CHAPTER VII.
When Orion reached home, wounded to the quick, he flung himself on adivan. Paula had said that her heart was his indeed, but what a cool andgrudging love was this that would give nothing till it had insured itsfuture. And how could Paula have allowed a third person to come betweenthem, and rule her feelings and actions? She must have revealed to thatthird person all that had previously passed between them--and it was forthis Melchite nun, his personal foe, that he was about to--it was enoughto drive him mad!--But he could not withdraw; he had pledged himself tothe brave old man to carry out this crazy enterprise. And in the placeof the lofty, noble mistress of his whole being, his fancy picturedPaula as a tearful, vacillating, and cold-hearted woman.
There lay the maps and plans which he had desired Nilus to send in fromhis room for his study of the task set him by Amru; as his eye fell uponthem, he struck his fist against the wall, started up, and ran like amadman up and down the room which had been sacred to her peaceful life.
There stood her lute; he had freshly strung and tuned it. To calmhimself he drew it to him, took up the plectrum, and began to play. Butit was a poor instrument; she had been content with this wretched thing!He flung it on the couch and took up his own, the gift of Heliodora.How sweetly, how delightfully she had been wont to play it! Even now itsstrings gave forth a glorious tone; by degrees he began to rejoice inhis own playing, and music soothed his excitement, as it had often donebefore. It was grand and touching, though he several times struck thestrings so violently that their loud clanging and sighing and throbbinganswered each other like the wild wailing of a soul in torment.
Under this vehement usage the bridge of the lute suddenly snapped offwith a dull report; and at the same instant his secretary, who had beenwith him at Constantinople, threw open the door in glad excitement, andbegan, even before he had crossed the threshold:
"Only think, my lord! Here is a messenger come from the inn kept bySostratus with this tablet for you.--It is open, so I read it. Onlythink! it is hardly credible! The Senator Justinus is here with hiswife, the noble Martina--here in Memphis, and they beg you to visit themat once to speak of matters of importance. They came last night, themessenger tells me, and now--what joy! Think of all the hospitalityyou enjoyed in their house. Can we leave them in an inn? So long ashospitality endures, it would be a crime!"
"Impossible, quite impossible!" cried Orion, who had cast aside thelute, and was now reading the letter himself. "It is true indeed! hisown handwriting. And that immovable pair are in Egypt--in Memphis! ByZeus!"--for this was still the favorite oath of the golden youth ofAlexandria and Constantinople, even in these Christian times.--"By Zeus,I ought to receive them here like princes!--Wait!--of course youmust tell the messenger that I am coming at once--have the four newPannonians harnessed to the silver-plated chariot. I must go to mymother; but there is time enough for that. Desire Sebek to have theguest-chambers prepared for distinguished guests--those sick people areout of them, thank God! Take my present room for them too; I will goback to the old one. Of course they have a numerous suite. Set twentyor thirty slaves to work. Everything must be ready in two hours atfurthest. The two sitting-rooms are particularly handsome, butwhere anything is lacking, place everything in the house at Sebek'scommand.--Justinus in Egypt!--But make haste, man! Nay, stay! One thingmore. Carry these maps and scrolls--no; they are too heavy for you.Desire a slave to fetch them, and take them to Rufinus; he must keepthem till I come. Tell him I meant to use them on the way--he knows."
The secretary rushed off; Orion performed a rapid toilet and had hismourning dress rearranged in fresh folds; then he went to his mother.She had often heard of the cordial reception that her son, and herhusband, too, in former days, had met with in the senator's house, andshe took it quite as a matter of course that the strangers' rooms,and among them that which had been Paula's, should be prepared for thetravellers; all she asked was that it should be explained that she wassuffering, so that she might not have to trouble herself to entertainthem.
She advised Orion to put off his journey and to devote himself to hisfriends; but he explained that even their arrival must not delay him.He had entire confidence in Sebek and the upper housekeeper, and theemperor himself would remit the duties of hostess to a sick woman. Once,at any rate, she would surely allow the illustrious guests to pay theirrespects to her,--but even this Neforis refused It would be quite enoughif her visitors received messages and greetings daily in her name, withofferings of choice fruit and flowers, and on the last day some costlygift. Orion thought this proposal quite worthy of them both, andpresently drove off behind his Pannonians to the hostelry.
By the harbor he met the captain of the boat he had hired; to him heheld up two fingers, and the boatman signified by repeated nodding thathe had understood the meaning of this signal: "Be ready at two hoursbefore midnight."
The sight of this weather-beaten pilot, and the prospect of makingsome return to his noble friends for all their kindness, cheered Oriongreatly; and though he regretted being obliged to leave these guests ofall others, the perils that lay before him reasserted their charm. Hecould surely win over the abbess in the course of the voyage, and Paulamight be brought to reason, perhaps, this very evening. Justinus and hiswife were Melchites, and he knew that both these friends--for whom hehad a particular regard--would be enchanted with his scheme if he tookthem into his confidence.
The inn kept by Sostratus, a large, square building surrounding aspacious court-yard, was the best and most frequented in the town. Theeastern side faced the road and the river, and contained the best rooms,in which, on the previous night, the senator had established himselfwith his wife and servants. The clatter of the quadriga drew Justinusto the window; as soon as he recognized Orion he waved a table-napkin tohim, shouting a hearty "Welcome!" and then retired into the room again.
"Here he is!" he cried to his wife, who was lying on a couch in thelightest permissible attire, and sipping fruit-syrup from time to timeto moisten her dry lips, while a boy fanned her for coolness.
"That is well indeed!" she exclaimed, and desired her maid to be quick,very quick, and fetch her a wrap, but to be sure it was a thin one.Then, turning to a very lovely young woman who had started to her feetat Justinus' first exclamation, she asked:
"Would you rather that he should find you here, my darling, or shall wesee him first, and tell him that we have brought you with us?"
"That will be best," answered the other in a sweet voice, and she sighedsoftly before she added: "What will he not think of me? We may growolder, but folly--folly..."
"Grows with years?" laughed the matron. "Or do you think itdecreases?--But here he is."
The younger woman hurried away by a side door, behind which shedisappeared. Martina looked after her, and pointing that way to directher husband's glance, she observed: "She has left herself a chink. GoodGod! Fancy being in love in such heat as this; what a hideous thought!"
At this moment the door was opened, and the heartiest greetings ensued.It was evident that the meeting was as great a pleasure to the elderlypair as to the young man. Justinus embraced him warmly, while the matroncried out: "And a kiss for me too!" And when the youth immediately andheartily gave it, she exclaimed with a groan:
"O man, and child of man, great Sesostris! How did your famous ancestorever achieve heroic deeds under such a sun as this? For my part I amfast disappearing, melting away like butter; but what will a man not dofor love's sake?--Syra, Syra; for God's sake bring me something, howeversmall, that looks like a garment! How rational is the fashion of thepeople of Africa whom we met with on our journey. If they have threefingers' breadth of cloth about them, they consider themselves elegantlydressed.--But come, sit down--there, at my feet. A seat, Argos, and somewine, and water in a damp clay pitcher, and cool like the last.Husband, the boy seems to me handsomer than ever. But dear God! he is inmourning, and how becoming it is! Poor boy, poor boy! Yes, we heard inAlexandria."
She wiped first her eyes
and then her damp brow, and her husband addedhis expressions of sympathy at the death of the Mukaukas.
They were a genial and comfortable couple, Justinus and his wifeMartina. Two beings who felt perfectly secure in their vast inheritedwealth, and who, both being of noble birth, never need make any displayof dignity, because they were sure of it in the eyes of high and lowalike. They had asserted their right to remain natural and human underthe formalities of the most elaborately ceremonious society; those whodid not like the easy tone adopted by them in their house might stayaway. He, devoid of ambition, a senator in virtue of his possessions andhis name, never caring to make any use of his adventitious dignity butthat of procuring good appointments for his favorite clients, or goodplaces for his family on any festive occasion, was a hospitable soul;the good friend of all his friends, whose motto was "live and let live."Martina, with a heart as good as gold, had never made any pretensions tobeauty, but had nevertheless been much courted. This worthy couple hadfor many years thought that nothing could be more delightful than aresidence in the capital, or at their beautiful villa on the Bosphorus,scorning to follow the example of other rich and fashionable folks, andgo to take baths or make journeys. It was enough for them to be ableto make others happy under their roof; and there was never any lack ofvisitors, just because those who were weary of bending their backsat the Byzantine Court, found this unceremonious circle particularlyrestful.
Martina was especially fond of having young people about her, andHeliodora, the widow of her nephew, had found comfort with her in hertrouble; it was in her house that Orion and Heliodora had met. The youngwidow was a great favorite with the old couple, but higher in theiresteem even than she, had been the younger brother of her deceasedhusband. He was to have been their heir; but they had mourned his deathnow two years; for news had reached them that Narses, who had served inthe Imperial army as tribune of cavalry, had fallen in battle againstthe infidels. No one, however, had ever brought a more exact report ofhis death; and at last their indefatigable enquiries had resulted intheir learning that he had been taken prisoner by the Saracens andcarried into slavery in Arabia. This report received confirmationthrough the efforts of Orion and his deceased father. Within a few hoursof the young Egyptian's departure, they received a letter from the youththey had given up for lost, written in trembling characters, in which heimplored them to effect his deliverance through Amru, the Arab governorof Egypt. The old people had set forth at once on their pilgrimage, andHeliodora had done her part in urging them to this step. Her passion forOrion, to whom, for more than a year, her gentle heart had been whollydevoted, had increased every hour since his departure. She had notconcealed it from Martina, who thought it no less than her duty to standby the poor lovesick child; for Heliodora had nursed her husband, thesenator's nephew, to the end, with touching fidelity and care; andbesides, Martina had given the young Egyptian--with whom she was "quitein love herself"--every opportunity of paying his addresses to the youngwidow.
They were a pair that seemed made for each other, and Martina delightedin match-making. But in this case, though hearts had met, hands hadnot, and finally it had been a real grief to Martina to hear Orion andHeliodora called--and with good reason--a pair of lovers.
Once she had appealed in her genial way to the young man's conscience,and he had replied that his father, who was a Jacobite, would neverconsent to his union with a woman of any other confession. At that timeshe had found little to answer; but she had often thought if only shecould make the Mukaukas acquainted with Heliodora, he, whom she hadknown in the capital as a young and handsome admirer of every charmingwoman, would certainly capitulate.
Her favorite niece had indeed every grace that a father's heart coulddesire to attract the son. She was of good family, the widow of a man ofrank, rich, but just two and twenty, and beautiful enough to bewitchold or young. A sweeter and gentler soul Martina had never known. Thoselarge dewy eyes-imploring eyes, she called them--might soften a stone,and her fair waving hair was as soft as her nature. Add to this herfull, supple figure--and how perfectly she dressed, how exquisitely shesang and struck the lute! It was not for nothing that she was courted byevery youth of rank in Constantinople--and if the old Mukaukas couldbut hear her laugh! There was not a sound on earth more clear, more gladthan Heliodora's laugh. She was not indeed remarkable for intellect, butno one could call her a simpleton, and your very clever women were notto every man's taste.
So, when they were to travel to Egypt, Martina took it for granted thatHeliodora must go with them, and that the flirtation which had madeher favorite the talk of the town must, in Memphis, become courtship inearnest. Then, when she heard at Alexandria that the Mukaukas was latelydead, she regarded the game as won. Now they were in Memphis, Orion wassitting before her, and the young man had invited her and her followingof above twenty persons to stay in his house. It was a foregoneconclusion that the travellers were to accept this bidding as prescribedby the laws of hospitality, and preparations for the move wereimmediately set on foot.
Justinus meanwhile explained what had brought them to Egypt, and beggedOrion's assistance. The young man had known the senator's nephew well asone of the most brilliant and amiable youths of the capital, and he wassincerely distressed to be forced to inform his friends that Amru, whocould easily have procured the release of Narses, was to start withintwo days for Medina, while he himself was compelled to set out on ajourney that very evening, at an hour he could not name.
He saw how greatly this firmly-expressed determination agitated anddisturbed the old couple, and the senator's urgency led him to tellthem, under the pledge of strict secrecy, what business it was that tookhim away and what a perilous enterprise he had before him.
He began his story confident of his orthodox guests' sympathy; but tohis amazement they both disapproved of the undertaking, and not, asthey declared, on his account only or for the sake of the help they hadcounted on.
The senator reminded him that he was the natural chief of the Egyptianpopulation in Memphis, and that, by such a scheme, he was undermininghis influence with those whose leader he was by right and duty as hisfather's son. His ambition ought to make him aim at this leadership; andinstead of offering such a rebuff to the patriarch, it was his part towork with him--whose power he greatly underrated--so as to make lifetolerable to their fellow-Christians in a land ruled by Moslems.
Paula's name was not once mentioned; but Orion thought of her andremained firm, though not without an inward struggle.
At the same time, to prove to his friends how sincerely he desired toplease them, he proposed that he and Justinus should immediately crossthe Nile to lay his application before the Khaliff's vicar. A glance atthe sky showed him that it wanted still an hour and a half of sunset.His swift horses would not need more than that time for the journey,and during their absence the rest of the party could move from the inn.Carts for the baggage were already in waiting below, and chariotshad been ordered to follow and convey his beloved guests to their newquarters.
The senator agreed to this proposal, and as the two men went off Martinacalled after Orion.
"My senator must talk to you on the road, and if you can be brought toreason you will find your reward waiting for you! Do not be saving ofyour talents of gold, old man, till the general has promised to procurethe lad's release.--And listen to me, Orion; give up your mad scheme."
The sun had not wholly disappeared behind the Libyan range whenthe snorting Pannonians, all flecked with foam, drove back into thecourt-yard of the governor's residence. The two men had unfortunatelygained nothing; for Amru was absent, reviewing the troops betweenHeliopolis and Onix, and was not expected home till night or even nextmorning. The party had removed from the inn and the senator's whiteslaves were already mixing with the black and brown ones of theestablishment.
Martina was delighted with her new quarters, and with the beautifulflowers--most of them new to her--with which the invalid mistress ofthe house had had the two great reception-rooms gar
nished in tokenof welcome; but the failure of Justinus' visit to Fostat fell likehoar-frost on her happy mood.
Orion, she asserted, ought to regard this stroke of ill-luck as ajudgment from God. It was the will of Heaven that he should give uphis enterprise and be content to make due preparations for a noblework which could be carried through without him, in order to accomplishanother, out of friendship, which urgently needed his help. However, heagain expressed his regret that in spite of everything he must adhere tohis purpose; and when Martina asked him: "What, even if my reward is onethat would especially delight you?" he nodded regretfully. "Yes, eventhen."
So she merely added, "Well, we shall see," and went on impressively:"Every one has some peculiarity which stamps his individuality andbecomes him well: in you it is amiability, my son. Such obstinacy doesnot suit you; it is quite foreign to you, and is the very opposite towhat I call amiability. Be yourself, even in this instance."
"That is to say weak and yielding, especially when a kind woman...."
"When old friends ask it," she hastily put in; but almost before she hadfinished she turned to her husband, exclaiming: "Good Heavens! come tothe window. Did you ever see such a glorious mingling of purple and goldin the sky? It is as though the old pyramids and the whole land of Egyptwere in flames. But now, great Sesostris,"--the name she gave to Orionwhen she was in a good humor with him, "it is time that you should seewhat I have brought you. In the first place this trinket," and she gavehim a costly bracelet of old Greek workmanship set with precious stones,"and then--nay, no Thanks--and then--Well the object is rather large,and besides--come with me."
As she spoke she went from the reception-room into the anteroom, led theway to the door of the room which had once been Paula's, and then hisown, opened it a little way, peeped in, and then pushed Orion forward,saying hastily: "There--do you see--there it is!"
By the window stood Heliodora. The bright radiance of the sinking sunbathed her slender but round and graceful form, her "imploring" eyeslooked up at him with rapturous delight, and her white arms foldedacross her bosom gave her the aspect of a saint, waiting with humblelonging for some miracle, in expectation of unutterable joys.
Martina's eyes, too, were fixed on Orion; she saw how pale he turned atseeing the young widow, she saw him start as though suddenly overcome bysome emotion--what, she could not guess--and shrink back from the sunlitvision in the window. These were effects which the worthy matron had notanticipated.
Never off the stage, thought she, had she seen a man so stricken bylove; for she could not suspect that to him it was as though a gulf hadsuddenly yawned at his feet.
With a swiftness which no one could have looked for from her heavy andbulky figure, Martina hastily returned to her husband, and even at thedoor exclaimed: "It is all right, all has gone well! At the sight of herhe seemed thunderstruck! Mark my words: we shall have a wedding here bythe Nile."
"My blessing on it," replied Justinus. "But, wedding or no wedding, allI care is that she should persuade that fine young fellow to give uphis crazy scheme. I saw how even the brown rascals in the Arab's servicebowed down before him; and he will persuade the general, if any one can,to do all in his power for Narses. He must not and shall not go! Youimpressed it strongly on Heliodora...."
"That she should keep him?" laughed the matron. "I tell you, she willnail him down if need be."
"So much the better," replied her husband. "But, wife, folks might saythat it was not quite seemly in you to force them together. Properlyspeaking, you are as it were her female mentor, the motherly patroness."
"Good Heavens!" exclaimed Martina. "At home they invited no witnessesto look on at their meetings. The poor love-lorn souls must at any ratehave a chance of speaking to each other and rejoicing that they havemet once more. I will step in presently, and be the anxious, motherlyfriend. Tine, Tine! And if it does not end in a wedding, I will make apilgrimage to St. Agatha, barefoot."
"And I with only one shoe!" the senator declared, "for, everything inreason--but the talk about Dora was at last beyond all bounds. It was nolonger possible to have them both together under the same roof. And youyourself--no, seriously; go in to them."
"Directly, directly.--But first look out of this window once more. Oh,what a sun!--there, now it is too late. Only two minutes ago thewhole heaven was of the hue of my red Syrian cloak; and now it is alldark!--The house and garden are beautiful, and everything is old andhandsome; just what I should have expected in the home of the richMukaukas."
"And I too," replied Justinus. "But now, go. If they have come to anunderstanding, Dora may certainly congratulate herself."
"I should think so! But she need not be ashamed even of her villa, andthey must spend every summer there, I will manage that. If that poor,dear fellow Narses does not escape with his life--for two years ofslavery are a serious matter--then I should be able...."
"To alter your will? Not a bad idea; but there is no hurry for that; andnow, you really must go."
"Yes, yes, in a minute. Surely I may have time to speak.--I, for mypart, know of no one whom I would sooner put in the place of Narses...."
"Than Orion and Heliodora? Certainly, I have no objection; but now...."
"Well, perhaps it is wicked to think of a man who may still be alive asnumbered with the dead.--At any rate the poor boy cannot go back to hislegion...."
"On no consideration. But, Martina...."
"To-morrow morning Orion must urge our case on the Arab...."
"If he does not go away."
"Will you bet that she fails to keep him."
"I should be a fool for my pains," laughed Justinus. "Do you ever payme when I win?--But now, joking apart, you must go and see what they areabout."
And this time she obeyed. She would have won her bet; for Orion, who hadremained unmoved by his sister-in-law's letter, by the warning voiceof the faith of his childhood, by the faithful council of his honestservant Nilus, or by the senator's convincing arguments--had yielded toHeliodora's sweet blandishments.
How ardently had her loving heart flamed up, when she saw him so deeplyagitated at the sight of her! With what touching devotion had she sunkinto his arms; how humbly-half faint with sweet sorrow and sweeterecstasy--had she fallen at his feet, and clasped his knees, andentreated him, with eyes full of tears of adoring rapture, not to leaveto-day, to wait only till tomorrow, and then, if he would, to tread herin the dust. Now--now when she had just found him again after being wornout with pining and longing-to part now, to see him rush on an uncertainfate--it would kill her, it would certainly be her death! And when hestill had tried to resist she had rushed into his arms, had stopped hislips with burning kisses, and whispered in his ear all the flatteringwords of love he once had held so dear.
Why had he never seriously tried to win her, why had he so soonforgotten her? Because she, who could assert her dignity firmly enoughwith others, had abandoned herself to him unresistingly after a fewmeetings, as if befooled by some magician's spell. The precious spoilso easily won had soon lost its value in his eyes. But to-day the firewhich had died out blazed up again. Yes, this was the love he craved, hemust have! To be loved with entire and utter devotion, with a heartthat thought only of him and not of itself, that asked only for love inreturn for love, that did not fence itself round with caution and invokethe aid of others for protection against him. This lovely creature, allpassion, who had taken upon herself to endure the contumely of society,and pain and grief for his sake, knowing too that he had abandoned her,and would never make her his wife before God and men--she indeed knewwhat it was to love; and he who was so often inclined to despair ofhimself felt his heart uplifted at the thought that he was so preciousin her eyes, nay--he would own it--so idolized.
And how sweet, how purely womanly she was! Those imploring eyes--whichhe had grown quite sick of in Constantinople, for they were as full ofpathetic entreaty when she merely begged him to hold her cloak forher as when she appealed to his heart of hearts not to leave her--thate
ntrancing play of glances which had first bewitched him, came to himto-day as something new and worked the old spell.
In this moment of tender reunion he had promised her at any rate toconsider whether he could not release himself from the pledge by whichhe was bound; but hardly had he spoken the words when the memory ofPaula revived in his mind, and an inward voice cried out to him thatshe was a being of nobler mould than this yielding, weak woman, abjectbefore him--that she symbolized his upward struggle, Heliodora hisperdition.
At length he was able to tear himself from her embrace; and at the firststep out of this intoxication into real life again he looked about likeone roused from sleep, feeling as though it were by some mocking sportof the devil himself that Paula's room should have been the scene ofthis meeting and of his weakness.
An enquiry from Heliodora, as to the fate of the little white dog thatshe had given him as a remembrance, recalled to his mind that lucklessemerald which was to have been his return offering or antidoron. Heevasively replied that, remembering her love of rare gems, he had senther a remarkably fine stone about which he had a good deal to say;and she gave such childlike and charming expression to her delightand gratitude, and took such skilful advantage of his pleasure in herclinging tenderness, to convince him of the necessity for remaining athome, that he himself began to believe in it, and gave way. The morethis conclusion suited his own wishes the easier it became tofind reasons for it: old Rufinus really did not need him; and ifhe--Orion--had cause to be ashamed of his vacillation, on the otherhand he could comfort himself by reflecting that it would be unkind andungrateful to his good friends to leave them in the lurch just when hecould be of use to them. One pair of protecting arms more or less couldnot matter to the nuns, while the captive Narses might very probablyperish before he could be rescued without his interest with the Arabgeneral.
It was high time to decide one way or the other.--Well, no; he ought notto go away to-day!
That was settled!
Rufinus must at once be informed of his change of purpose. To sit downand write at such a moment he felt was impossible: Nilus should go andspeak in his name; and he knew how gladly and zealously he would performsuch an errand.
Heliodora clapped her hands, and just as Martina knocked at the doorthe pair came out into the anteroom: She, radiant with happiness, andso graceful in her fashionable, costly, and well-chosen garb, soroyal-looking in spite of her no more than middle height, that even inthe capital she would have excited the admiration of the men and theenvy of the women: He, content, but with a thoughtful smile on his lips.
He had not yet closed the door when in the anteroom he perceived twofemale figures, who had come in while Martina was knocking at herniece's door. These were Katharina and her waiting-maid.
Anubis had been brought to these rooms after his fall from the roof,and notwithstanding the preparations that had been made for illustriousguests Philippus could not be persuaded to allow his patient, for whomperfect quiet was indispensable, to be moved to the lower floor.
The listener who had been so severely punished had with him his mother,Katharina's old nurse; the water-wagtail, with her maid, had accompaniedher to see the lad, for she was very anxious to assure herself whetherher foster-brother, before his tumble, had succeeded in hearinganything; but the poor fellow was so weak and his pain so severe thatshe had not the heart to torment him with questions. However, herSamaritan's visit brought her some reward, for to meet Orion coming outof Paula's room with so beautiful and elegant a woman was a thing worthopening her eyes to see. She would have walked from home hither twiceover only to see the clothes and jewels of this heaven sent stranger.Such a being rarely strayed to Memphis,--and might not this radiant andbeautiful creature be "the other" after all, and not Paula? Might notOrion have been trifling with her rival as he had already trifled withher? They must have had a rapturous meeting in that room; every featureof the fair beauty's saint-like face betrayed the fact. Oh, that Orion!She would have liked to throttle him; and yet she was glad to think thatthere was another besides herself--and she so elegant and lovely--whomhe had betrayed.
"He will stay!" Heliodora exclaimed as she came out of the room; andMartina held out her hand to the young man, with a fervent: "God blessyou for that!"
She was delighted to see how happy her niece looked but the livelyold woman's eyes were everywhere at once, and when she caught sight ofKatharina who had stood still with curiosity, she turned to her with afriendly nod and said to Orion:
"Your sister? Or the little niece of whom you used to speak?"
Orion called Katharina and introduced her to his guests, and the girlexplained what had brought her hither; in such a sweet and patheticmanner--for she was sincerely fond of her foster-brother andplay-fellow--that she quite charmed Martina and Heliodora, and theyounger woman expressed a hope that they might see her often. Indeed,when she was gone, Martina exclaimed: "A charming little thing! As freshand bright as a newly-fledged bird, so brisk and pretty too--and hownicely she prattles!"
"And the richest heiress in Memphis into the bargain," added Orion.But, noticing that on this Heliodora cast down her eyes with a troubledexpression, he went on with a laugh: "Our mothers destined us to marryeach other, but we are too ill-matched in size, and not exactly made fora pair in other ways."
Then, taking leave of them, he went to Nilus and informed him of hisdecision. His request that the treasurer would make his excuses toRufinus, carry his greetings to Thomas' daughter, and make the mostof his reasons for remaining behind, sent the good man almost besidehimself for joy; and he so far forgot his modest reserve as to embraceOrion as a son.
The young host sat with his visitors till nearly midnight: and when,on the following morning, Martina first greeted her niece--who lookedpeacefully happy though somewhat tired--she was able to tell her thatthe two men had already gone across the Nile, and, she hoped, settledeverything with the Arab governor. Great was her disappointment whenpresently Justinus and Orion came back to say that Amru, instead ofreturning to Fostat from the review at Heliopolis, had gone straightto Alexandria. He had engagements there for a few days, and would thenstart for Medina.
The senator saw nothing for it but to follow him up, and Orionvolunteered to accompany him.
A faint attempt on Heliodora's part to detain him met with a decisive,nay, stern refusal. This journey was indeed sheer flight from his ownweakness and from the beautiful creature who could never be anything tohim.
Early in the day he had found time to write to Paula; but he had castaside more than one unfinished letter before he could find the rightwords. He told her that he loved her and her alone; and as his stylusmarked the wax he felt, with horror of himself, that in fact his heartwas Paula's, and his determination ripened to put an end once for all tohis connection with Heliodora, and not allow himself to see Paula againtill he had forever cut the tie that bound him to the young widow.
The two women went out to see the travellers start, and as they returnedto the house, hanging their heads like defeated warriors, in thevestibule they met Katharina and her maid. Martina wanted to detain thelittle girl, and to persuade her to go up to their rooms with them; butKatharina refused, and appeared to be in a great hurry. She had justcome from seeing Anubis, who was in less pain to-day, and who had donehis best to tell her what he had overheard. That the flight was to benorthwards he was certain; but he had either misunderstood or forgottenthe name of the place whither the sisters were bound.
His mother and the nurse were dismissed from the room, and then thewater-wagtail in her gratitude had bent over him, had raised his prettyface a little, and had given him two such sweet kisses that the poor boyhad been quite uneasy. But, when he was alone with his mother once more,he had felt happier and happier, and the remembrance of the transientrapture he had known had alleviated the pain he was suffering onKatharina's account.
Katharina, meanwhile, did not go home at once to her mother; on thecontrary, she went straight off to the Bishop of Memphis
, to whomshe divulged all she had learnt with regard to the inhabitants of theconvent and the intended rescue. The gentle Plotinus even had beenroused to great wrath, and no sooner had she left him than he set outfor Fostat to invoke the help of Amru, and--finding him absent--of hisVekeel to enable him to pursue the fugitive Melchite sisters.
When the water-wagtail was at home again and alone in her room, she saidto herself, with calm satisfaction, that she had now contrived somethingwhich would spoil several days for Orion and for Paula, and that mightprove even fatal, so far as she was concerned.