AT VENUSTA'S HOUSE
Day after day passed, and the friends of Chios were wont to note his
thoughtfulness. It did not amount to moroseness; he was preoccupied, and
his mind abstracted.
It was while he was in one of his deepest moods that Varro called,
accosting the Greek in a pleasant way:
'How fares the world with thee, noble artist? Thou art in one of thy
best humours--or art thou sad?'
'Neither,' replied he.
'Ah! I know: thou art grieving after Nika.'
'Nika?'
'Yes, Nika. Thou surely must have heard I wooed and won her?'
'Indeed, I have not; but I congratulate thee, my lucky fellow.'
'That is from thy heart and true, Chios?'
'It is.'
'Then we may be the fastest friends.'
'And what say Lucius and Venusta?'
'Delighted.'
'Good, very good!'
'And--yet another bit of news for you, Chios, for it seems thou art not
a fruitful newsmonger.'
'What is it?'
'The sudden death of the High Priestess of Artemis.'
'Is it so?' and a deathly pallor spread over the face of Chios.
'Art thou ill?'
'No.'
'But I have not finished.'
'What more--not of gloom, I hope?'
'No; a sudden freak of fortune, if rumour speaks correctly.'
'Speak out.'
'Well, just this: it is commonly reported that the dark-eyed slave of
Venusta will be elected to fill the place of the Arch-Priestess.'
'What! Saronia?'
'Yes, Saronia. Thou art her friend. True, her time as priestess has been
very brief, but for that strange being it seems mortals suspend their
laws just like the gods did theirs for the Hebrew, when the sun stood
still that he might slay. Look at her! Just awhile since a slave. One
fine day she took it into her head to run for sanctuary to the Temple,
and got there--was received--commenced her studies. From this, in a most
unprecedented way, bounded into the priesthood, and already, I am told,
she stands out with fearful power and wonderful knowledge, inasmuch as
the priestesses longest in the service stand back in awe and say: "She
is the fittest to serve in chief the goddess, and command her servants."
A High Priestess she will be, mark my words. There is a great destiny
before that girl. I hear of her power from Nika. Somehow, she closely
follows the course of Saronia, and speaks of her with dread. Why, I know
not. Now, Chios, what thinkest thou of all this?'
'I think it passing strange. 'Tis like a dream. This is her destiny. She
is no ordinary being. Her spirit towers above its fellows, and must
command---- I will call at Venusta's at sundown. Perhaps we may hear
more on this subject.'
'Do so, Chios, and I will meet thee. What art thou painting?'
'But little.'
'Ah, cunning dog! I saw thee turn thy picture quickly away as I
entered, and, swiftly as thou didst it, I had time to catch a glimpse of
a girl as High Priestess offering sacrifice to Hecate. Am I right?'
'Thou speakest knowingly, good Varro.'
'Chios, I am not wide of the mark, and shall I say the face was that of
Saronia? Art thou a seer, Chios? After all, then, my news was not news
to thee? Thou art a sly fellow!'
'No, I am not a seer.'
'Well, then, we will call thee painter; but one thing is certain, thou
hast studied her closely, to remember her features so well. Thou hast a
keen appreciation of the beautiful, and an excellent knowledge of the
future, to paint Saronia as High Priestess. Farewell, Chios; I am off.
We meet to-night, and may the gods be propitious!'
That evening Chios visited Venusta's home, the house of his friend. The
Roman was there. Lucius had sailed o'er sunny seas to Britain. Nika
seemed happy, and laughed with joyous glee as if she had never one day
of sorrow.
Venusta was delighted to behold Chios, and said:
'Why hast thou kept so long from us? We thought thou wouldst never
return, and long since looked up our stray sayings to find if perchance
we might have unwittingly offended thee. But naught could we find
whereby we could pronounce ourselves guilty, so concluded thou hadst
found some pretty maid during the Artemision month, and wert busy
preparing for thy nuptials. Is it so, Chios?'
'No.'
'Now, do not vex! Art grown thin-skinned, and cannot take this saying of
mine as a joke?'
'Nay,' replied he, 'I am emphatic because I mean it. So many falsehoods
are told by lovers that if I were not in earnest thou wouldst perhaps
doubt my answer.'
'Ah! Thou hast not yet seen the ideal set up within thee. Never mind;
persevere, Chios, and she may come to thee sooner than expected. Then we
will take the laughing side, and thou must bear with all our points of
wit. We will deal leniently; will not let an arrow fly when thy
counterpart is near. No, we will be demure, as if we never spoke to thee
of such a childish thing as love. Let us change the subject, Chios. Thou
hast heard my dearest has left his home once more to visit foreign
lands?'
'Yes, I heard. Lucius could not leave Ephesus without the poorest Ionian
youth knowing it. He belongs to the people; they watch his coming home
and leaving. I should have come to say farewell, but at the time I was
prostrated by a touch of Ephesian fever. Not serious, but just enough,
as Lucius would say, to make me haul on shore.'
'Yes, those beautiful savages have again rebelled against the Roman
State, and the Emperor summoned Lucius with his fleet to the mouth of
the Tiber to ship reinforcements for those distant parts. By this time
he is well on his journey.'
'How long will he remain?'
'That is quite uncertain. I understand, after disembarking the soldiers,
he will sail round the northern shores of the great island, and if the
winds fail him the rowers will have a dreadful time, for by accounts the
waters there are sluggish and leaden, inasmuch that strong winds driving
on the shore make faint impressions on the lifeless seas. The gods speed
him, and may he soon return. I have instructed him to bring a British
girl for slave for Nika; and I truly hope, if he bring such, she may not
be like that dark, mysterious one we owned, by name Saronia. She nearly
frightened Nika out of her senses--did she not, girl?'
Nika was silent, and a gloom spread over her face like a funeral pall,
and the joy of her life grew faint and low.
'I have been speaking of Saronia to Chios,' said Varro.
'And what thinkest thou of her, Chios?'
'Why should I say?' replied he.
'Speak on; we know thou wilt favour her.'
'What, then, do you wish me to say? I cannot speak as if I were
delivering an oration on Saronia.'
'To be plain, then,' said Venusta, 'dost thou think it meet that this
slave-girl should fill the throne of the High Priestess of Diana?'
'Yes, I do.'
'By what right or reason? Say on.'
'By being the fittest, if those who know her best speak the truth.'
'Oh, Chios, why are you so fascinated by this snake-like creature?'
'I am not fascinated, most noble Venusta. I speak as reason prompts me.
If my reason is awry, then call me mad.'
'No, no; thou art not mad. If any man in Ionia has a well-balanced and
healthy mind, it is thou; but, nevertheless, although I alter the
picture on my mind of an innocent bird drawn on to destruction by the
piercing eye of a snake, yet the conditions are the same within me, and
I must say I cannot for my life understand why such a sensible man can
be led by the charming of such a wicked girl.'
'She is not wicked; she is pure, and worthy of great consideration. All
Ephesus speaks of her goodness.'
'But dost thou not know her spirit is so deeply imbued with the
mysteries of her worship that it is said she with impunity treads the
dark realms of Tartarus? Wherein, then, lies all her boasted goodness?'
'It may be so; but I warrant this, madam, if Saronia moves into those
mysteries, and mixes with the spirits imprisoned, it is to minister to
their wants, and not to add a pang to their unutterable woe.'
'Thou art incorrigible; and it is useless, I perceive, to talk to thee
on this matter. Thou wilt awaken one day from this cloudy dream and see
her in all her horror. Dost thou not fear her?'
'No; none need fear the good; it is the evil which haunts us.'
'Oh, mother,' cried Nika, 'do change this most uninteresting subject!
Saronia is no longer under our control, and we may not speak of her in
this manner without fear. She serves the goddess; let her be. Should
fate call her to wear the diamond crown, what is that to thee? What is
that to me?'
'So, so, pretty girl! Art thou taking to thyself the right to lecture
me? Thou, above all, hast had more than enough of this foul serpent's
venom thrust on thee; and I tell you all, if I have influence it shall
be directed to drag her from the proud position to which her ambitious
spirit soars, and I am certain Varro will aid me when I say Nika nearly
paid with her life for the fright Saronia gave her. A wicked, designing
enemy is she.'
'Gracious lady,' replied the Roman, 'I fear I cannot move in matters of
religion. I should bring down a swarm of bees about my ears and odium on
the power of Rome;' and he looked sideways with a smile towards Chios,
but the face of the Greek was like marble--not a muscle moved. Then
Varro continued: 'No, no; let her be. None may break her faith, neither
Greek nor Roman; if she be not called by the goddess, then this rumour
will float away into nothingness.'
'I suppose thou sayest truly; but one thing I know, were she priestess
presiding, Venusta would not enter the Temple--no, not if it were the
only pathway to the Elysian.'
'But,' said Chios, 'the Lady Venusta would witness the installation,
should such take place, and favour me with her company?'
'Thanks; but that shall not be. I might cause thee perturbation;' and
she smiled rather cynically, or Chios thought so.
Chios was thoughtful, and his gaze was through the open window away over
the city towards the grove of Hecate, where the great trees peeped from
behind the mountain of Pion.
A dead silence fell on all, which was broken by Nika saying:
'I should so much like thee to paint a picture of myself. Say, wilt
thou? And when may I give thee first sitting?'
'When thou comest,' replied Chios, 'I will do my best.'
'Good!' said Venusta; 'thou shalt do it. I am sure it will do thee no
harm to look intently on a face like hers. It might perhaps soften thy
too sage-like brow; and then--who knows?--thou mightst captivate some
lovely girl--eh?--as lovely as Nika. What sayest thou, noble lord of
Rome?'
'True,' said he, 'it may be so; but I fear it is a hopeless case. He is
a confirmed bachelor.'
'Perhaps not,' said Nika's mother. 'Who can tell? He may now be madly in
love. Chios does such strange things. During his absence from us he may
have taken a wife, and at any moment herald her forth as the fairest of
Ionia. May it be so, noble Greek?'
'No; Samos may be levelled to the ocean bed, but thou wilt never--never
see me wed.'
'Thou art dark again, Chios. Move aside, girl,' said Venusta; 'let the
sun shine upon him;' but the face of Nika became clouded. She knew her
mother's wit was wounding the heart of the only man she really loved.