CHAPTER IV.
Orion stood alone gazing sadly after her. Was this his father'scurse--that all who loved him must reap pain and grief in return?
He shivered; still, his youthful energy and powers of resistancewere strong enough to give him speedy mastery over these torturingreflections. What opportunities lay before him of proving his prowess!Even while Katharina was telling her story, the brave and strenuousyouth had set himself the problem of rescuing the cloistered sisters.The greater the danger its solution might involve him in, the moreimpossible it seemed at first sight, the more gladly, in his presentmood, would he undertake it. He stepped out into the road and closed thedoor behind him with a feeling of combative energy.
It was growing dusk. Philippus must now be with Mary and, with theleech's aid, he was resolved to get the child away from his mother'shouse. Not till he felt that she was safe with Paula in Rufinus' house,could he be free to attempt the enterprise which floated before hiseyes. On the stairs he shouted to a slave:
"My chariot with the Persian trotting horse!" and a few minutes afterhe entered the little girl's room at the same time with a slave girl whocarried in a lamp. Neither Mary nor the physician observed him at first,and he heard her say to Philippus, who sat holding her wrist between hisfingers.
"What is the matter with you this evening? Good heavens, how pale andmelancholy you look!" The lamplight fell full on his face. "Look here, Ihave just made such a smart little man out of wax..."
She hoped to amuse the friend who was always so kind to her with thiscomical work of art; but, as she leaned forward to reach it, she caughtsight of her uncle and exclaimed: "Philippus comes here to cure me, buthe looks as if he wanted a draught himself. Take care, or you will haveto drink that bitter brown stuff you sent yesterday; then you willknow for once how nasty it can be." Though the child's exclamation waswell-meant, neither of the men took any notice of it. They stood faceto face in utter silence and with only a formal greeting; for Orion,without Mary's remark, had been struck by the change that had come overthe physician since yesterday. Ignoring Orion's presence, he asked thechild a few brief questions, begged Eudoxia to persevere in the samecourse of treatment, and then hastily bid a general farewell to allpresent; Orion, however, did not respond, but said, with an affectionateglance at the little patient: "One word with you presently."
This made Philippus turn to look at Mary and, as the eyes of the rivalsmet, they knew that on one subject at any rate they thought and feltalike. The leech already knew how tenderly the young man had taken toMary, and he followed him into the room which Orion now occupied, andwhich, as Philippus was aware, had formerly been Paula's.
"In the cause of duty," he said to himself again and again, to keephimself calm and enable him to gather at least the general sense ofwhat the handsome young fellow opposite to him was saying in his rich,pleasant voice, and urging as a request with more warmth than theleech had given him credit for. Philippus, of course, had heard of thegrandmother's lamentable revulsion of feeling against her grandchild,and he thought Orion's wish to remove the little girl fully justified.But, on learning that she was to be placed under Paula's care, he seemedstartled, and gazed at the floor in such sullen gloom that the othereasily guessed what was going on in his mind. In fact, the physiciansuspected that the child was to serve merely as an excuse for the morefrequent meetings of the lovers. Unable to bury this apprehension in hisown breast he started to his feet, and was about to put it into words,when Orion took the words out of his mouth, saying modestly but frankly,with downcast eyes:
"I speak only for the child's--for Mary's sake. By my father's soul...."
But Philippus shook his head dismally, went up to his rival, andmurmured dully:
"For the sake of that child I am capable of doing or enduring a greatdeal. She could not be better cared for than with Rufinus and Paula;but if I could suppose," and he raised his voice, while his eyes took asinister and threatening expression, "if I could suppose that her sacredand suffering innocence were merely an excuse...."
"No, no," said Orion urgently. "Again, on my sacred word, I assure youthat I have no aim in view but the child's safety; and, as we have saidso much, I will not stick at a word more or less! Rufinus' house is opento you day and night, and I, if all turns out as I expect, shall erelong be far from hence--from Memphis--from Paula. There is mischiefbrewing--I dare say no more--an act of treachery; and I will try toprevent it at the risk of my life. You, every one, shall no longerhave a right to think me capable of things which are as repulsive tomy nature as to yours. You and I, if I mistake not, strive for the sameprize, and so far are rivals; but why should the child therefor suffer?Forget it in her presence, and that forgetting will, as you well know,enhance your merit in her--her eyes."
"My merit?" retorted the other scornfully. "Merit is not in the balance;nothing but the gifts of blind Fortune--a nose, a chin, an eye, anythingin short--a crime as much as a deed of heroism--that happens to make adeep impression on the wax of a girl's soft heart. But curse me," and heshouted the words at Orion as if he were beside himself, "if I know howwe came to talk of such things! Has my folly gone running through thestreets, bare-bosomed, to display itself to the world at large? How doyou know what my feelings are? She, perhaps, has laughed with you at herridiculous lover?--Well, no matter. You know already, or will know byto-morrow, which of us has won the cock-fight. You have only to look atme! What woman ever broke her heart for such a Thersites-face. Good-luckto the winner, and the other one--well, since it must be so, farewelltill to-morrow."
He hastily made his way towards the door; Orion, however, detained him,imploring him to set aside his ill-feeling--at any rate for the present;assured him that Paula had not betrayed what his feelings were; that,on the contrary, he himself, seeing him with her so late on the previousnight, had been consumed by jealousy, and entreated him to vent hiswrath on him in abusive words, if that could ease his heart, only, byall that was good, not to withdraw his succor from that poor, innocentchild.
The physician's humane heart was not proof against his prayer; andwhen at length he prepared to depart, in the joyful and yet painfulconviction that his happier rival had become more worthy of the prize,he had agreed that he would impress on Neforis, whose mind he suspectedto be slightly affected, that the air of the governor's residence didnot suit Mary, and that she should place her in the care of a physicianoutside the town.
As soon as Philippus had quitted the house, Orion went to see Rufinus,who, on his briefly assuring him that he had come on grave and importantbusiness, begged him to accompany him to his private room. The youngman, however, detained him till he had made all clear with the women asto the reception of little Mary.
"By degrees all the inhabitants of the residence will be transplantedinto our garden!" exclaimed Rufinus. "Well, I have no objection; andyou, old woman, what do you say to it?"
"I have none certainly," replied his wife. "Besides, neither you nor Ihave to decide in this case: the child is to be Paula's guest."
"I only wish she were here already," said Paula, "for who can saywhether your mother, Orion--the air here is perilously Melchite."
"Leave Philippus and me to settle that.--You should have seen howpleased Mary was."
Then, drawing Paula aside, he hastily added:
"Have I not hoped too much? Is your heart mine? Come what may, can Icount on you--on your love--?"
"Yes, Yes!" The words rushed up from the very bottom of her heart, andOrion, with a sigh of relief, followed the old man, glad and comforted.
The study was lighted up, and there, without mentioning Katharina, hetold Rufinus of the patriarch's scheme for dispersing the nuns of St.Cecilia. What could he care for these Melchite sisters? But, since thatconsoling hour in the church, he felt as though it were his duty tostand forth for all that was right, and to do battle against everythingthat was base. Besides, he knew how warmly and steadfastly his fatherhad taken the part of this very convent against the patriarch. Finally,he ha
d heard how strongly his beloved was attached to this retreat andits superior, so he prepared himself gleefully to come forth a new manof deeds, and show his prowess.
The old man listened with growing surprise and horror, and when Orionhad finished his story he rose, helplessly wringing his hands. Orionspoke to him encouragingly, and told him that he had come, not merelyto give the terrible news, but to hold council with him as to howthe innocent victims might be rescued. At this the grey-headedphilanthropist and wanderer pricked up his ears; and as an old warhorse, though harnessed to the plough, when he hears the trumpet soundlifts his head and arches his neck as proudly and nobly as of yoreunder his glittering trappings, so Rufinus drew himself up, his oldeyes sparkled, and he exclaimed with all the enthusiasm and eagerness ofyouth:
"Very good, very good; I am with you; not merely as an adviser; no,no. Head, and hand, and foot, from crown to heel! And as for you, youngman--as for you! I always saw the stuff that was in you in spite--inspite.--But, as surely as man is the standard of all things, thosewho reach the stronghold of virtue by a winding road are often bettercitizens than those who are born in it.--It is growing late, butevensong will not yet have begun and I shall still be able to see theabbess. Have you any plan to propose?"
"Yes; the day after to-morrow at this hour...."
"And why not to-morrow?" interrupted the ardent old man.
"Because I have preparations to make which cannot be done in twelvehours of daylight."
"Good! Good!"
"The day after to-morrow at dusk, a large barge--not one of ours--willbe lying by the bank at the foot of the convent garden. I will escortthe sisters as far as Doomiat on the Lake. I will send on a mountedmessenger to-night, and I will charter a ship for the fugitives by thehelp of my cousin Columella, the greatest ship-owner of that town. Thatwill take them over seas wherever the abbess may command."
"Capital, splendid!" cried Rufinus enthusiastically. He took up hishat and stick, and the radiant expression of his face changed to a verygrave one. He went up to the young man with solemn dignity, looked athim with fatherly kindliness, and said:
"I know what woes befell your house through those of our confession,the fellow-believers of these whom you propose to protect with so muchprudence and courage; and that, young man, is noble, nay, is trulygreat. I find in you--you who were described to me as a man of the worldand not over-precise--for the first time that which I have sought invain for many years and in many lands, among the pious and virtuous: thespirit of willing self-sacrifice to save an enemy of a different creedfrom pressing peril.--But you are young, Orion, and I am old. Youtriumph in the action only, I foresee the consequences. Do you know whatlies before you, if it should be discovered that you have covered theescape of the prey whom the patriarch already sees in his net? Have youconsidered that Benjamin, the most implacable and most powerful hateramong the Jacobites, will pursue you as his mortal foe with all thefearful means at his command?"
"I have considered it," replied Orion.
Rufinus laid his left hand on the young man's shoulder, and his righthand on his head, saying, "Then take with you, to begin with, an oldman's--a father's blessing."
"Yes, a father's," repeated Orion softly. A happy thrill ran through hisbody and soul, and he fell on the old man's neck deeply moved.
For a minute they stood clasped in each other's arms; then Rufinus freedhimself, and set out to seek the abbess. Orion returned to the women,whose curiosity had been roused to a high pitch by seeing Rufinusdisappear through the gate leading to the convent-garden. Dame Joannacould not sit still for excitement, and Pulcheria answered at randomwhen Orion and Paula, who had an infinity of things to say or whisper toeach other, now and then tried to draw her into the conversation.Once she sighed deeply, and when her friend asked her: "What ails you,Child?" she answered anxiously:
"Something serious must be going forward, I feel it. If only Philippuswere here!"
"But we are all safe and well, thank God!" observed Orion, and shequickly replied:
"Yes indeed, the Lord be praised!" But she thought to herself:
"You think he is of no use but to heal the sick; but it is only when heis here that everything goes right and happens for the best!"
Still, all felt that there was something unusual and ominous in theair, and when the old man presently returned his face confirmed theirsuspicions. He laid aside his hat and staff in speechless gravity; thenhe put his arm affectionately round his wife and said:
"You will need all your courage and self-command once more, as you haveoften done before, good wife; I have taken upon myself a serious duty."
Joanna had turned very pale, and while she clung to her husband andbegged him to speak and not to torture her with suspense, her frailfigure was trembling, and bitter tears ran down her cheeks. She couldguess that her husband was once more going away from her and theirchild, in the service and for the benefit of others, and she knew fullwell that she could not prevent it. If she could, she never would havehad the heart to interfere: for she always understood him, and felt withhim that something to take him out of the narrow circle of home-life wasindispensable to his happiness.
He read her thoughts, and they gave him pain; but he was not to bediverted from his purpose. The man who would try to heal every sufferingbrute was accustomed to see those whom he loved best grieve on hisaccount. Marriage, he would say, ought not to hinder a man in followinghis soul's vocation; and he was fond of using this high-sounding name tojustify himself in his own and his wife's eyes, in doing things to whichhe was prompted only by restlessness and unsatisfied energy. Withoutthis he would, no doubt, have done his best for the imperilledsisterhood, but it added to his enjoyment of the grand and dangerousrescue.
The wretched fate of the hapless nuns, and the thought of losing themas near neighbors, grieved the women deeply, and the men saw many tearsflow; at the same time they had the satisfaction of finding them allthree firmly and equally determined to venture all, and to bid thesewhom they loved venture all, to hinder the success of a deed whichfilled them with horror and disgust.
Joanna spoke not a word of demur when Rufinus said that he intended toaccompany the fugitives; and when, with beaming looks, he went onto praise Orion's foresight and keen decisiveness, Paula flew to himproudly and gladly, holding out both her hands. As for the young man, hefelt as though wings were growing from his shoulders, and this fatefulevening was one of the happiest of his life.
The superior had agreed to his scheme, and in some details had improvedupon it. Two lay sisters and one nun should remain behind. The twoformer were to attend to the sick in the infirmary, to ring the bell andchant the services as usual, that the escape of the rest might not besuspected; and Joanna, Paula, and Pulcheria, were to assist them.
When, at a late hour, Orion was about to leave, Rufinus asked whether,under these circumstances, it would be well to bring Mary to hishouse; he himself doubted it. Joanna was of his opinion; Paula, on thecontrary, said that she believed it would be better to let the child runthe risk of a remote danger--hardly to be called danger, than to leaveher to pine away body and soul in her old home. Pulcheria supported her,but the two girls were forced to yield to the decision of the elders.