Perpetua. A Tale of Nimes in A.D. 213 Read online

  CHAPTER II

  AEMILIUS

  When the lot had fallen, then a cry rang from among the spectators, and awoman, wearing the white cloak of widowhood, would have fallen, had shenot been caught and sustained by a man in a brown tunic and _lacerna_(short cloak).

  "Be not overcome, lady," said this man in a low tone. "What thou losest islent to the Lord."

  "Baudillas," sobbed the woman, "she is my only child, and is to besacrificed to devils."

  "The devil hath no part in her. She is the Lord's, and the Lord willpreserve His own."

  "Will He give her back to me? Will He deliver her from the hands of Hisenemies?"

  "The Lord is mighty even to do this. But I say not that it will be done asthou desirest. Put thy trust in Him. Did Abraham withhold his son, hisonly son, when God demanded him?"

  "But this is not God, it is Nemausus."

  "Nemausus is naught but a creature, a fountain, fed by God's rains. It isthe Lord's doing that the lot has fallen thus. It is done to try thyfaith, as of old the faith of Abraham was tried."

  The poor mother clasped her arms, and buried her head in them.

  Then the girl thrust aside such as interposed and essayed to reach hermother. The priestesses laid hands on her, to stay her, but she said:

  "Suffer me to kiss my mother, and to comfort her. Do not doubt that I willpreserve a smiling countenance."

  "I cannot permit it," said the high priestess. "There will be resistanceand tears."

  "And therefore," said the girl, "you put drops of oil or water into theears of oxen brought to the altars, that they may nod their heads, and soseem to express consent. Let me console my mother, so shall I be able togo gladly to death. Otherwise I may weep, and thereby mar thy sacrifice."

  Then, with firmness, she thrust through the belt of priestesses, andclasped the almost fainting and despairing mother to her heart.

  "Be of good courage," she said. "Be like unto Felicitas, who sent hersons, one by one, to receive the crown, and who--blessed mother that shewas--encouraged them in their torments to play the man for Christ."

  "But thou art my only child."

  "And she offered them all to God."

  "I am a widow, and alone."

  "And such was she."

  Then said the brown-habited man whom the lady had called Baudillas:

  "Quincta, remember that she is taken from an evil world, in which aresnares, and that God may have chosen to deliver her by this means fromsome great peril to her soul, against which thou wouldst have beenpowerless to protect her."

  "I cannot bear it," gasped the heart-broken woman. "I have lived only forher. She is my all."

  Then Perpetua gently unclasped the arms of her mother, who was lapsinginto unconsciousness, kissed her, and said:

  "The God of all strength and comfort be to thee a strong tower ofdefence." And hastily returned to the basin.

  The young man who before had noticed Perpetua, turned with quivering lipto his companion, and said:

  "I would forswear Nemausus--that he should exact such a price. Look at herface, Callipodius. Is it the sun that lightens it? By Hercules, I couldswear that it streamed with effulgence from within--as though she were oneof the gods."

  "The more beautiful and innocent she be, the more grateful is she to theaugust Archegos!"

  "Pshaw!" scoffed the young man; his hand clutched the marble balustradeconvulsively, and the blood suffused his brow and cheeks and throat. "Ibelieve naught concerning these deities. My father was a shrewd man, andhe ever said that the ignorant people created their own gods out ofheroes, or the things of Nature, which they understood not, being beasts."

  "But tell me, AEmilius--and thou art a profundity of wisdom, unsounded as isthis spring--what is this Nemausus?"

  "The fountain."

  "And how comes the fountain to ever heave with water, and never to fail.Verily it lives. See--it is as a thing that hath life and movement. If nota deity, then what is it?"

  "Nay--I cannot say. But it is subject to destiny."

  "In what way?"

  "Ruled to flow."

  "But who imposed the rule?"

  "Silence! I can think of naught save the innocent virgin thus sacrificedto besotted ignorance."

  "Thou canst not prevent it. Therefore look on, as at a show."

  "I cannot prevent it. I marvel at the magistrates--that they endure it.They would not do so were it to touch at all those of the upper town.Besides, did not the god Claudius----"

  "They are binding her."

  "She refuses to be bound."

  Shrieks now rang from the frantic mother, and she made desperate effortsto reach her daughter. She was deaf to the consolations of Baudillas, andto the remonstrances and entreaties of the people around her, who pitiedand yet could not help her. Then said the aedile to his police, "Remove thewoman!"

  The chief priest made a sign, and at once the trumpeters began to braythrough their brazen tubes, making such a noise as to drown the cries ofthe mother.

  "I would to the gods I could save her," said AEmilius between his teeth. Heclenched his hands, and his eyes flashed. Then, without well knowing whathe did, he unloosed his toga, at the same time that the priestessesdivested Perpetua of her girded stole, and revealed her graceful youngform in the tunic bordered with purple indicative of the nobility of thehouse to which she belonged.

  The priest had bound her hands; but Perpetua smiled, and shook off thebonds at her feet. "Let be," she said, "I shall not resist."

  On her head she still wore a crown of white narcissus. Not more fresh andpure were these flowers than her delicate face, which the blood had left.Ever and anon she turned her eyes in the direction of her mother, but shecould no longer see her, as the attendants formed a ring so compact thatnone could break through.

  "Elect of the god, bride of Nemausus!" said the chief priestess, "ascendthe balustrade of the holy perennial fountain."

  Without shrinking, the girl obeyed.

  She fixed her eyes steadily on the sky, and then made the sacred sign onher brow.

  "What doest thou?" asked the priestess. "Some witchcraft I trow."

  "No witchcraft, indeed," answered the girl. "I do but invoke the Father ofLights with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

  "Ah, Apollo!--he is not so great a god as our Nemausus."

  Then at a sign, the trumpeters blew a furious bellow and as suddenlyceased. Whereupon to the strains of flutes and the tinkling of triangles,the choir broke forth into the last verse of the hymn:

  "Thou, the perennial, loving tender virgins, Do thou accept the sacrifice we offer; May thy selection be the best and fittest, Father Nemausus."

  As they chanted, and a cloud of incense mounted around her, Perpetualooked down into the water. It was green as glacier ice, and so full ofbubbles in places as to be there semi-opaque. The depth seemed infinite.No bottom was visible. No fish darted through it. An immense volume boiledup unceasingly from unknown, unfathomed depths. The wavelets lapped themarble breasting as though licking it with greed expecting their victim.

  The water, after brimming the basin, flowed away over a sluice under abridge as a considerable stream. Then it lost its sanctity and wasemployed for profane uses.

  Perpetua heard the song of the ministers of the god, but gave no heed toit, for her lips moved in prayer, and her soul was already unfurling itspure wings to soar into that Presence before which, as she surelyexpected, she was about to appear.

  When the chorus had reached the line:

  "May thy selection be the best and fittest, Father Nemausus!"

  then she was thrust by three priestesses from the balustrade andprecipitated into the basin. She uttered no cry, but from all present agasp of breath was audible.

  For a moment she disappeared in the vitreous waters, and her white garlandalone remained floating on the surface.

  Then her dress glimmered, n
ext her arm, as the surging spring threw herup.

  Suddenly from the entire concourse rose a cry of astonishment and dismay.

  The young man, AEmilius Lentulus Varo, had leaped into the holy basin.

  Why had he so leaped? Why?