian night was seen, studded with stars,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -and from afar came the sound of the surging multitudes -of Rome, like the distant roar of the sea, growing -less and less distinct as the summer night hushed -even the busy throngs of the Roman citizens to rest.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha felt a sense of awe, but not of fear. -She looked up at the face of the figure of the goddess, -and then beyond it, upwards to the stars, and she felt -as far from the one as from the other.</p> - -<p>There was no bond of love between Vesta and her -priestess, no sign that for her she felt any particular -care or affection.</p> - -<p>It was a high honour to be her priestess; from -her childhood she had craved for it, and now the -honour was hers, and yet, surely, there was a void, a -want somewhere, which Vesta could not fill.</p> - -<p>It was service for Rome to guard that sacred fire, -and as she moved gently, with a sort of hushed reverence, -to the silver vessels where the fuel was kept, to -replenish that clear bright flame, she almost started at -her own movements, and scarcely dared to breathe, as -she gently and reverently fed the sacred fire.</p> - -<p>“It is for the good of Rome and her people,” she -thought, “it is a service which many thousands might -envy, but there is scarce the response within my heart -of which Claudius spoke; did he not call it ‘a witness.’ -I felt a great glow of joy to-day when I took poor -little Pulcheria to my chamber, and consoled her for -her grief that she was not thought fair enough to lead -the procession of the children disciples through Rome -to-morrow. Poor little one! how she wept because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> -Valeria had been elected and she was rejected. As she -threw her arms round my neck and sobbed out that -she loved to be with me, and that she would not care -about Valeria’s unkind words if I were her friend, I -felt that sweetness at my heart which I do not feel -here. Here, where I am fulfilling the most beautiful -of offices—the guardian of the Palladium—the replenishing -of the sacred flame!</p> - -<p>“I ought to be satisfied and happy, with a happiness -greater than that of the pleasure-seeking ladies, -whose life is passed in indulgence, and who die at -last, worn out with the search for that, to judge by -many sad faces, they never find.</p> - -<p>“I have a higher and nobler destiny to fulfil, and -I can never become like old Lucia or Agrippina, who -go through all the service of the temple with slow -unwilling feet, dark sad eyes, and even mutter words -of dissatisfaction.</p> - -<p>“Nor can I ever grow into the nearly worn out -victim of pleasure, still less the sorrowful, heavy-hearted -priestess, whose service has lost its charm. -Nay, for the twenty years I may spend here my life -shall at least be happier than that of my poor mother, -who died, as some have said, by poison, administered -by a slave whom she had hated. Yet, how beautiful -she was in the atrium at Verulam, with Ebba—dear -Ebba—standing at her side. I can see her now, -toying with her lovely hair, when Ebba had plaited -into the tresses the gold ornaments and arranged the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -long violet ribbons with their gold fringe. Poor Ebba, -and dear Casca! Shall I ever see them again?”</p> - -<p>This desultory train of thought flowed on during -the watches of the short night. For the summer -morning of the ninth of June soon broke over the -hills, and touched the Forum and the Temple, and the -faades of the Imperial Palace, and the long vista of -stately figures on the Appian Way, with a soft rosy -light. The day of the great festival dawned in exquisite -beauty, and everyone within the precincts of -the Temple and the House of the Vestals was astir.</p> - -<p>But the great festival did not attract so much -attention as in former years. Even in the early days -of her own priesthood, Terentia Rufilla remembered -how far more numerous were the applications from -noble houses for a place in the procession through -the streets of Rome. Nevertheless, the effect was -sufficiently imposing, as the long line flowed past the -spectators, with all the garlands and crowns fluttering -gently in the summer air.</p> - -<p>The children came first—sweet grave-eyed little -maidens—with offerings in their hands for the altar of -Jupiter Pistor, which was erected expressly for the -occasion. Then came the fully-consecrated vestals, -barefooted, in their flowing robes, which became them -so well.</p> - -<p>Conspicuous amongst these was Hyacintha Severa. -She carried the folds of her large purple mantle with -wonderful grace over her arm, and her long white -robe flowing beneath it to her feet, showed the outline<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -of her beautifully-proportioned figure to the greatest -advantage.</p> - -<p>The close covering on her head, which was to -some women far from becoming, seemed only to -enhance the beauty of her slender throat, upon which -her head was set like a flower upon a stalk. Long -ribbons floated at the back, and added to the effect of -the picture, of which the recent discoveries of the -figures in the Vestals’ House, which the sculptors of -those days delighted to perpetuate in marble, have -given us some faint idea. But no sculptor or painter -could perpetuate the grave happiness which was shed, -like the soft halo of a summer night upon a lovely -landscape, over the face of Hyacintha Severa.</p> - -<p>As the last fully-consecrated Vestal, she walked a -little in front of the five who followed her, and then -came the noble and stately form of Terentia Rufilla. -She had lost, of course, all the charms of youth, but -her features were finely cut, and her carriage stately -and imposing. There were many gorgeously-dressed -Roman ladies behind her, whose splendid crimson and -violet robes, glistening with jewels and sparkling with -pearls, contrasted well with the long train of white-robed -maidens which wound slowly on before them -through crowds of spectators, the lictors clearing the -road which was in many places strewn with flowers as -they walked.</p> - -<p>Claudius was amongst the outside crowd which -moved along with the procession. His high rank as -Commander of the Forces under the Emperor Constantine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -ensured him respect, and he and a few of his -officers who were with him, drew up in martial array -before the temple, as the Vestals passed in to the -great sacrifice.</p> - -<p>Some of his officers crossed the threshold and -stood gazing at the high ceremonial with curiosity, -prostrating themselves in that mechanical way which -characterised the religious services of the temple in -those the last days of the worship of the heathen gods.</p> - -<p>Claudius’s great height placed him on a vantage-ground, -and he could see over the heads of the dense -crowd before him. He had never once lost sight of -Hyacintha, but she was utterly unconscious of his presence. -All the enthusiasm of her nature was awakened -by this public acknowledgment of the service to which -she had devoted her life.</p> - -<p>As the priest in his gorgeous vestments sacrificed -before the goddess, and the clouds of smoke rose and -ascended to the sky through the impluvium or open -space in the roof, Hyacintha’s heart went up to One -whom she “ignorantly worshipped;” and if the desire -of her soul could have been put into words, it would -have been that she might be kept pure in her temple -ministry, and that the fire of devotion might be ever -burning clear and bright in her heart, as she had -vowed to keep the sacred flame burning on the altar -of Vesta. While many of her companions were looking -around them, to see what friends and acquaintances -were in the crowd, Hyacintha was lifted far above the -throng of worshippers, and gazers on the spectacle,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -and thought only of the joy of service, and the happiness -of being at last a fully-consecrated priestess, one -of a long line which reached back a thousand years, -and reached forward, as she believed, to a future age.</p> - -<p>The young priestess that day entering upon her -office had no presentiment of what was indeed the -fact, that the years of the Vestals were numbered, and -that Terentia Rufilla was to have but two successors -as Vestal Maxima, and that one of these was herself. -Terentia, however, knew that many new influences -were at work, which were undermining the old traditions -or scattering them to the winds of heaven. The -fear at her heart was as great as the joy which filled -Hyacintha’s, and she could scarcely assume a cheerful -aspect at the banquet, to which many of the highest -families in Rome were bidden.</p> - -<p>The whole day was one of feasting, and games -were celebrated, and the Vestals were present in the -Circus Maximus, where seats were, as in the Coliseum, -always reserved for them near those allotted to the -Emperor.</p> - -<p>It was there that Hyacintha first seemed to be -conscious of Claudius’s presence, and when he saluted -her with profound respect, she turned to Terentia, and -said:—</p> - -<p>“This is good Claudius, my father’s friend,” and -Terentia was not slow to notice how the soft blush -rose to Hyacintha’s cheek, as she pronounced the few -words of introduction.</p> - -<p>So the day wore on in feasting and pleasure, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -then the shadows of the evening came down upon the -city. Hyacintha, who was sleeping after the fatigue of -the day, was awakened by Terentia’s voice:—</p> - -<p>“It is drawing near the hour for thy watch, dear -child,” she said; “shall I watch to-night, and let thee -dream? I have been looking at thy sleeping face for -some minutes,” she said, gently smoothing back the -golden-brown rings of short hair which clustered round -Hyacintha’s brow.</p> - -<p>“Happy dreams they must surely have been, for -there was a smile upon thy lips.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Hyacintha said, “I had a vision, I think. -Wait till I recall it,” and she drew her hand across her -eyes, and pressed it on her forehead. “I remember,” -she said,—“yes, I remember now. I thought I was -looking down on Rome from a high place—not the -Clian Hill or the Quirinal—it was a hill far higher. -Indeed, I saw them beneath me, and I saw the temples -beneath me, and our temple most distinctly of all. -Then, as I looked, it vanished. It was not thrown -down or destroyed; it melted into air slowly—very -slowly; but soon it was gone: and then I looked around -me, and lo! all the temples were fading, and a voice -spoke to me, and it was the voice of a humble but -true friend—Ebba, or Anna, the British slave. She, -too, was changed. She wore garments like ours, only -whiter and more dazzling, and she held out her hand -to me, and asked me to go up with her to the city to -which she pointed. But when I looked I could see -only a golden glory, and nothing distinctly. My eyes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -were dazzled, and I turned away. Then Ebba drew -me on and told me to listen, for there was sweet -music. But my ears were dull; I could not hear what -she heard. Then she took me in her arms, and I laid -my head upon her breast, as I have often done when -I was a child; and she said:—</p> - -<p>“‘Not yet—not yet; but you are coming out of the -darkness into the light.’ And a sweet peace stole over -me, and I felt a cool hand on my brow; and then I -awoke, and it was not Ebba at all, but you, dearest -lady—sweet mother—as I love to call you. It was a -happy dream; and it is a happy awakening.”</p> - -<p>“It was a vision,” Terentia said, “for I do believe -the temples are vanishing, and soon only the memory -will be left. I say soon; it may not be in my life-time -or in yours; but the end is coming, and the time -of our nightly watches yonder is short. I hear a -rumour to-day that an edict establishing Christianity -will be published to-morrow, and then the old faiths -will be seen like the phantom of your dream—vanishing—vanishing, -and at last vanish away.”</p> - -<p>“And what will be the end?” Hyacintha asked; -“what will come after?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, child; it is not given me to know, nor even -dimly guess; but if there be a future at all, that future -is not for us.”</p> - -<p>The sorrowful tone of Terentia’s voice seemed like -the minor chord in the music of the young priestess’s -soul. Vanishing—vanishing—vanished! Was everything -to vanish?—life and youth and hope, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -sacred fire, and the Palladium, and the goddess herself—all -to pass away, and leave no trace behind? -Well, it was not for her to question, or cavil, or doubt. -The daily service of the temple—the nightly watch—these -were marked out for her—these were, at any -rate, real and tangible. She would perform them -zealously and faithfully, and make each day like a -pearl, which should prove ere long a strong chain, -uniting her with the Great Past, and so making a -bond with all her predecessors who had kept their -vow and their womanhood pure and undefiled. With -that simplicity which is the outcome of the highest -gifts, with that entire absence of self-consciousness -which invariably marks those whose beauty is far beyond -the ordinary type of fair women, Hyacintha -Severa stands forth to command our love and admiration -as a light that shone in a dark place—a star -that trembled on the verge of dawn, the dawn of a -holier and purer day, which was even then breaking -over the world.</p> - -<p>The festival of the goddess Vesta had scarcely -passed when a crowd assembled in the Forum to hear -the proclamation, that henceforth the Christians were -to be allowed freedom to worship their God without -being interfered with; and from that time Christianity -might be said to be established in Rome and the -world.</p> - -<p>Great were the rejoicings in the Church. The -hidden worship of the Catacombs became now open<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -and to be heard and seen of all men. The orders of -the Christian Church were enlarged, and bishops and -priests and deacons were appointed to minister to the -people. The sun had risen, at last, over the darkness -of the heathen world, and in those early days was as -yet but little clouded by the mists of earth, by those -“superstitious vanities” which so grievously eclipsed -the glory of the Church of Rome in succeeding generations.</p> - -<p>Now there was purity of life and doctrine, and, -like Claudius, thousands were won over by the example -of the converts rather than by the preaching of the -priests.</p> - -<p>The witness in every man’s soul who turned to the -living God made itself seen in the life and conversation, -and there were dark places indeed in that year -of Christian freedom which made the opening of the -Christian life more beautiful by force of contrast.</p> - -<p>In this very year—313—the most shameful life of -Maximian, and his treatment of the unhappy Valeria, -the widow of Galerius, had made even the luxurious -Roman shudder with horror. The story of the foul -murders at Nicomedia reached Rome, and filled many -hearts with sorrow. If the religion of Christ showed -the way of escape from such wicked passions and low -base deeds, there was safety in it.</p> - -<p>And then, on the lower ground of personal security, -many professed themselves to be Christians; many who -had not troubled themselves to inquire into the doctrines<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -of Christ’s disciples, saw that they practised -purity of life and manners, and now that there was -no persecution or torture to dread, Christianity became -more widely accepted, and the churches were thronged, -while the temples were deserted.</p> - -<p>It is not possible to take a comprehensive view of -the Roman empire at this time. The few incidents -which are thrown together, directly or indirectly, affect -the action of the story, but a careful study of these -early days of Christianity, and the last days of -heathenism, will well repay the student; and the secret -of silent advance and growth of the faith of Christ -will be found to be then, as now, more in the influence -of individual character than in fierce controversy or -angry invective.</p> - -<p>The Church of Rome, as it sprang to light when -the edict of 313 was published, was indeed different -from the Church, many centuries later, when the Monk -of Erfurt entered the city by the Porta del Popoli, full -of enthusiasm, and ready to climb the “Scala Santa” -on his knees in expiation of his sins.</p> - -<p>He entered it a devout son of the Church of the -Seven Hills; he left it depressed, disgusted, but determined -to do battle, like the valiant soul that he was, -against its corrupt practices. In ten years the young -monk who had saluted the city on his first entrance -as Holy Rome, Rome venerable with the blood of the -martyrs, burned the Pope’s Bull in the square of Wittenberg, -and with a loud voice, which echoed through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> -Christendom, proclaimed that the Church of the Early -Martyrs was so overlaid by the wickedness of a corrupt -age, that she must be utterly purged of defilement, -before she could be resorted to as the mother under -whose wings the people might safely take refuge.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIII.<br /> - -<small>A.D. 333—ALEXANDRIA.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Again</span> many years have passed away, and Casca, -the son of Severus, is leaning back in his old languid -fashion on a couch placed near a window commanding -one of the loveliest views upon which the eyes of -man have ever rested.</p> - -<p>The house was near that magnificent Museum of -Alexandria, which, with its famous library, was famous -beyond all fame of later times, a fitting treasure-house -for its precious manuscripts, and raising a grand white -roof against a sky whence rain seldom fell, and turning -its noble frontage of pillars and fresco toward the -sapphire plain of the tideless Mediterranean.</p> - -<p>There were no signs of undue luxury about Casca. -The furniture of his room was simple, and yet suggestive -of grace and elegance. Large piles of manuscripts -lay on shelves, ranged on one side of the room, -and in another were the toys of a child, heaped up -in confusion, as they had evidently been left by some -little tired fingers that were weary of play. The room -where Casca sat was divided by a portire from an -inner chamber, and a murmur might be heard from it -of a woman’s voice, singing in low monotonous tones.</p> - -<p>Below the wide open window there was borne on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -the soft warm air the sound of chariot wheels passing -in the street; the cry of the charioteer, the voice of -the newsman, and now and then the low growl, which -told that the menagerie was near at hand. The sound -which was “the electric touch” that the Poet speaks -of, awoke memories in Casca’s heart of that day, so -many years before, when the roar of the wild beasts -which were to tear the Christians to pieces, floated to -his ear as he passed by the Forum to the schools at -Rome. He remembered the horror he had always felt -at such sounds, and how once when Antonius had insisted -on his accompanying him to a great fight with -the beasts, he had fainted away, and on recovery had -heard the mocking laugh of some of his companions, -and the scornful words of Antonius:—</p> - -<p>“Bear him hence; he has not the courage of an -infant of days.”</p> - -<p>How dreamlike it all seemed now—the fate of his -patron Antonius, his flight, disgraced and dishonoured, -from his princely villa; the return for a time to the -house of Clœlia; and then the sudden resolve to cast -in his lot with the old Jew Ezra, and some of his -people, who were bound for Alexandria, learning that -trade in precious stones and gold was making the fortune -of some of the Jewish race, who were forming a -large colony there.</p> - -<p>His father, Severus, cared little what became of -him, and after his mother’s death and his second -marriage with Junia he had heard but rarely of him.</p> - -<p>When he first came to Alexandria, he had to live<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -partly by the office of scribe, but by degrees his scholarship -attracted attention, and his quickness in deciphering -old manuscripts, and his acquaintance with many -languages, for which he had a natural gift, was in his -favour. Casca Severus was now held in honour amongst -the literary world of Alexandria, holding a post in -the magnificent library as custodian and secretary, -which had raised him to a position of competence if -not affluence.</p> - -<p>Some years before this time, Casca had married -the daughter of a Greek merchant, a beautiful gentle -girl, who though less of a companion to her learned -husband than a joy for her beauty and goodness, was -most dear to him. After some years of waiting a little -daughter was given to them, and from the moment of -her birth the mother drooped and faded before Casca’s -eyes.</p> - -<p>Old Ezra’s death happened about this time, and -Anna, the Saxon Ebba, returned to serve Casca, and -to take charge of his motherless child. The Greek -name of Hyacintha, which had been given to Casca’s -sister, was now passed on to his little daughter, and -the name was as a sound of music in Anna’s ears.</p> - -<p>The dreaming over the past in which Casca indulged -that morning was broken in upon by the sound -of footsteps, and one of his servants drew aside the -curtain from the doorway, and admitted a tall soldier-like -man with grizzled beard, and a face bronzed with -exposure, who advanced towards him with outstretched -hands, pronouncing his name—</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>“Casca!”</p> - -<p>“Claudius, is it possible!” was the almost instant -reply, and then the two men looked at each other -with that curious inquiring gaze with which we scan -the features of those whom we have known in youth, -and meet in later years.</p> - -<p>Time had dealt very gently with the scholar and -philosopher. Casca’s high brow, from which the hair -had retreated, was smooth and but gently marked by -lines. His hands, which had wielded the pen to so -much purpose, were white and slender, and his robe -fell around him in graceful folds.</p> - -<p>As he and Claudius stood, with their right hands -clasped together and their left resting on each other’s -shoulders, they made a fine contrasted picture of the -scholar and the soldier.</p> - -<p>Claudius was tall and stalwart, his skin bronzed -with exposure to the sun, several scars of sabre cuts -on his brow and cheek, and many deep wrinkles on -his brow, still shadowed by thick masses of tawny hair -which, like his beard, were lined with silver.</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Claudius said, “we meet after many years.”</p> - -<p>“Do you come from Rome?” Casca asked, “or -from Verulam?”</p> - -<p>“From Rome,” and Claudius sighed. “From Rome, -and I bear you tidings of your sister, now the Vestal -Maxima.”</p> - -<p>“Hyacintha!” exclaimed Casca, “she is always -dear to my heart, but her life is on the mountain top, -and we poor folk are on a lower level.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span>Claudius shook his head.</p> - -<p>“The mountain top is but a barren waste to her, -I fear. She has much trouble, and her elevation is -dearly bought.”</p> - -<p>“Sit down and tell me all,” Casca said. “Ah! -good Claudius, it is like a draught of new wine to see -you. Strange that when you entered I was going over -the past—the little chamber at Verulam, Hyacintha -sitting by my side, and your loud ringing voice bidding -me meet life as a man, and not as a coward. Brave -advice, whether for the scholar or soldier, eh, good -Claudius?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; but methinks, Casca, it is you who must -now cheer me, for my heart is heavy within me, and -I scarce dare to look forward or to look within. You -speak of those far-off days. Do you think I have forgotten -them? Nay, they are written on my heart. I -would that I were a careless fellow again, wrestling in -the games at Verulam, and contented because I knew -of no life greater than the soldier’s. I am a Christian, -it is true, and ought to rejoice; but, somehow, there is -no rejoicing left in me.”</p> - -<p>“I pray you, good Claudius,” Casca said, “do not -speak thus. I, too, have had my sorrows. I have lost -my fair young wife, Ianthe, and no grief can be greater -than mine was; but I can rejoice yet in the powers -God has given me, and I live for Him and for our -child.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! then, Casca, yours is not a desolate, lonely -life like mine. I think, it is true, of the life beyond,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -and I crave for it with wearying longing; but the beloved -of my soul, your sister Hyacintha, is in bitter -trouble, and I, who would die for her, cannot move, -or stretch forth a finger, to help her.”</p> - -<p>And now, just as Casca was about to ask Claudius -to tell him everything, the sound of little naked feet -pattering on the floor was heard, and the curtain which -separated Casca’s room from the inner chamber shook, -and from the division in the middle peeped out a -little sunny face, rosy with sleep, with eyes yet dim -from dreams, and coral lips drooping at the corners, -as she caught sight of a strange man in earnest conversation -with her father. Casca rose and held out -his arms, and then there was a sudden rush and a -pair of clinging arms wound round his neck, as -Cynthia buried her golden head on his shoulder and -said:—</p> - -<p>“Send away that big old man.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, nay, my Cynthia, that is not the courtesy I -would fain teach thee,” said another voice; and turning, -Claudius saw an elderly woman, plainly dressed -in a loose woollen garment, girt around the waist by -a broad belt, and wearing on her head a close cap, -which concealed her hair.</p> - -<p>“Nay, my Cynthia,” she repeated—and then -Claudius laid his hand on her arm.</p> - -<p>“Do you not know me, Ebba?”</p> - -<p>The great tide of memory swept over poor Anna; -danger, torture, the dungeon, and the death she had -so dreaded, seemed to cover her again with a great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -mantle of fear. Her knees trembled, and she would -have fallen forward had not Claudius’s strong arms -prevented it.</p> - -<p>“Poor Ebba!” Claudius said, “do you think you -are in the dungeons again?”</p> - -<p>“Oh! pardon me, my noble Claudius! You know -I was ever but a coward, and now that I see you, -my deliverer from death, I have no words to thank -you.”</p> - -<p>“I need no words, good Ebba. I have lived long -enough now to know that there are worse sorrows than -death, which must pass on all men, to be borne. The -Lord, who is now my Master as well as yours, sent -me to save your life for a good purpose, I will not -doubt.”</p> - -<p>“And you, too, are a Christian, thanks be to God!” -Anna exclaimed fervently. “See there, my Cynthia, -here is the great Claudius who, at the request of thy -beautiful Aunt Hyacintha, my once dear mistress, took -me out of a dark dungeon, and saved my life. Say -‘Good Claudius!’”</p> - -<p>The child, who had raised her wondering face -from her father’s shoulder, now stretched out her arms -towards the tall warrior, who had at first frightened -her, and said:—</p> - -<p>“Good Claudius!” touching his cheeks with her -hand.</p> - -<p>“And can you tell me aught of my dear mistress, -the lady Hyacintha?” Anna asked.</p> - -<p>“Yes; I have a tale to tell, but it is a sad tale.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>“Take Cynthia in your arms, and sit down, Anna,” -said her master. “You, of all others, ought to hear -the tale, be it sad or joyful.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” Claudius said, “there is no reason why you -should be in ignorance of what is in my heart. Nay, -I doubt not you know it already, and that it will, as -regards myself, scarcely be news. From my rough -boyish days at Verulam I have loved your dear mistress, -and I must love her always. Though never to -be mine in this lower world, I may claim her yet -when all earthly taint of sin has passed away.</p> - -<p>“Since the death of Terentia Rufilla, the life of -your gracious and beautiful sister has been full of trial, -noble Casca. Bitter jealousy and envy of her acquirements -have been rife in the community. Fair without -these white-robed Vestals may appear, but they not all -are fair within.</p> - -<p>“By the voice of the majority, and by the dying -desire expressed again and again by the late Vestal -Maxima, Terentia Rufilla, Hyacintha Severa was -elected to succeed her. There was none so fitted as -she was; her rank, as the daughter of a noble house, -so high; her accomplishments and graces of mind and -body so rare. But there never was a creature like -her who did not provoke jealousy and ill-will in some -minds. Evil tongues have set afloat rumours concerning -her, which, though at first none heeded, have been -like fertile seed cast here and there, and at last taking -root.</p> - -<p>“It is not possible for me to see her. Some of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -evil rumours say that she has desired to renounce her -vow, and, becoming a Christian, be free to marry. -Were I to present myself at the Vestals’ atrium it -might fasten the charge of aspiring to her on me, and -add to her trouble. Her rule, as those who know it -well declare, has been marked by its wonderful wisdom. -The young disciples well-nigh worship her, the priests -consult her on every matter connected with the sacred -rites. The one who works the mischief is the daughter -of a princely house, who desires the highest office.</p> - -<p>“Finding all other accusations fail, she now insinuates -that the Vestal Maxima is a Christian in disguise, -and that she merits the death of the faithless -virgin.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! may God forbid,” exclaimed Anna—“oh! -may the Lord protect my mistress.”</p> - -<p>“I think,” Claudius continued, “that they will be -saved the trouble of condemning her. The last time -I saw her leading the procession along the Sacred -Way, she looked so wan and ill, and she leaned so -heavily on the shoulder of one of the young priestesses, -and the expression of her beautiful eyes as she turned -them upon me was so mournful that——”</p> - -<p>Claudius stopped; emotion checked him.</p> - -<p>“Is there aught that I can do,” Casca asked, starting -up; “aught to relieve the burden which lies upon -my sister! Tell me, Claudius, is there a way to help -her?”</p> - -<p>“It was to beg you to start for Rome for her solace -and comfort that I journeyed hither,” Claudius said.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span>“I will start willingly,” Casca exclaimed, “and -take Anna and my little one with me. Surely the touch -of her sweet kisses, the sound of her merry laughter, -will do much to console my sister! Yes; we will -return together, good Claudius. Shall it be next -month?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, next month may be too late; the journey is -long; set forth without delay, or it may be too late—too -late,” he repeated.</p> - -<p>“I will give orders to that effect. You have a -band of your own people here?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, my galley is manned with a brave band, -and lies in the Port to be ready at any moment. My -ship is fitted with all things needful for her voyage, -and it remains for you to give the word for starting -from this fair city, the fairest that men’s eyes ever -beheld.”</p> - -<p>“Anna, are you ready?”</p> - -<p>“Ready at my master’s word,” Anna said; “but -the child, the sweet child, is it safe for her?”</p> - -<p>“As safe as man can make it; the voyage in this -fair weather ought to be a pleasurable one; there are -no hardships to fear, good Anna! and I mistake me -if any sea robbers will dare attack the ships manned -by soldiers who have seen service under their commander -in many a battle in the far north, with those -rough Northmen who seem to be ever closing round -the southern folk in increasing numbers and with -added strength. Give but the word, Casca, and we -will start ere the sun sets.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span>“Nay, a week hence,” was Casca’s reply. “I have -to deliver a lecture to-morrow in the south hall of -the museum. I am pledged to expound a hard passage -of a Greek Poet on the day but one after—I——”</p> - -<p>“You have much to do truly,” said Claudius, impatiently. -“Of such labours of the brain I know nought; -but this, I say, I believe your sister hungers for a sight -of you, and yearns to clasp your hand in hers. She -cannot speak of her faith, which has slowly risen like -the sun upon her soul, and dispersed the darkness. -She may and does love those around her as her -children, but she cannot talk openly with them, lest -haply they should be condemned and punished with -a punishment even more severe than that which might -fall on her. But delay your departure if you will—it -is not for a rough soldier like me to enter into the -reasons which a subtle and learned scholar may have -for remaining here. I know what a true heart means, -and I have a strong sword-arm to prove it, but as to -the brain of you philosophers and poets, I know nothing -of it, having, as you will say, but a small share thereof -myself.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, now, good Claudius, do not misjudge me; -do not be angry. We will be ready in the next -week; meantime let us renew our close friendship, -and let me show you the treasures of the past and of -the present, contained within the walls of yonder -stately pile of buildings, which is the museum of the -world!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span>Claudius’s temporary vexation passed away, and -the two friends found themselves knit together by a -hundred subtle ties in the far-off past of their early -life.</p> - -<p>Claudius listened with surprise to Casca, as he detailed -all the varied phases of thought through which -he and many hundreds of men had passed in Alexandria. -Casca was a Christian—that is to say he had -been baptised, and if questioned as to his faith, he -would have given a direct answer that he believed in -the true God and his Son Jesus Christ. But there -could be no doubt that the learning of the schools -had the greatest charm for him, and if he studied the -manuscripts of the Gospels, it was more in a critical -than a faithful spirit.</p> - -<p>He considered the writing of St. Luke’s Gospel so -perfect that he gloried in its study, and he showed -Claudius a beautiful copy inscribed by his own hand, -with notes on the margin, for which he told him he -had won high praise and distinction.</p> - -<p>The old heathen worship, he said, was dying, and -the temples were more and more deserted day by -day. But Casca had not embraced the faith of Christ -with the simplicity of a child; it was rather the acceptance -of a finer theory than any he had yet discerned.</p> - -<p>That witness within himself, of which Claudius -had spoken to Hyacintha long before, was wanting; -and lost in the mazes of thought, and yielding to the -delight of learning, Casca had missed the humble<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -faith in a personal Saviour, which had taught the -brave Claudius self-restraint and self-forgetfulness, and -made him, the valiant hero of a hundred fights, -humble in his own eyes.</p> - -<p>Casca showed Claudius the leading features of -interest in Alexandria, and the bustle and activity of -the representatives of many nations filled the Roman -soldier with wonder; for at this time Alexandria, the -greatest sea-port in the world, was crowded with -buyers and sellers, and rich merchant princes from all -quarters.</p> - -<p>Through the great Moon Gate there was a perpetual -stream of camels, and elephants, and humble -asses, all laden with merchandise.</p> - -<p>Jews were there, with keen eager eyes; Greeks, -with their graceful easy carriage and soft musical -tongue; Romans, too, and representatives of the great -Northern tribes, of which Claudius had spoken.</p> - -<p>Rome, the city on the seven hills, had filled the -dreams of his boyhood in Britain; it had been to him -as a queen amongst cities in his later years, but -Alexandria was like a vision.</p> - -<p>The ranges of buildings were so vast, and the unbroken -line presented a <i>coup d’œil</i> of magnificence -scarcely if ever rivalled. Claudius gazed around him, -and but imperfectly heard or understood Casca’s descriptions -and explanations. He was dazzled and bewildered, -and he could only reply to Casca in monosyllables, -which were scarcely less irritating to Casca -than silence.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span>The friends who greeted Casca looked inquiringly -at Claudius, and he felt he had no part or lot in -Alexandria; her beauty was a dead letter to him, and -all her treasures of art and literature sealed books. -While Casca lectured in the museum or attended the -orations of philosophers, Claudius found his chief delight -centred in little Cynthia. She brought back the -old, old days when the other Hyacintha was the child, -and he, a rough untaught boy, felt always softened -and subdued by her presence.</p> - -<p>He loved to take the Cynthia of the present on -his knees, and while she toyed with his rough beard, -and the ornaments on his military coat, he would -listen to her babyish prattle, which was made up of -various languages, and find in her society far more -consolation than in the declamations of the orators -and poets in the lecture-rooms of the museum.</p> - -<p>Anna was much engaged with her preparations -for departure, and leaving all things in Casca’s household -in good order. She would look in on the great -soldier sometimes and smile, and bid the child not be -too troublesome, or the good Claudius would weary -of her.</p> - -<p>Anna had taught the little Cynthia the Gospel -story, and Claudius found that the Lord, who was -his acknowledged Master, was a very real Being to -Casca’s little daughter. With the unquestioning faith -of the little child, Cynthia needed no other assurance -than “Anna says so,” and Claudius loved to hear her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -tell of the birth of the Lord Jesus, and of the little -babes who were killed for His sake.</p> - -<p>Cynthia was scarcely more than four years old, but -she had inherited her father’s gifts and her mother’s -Greek grace and delicacy, so that she was wonderfully -forward for her age. She would draw with a -pointed stick, dipped in her father’s horn, upon the -spare sheets of parchment which lay about, and she -could already form letters, though her great idea was -to “draw pictures.”</p> - -<p>Claudius would tell her of her aunt, the Vestal -Maxima, at Rome, and that they were going over the -blue sea to see her and comfort her.</p> - -<p>“I know,” Cynthia said, one day; “I know you -loved that lady, and took Anna out of a dark hole -because you promised. She was shut there because -she loved Jesus the Lord. Do you know Him? Father -never says ‘love;’ he says ‘worship.’ I don’t know -what that means!”</p> - -<p>No; little Cynthia knew only of love, nor had -her childish heart grasped as yet the great reality -that love—perfect love—is the highest form of worship. -For love must serve, and service is adoration, -and so the circle is complete, and love must be in all -service and in all worship, and both are valueless -without it.</p> - -<p>The day for departure came at last, and the finely-equipped -galley in which Claudius had sailed from -Rome turned her helm towards the mouth of the -great canal at Alexandria, and with sails set, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -oars keeping precise time and rhythm, went over -the Lake Mareotis, and thence out into the blue -waters of the tideless sea. The yellow sand-hills of -the desert shone like burnished gold in the evening -light; the multitude of sails stood up against the -carmine sky which melted above the line of the -horizon into the tenderest rose-colour, and again into -the palest colour of the calyx of the daffodil, till it -was lost in the over-arched blue of the summer night.</p> - -<p>Stars studded that canopy like eyes of watching -love, and Claudius, seated with his little friend, pressed -close in his strong arms, felt his whole soul filled with -the love of Him who is the Redeemer of the world, -and of <i>him</i>—wayworn and weary Claudius.</p> - -<p>Casca strained his eyes over the lines of a closely-written -manuscript till the light faded, and then Anna -carried away little Cynthia, to the bed prepared for -her, where the murmur of the waves against the sides -of the ship soon lulled her to sleep.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIV.<br /> - -<small>THE CROSS.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> atrium of the Vestals was full of life, and -even merriment, one bright morning of late summer, -in this same year of 333. The want of sunshine -which was so much felt in the winter, was a gain now -that the fierce glare of August lay upon the streets of -the city, and beat upon the images of the gods and -faades of the temples like a furnace.</p> - -<p>The Vestals were chatting gaily with each other -about the grand chariot race for which they had seats -allotted to them. But two were standing a little -apart before a statue which had been placed recently -by the side of Flavia Mamilia, who was the most -famous of the order, and whose statues are multiplied -and the descriptions of her graces and gifts repeated -again and again.</p> - -<p>“They have placed her in good company,” a tall, -commanding-looking Vestal said, with a little ring of -irony in her voice; “how long will she remain there, -and what will be the story of her virtues inscribed -below, I marvel! A long one, doubtless—they will -never get it all into the space allowed.”</p> - -<p>The younger Vestal, a maiden of some twenty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -summers, who had lately entered upon her fully-consecrated -duties, replied:—</p> - -<p>“The face is not nearly beautiful enough for our -lady Maxima. Ah me! how soon this stone resemblance -will be all that is left us; she is passing away -from us, I know.”</p> - -<p>“There are some that say the sooner the better; -nay, Hermione, do not start back as if I were saying -some dreadful thing. I repeat, the sooner the better, -for your gracious Hyacintha Severa is acting a part, -and the treachery will be discovered unless death -prevents it.”</p> - -<p>“Treachery! nay,” said Hermione with youthful -fervour; “nay, our lady is as far removed from -treachery as are the heavens from the earth.”</p> - -<p>“Poor child!” was the provoking rejoinder, “such -faith as yours must be sweet if it were not misplaced. -I can give you a warning, that certain books have -been discovered in the possession of Hyacintha Severa -which would, in stricter times, have brought the masons -hither to prepare one of those little chambers, whence -no one who entered ever came forth alive. It would -have been inevitable, but now a loose and careless -government has altered things somewhat.”</p> - -<p>“I cannot hear you speak thus, Cœlia, I cannot. -You hate our noble and beautiful lady because she is -so far, far above you, because—”</p> - -<p>“Tush! now, silly little Hermione, I warn you -again, be careful, or who knows if a little chamber -may not be ready for you, and then there will be a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span> -Vestal less, and the stones which will prevent your -exit will tell no tales.”</p> - -<p>Hermione was preparing to hurl forth an angry -invective, when a hand was laid on her shoulder:—</p> - -<p>“Hermione! nay, do not heed idle threats, but help -me to ascend the staircase; I am expected at the -council of the priests at noon. I have a statement to -make to them which may please you to hear, Cœlia -Concordia. You will soon know what that statement -is, and may it ease your heart of the burden of rancour -and unkindness which you cherish towards me. It -must needs be a burden, and I would fain, for your -own sake, that you laid it down. My poor statue shall -not offend you longer; orders shall be given to place -it near the porta, the lowest instead of the highest -place.”</p> - -<p>She spoke slowly and with difficulty, for her breath -was short, and a little dry gasping cough interrupted -her again and again.</p> - -<p>“You speak in riddles, most gracious lady,” Cœlia -replied; “I admire the excellence of your statue, and -give the sculptor the highest meed of praise for the -manner in which it is wrought. Flavia Mamilia is -happy to have your near neighbourhood. I must -hasten, as the elder of the company who resort to the -Circus Maximus, to collect my maidens. A chariot -race is a grand thing to witness, but there are many -who find it tame sport in comparison to that of former -times, when Christians were thrown, as they deserved, -to the lions.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span>A strong emphasis was laid on the word <i>Christians</i>, -and a glance of hatred from the Vestal’s dark eyes, -directed at Hyacintha, told its own story, as she made -the usual obeisance to the Vestal Maxima, and went -to the farther end of the atrium.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha stood for a few moments leaning heavily -on Hermione’s arm, and gazing at the marble resemblance -of herself.</p> - -<p>A faint smile passed over her face, and she said -in a low voice:—</p> - -<p>“They will soon forget me, little Hermione, but -you will ever love me.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, dear lady, we all love you, all but that proud -and haughty Cœlia.”</p> - -<p>“She will succeed me, as Vestal Maxima,” Hyacintha -said; “win her by submission, and do not -irritate her by rebellion. Now let us go.”</p> - -<p>She turned for a moment and gazed at the noble -hall with its forest of Corinthian columns, and watched -the white-robed Vestals following Cœlia to the porta -on their way to the Circus. Memories of her first -appearance at that door, clinging to Clœlia’s hand, -swept over her—the child of nearly twelve years old, -now the woman of mature age!</p> - -<p>“Thirty years ago,” she whispered, “thirty years -ago! Ah, little Hermione, I shall soon enter the city -where <i>time</i> is not—no counting of years there. Come, -let us begin to mount the staircase, slowly, for I have -but little breath in me.”</p> - -<p>In a state room in the upper part of the Vestals<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span>’ -house the High Priest sat in solemn conclave with his -subordinates, and those who might be called the -Council of the order of Vesta.</p> - -<p>It was the custom of the Vestal Maxima to demand -an audience, when she had any especial business to -transact, or any dereliction in duty on the part of the -Vestals to report.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha had given notice of her coming, and -when she reached the upper corridor which ran round -the atrium, with pillars corresponding to those below, -she found a guard of honour waiting to escort her into -the presence of the High Priest.</p> - -<p>It was usual for the Vestal Maxima to be attended -by two of the elder Vestals on these occasions, but -many had gone to the Circus, and only Hermione was -with her.</p> - -<p>To the surprise of the guards, and of Hermione -herself, the Vestal Maxima said:—</p> - -<p>“I enter alone.” Then the curtain was raised, and -Hyacintha Severa passed in.</p> - -<p>Great respect was always paid to the Vestal Maxima, -and the assembled priests and those at the table with -them rose, while Hyacintha was conducted to a chair, -into which she sank apparently exhausted. When she -had recovered herself, she asked permission to address -the High Priest from the chair, as her health had -failed, and she could hardly make herself intelligible -if she had to encounter the fatigue of standing while -she spoke.</p> - -<p>First she drew from the folds of her pallium a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -parchment on which was inscribed, by her own hand, -all the financial details of the house, and its present -condition. When that had been handed in and laid -on the table, Hyacintha said:—</p> - -<p>“I crave permission to resign the office of Vestal -Maxima, and I pray you, most noble father, to consider -the election of my successor. I have but a short -space to live, and I would fain spend that time in the -retirement of my own chamber. The thirty years -which are supposed to limit the service of the Vestals -are over. I entered the atrium, sent hither by my late -noble father Severus, in the year three hundred and -three. My consecration followed in due course, and -then on the death of Terentia Rufilla, of whose noble -house I am a member, I was honoured by your choice -as Vestal Maxima. I have striven to perform my duty -of late in great suffering of body and of mind. I pray, -therefore, to be released therefrom, and that you appoint -a worthy successor to all the duties which have -devolved on me.”</p> - -<p>There was a murmur of dissent amongst those who -sat around, and then one of the Council, fixing a pair -of keen black eyes upon Hyacintha, said:—</p> - -<p>“There may be hidden motives why you, Hyacintha -Severa, resign your office. Nay, there <i>are</i> hidden -motives.”</p> - -<p>Then the High Priest raised his hand, and said in -a tone of command:—</p> - -<p>“We must defer this matter for a season, and we -will ask you to appear before us again at a future<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -time. If matters there be that require investigation, -that investigation must be made.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha rose and seemed about to speak, when -a deadly paleness overspread her face, and she -slipped from the chair in a deep swoon upon the -floor.</p> - -<p>The attendants outside were summoned, and Hyacintha -was carried to her own chamber, Hermione -following, where several women who were her especial -servants received her, and she was laid upon her -couch, apparently lifeless. But the usual nostrums and -restoratives had the desired effect, and the Vestal -Maxima revived and looked round on them all with -her sweetest smile.</p> - -<p>They piled the cushions up behind her on the -couch, and Hermione fanned her with cool palm -leaves, and, stooping every now and then, kissed her -on the forehead. If Hyacintha had been radiantly -beautiful in youth and early womanhood, she was -beautiful now with a beauty which is not of this world. -Traces of the mental struggle through which she had -passed were seen on her face, it is true; the delicate -flush of youth and health had vanished, but over that -noble countenance there was shed the calm light of -the evening—the earnest of a coming rest, the sign of -the victory won.</p> - -<p>Hermione was left alone with her before long, and -then Hyacintha spoke.</p> - -<p>“Dear one,” she said, “I shall watch no more in -the temple at night. I shall feed the fire no more. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -am, as Cœlia implies, a Christian. Would you like to -know how it has come to pass, my sweet one? I am -stronger now, and I will tell you all before I die.”</p> - -<p>“Oh! sweet lady, dearest mistress!” Hermione -said, “you must not die, you cannot die, to go down -to the darksome Hades, to lose the sunlight!”</p> - -<p>“Ah, no! ah, no! my child. I go to <i>life</i>; death -hath no more power to quench that life which Jesus -the Lord has given to me.”</p> - -<p>And as if that life of which she spoke had already -begun, Hyacintha raised herself on her cushions and -said, with all her old fire and earnestness:—</p> - -<p>“In that silver coffer, child, are the precious Books—the -Word of Life. The holy father Eusebius has -from time to time furnished me with those Books. -For many years I <i>could</i> not let the whole beautiful -fabric of my earthly life slip from me. The struggle -between the old faith and the new—rather between -the false and the true—has been a fierce one to me. -I have travailed in soul in the temple in the lonely -watches of the night. I have vowed again and again -to the goddess that I would never forsake her. I have -gazed up at her image in the dim light, and besought -her, if she knew me, if she accepted my service, to -give me a sign. But there she has stood, with her veil -flowing behind her, in her long robes, motionless and -calm. What were my tears to her? What were my -agonies of soul? She had never felt them. She had -ears, but she heard not; she had eyes, but she saw -not. And yet, oh Hermione, I verily believe no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -torture of martyrdom could be compared to what I -have suffered for the last six years.</p> - -<p>“While Terentia Rufilla lived, I had not this yearning -of soul after better things. I was not the head -then, only a member of this community, and if she, -noble and gracious as she was, was content, who was -I, to doubt?</p> - -<p>“Once, on the Clian Hill, on the very morning -of my full consecration, I learned that it was sweet to -be loved. My woman’s heart told me that this was -the woman’s highest heritage—to be the beloved of a -brave, good man. In a vision, as with a lightning -flash, I seemed to see a fair landscape stretched out -before me, where there was the song of rejoicing and -the happiness which comes of a mutual love. Then a -cloud swept over it, blotting it from my sight, and I -was on a mountain top, so high above others—a -Vestal Virgin, devoted to the service of the goddess; -high above others—yes, high—but how cold! how -lonely! Rumours of the wickedness of the city -reached me—foul deeds, which made me blush for -the women who took part in them. Emperors and -great ones fell; Christians were not exempt from the -love of change; there were dissensions amongst them; -there were envies, and hatreds, and heartburnings -amongst their leaders.</p> - -<p>“The Jew hated and cursed the Christian, and yet -they both believed in the true God. Was it not better -to be safe in these walls, guarded from danger, than -to go forth into the city, whose cry, under the name<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -of pleasure, was often a bitter cry, than to confess -Christ, and leave the shadow of the cloisters, the safety -of the Temple? If I confessed Christ, I reasoned, and -came forth, how would the finger of scorn have been -pointed at me? how would the unworthiest of motives -have been laid at my door? And then, the cruel -death had I been recaptured, the death which is the -slowest of all deaths to die. I might have escaped, -for a word was enough to him of whom I speak, but -the motive was mixed, and of the earth: and I -trampled down the longing and went on my way. Dost -thou remember how, when a little child, they brought -thee weeping to Terentia? I held out my arms to -thee, and thou didst nestle in them. Ah! dear one, -do not weep. Thy love has been my solace many a -time.” For Hermione had flung herself on her knees -by Hyacintha’s couch, and was weeping wildly and -passionately.</p> - -<p>She soothed her as a mother soothes a child, and -then she said, with a weary sigh:—</p> - -<p>“It has been a long fight, and a bitter struggle, -but it is over now, and the Lord Jesus has shown me -Himself, the Crucified One on the Cross, and that by -the Cross alone we may win our Crown. I have committed -to my memory, which has ever been a good -one, large portions of the Gospels in the soft Greek -tongue, and the words have been as honey and the -honey-comb. The good father Eusebius baptised me -yestere’en in the name of the Lord, and nothing now -remains but to commit my soul to Him who died for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -me, and for thee, also, sweet Hermione, and for the -whole world.”</p> - -<p>She was silent for a time, and Hermione thought -she slept, but presently she said:—</p> - -<p>“My brother Casca, Claudius, good, faithful Ebba, -I shall see them soon! Hermione, in a few short -years this temple will be deserted, the company of -Vestals will be broken up, for the Sun has risen far -above the horizon, and He has called the nations into -His marvellous light.”</p> - -<p>Then she wandered on, no longer of the present, -but of the past. The cruel death of Alban, which -was prominent in her childish dreams, the departure -of Ebba, the vow Claudius had sworn. “Good Claudius,” -she repeated, “good Claudius; and he kept that -vow. Ah! yes; good, brave Claudius!”</p> - -<p>Hermione and her devoted servants watched over -her that night, and her strength rapidly declined.</p> - -<p>There was almost universal sorrow shown when it -became known that the Vestal Maxima was dying.</p> - -<p>All the great Roman families sent representatives -to the Vestals’ House to inquire as to her condition.</p> - -<p>The young children, the lately-received disciples, -were in tears; the newly-consecrated Vestals went sorrowfully -about their work, striving to perform their -duties for the sake of her, who would never again -give them the benefit of her counsel and advice.</p> - -<p>The whole community passed in one by one to -bid her a farewell.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span>She smiled on them as they knelt by her side, and -murmured words which were hardly intelligible.</p> - -<p>Cœlia Concordia came last.</p> - -<p>She dreaded the interview, and would fain have -avoided it; but Hyacintha asked for her again and -again.</p> - -<p>Proudly and haughtily she stood by the couch of -the dying Vestal. Her dark eyes looked down on the -beautiful face before her, without a shadow of tenderness -or sympathy in them.</p> - -<p>Hyacintha smiled, and said to Hermione:—</p> - -<p>“Tell her to stoop down; I want to say something -to her.”</p> - -<p>Cœlia obeyed, unwillingly enough, and to her surprise -she caught the words:—</p> - -<p>“May the God whom I love in Christ fill you with -peace. With my last breath I pray Him for your conversion.”</p> - -<p>But the proud Vestal, wrapt in the impenetrable -mantle of her own self-assertion and self-exaltation, -did not respond. She turned away, whispering to herself:—</p> - -<p>“It is true, then, she <i>is</i> a Christian!”</p> - -<p>Nevertheless, so greatly was Hyacintha Severa -honoured, that the Council, who met the day after she -had appeared before them, handed over to the sculptor -the inscription for the pedestal on which her statue -stood, with its high praise of her virtues and her services.</p> - -<p>She had failed in no duty; nothing but good was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -spoken of her by any of her companions, with two -exceptions, of whom Cœlia Concordia was one, and -the priest who had hinted at hidden motives, that -might have brought about the resignation of the Vestal -Maxima, another.</p> - -<p>A resolution was carried by a majority in the -Council that it was not needful to enter into these -motives. Besides, at the close of thirty years’ devotion -to the service of the temple, by an old statute, -the priestesses were free to depart if so they desired. -Very few lived to avail themselves of the freedom -which was thus granted to them. And those who did -survive had become so accustomed to the routine of -the Vestals’ House that they showed no anxiety to -leave its shelter in their declining years.</p> - -<p>The privileges, too, of the Vestals were very -highly prized, and of late years their table had been -luxuriously appointed, and their life had been one of -ease and refinement, so that the change to a more -ordinary manner of living would have been far from -acceptable to many who had severed the ties of earlier -years, and who would have found themselves adrift -in the great city, outside the walls of the Vestals’ -House.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XV.<br /> - -<small>THE CROWN OF LIGHT.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> was the dawn of the third day when Hermione -was awoke from a light slumber by Hyacintha’s voice.</p> - -<p>“The watch is nearly over,” she said; “the day -is near. I have been in the temple all night; how -came I hither?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, dearest lady,” Hermione said; “you have -been sleeping on your couch, and I have watched——”</p> - -<p>“I thought I had been in the temple, and I saw -there my brother and Ebba, and myself a little child -again. There was a sudden great light, and it shone -on them—and Claudius, good Claudius!”</p> - -<p>Hermione thought she was wandering a little, and -beckoned to one of the attendants to bring her a reviving -draught.</p> - -<p>The Vestal Maxima smiled, saying, “I saw them, -and I followed them up a golden stair to the place -where the stars were shining. Casca was reading -from a book the words of Socrates: ‘The soul is most -certainly immortal, and cannot perish; it will exist -in the unseen world, taking nothing with it but the -discipline it has gained here.’ I know the words well, -and I cannot be mistaken. They were spoken by my -brother’s voice—Casca’s voice. Whether it were a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -vision I know not, or a reality I cannot tell, but there -is in me a certainty that Casca is near.”</p> - -<p>It not unfrequently happens that the spiritual -perceptions of those who are nearing the unseen world -are quickened. However that may be, Hermione was -startled a few hours later by a hasty summons to the -atrium, where she was told some strangers were inquiring -for the Vestal Maxima.</p> - -<p>A pale ethereal looking man, in a long scholar’s -robe, was holding a lovely child of five or six years -old by the hand, around whom an admiring group of -white-robed Vestals clustered.</p> - -<p>Behind stood a plainly-dressed, elderly woman, -and a man in the full accoutrements of a Roman -officer by her side.</p> - -<p>Hermione recognised the officer. She had seen -him often, for whenever the Vestals were in public, -that tall stalwart figure was always hovering near; and -once or twice in the early part of this year Hyacintha -had referred to him as a friend of her childhood’s -days in Verulam.</p> - -<p>Claudius had, indeed, watched her from a distance, -never offending her by approaching her, loving -her with that purest of all loves, the love which can -sacrifice everything for the one beloved.</p> - -<p>Claudius had noted the gradual decay of Hyacintha’s -strength, and reading her aright, he had, as -we know, hastened to Alexandria, to bring, if possible, -the brother whom she had so dearly loved to -her side.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span>Casca now approached Hermione.</p> - -<p>“I am Casca Severus,” he said, “the brother of -the Vestal Maxima, Hyacintha Severa. Can I see -her?”</p> - -<p>“She lies at the point of death,” Hermione answered, -with a short quick sob. “She is leaving us—and, -ah! whither is she going?”</p> - -<p>Casca did not reply, but little Cynthia, looking -up at the Vestal with her clear wondering eyes, -said:—</p> - -<p>“She is going to God. Anna says that dead -people are only gone to God.”</p> - -<p>Hermione stooped, and raising the child in her -arms, motioned to Casca to follow her. Anna’s wistful -face seemed to ask that she might also come, but -Claudius turned away, and going to the porta, stood -leaning against the stone columns which supported it, -where the lictors in charge of the Vestals for that -morning, coming and going, also stood with quiet unmoved -faces, as if carved in marble like the statues -behind them.</p> - -<p>Presently a man, with an attendant, who bore a -basket of sharp tools, came up. They passed Claudius, -and he saw them go towards a statue.</p> - -<p>Then the workman’s sharp-pointed tools were -examined, and a scroll of parchment laid out on the -ground.</p> - -<p>With easy grace the sculptor threw himself down -at the feet of the statue, and began to carve the inscription. -Claudius watched him like one in a dream.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -There was no need to tell him who that noble and -majestic statue represented. He turned and went a -few steps further into the interior of the atrium, and -saw the sharp point of the tool in the skilful hands of -the sculptor, carving the words.</p> - -<p>They were words of praise, which have, after centuries -of obscurity, been lately brought to light. Every -stroke of the chisel, every turn of the well-skilled -wrist, was watched by the brave soldier, who stood -leaning against one of the beautiful pillars.</p> - -<p>“Ob meritum castitatis pudiciti atque in sacris -religionibusque doctrin mirabilis, Hyacinth Sever -Virgini Vestali Maxim.”</p> - -<p>That name, which had been for so many years -enshrined in the brave soldier’s heart, was just traced -on the stone, when a group of Vestals came fluttering -towards the place.</p> - -<p>“The Vestal Maxima is departing,” an old Vestal -said, touching Claudius’s shoulder. “Hermione bids -me conduct you to her chamber, where her brother -and her servant have watched for the last hour.”</p> - -<p>But Claudius stood rooted to the spot. He had -feared his presence might disturb the last hours of -one he loved too well, to make his own wishes of -any moment. He bowed and shook his head, but -remained standing, watching the work of the chisel, -while every letter seemed engraved in his heart.</p> - -<p>Presently another messenger came—Hermione.</p> - -<p>“She asks for you,” she said—“come!”</p> - -<p>Then Claudius drew himself up to his full height,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -as if he were about to face some advancing host, and -with head erect, and hands clasped tightly together, -he followed Hermione, without uttering a word.</p> - -<p>As they passed along the corridor of the upper -storey, they met Cœlia Concordia. Hermione made -the customary token of respect to the superior Vestals -from those who were beneath them, and said:—</p> - -<p>“We go to see the Vestal Maxima, who is departing.”</p> - -<p>“The Vestal Maxima has departed already,” was -the cold and haughty answer. “I have just returned -from the Council, where I have been chosen as her -successor in the office she quitted three days ago.”</p> - -<p>Hermione’s dark southern eyes flashed through -the mists of tears.</p> - -<p>“The beloved lady Hyacintha, beloved of all the -priestesses, is dying,” she said, “and leaves no equal -behind; her name will live. It is even now inscribed -upon the pedestal of her statue, beneath the words -which, by the common consent of the whole Council, -were written on a scroll for the sculptor, and despatched -to him yester-even.”</p> - -<p>Cœlia passed on, saying in a low voice, words of -which Hermione failed to catch the meaning, but -which were—“<i>her name shall perish</i>.”</p> - -<p>Hyacintha lay upon the cushions of her couch, -with closed eyes; over her features peace brooded.</p> - -<p>The conflict and the struggle were over, and she -was only awaiting the summons.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, with one of the flashes of consciousness,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> -which are like the leaping up of the flame before it -dies out she opened her eyes and said:—</p> - -<p>“I see the golden stairs which lead upward to the -stars: Claudius, good Claudius—Claudius!”</p> - -<p>The brave soldier drew a step nearer, and in low -husky tones, said:—</p> - -<p>“I am here, Hyacintha, I am here!”</p> - -<p>A bright smile passed over her face as she said:—</p> - -<p>“I have found the true Light, Claudius, the Dayspring -from on high. I am going where the Light -shall never be put out, and you will come, good -Claudius—promise, vow!”</p> - -<p>“I will come, God helping me,” he said—“beloved, -I will come.”</p> - -<p>Then the brightness faded from her face; she became -confused, and said in distress, that she had -slept, and that the sacred fire was extinguished. Then, -with a cry, “The Light! The Light can never be put -out.” She extended her arms as if to greet one who -was coming towards her, and said:—</p> - -<p>“I see Him—He is the true Light, Jesus the -Lord!”</p> - -<p>And so her spirit departed, and Hyacintha Severa -entered into the full shining of the true Light which -lighteth every man who cometh into this sad and weary -world.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In the sacred Pomœrium, the space marked out -by religious rites along the line of the old wall—the -ashes of Hyacintha Severa were laid.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span>The High Priest and Council, touched by her loss, -refused to acknowledge publicly that she was a -Christian. Loved and honoured in her life by many -without, as well as by many within the walls of the -Vestals’ House, the old High Priest silenced the -accusers, and carried the point that the late Vestal -Maxima should be honoured in her death, as she had -been loved in her life.</p> - -<p>For the old priest knew that the old faith was -vanishing away; knew that the Christians were multiplying -daily; knew that even in that community the -seed had been sown, which might bring forth fruit, -and that Hyacintha would not be the only Christian -amongst their numbers.</p> - -<p>This was no time for suppression by violence or -by force; the supporters of the old faith made the -lives of the Vestals more and more luxurious, increased -their privileges, and the last thirty or forty -years of their existence were to all outward seeming -their best years.</p> - -<p>But the faith in the goddess Vesta and the sacred -fire which her priestesses were vowed to keep a pure -and inextinguishable flame, was even now rotten at -its heart. What had once been received with childlike -earnestness and simplicity of belief, was now but -a hollow profession, and the old faith was dying.</p> - -<p>Cœlia Concordia held the supreme office of Vestal -Maxima for many years. She was a woman of keen -intellect, and a great friend, we are told, of the -famous champion of Polytheism, Vettius Agorius Prtextatus.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -Her statue was set up in the house of that -nobleman, and he received the unwonted honour of -having his raised in the Vestals’ atrium.</p> - -<p>A powerful, vigorous woman, Cœlia Concordia -carried things with a high hand. The little children, -timid and tearful in the first few weeks of their discipleship, -did not come to her with their sorrows. The -maidens confided in her none of their hopes and -fears. Cœlia loved the power the office gave her too -well to resign it. Strong in body as in mind, she saw -her old companions pass away, the children fade and -die, the maidens droop and lose their fresh bloom; -and she persecuted by a thousand little acts of tyranny -two or three whom she suspected of having embraced -the Christian faith; and Hermione was one who felt -the full bitterness of her satire, and often quailed -beneath it.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVI.<br /> - -<small>ONWARD AND UPWARD.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">When</span> Claudius turned away from the Vestals’ -home on the day of Hyacintha’s death, there was in -his noble heart only one longing—to follow her whither -she was gone.</p> - -<p>Casca and little Cynthia were his guests, with the -faithful Anna; and when Casca spoke of returning to -Alexandria, Claudius begged him to delay. It seemed -to Claudius like a second parting from the love of his -whole life to lose the child who bore her name, and -who returned the devotion of the old soldier with a -childish affection which was inexpressibly sweet to him.</p> - -<p>But Casca was anxious to return to Alexandria, -where now he had made his home. Rome had lost -its charm for him; there were few left to sympathise -with him in his learned researches, and the great -Museum of Alexandria, with its inexhaustible treasury -of literature and art, had no rival in Rome.</p> - -<p>To linger about the place where Hyacintha had -lived, to recall her in all the long years of faithful and -pure devotion which he had lavished upon her—this -was the comfort of Claudius’s heart, but, naturally, -with Casca it was wholly different.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span>He had loved her as a brother, and had retained -his affection for her in the long years of separation, -thinking tenderly of her as his little sister in the old -home at Verulam, when she cheered him in the struggles -which his early boyhood had known, in the consciousness -of physical weakness, and the inward conviction -that he had the mental power which, if it were -but allowed scope, would stand him in far better stead -than the sword and the battle-axe.</p> - -<p>But he had made new ties, and gathered round -him the joys of home. While his young wife lived he -had been happy in the present; and the past, which -was all to his friend Claudius, was to him like a pleasant -but fading dream.</p> - -<p>Then, when his wife was taken from him, his -pride and joy centred in his child, who seemed, even -at this early age, to inherit the beauty and graces of -her aunt in no scant measure.</p> - -<p>It is always hard to those who are growing old to -feel that while others of their friends and contemporaries -have gathered round them interests and the -sweet ties of home-life, they are standing, like the last -of some old forest trees, companionless and alone.</p> - -<p>Claudius had been a brave soldier, and was considered -a distinguished officer, who had earned his -laurels on many a bloodstained field. But his brethren -in arms, who gave themselves up, on their retirement -from active service, to all the luxuries and often -license of Roman society, found him but a dull and -speechless companion.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span>Gradually Claudius withdrew more and more from -public life; and now what had been the one great -interest of his daily routine at Rome was over!</p> - -<p>To watch the Vestal Maxima at a distance, to -divine her every look and gesture, to be present at all -public ceremonials where she was to be seen, to be -the presiding genius of her life, though never to approach -her or give her cause for uneasiness—this had -been Claudius’s mission. He had heard of the evil -rumours which Cœlia had tried to sow broadcast; he -had watched the once stately step growing more feeble, -the deep earnest eyes lose their intense glow, the beautifully-chiselled -features grow more pinched and wan, -and his heart had sunk within him.</p> - -<p>He had held much counsel with the good Father -Eusebius, and knew that the Christian faith which he -held dear had taken deep root in Hyacintha’s heart. -And this had been at once the consolation and the -fear of his life of late. Consolation, for he knew well -what was the support of the Faith of Christ; fear, lest -the sharp eyes which were directed towards the Vestal -Maxima should scent out the truth, and that she should -be given up by her accusers to disgrace.</p> - -<p>This had been assisted by Hyacintha’s resignation -at the time when such resignation was allowed, and -the love which she had awakened in the hearts of the -many had triumphed over the maliciousness of the few.</p> - -<p>Anna was old now, and her strength did not hold -out for the long walks in which little Cynthia at six -years old delighted. So it fell to Claudius to drive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -her in his chariot, or take her hand in his and lead -her along the Appian Way, telling her stories of the -old heroes, as Clœlia had told them to Hyacintha and -Casca long ago. But their favourite walk was to the -Clian Hill, and there sometimes they would meet -Hermione on her way to the spring, when, dismissing -the attendants who followed the Roman soldier and -the fair child at a distance, they would sit and speak -of the Vestal Maxima, and Hermione would fondle the -little Cynthia, and say to Claudius “that she, too, -might have been a Vestal, so beautiful she was, and -so full of wit and cleverness.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, no! the child has another and a higher mission -than that of the Vestal virgin. She will be the -joy and glory of some good man’s home, so I pray the -good Father of us all, who loves the little children.”</p> - -<p>“Who loves the little children,” Cynthia repeated, -as she leaned against Claudius’s knee, her hands full -of violets and anemones which empurpled the hill’s -side. “When I am a woman I shall tell every one -about the Lord, who was a little child Himself on -earth, and loved the children who came near Him, -just as I come near you, Claudius. Hermione, don’t -you love Him?”</p> - -<p>Poor Hermione’s eyes filled with tears. She had -not the courage to confess the Faith openly, which -would needs draw upon her instant dismissal from her -office, and end in imprisonment, and perhaps death. -She was suspected, and jealously watched, by the -Vestal Maxima; and nothing but the noble family<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -from which she came, and the rich gifts which they -constantly showered upon the temple of the goddess, -could have saved her.</p> - -<p>“Don’t you love Him, Hermione? My aunt loved -Him. Anna loves Him, and so does good Claudius. -Father adores Him; he does not say he loves Him.”</p> - -<p>Hermione turned away her face. She was like -thousands in those days of persecution, struggling out -of the shadows into the light; scarcely prepared to -give up all for Christ, and yet yearning after Him with -that tender yearning which is the aspiration of the -soul for One who, though unseen, it loves.</p> - -<p>Shall we not think of such in every age with sympathy -and pity? Shall we not leave them in the loving -hands of Him who knoweth our infirmities, and -remembers that we are but dust?</p> - -<p>Hermione quickly rallied herself, and said, “My -time of leave is over. I must be hastening home, or -the lictors at the gate will be impatient. When do you -depart for Alexandria, good Claudius?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, I know not whether I depart at all; but -Casca and the child, and their attendants, are sailing -from the Portus Augusti next week.”</p> - -<p>Hermione took Cynthia from Claudius for a moment, -and said, “Listen, Cynthia; you must not forget -me, for I loved your aunt, and she loved me. You will -write to me as soon as you are able to wield the pen, -and you will tell me of all you learn, and all you do -in Alexandria. And do not forget poor Hermione.”</p> - -<p>Cynthia clasped the Vestal round the neck, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -said, “Come with us to our pretty home in Alexandria. -Why cannot you come?”</p> - -<p>“I am tied and fettered here,” said poor Hermione; -“and here I must live till death comes to me and -frees me from bondage.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” said the child, “I am glad I am not to be -a Vestal, but that I belong to the Lord Jesus—so -glad!”</p> - -<p>Hermione kissed the child fervently, and then -turned away, waving her hands in token of farewell, -saying, “Remember your promise, little Cynthia.”</p> - -<p>“What has she asked of thee, little one?” Claudius -said, when the child had returned to him.</p> - -<p>“She bade me write to her, and never forget her,” -Cynthia said. “I shall make haste to learn to write; -and father says already I am a little scholar. You -will help me to write, good Claudius.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, then, little one, this hand of mine is not -skilled in using the pen or scribbling in parchment; -but there are many others who will teach thee.”</p> - -<p>“You are going to Alexandria with us? You will -not leave us, good Claudius?”</p> - -<p>“Nay, we will not speak of parting yet—not yet.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Never!</i>” exclaimed Cynthia, emphatically; “never!” -And Claudius evaded a direct answer, but promised -that he would at least take care of her on the coming -return voyage, for the season was late, and they would -probably meet with storms in the inland sea through -which they must sail to the fair city of Alexandria.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span>Claudius found the attractions at Alexandria, -where he shared the home of Casca and his little -daughter, too great to be withstood. He vibrated, it -is true, between the two cities for a year or two, but -as age sapped his strength, and brought low the once -athletic and vigorous frame, he became less inclined -for action, and was content to live the quiet life in -which his friend Casca delighted, and to enjoy with -him the society of the little daughter who, as she grew -in years, grew in all the graces and attractions which -had distinguished the aunt whose name she bore, and -whom she so strongly resembled.</p> - -<p>“Good Claudius,” the commander of many brave -troops of soldiers, the noble, valiant, and courageous -warrior, became in his old age gentle and subdued; -but his deeds of valour had not died out of the remembrance -of some who had shared in them; and in -his retirement at Alexandria he was sometimes visited -by those who had some connection with him as a -leader or companion in arms.</p> - -<p>One day, when Cynthia was about fifteen, eight or -nine years after the voyage to Rome and the death -of the Vestal Maxima, Claudius was walking slowly -and feebly along the smooth walks of the Museum -gardens, waiting for Cynthia to return from one of -the academies, where, attended by one of her maids, -she studied with several young maidens, under a lady -who lectured upon the Greek poets and the Greek -authors of a bygone time.</p> - -<p>Casca’s anxious desire that his only child should<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -be distinguished for accomplishments of every kind, -and have her mental gifts cultivated to the utmost, -was not likely to be disappointed.</p> - -<p>Cynthia was already known as one of the most -promising of Zoe’s pupils, and she seemed to have no -difficulty in acquiring and retaining knowledge.</p> - -<p>On this lovely spring morning, Claudius, being a -little weary, seating himself on a bench near one of the -principal fountains, which made a soft musical murmur -as the waters fell into a deep marble basin, turned -suddenly as he heard his name.</p> - -<p>A man about his own age, leaning on the arm of -a youth of eighteen or twenty, advanced towards him.</p> - -<p>“Sure,” he said, “I see before me Claudius, who -commanded the fourth legion under Constantius?”</p> - -<p>The two old men stood facing each other silently -for a few moments, and then grasped each other’s -hands.</p> - -<p>“I never expected to meet you, brave Claudius, -again, least of all at Alexandria.”</p> - -<p>“And I, my noble friend and old ally, Varrus, -never expected to grasp your hand in mine again. -Methought you lived at Marseilles?”</p> - -<p>“Ay, and I have left it only for a short space, to -bring hither to this seat of learning my only son, -Heraclitus, who craved for the schools of wisdom -here, and desires to add the learning of the scholar to -the courage of the soldier. And here, my son,” he -continued, “is as brave a soldier as ever wielded a -sword, the good and valiant Claudius.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span>“It seems that I see your father again in you,” -Claudius said. “Varrus, you live again in your boy.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! and I have two fair daughters, whom I have -left with their mother at Marseilles; and here, if I -mistake not, comes one of yours.”</p> - -<p>For at that moment, speeding towards the place -where Claudius sat, came the graceful figure of a -young girl, dressed in pure white silk, her over-mantle -of pale greenish-blue, and a handkerchief embroidered -with gold, in the familiar pattern we call the “key -pattern,” thrown over her sunny head.</p> - -<p>“Nay, I have no ties of home, Varrus; I never -married. She who is coming towards us is as dear as -any daughter. Why does she tarry?”</p> - -<p>For Cynthia had suddenly stopped, and, throwing -her large crimson satchel to her maid, she skirted the -marble basin of the fountain with swift steps.</p> - -<p>“I see! I see!” exclaimed the young man; “a -little child is dangerously near the brink of the fountain—and——”</p> - -<p>He said no more, but sprang across the emerald -turf to the edge of the deep marble basin, where the -clear waters were gently rocking on their breast the -broad leaves of the water-lily, already showing their -snowy heads from the thick green calyx.</p> - -<p>But the waters suddenly became disturbed by -something more than the gentle fall of the jets of the -fountain. They were swollen into little wavelets, and -as the two elder men reached the spot they heard a -cry, and saw Heraclitus plunge into the basin, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span> -was some six feet in depth, and some two hundred -feet in circumference.</p> - -<p>“My mistress plunged in to save a child who had -fallen into the water,” exclaimed Cynthia’s attendant. -“Ah me! Ah me! Will she be drowned?”</p> - -<p>Then the girl, after the fashion of such maidens -in every time, uttered a long and piercing shriek, -which brought to the spot a good many of those who -were wandering about in the Museum gardens on this -early spring morning.</p> - -<p>Claudius’s face was blanched with horror, and he -clutched the arm of his friend Varrus for support.</p> - -<p>“Be of good courage,” Varrus said; “my son has -rescued both the child and the maiden. See! they -are already safe!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, dear Claudius,” Cynthia struggled to say, -as, breathlessly, and her clothes heavy with water, -Claudius bent anxiously over her.</p> - -<p>“Yes, safe; and the little child—is he safe?”</p> - -<p>“Thanks to your noble efforts, fair lady,” Heraclitus -said, “no harm is done. Hearken!” And a loud -scream from the little boy, as his mother, who carelessly -allowed him to stray too near the edge of the -fountain, clasped him frantically to her breast, testified -to the truth of the young man’s words.</p> - -<p>“It is all well, then. Nay, good Claudius, do not -be frightened. I will go home now, and change my -wet garments. Ah! look at my poor handkerchief; -see, the gold border is spoiled.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span>She said this with childlike earnestness, and then, -helped to her feet by Varrus, she said—</p> - -<p>“Who is my father, Casca, to thank for coming to -my rescue? You, too, brave sir, will need change of -garments. Claudius, do bid my deliverer to come to -our house.”</p> - -<p>Cynthia was fighting against a feeling of faintness -and exhaustion which the sudden plunge into the -water had caused; and Heraclitus was quite forgetting -his own share in the rescue of the child, in the admiration -he felt for the beautiful maiden who had so -promptly gone to save the child’s life.</p> - -<p>“Come home with us,” Claudius said, in a tremulous -voice; “come home, and let my friend Casca -and me show our gratitude. Our greatest treasure has -been in peril, and we owe her preservation to you.”</p> - -<p>The mother of the little boy, less grateful than she -might have been, hastened away with her struggling, -screaming son, and very soon the voice of the fountain, -which had for the time been lost in the tumult, was -again heard, and the gentle motion of the clear waters -rocked the budding lilies on its breast undisturbed, as -before.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Some months later a letter from Cynthia to -Hermione, written with a finely-pointed quill on -smooth parchment, was delivered by a messenger at -the House of the Vestals at Rome—for Cynthia had -never forgotten her promise, and her letters, at first -mere scrawled hieroglyphics, had been the greatest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> -events in her sad life; for Hermione lived in the -shadow, tolerated simply because of her rank and -wealth, but looked upon, as I have said, with suspicion -and dislike by the proud Vestal Maxima, Cœlia Concordia; -and all those who wished to win favour with -her kept aloof from Hermione.</p> - -<p>How many sad and disappointed lives, bound by -the fetters of an enforced vow, have been hidden -alike in the House of the Vestals, and later in the -monasteries of medival times!</p> - -<p>Of all pathetic cries which ascend to the Throne -of the Father of us all is the cry of the woman who, -mistaking her true vocation as a helper and consoler, -has chafed like a bird against its prison bars, to obtain -the liberty which alone gives the zest to service. -Hermione had, indeed, ceased to struggle against her -fate, and a cold and numb despair had destroyed her -beauty, and made her a prematurely old woman. -Her eyes were too dim to read Cynthia’s letter in the -shadows of the atrium, and she hid it in her robe, -and took it with her to the familiar spot on the Clian -Hill, where she had so often come as a young maiden -with Hyacintha Severa, and had watched over the -lovely child who had inherited her grace and wonderful -gifts of mind and person.</p> - -<p>“From the Museum Street of the city Alexandria, -Cynthia, the daughter of Casca Severus, greets -with affection Hermione, a Vestal virgin, in the House -of the Vestals at Rome.</p> - -<p>“When I wrote to you last, dear friend, I was but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -a child; and now, though but eighteen months have -passed away, I am no longer ‘little Cynthia,’ but a -woman. Ah! dear Hermione, it is a beautiful gift of -God—our God—this heritage of woman. I am as one -who has been toying with flowers in the valley, contented -with the flowers, and thinking of nothing above -them, and then suddenly lifted on a mountain top, -whence there lies stretched out a lovely landscape, -and a voice tells me it is mine, that I reign over it, -and that the blue arch of heaven above me encircles -me with love. Yes, Hermione, as by a miracle your -little Cynthia has forgotten her childish days, and has -come into possession of her inheritance as a woman.</p> - -<p>“But I would fain tell you of all that has happened -since eighteen months ago, when I last wrote -to you. It has been a long, long pause, but I will -make up for it now. I will take time, and write fully -the story of this wondrous change.</p> - -<p>“It was a bright spring morning, and I was returning -from the lecture room at the Museum, through -the gardens, when, just as I was hastening to join -good old Claudius on a bench where he rested, I saw -a little child balancing himself on the slippery edge -of the wide basin of the central fountain.</p> - -<p>“In another instant he was in the water; and what -could I do, as no one else was near, but plunge in -and seize the boy by his little toga.</p> - -<p>“As I had neared good Claudius I had noticed -he was not alone, but that two men were apparently -talking to him. It was one of these, Heraclitus, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> -sprang forward, and had soon brought from under the -crystal water myself and the child.</p> - -<p>“Ah, Hermione! as that noble face bent over me, -and I gazed up at it, I felt at once that thrill which is -half-awe, half-joy, like that foreshadowing of the break -of day, which makes the little bird stir in its nest—for -though as yet nothing is clear, and nothing defined, -the <i>day is near</i>.</p> - -<p>“The day was dawning at that moment; the day -of love which has been so beautiful and fair ever since. -Nor can night cast any shadow over that day of love, -with its dark mantle, for my love stretches forward to -that city fairer than Alexandria, fairer than Rome, -where there is <i>no night</i> and no darkness at all, for -God is the Light.</p> - -<p>“I must, however, go on with my narrative of -events. The youth who snatched me from the water, -and laid me on the turf with the child, is named -Heraclitus. His father was a friend and companion -in arms of dear Claudius, and he had come from Marseilles -to seek education and advantages here in -Alexandria for his only son.</p> - -<p>“You may be sure, Hermione, that my father, -Casca, bade both father and son a warm welcome, -and from the first there seemed a bond between us all. -When the father of Heraclitus returned to Marseilles, -Heraclitus was left with my father and good Claudius.</p> - -<p>“Heraclitus showed from the first the greatest -powers of mind and body, and from the very first he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -seemed to account it his greatest happiness to be with -us. Ah, Hermione! with <i>me</i>.</p> - -<p>“Soon that gentle thrill of awakening in my heart -grew stronger. Soon I knew that I was loved as my -father Casca had loved my fair mother, Ianthe, as -Claudius had loved my beautiful aunt Hyacintha.</p> - -<p>“The cup of bliss seemed full to overflowing, -when there came a drop of exceeding bitterness to -spoil the sweetness. Good old Claudius, in passing -down the long flight of steps from the Museum, fell -heavily, and it was with difficulty that Heraclitus -brought him home.</p> - -<p>“For many weeks he lay helpless and uncomplaining. -Sometimes he would say, ‘It was a strange -end for a soldier, to lie on soft cushions, and be tended -by women’s hands.’</p> - -<p>“We did tend him carefully, and cheered his last -days with the warmth of a love we might well bear -one who had been so closely bound up in life with my -father Casca and my aunt the Vestal Maxima.</p> - -<p>“Claudius spoke much of the past, but little of -the present. The farther off the scene, the clearer the -vision. My father, always absorbed in his manuscript, -would sometimes raise his head and smile, as Claudius -spoke of Verulam, and the small upper chamber -there and little Hyacintha and her hair shining under -the light of the silver lamp which hung from the -roof. Then of Ebba and her conversion to the faith -of the Christian; his own vehement and angry persecution -of the Christians, and of the dark dungeon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -into which he entered, bearing the dead Jewish girl -in his arms.</p> - -<p>“All this was clear before him, but of the later -days at Rome he said little, and that little was confused. -He loved to hear me read the Gospels, and the -vision of the great Apostle of Love at Patmos, I would -repeat again and again. He spoke to me of Heraclitus, -and said he was worthy of my love, if my father -consented, but father, dear father, held back a little. -He seemed unable to give me up, even to Heraclitus.</p> - -<p>“It was almost the last words that passed dear -Claudius’s lips—‘Give Hyacintha to the young Heraclitus’—for -when he lay dying, Claudius ever called me -by my full name. He would gaze at me with dreamy -eyes, and said, though I was so high above him he -loved me still.</p> - -<p>“He was thinking of the other Hyacintha, no -doubt.</p> - -<p>“He departed in peace; and then, within a month, -dear Anna followed him. Ah, Hermione! she died in -the Faith, and she has left behind her the memory of -true service, which will never pass away.</p> - -<p>“My father said no word on the subject nearest -my heart. And Heraclitus, brave and true, and noble, -said he would not press an old man unduly, for there -was time before us; we were both so young.</p> - -<p>“But it happened one day that another suitor -came to my father, and asked his leave to marry me. -I hated this man, though he is one of the richest in -all Alexandria. My father put him off with the excuse<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span> -that he could not spare me, and that I was very -young, but he did not acknowledge what was indeed -the truth, that in my secret heart I was bound to -Heraclitus.</p> - -<p>“My father, ever quiet, and gentle, and courteous, -can scarcely think of others as less so than himself, -and he was perhaps not sufficiently firm in his refusal. -Be that as it may, I was walking with my attendant, -Portia, in the Museum gardens one evening, with a -book in my hand, when this hateful man accosted me. -He said at first all manner of smooth and flattering -things, and then when I turned away, he grew angry, -and seized my arm. I was frightened, and struggling -to get away, called for help. Help was near. With -one blow Heraclitus had felled the man to the ground, -and, leaving him there, bore me in his arms to my -father.</p> - -<p>“‘Give her to me,’ he exclaimed. ‘Give me the -right to protect her from all insult henceforth.’ And -so it was settled. And my dear father made preparations -for our marriage, and we live with him in such -happiness as I can never tell.</p> - -<p>“It cannot but happen that living as I do with -such scholars as my father and my husband, I should -become well versed in the literature of the schools. I -love to hear those who are so full of learning discourse. -We have a large house now, and many frequent -it. I am the mistress of it, and I have to fulfil -its duties. Ah, Hermione! why am I so blessed by -God? What have I done to merit His goodness,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span> -thus shown to me? It makes me sad at times, to -think of you, in your dark, dim, shadowy life, in the -old Vestals’ House. That is not real life, Hermione, -cut off from all the sweet home ties which bind a -happy wife with silken fetters.</p> - -<p>“I pray you to send me a letter, and tell me -if <i>she</i> is less arrogant and hard to you, and if the -faith of our Lord, yet unconfessed, is growing clearer -to you. I crave to hear it is so. And now, fare you -well. I would fain greet you with a kiss. Think of -me as your friend, the happy wife of Heraclitus, and -daughter of Casca Severus.”</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVII.<br /> - -<small>TRIUMPH.</small></h2></div> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Hermione</span> did not live long after the reception of -this letter. She kissed it many times, and kept it safe -in the breast of her robe, never allowing any eye to -read it, never telling its contents to any mortal ear.</p> - -<p>Sometimes a smile would flit over her sad face as -she pictured the bright and happy Cynthia—the child -grown into the woman, the loved and loving wife of a -brave, good man.</p> - -<p>Hermione had to suffer much, and the few lines -she traced before her death, addressed to Cynthia, did -not reach Alexandria till long afterwards.</p> - -<p>But they breathed of hope in the lovingkindness -of the Redeemer of the world, and told of the humble -assurance, that, like as a father pities, He had pitied -her, and would of His mercy receive her to the home -of the blest in heaven.</p> - -<p>Hermione’s death was felt to be a relief by the -Vestal Maxima, Cœlia Concordia, who now held undisputed -sway in the Vestals’ House. As we know, -she loved the power the office gave her. When Hermione -passed away, a gleam of triumph might be seen -to glance from those dark eagle-like eyes; for another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -obstacle was removed from her path, and the accomplishment -of a long cherished scheme became easier. -The priests, who had decreed that her predecessor’s -memory should be crystallised for future generations -by the laudatory lines engraved on the pedestal on -which her statue was raised, were all in their turn -consigned to the sacred Pomœrium, and their names -were soon forgotten.</p> - -<p>It did not deeply affect the friend of the great -Prtextatus to see the old and the feeble pass away. -She was known and admired in the highest circles of -the time at Rome; but love never seemed to come -near her or soften her proud heart.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was in the stillness of the night, when all the -Vestals but the one who watched in the temple were -sleeping, some fifteen years after the death of Hyacintha, -that the tall commanding figure of Cœlia Concordia -passed between the columns of the atrium, bearing -a lamp in her hand.</p> - -<p>She threaded her way cautiously in the darkness, -her silver lamp casting a ray of bright light before -her. She paused at last before the statue of Hyacintha -Severa, and, waving her lamp up and down, examined -the clearly-cut noble features with a triumphant smile.</p> - -<p>“Shall thy name live?” she asked, as if addressing -the statue, “nay, thy name shall perish; if I am powerless -for aught else, I am powerful for this.” Then she -put down the lamp, and drew from the folds of her -pallium a sharp instrument. She examined the blade<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span> -carefully, and kneeling so that she was on a level with -the pedestal, she began to scrape out the letters of the -name she hated.</p> - -<p>It was no easy task, but at last it was accomplished, -and nothing but the number remained:—</p> - -<p>“No. XIII.” Which signified simply the order in -which the statues stood in the atrium.</p> - -<p>“Thy name has perished,” she said, rising and addressing -the noble face, which seemed to answer her -bitter smile with a quiet calm beauty.</p> - -<p>“Thy name has perished, thy praises shall remain, -but when future generations shall ask to whom their -false flattery refers, there shall be but one answer:—</p> - -<p>“No. XIII.”</p> - -<p>When the erasure of the name was discovered in -the light of the next morning, inquiries were made, -but without success. Various opinions were expressed, -and it was generally supposed that some one, through -wanton mischief, had erased the name.</p> - -<p>At first there was a talk of re-inscribing it, but the -Vestal Maxima always found some excuses for delay, -and at length, as all who had loved her had passed -away, the subject dropped out of memory, and Hyacintha -was forgotten.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was in the reign of Constantius, in the year 357, -that the Emperor paid a visit to the ancient capital of -his empire. Julian had married Helena, and had been -accepted as Csar of the west, at Milan, with loud<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span> -acclamations, while Constantius proceeded along the -Emilian and Flaminian ways, to Rome.</p> - -<p>The grandeur of that procession has been described -at length, and a splendid train of nobles and -courtiers took part in it.</p> - -<p>The Emperor took up his abode in the ancient -Palace of Augustus, and, we are told, presided in the -Senate, assisted at the games, and that the thirty days -he passed in the city may be described as one long -festival.</p> - -<p>Delighted with his reception in Rome, and filled -with the sense of his own importance, Constantius cast -about in his mind for some suitable gift to the city, -which should eternally mark his satisfaction with it -and with himself!</p> - -<p>At first, we are told that he wished to imitate the -colossal statue in the Forum of Trajan, but finally he -decided on presenting the city with the huge obelisk -which his father, Constantine, had removed from the -Temple of the Sun at Heliopolis and floated down the -Nile to Alexandria.</p> - -<p>This decision gave universal satisfaction. Orders -were at once dispatched to Alexandria for the transmission -of the obelisk.</p> - -<p>A ship of huge proportions and strength was provided -to convey this enormous mass of granite from -the banks of the Nile to the Tiber.</p> - -<p>The command of the expedition was entrusted to -a man of high family and reputation in Alexandria, -and preparations for departure were speedily completed.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span>Heraclitus was seated with the parchments and -drafts before him, in his own beautiful home at Alexandria, -lost in thought, wondering if the enormous -outlay required would not exceed the expectations of -the Emperor and his officers of state, when a light -hand was laid on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Take me to Rome with thee, dear husband, I -pray thee.”</p> - -<p>“Nay, nay, my pretty one,” was the reply, “the -voyage may not be a quick one, thy health might -suffer, and if the huge obelisk is swamped by the way, -there will be great delay and danger to me, for I am -responsible.”</p> - -<p>“Dear husband,” said the sweet voice, “I have a -longing to see Rome. Thou knowest I went thither -as a little child, with my dear father, and nurse, and -dear good old Claudius. I pray thee, do not refuse -me my prayer. I have a dim dreamy memory of my -beautiful aunt, the Vestal Maxima, who died in the -faith of Christ. I should like to see the place where -she lived, and the spring on the Clian Hill, where -Claudius said she looked like an angel, as she filled -her vase from the pure fountain. Dear husband, grant -my request.”</p> - -<p>She had been the happy wife of Heraclitus for -some years now. Her father had died in the preceding -summer. Claudius and Anna had both passed -away, and Cynthia, who was standing with her hand -on her husband’s shoulder, urging her plea, is the -only link left with those whose lives, or rather the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> -fragments of whose lives, we have followed in this -story.</p> - -<p>Cynthia had known sorrow: one by one her -children had faded in their infancy, and died before -she had fully tasted the sweetness of motherhood.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it was the remembrance of this trouble, -which had left its trace on the fair face which was -bending over him, that made Heraclitus feel as if he -would not refuse his wife’s request.</p> - -<p>“Dear husband,” she pleaded, “I have but thee, -and what should I do for all the long months of thy -absence, alone?”</p> - -<p>“My sweet one, it is a long voyage, and my mind -is so occupied with the business in hand, the arrangements, -and the responsibility which lies on my shoulders, -may so engross me, that I may seem cold and -neglectful of thee.”</p> - -<p>“As if that could be! I will not trouble thee with -questions; let me have my own galley, and my -maidens, and thou canst come to me for solace and -comfort. Remember, dear husband, I have none but -thee to love, since God has willed that no dear little -ones should gladden my life. I am never lonely with -thee, but without thee!”</p> - -<p>Heraclitus threw down his quill, and pushed the -parchments and charts aside, taking his wife on his -knee and stroking her fair head, as it rested on his -breast with a tender and gentle hand.</p> - -<p>“Sweet wife, am I not better to thee than ten -sons? If it be God’s will that we should never see a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span> -child grow up, to be our pride and joy, let us recall -how many sons there are who are the curse and sorrow -of their parents’ lives, and at least be thankful -we are spared such grief as that would be to us.”</p> - -<p>“I am ashamed to murmur while I have thee,” -she whispered, “but do not leave me here while thou -art gone to Rome, with that huge obelisk. It might -be a year of absence, and I feel as if I could scarcely -live without thee.”</p> - -<p>“Dear wife, if I carry out this mission with success, -I may be raised to a higher rank, and give thee -many more of the luxuries and adornments of life. -But I feel I must have a mind entirely abstracted -from other matters, or I <i>may fail</i>, and then—!”</p> - -<p>Cynthia sprang up, exclaiming—“Fail! nay, my -presence shall assure thy triumphant success. Let me -only come to share thy danger and difficulty, and I -am content.”</p> - -<p>The sadness and depression had passed away now, -and Heraclitus looking down into his wife’s eyes, saw -in them an earnest of success.</p> - -<p>“Be it so then, my sweet one—the galley shall be -prepared for thee and thy attendants. Make thy preparations, -and we will go to Rome together!”</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Like the faint memory of a dream the scene of -her childhood came back to Cynthia, as she presented -herself, a few months later, with two of her maidens -at the door of the Vestals’ atrium. Thoughts of her -father, and of Claudius, of dear faithful Anna, to whose<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -hand she clung on that morning long ago, came -thronging to her heart.</p> - -<p>She remembered how, when her father and Anna -led her to the room where the Vestal Maxima lay -dying, Claudius held back. The greatness of his unselfish -and unchanging love seemed to be clearer to -her now than it had ever been before—the love which -was divine in its character, the love which forgot -everything but the good of the one beloved, seemed -to present itself to the fair wife of Heraclitus, as she -stood at the gate of the Vestals’ House.</p> - -<p>It was yet early, and there seemed to be no one -stirring. The big heavy door was closed, and the faint -tap which Cynthia’s little slender hand made upon it -was not answered.</p> - -<p>“Nay, then, lady,” exclaimed one of her maidens, -“you must rap harder than that. What a dark and -gloomy place,” she went on; “and yet you say it -is accounted an honour to be chosen a Vestal virgin. -Forsooth! I would account it an honour to be left -out of such a choice. See how the great Palace -seems to tower over us, as if it might fall and crush -us as we stand. Except for the sky above, which we -can only see by straining our necks till they are like -to break, I can hardly believe I am in the same -world as when I am in our own bright Alexandria.”</p> - -<p>Cynthia scarcely heard, or heeded if she heard, -the girl’s chatter; but Portia, who was a sedate, -middle-aged woman, said, “We cannot stand here -all day; you will be over-fatigued before you enter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -this dark place, which looks like a prison.” And -Portia knocked with such good will at the door that -the sound of footsteps within was heard, and the -Vestal in charge of the outer gate or door threw it -open.</p> - -<p>The Vestal was young, and answered Cynthia’s inquiries -carelessly and indifferently.</p> - -<p>“I crave permission to examine the statues of the -Vestales Maxim,” she said.</p> - -<p>“You can enter, if you choose,” was the reply; -“the statues are all in the atrium.”</p> - -<p>Cynthia felt chilled by her reception; and after -the brilliant light of the early day out of doors, the -atrium seemed so dark and gloomy.</p> - -<p>But she passed on, and began to examine the -statues.</p> - -<p>There were three or four statues of the same -Vestal Maxima, Flavia Publicia, and her praises were -on every side. Cynthia wandered about the atrium, -trying to decipher the names.</p> - -<p>“Terentia Rufilla!” Cynthia read. “Ah! she was -my father’s kinswoman. It was in her time that my -aunt came hither. Cornelia Maxima! Campia Severina! -Severina! Can this be the one I seek? Ah, -no! for it is Severina, not Severa, and the year is 240; -besides, why Campia?”</p> - -<p>After a long, fruitless search, Cynthia turned to -the Vestal who was following her—</p> - -<p>“May it please you to conduct me to the presence -of the Vestal Maxima. I have a question to ask her.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span>The Vestal hesitated.</p> - -<p>“Nay, I do not know whether I may disturb her. -She is in her own apartment.”</p> - -<p>“Say that the wife of Heraclitus, who is charged -with the safe transit of the great obelisk from Alexandria, -by the will of the Emperor, seeks information -regarding one of the statues.”</p> - -<p>The Vestal shook her head, and, turning to a -severe-looking old Vestal who was passing, seemed to -refer the matter to her for decision.</p> - -<p>“Nay, surely, the Lady Maxima must not be disturbed. -She has been watching all night, and is resting. -Who seeks her?”</p> - -<p>“That lady, with two attendants. She says she is -the wife of a great personage.”</p> - -<p>Then Cynthia, with her sweet voice, accosted the -tall, severe-looking Vestal, saying, “May it please you -to tell me if I can find the statue of Hyacintha Severa, -one of the Vestales Maxim?”</p> - -<p>The dark eyes of the Vestal looked down on the -slight form of Cynthia with a penetrating glance; and, -struck with awe, Cynthia hastened to say:—</p> - -<p>“The Vestal Maxima was my father’s sister. I -came hither with him when a little child, of which I -have a dim memory; but my aunt was held in great -honour, and love and reverence, by my father and by -good Claudius, our friend, and I wish to see her -statue.”</p> - -<p>“Methinks,” said the Vestal, grimly enough, “thou -art altogether dreaming. There is one Campia Severina<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> -here, but I know of no Severa whose name is recorded -on the pedestals: but,” with a stately bow, -“you are free to search; the statues are all collected -here. There are duplicates of many, but I do not -know the name of which you speak.”</p> - -<p>Then the Vestal disappeared, and Cynthia, disappointed -and sad, continued her search.</p> - -<p>At last one of her ladies exclaimed:—</p> - -<p>“Here is a beautiful statue, with no name; only a -number—</p> - -<p>“No. XIII.”</p> - -<p>Cynthia gazed up at the statue for a few moments -intensely and lovingly.</p> - -<p>“I think that must be my aunt Hyacintha,” she -said; “but oh! how dull and dismal it is here; no -sunshine, no warmth. Come, let us depart; it makes -me sad to stay.”</p> - -<p>The ladies obeyed her not unwillingly. Rome -might be grand, and had its ancient temples and -noble statues, and its yellow, slowly-rolling Tiber; -but life was sweeter and brighter far in sunny Alexandria, -where the waves of the blue Mediterranean -danced and sparkled, and the air and light of heaven -were free to come and go.</p> - -<p>As they ascended from the House of the Vestals, -and climbed the Clian Hill, Cynthia spoke for the -first time.</p> - -<p>The prospect before them was the same over which -Hyacintha Severa had so often looked, as child, and -fair maiden, and mature woman.</p> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span>“I can think of my aunt better here,” Cynthia -said, “the beautiful and the good. I feel her nearer -me here than in that dark, gloomy hall; the statue -beneath which is only written, ‘No. XIII,’ may be her -likeness, but I love to think of her as Claudius told -me always to think of her—passed from the darkness -of earth into the Light of God, wearing the Crown of -Light, after bearing the Cross of suffering. All earthly -things fade and vanish, but that Crown fadeth not -away. Ah! I am glad I am a Christian!”</p> - -<p>And now the shadow of the Great Past closes over -those whose lives, or rather the fragments of whose -lives, we have followed through long years in this -little story. The silence which throws its mantle like -a veil over the ruins of the temple and the atrium of -the Vestals cannot be broken.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The statues of the Vestales Maxim stand like -voiceless messengers from that time of darkness—a -darkness which was, as we know, the darkness before -the dawn. In the old Rome, which is so continually -brought to the surface from the covering dust of centuries, -there can scarcely be a figure round which so -much interest might be supposed to gather as round -the nameless statue of the Vestal, whose story imagination -may supply in many colours and in many forms—each -one, for himself, as he stands before it, may -clothe it as he will. But that of the noble, earnest -soul struggling towards the Light, and rising from the -dry chrysalis of a worn-out faith to the flight of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -unimprisoned spirit upward to God—who is the Light—has -seemed as full of probability as of charm. And -it is easy to believe that a woman like Cœlia Concordia, -herself unable to soar and yet conscious that -her aims were after all but earthly and sordid, might -grudge one of the most beloved and most highly -gifted of the priestesses the unsparing meed of praise -which the inscription commemorates. Yet, she might -have reflected, if the inscription remained without a -name the identity of Hyacintha would never be discovered, -and thus the once-honoured and beloved -Vestal would be known henceforth only as</p> - - - -<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Number Thirteen.</span></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="center">THE END.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="center">PRINTING OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph2">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> The Caracalla was a long garment like the habit of a modern -monk, sometimes with, sometimes without, a hood or cowl.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_B_2" id="Footnote_B_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_B_2"><span class="label">[B]</span></a> Although there is no record extant of the Jews settling in -Britain till some centuries later than this time, still it is probable -that a few scattered merchants of the despised people may have -come over with some of the Roman nobility—performing menial -offices, and conducting barters with the native Britons for their -Roman masters.</p></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="ph2">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:</p> - - - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.</p> - -<p>Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.</p> - -<p>Archaic or alternate spelling has been retained from the original.</p> - -<p>The cover image for this eBook was created by the transcriber using the original cover as the background and is entered into the public domain.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of No. XIII; or, The Story of the Lost -Vestal, by Emma Marshall - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORY OF THE LOST VESTAL *** - -***** This file should be named 62548-h.htm or 62548-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/5/4/62548/ - -Produced by Tim Lindell, David E. 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