In the Red House, the abode of Belisarius, which was situated in the
suburb "Justiniana" (Sycae), sat Antonina in the women's chamber,
working busily.
She was embroidering a border of golden laurels upon a mantle for her
hero, Belisarius.
Near her, upon a citron-wood table, lay, in a costly binding set with
precious stones, a splendid edition of the "Vandal Wars," by Procopius,
the lately published book which described her husband's prowess.
At her feet lay a magnificent animal, one of the four tame hunting
leopards which the Persian King had presented to Belisarius after the
last peace; a very costly present, for it was seldom that the attempt
to tame these leopards succeeded, and many hundreds of cubs which had
been caught or born in confinement, were obliged to be killed as
useless after being trained for years. The large, beautiful, and
powerful animal--it easily became wild when it tasted warm blood while
hunting, and had therefore been left at home stretched itself
luxuriously, like a cat, upon the folds of Antonina's dress, played
with her ball of gold thread, waved its tail, and sometimes rubbed its
round and clever-looking head against the feet of its mistress.
A slave entered and announced a stranger--he had arrived in a modest
litter, and was dressed in a common mantle--the door-keeper would have
refused to admit him, as the master was away, and the mistress received
no visitors, but he would not be denied; he ordered them to announce to
Antonina "the conqueror of Pope Silverius."
"Cethegus!" cried Antonina.
She grew pale and trembled.
"Let him in at once."
The influence which the powerful intellect of Cethegus had gained upon
her the first time of their meeting; the recollection that, when her
husband, Procopius, and all the leaders of the army, had helplessly
succumbed to the priest, this man had conquered and humbled the
conqueror; of how, at the entrance into Rome, the fight on the bridge
of the Anio, the defence of Rome Against Witichis, in the camp of
Ravenna and at the taking of that city, he had always and everywhere
kept the upper hand, and yet had never used his superiority inimically
against her husband; how nothing but misfortune had followed any
neglect of his warnings; how all his counsels had been victorious in
themselves--these recollections now confusedly crossed her mind.
She heard the footsteps of the Prefect, and hastily rose.
The leopard--pushed roughly aside and disturbed in his comfortable
sport on account of the intruder--rose with a low growl, and looked
threateningly at the door, gnashing his yellow teeth.
Cethegus, before entering, drew the curtain violently aside and thrust
forth his head, which was covered by a cowl. The abrupt movement must
have either frightened or irritated the leopard. When the Persian lion
and tiger tamers first began to break in a newly-caught animal, they
were accustomed to envelop themselves and cover their heads with long
woollen cloaks. Possibly the fierce and never wholly-tamed beast was
reminded of his old enemies. With a terrible howl he crouched in
preparation for a deadly spring, whipping the floor with his long tail
and foaming at the mouth a sure sign of fury.
Antonina saw it with horror.
"Fly! fly, Cethegus!" she screamed.
Had he done so, had he but turned his back, he would have been lost;
the monster would at once have been upon his back with his teeth in his
neck. For no door closed the entrance, the only barrier was a curtain.
Cethegus promptly stepped forward, threw back his cowl, looked straight
into the leopard's eyes, raising his left hand with an action of
command, and threatening him with the dagger held in his right.
"Down! down! The irons are hot!" he cried in the Persian language, at
the same time moving a step in advance.
The leopard suddenly broke into a whining howl of fear; his muscles,
which had been contracted for the spring, relaxed; he crept whining,
with his belly on the ground, to the feet of Cethegus, and howling with
fear, licked the sandal of his left foot, while Cethegus set his right
foot firmly upon the animal's neck.
Antonina had sunk upon her couch in her fear; she now stared at the
terrible, but beautiful scene.
"That animal--the prostration!" she stammered. "Dareios always refused
to do it; he was furious when Belisarius insisted upon it. Where have
you learned this, Cethegus?"
"In Persia, of course," he answered.
And he kicked the thoroughly cowed animal between the ribs with such
violence, that with a howl it flew into the farthest comer of the room,
where it remained trembling and crouching, with its eyes fixed upon its
subduer.
"Belisarius only mastered the forts, but not the language of Persia,"
said Cethegus. "And these beasts do not understand Greek. You are
grimly guarded, Antonina, when Belisarius is absent," he added, as he
hid his dagger in the folds of his dress.
"What brings you to my house?" Antonina asked, still trembling.
"My often misdoubted friendship. I would save your husband, who has the
courage of a lion, but not the dexterity of a mouse! Procopius is
unfortunately absent, or I should have sent that better-trusted
adviser, I know that a heavy blow threatens Belisarius from the
Emperor. We must ward it off. The favour of the Emperor----"
"Is very fickle, I know. But the services of Belisarius----"
"Are his ruin. Justinian would not fear an insignificant man. But he
fears Belisarius."
"That we have often experienced," sighed Antonina.
"Learn then--you before all others--what no one outside the palace
knows: the Emperor's indecision is at an end. He has decided upon war
with the Goths."
"At last!" cried Antonina, with a beaming countenance.
"Yes; but--think of the shame! Belisarius is not appointed
commander-in-chief."
"Who else?" asked Antonina angrily.
"I am one of the generals----"
She looked at him suspiciously.
"Yes; it was my aim long since, I confess. But the second in command is
to be Areobindos. I cannot conquer the Goths with him, hindered by his
ignorance. No one can conquer the Goths but Belisarius. Therefore I
must have him near me, or, for aught I care, over me. See, Antonina, I
hold myself to be the greater statesman----"
"My Belisarius is a hero, no statesman!" cried the proud wife.
"But it would be ridiculous to compare myself as a general with the
conqueror of the Vandals, Goths, and Persians. You see that I openly
confess that I am not influenced only by friendship to Belisarius, but
also by egotism. I _must_ have Belisarius for a comrade."
"That is clear," said Antonina, much pleased.
"But Justinian is not to be persuaded to appoint him. Still more, he
again suspects him, and indeed more than ever."
"But, by all the saints! wherefore?"
"Belisarius is innocent; but he is very imprudent. For months he
has received secret letters, notes, and warnings--stuck into his
bathing-robe, or thrown into his garden--which invite him to take part
in a conspiracy."
"Heavens! You know of this?" stammered Antonina.
"Unfortunately not I only, but also others--the Emperor himself!"
"But the conspiracy is not against the Emperor's life or throne," said
Antonina apologetically.
"No; only against his free will. 'War with the Goths.'--'Belisarius
commander-in-chief.'--'It is shameful to serve an ungrateful
master.'--'Force the Emperor to his own advantage.' Such and similar
things do these papers contain, do they not? Well, Belisarius has
certainly not accepted; but, imprudently, he did not at once speak of
these invitations to the Emperor, and this oversight may cost him his
head!"
"Oh, holy saints!" cried Antonina, wringing her hands. "He omitted to
do so at my request, by my advice. Procopius advised him to tell all to
the Emperor. But I--I feared Justinian's mistrust, which might have
discovered the semblance of guilt in the mere fact that such papers had
been sent to Belisarius."
"It was not that alone, I think," said Cethegus cautiously, when he had
looked round to see if any could hear, "which impelled you to give such
advice, taken, of course, by Belisarius."
"What else? What can you mean?" asked Antonina in a low voice.
But she blushed up to the roots of her hair.
"You knew that good friends of yours were concerned in the conspiracy;
you wished first to warn them before the plot was betrayed."
"Yes," she stammered. "Photius, the freedman----"
"And yet another," whispered Cethegus, "who, scarcely freed from
Theodora's gilded prison, would only exchange it for the vaults of the
Bosphorus."
Antonina covered her face with her hands.
"I know all, Antonina--the slight fault of former days, the good
resolutions of a later time. But in this case your old inclination has
ensnared you. Instead of thinking only of Belisarius, you thought also
of his welfare. And if Belisarius now falls, whose is the guilt?"
"Oh! be silent! have pity!" cried Antonina.
"Do not despair," continued Cethegus. "You have still a strong prop,
one who will be your advocate with the Emperor. Even if banishment be
threatened, the prayers of your friend Theodora will prevent the
worst."
"The Empress!" cried Antonina, in terror. "Oh, how she will
misrepresent! She has sworn our undoing!"
"That is bad," said Cethegus--"very bad! For the Empress also knows of
the conspiracy, and of the invitations to Belisarius. And you know that
a much less crime than that of being invited to join a conspiracy is
sufficient----"
"The Empress knows of it! Then we are lost! Oh! you who know how to
find a means of escape when no other eye can see it--help I save us!"
And Antonina sank at the Prefect's feet.
A lamentable howl issued from the corner of the room. The leopard
trembled with renewed fear. The Prefect cast a rapid glance at his
beaten adversary, and then gently raised the kneeling woman.
"Do not despair, Antonina. Yes; there is a way to save Belisarius--but
only one."
"Must he tell _now_ what has happened? As soon as he returns?"
"For that it is too late; and it would be too little. He would not be
believed; mere words would not prove that he was in earnest. No; he
must prove his fidelity by deeds. He must seize all the conspirators
together, and deliver them into the Emperor's power."
"How can he seize them all together?"
"They themselves have invited him. To-night they assemble in the house
of Photius, his freedman. He must consent to put himself at their head.
He must go to the meeting, and take them all prisoners. Anicius," he
added, "has been warned already by the Empress. I have seen him."
"Alas! But if he must die, it is to save Belisarius. My husband must do
as you say; I see that it is the only way. And it is a bold and
dangerous step; it will allure him."
"Do you think he will sacrifice his freedman?"
"We have warned the fool again and again. What matters Photius when
Belisarius is in danger! If ever I have had any power over my husband,
I shall prevail to-day. Procopius has often advised him to give such a
brutal--as he called it--proof of his fidelity. I will remind him of
it. You may be sure that he will follow our united counsel."
"'Tis well. He must be there before midnight. When the watchman on the
walls calls the hour, I shall break into the hall. And it is better, so
that Belisarius may be quite safe, that he only enter the meeting when
he sees my Moor Syphax in the niche before the house behind the statue
of Petrus. He may also place a few of his guards in front of the house.
In case of need, they can protect him, and bear witness in his favour.
He is not capable of much feigning; he must only join the meeting
shortly before midnight; thus he will have no need to speak. Our guards
will wait in the Grove of Constantinus, at the back of Photius's house.
At midnight--the trumpet sounds when the guard is relieved, and you
know that it can be distinctly heard--we shall break in. Belisarius,
therefore, need not undertake the dangerous task of giving a signal."
"And you--you will be sure to be there?"
"I shall not fail. Farewell, Antonina."
And, suddenly stepping backwards, his face still turned towards the
leopard, his dagger pointed, he had gained the exit.
The leopard had waited for this moment; he moved slightly in his
corner, rising slowly.
But as he reached the curtain, Cethegus once again raised his dagger
and threatened him.
"Down, Dareios! the irons are hot!"
And he was gone.
The leopard laid his head upon the mosaic floor and uttered a howl of
impotent fury.