CHAPTER XXIV.
All the black masses of clouds which during the night had darkenedthe blue sky and hidden the light of the moon had now completelydisappeared. The north-east wind which rose towards morning had floatedthem away, and Zeus, devourer of the clouds, had swallowed them up tothe very last. It was a glorious morning, and as the sun rose in theheavens, and pierced and burnt up with augmenting haste the palemist that hovered over the Nile, and the vapor that hung--a delicatetransparent veil of bluish-grey bombyx-gauze--over the eastern slopes,the cool shades of night vanished too from the dusky nooks of the narrowtown which lay, mile-wide, along the western bank of the river. And theintensely brilliant sunlight which now bathed the streets and houses,the palaces and temples, the gardens and avenues, and the innumerablevessels in the harbor of Memphis, was associated with a glow of warmthwhich was welcome even there in the early morning of a winter's day.
Boats' captains and sailors--were hurrying down to the shore of the Nileto avail themselves of the northeast breeze to travel southwards againstthe current, and sails were being hoisted and anchors heaved, to anaccompaniment of loud singing. The quay was so crowded with ships thatit was difficult to understand how those that were ready could everdisentangle themselves, and find their way through those remainingbehind; but each somehow found an outlet by which to reach the navigablestream, and ere long the river was swarming with boats, all sailingsouthwards, and giving it the appearance of an endless perspective ofcamp tents set afloat.
Long strings of camels with high packs, of more lightly laden asses, andof dark-colored slaves, were passing down the road to the harbor; theselast were singing, as yet unhurt by the burden of the day, and theoverseers' whips were still in their girdles.
Ox-carts were being laden or coming down to the landing-place withgoods, and the ship's captains were already beginning to collect roundthe different great merchants--of whom the greater number were Greeks,and only a few dressed in Egyptian costume--in order to offer theirfreight for sale, or to hire out their vessels for some new expedition.
The greatest bustle and noise were at a part of the quay where, underlarge tents, the custom-house officials were busily engaged, for mostvessels first cast anchor at Memphis to pay duty or Nile-toll on the"king's table." The market close to the harbor also was a gay scene;there dates and grain, the skins of beasts, and dried fish were piledin great heaps, and bleating and bellowing herds of cattle were driventogether to be sold to the highest bidder.
Soldiers on foot and horseback in gaudy dresses and shining armor,mingled with the busy crowd, like peacocks and gaudy cocks among thefussy swarm of hens in a farm yard; lordly courtiers, in holiday dressesof showy red, blue and yellow stuffs, were borne by slaves in littersor standing on handsome gilt chariots; garlanded priests walked aboutin long white robes, and smartly dressed girls were hurrying down to thetaverns near the harbor to play the flute or to dance.
The children that were playing about among this busy mob lookedcovetously at the baskets piled high with cakes, which the bakers' boyswere carrying so cleverly on their heads. The dogs innumerable, put uptheir noses as the dealers in such dainties passed near them, and manyof them set up longing howls when a citizen's wife came by with herslaves, carrying in their baskets freshly killed fowls, and juicy meatsto roast for the festival, among heaps of vegetables and fruits.
Gardeners' boys and young girls were bearing garlands of flowers,festoons and fragrant nosegays, some piled on large trays which theycarried two and two, some on smaller boards or hung on cross poles forone to carry; at that part of the quay where the king's barge lay atanchor numbers of workmen were busily employed in twining festoons ofgreenery and flowers round the flag-staffs, and in hanging them withlanterns.
Long files of the ministers of the god-representing the five phyla ororders of the priesthood of the whole country--were marching, in holidayattire, along the harbor-road in the direction of the palace, and thejostling crowd respectfully made way for them to pass. The gleams offestal splendor seemed interwoven with the laborious bustle on the quaylike scraps of gold thread in a dull work-a-day garment.
Euergetes, brother of the king, was keeping his birthday in Memphisto-day, and all the city was to take part in the festivities.
At the first hour after sunrise victims had been sacrificed in thetemple of Ptah, the most ancient, and most vast of the sanctuariesof the venerable capital of the Pharaohs; the sacred Apis-bull, butrecently introduced into the temple, was hung all over with goldenornaments; early in the morning Euergetes had paid his devotions to thesacred beast--which had eaten out of his hand, a favorable augury ofsuccess for his plans; and the building in which the Apis lived, aswell as the stalls of his mother and of the cows kept for him, had beensplendidly decked with flowers.
The citizens of Memphis were not permitted to pursue their avocations orply their trades beyond the hour of noon; then the markets, the booths,the workshops and schools were to be closed, and on the great square infront of the temple of Ptah, where the annual fair was held, dramas bothsacred and profane, and shows of all sorts were to be seen, heard andadmired by men, women and children--provided at the expense of the twokings.
Two men of Alexandria, one an AEolian of Lesbos, and the other a Hebrewbelonging to the Jewish community, but who was not distinguishable bydress or accent from his Greek fellow-citizens, greeted each other onthe quay opposite the landing-place for the king's vessels, some ofwhich were putting out into the stream, spreading their purple sails anddipping their prows inlaid with ivory and heavily gilt.
"In a couple of hours," said the Jew, "I shall be travelling homewards.May I offer you a place in my boat, or do you propose remaining here toassist at the festival and not starting till to-morrow morning? Thereare all kinds of spectacles to be seen, and when it is dark a grandillumination is to take place."
"What do I care for their barbarian rubbish?" answered the Lesbian."Why, the Egyptian music alone drives me to distraction. My business isconcluded. I had inspected the goods brought from Arabia and India byway of Berenice and Coptos, and had selected those I needed before thevessel that brought them had moored in the Mariotic harbor, and othergoods will have reached Alexandria before me. I will not stay an hourlonger than is necessary in this horrible place, which is as dismal asit is huge. Yesterday I visited the gymnasium and the better class ofbaths--wretched, I call them! It is an insult to the fish-market and thehorse-ponds of Alexandria to compare them with them."
"And the theatre!" exclaimed the Jew. "The exterior one can bear to lookat--but the acting! Yesterday they gave the 'Thals' of Menander, andI assure you that in Alexandria the woman who dared to impersonatethe bewitching and cold-hearted Hetaira would have been driven off thestage--they would have pelted her with rotten apples. Close by me theresat a sturdy, brown Egyptian, a sugar-baker or something of the kind,who held his sides with laughing, and yet, I dare swear, did notunderstand a word of the comedy. But in Memphis it is the fashionto know Greek, even among the artisans. May I hope to have you as myguest?"
"With pleasure, with pleasure!" replied the Lesbian. "I was about tolook out for a boat. Have you done your business to your satisfaction?"
"Tolerably!" answered the Jew. "I have purchased some corn from UpperEgypt, and stored it in the granaries here. The whole of that row yonderwere to let for a mere song, and so we get off cheaply when we let thewheat lie here instead of at Alexandria where granaries are no longer tobe had for money."
"That is very clever!" replied the Greek. "There is bustle enough herein the harbor, but the many empty warehouses and the low rents provehow Memphis is going down. Formerly this city was the emporium for allvessels, but now for the most part they only run in to pay the tolland to take in supplies for their crews. This populous place has a bigstomach, and many trades drive a considerable business here, but most ofthose that fail here are still carried on in Alexandria."
"It is the sea that is lacking," interrupted the Jew; "Memphis tradesonly with Egypt,
and we with the whole world. The merchant who sendshis goods here only load camels, and wretched asses, and flat-bottomedNile-boats, while we in our harbors freight fine seagoing vessels. Whenthe winter-storms are past our house alone sends twenty triremes withEgyptian wheat to Ostia and to Pontus; and your Indian and Arabiangoods, your imports from the newly opened Ethiopian provinces, takeup less room, but I should like to know how many talents your tradeamounted to in the course of the past year. Well then, farewell till wemeet again on my boat; it is called the Euphrosyne, and lies out there,exactly opposite the two statues of the old king--who can remember thesestiff barbarian names? In three hours we start. I have a good cook onboard, who is not too particular as to the regulations regarding food bywhich my countrymen in Palestine live, and you will find a few new booksand some capital wine from Byblos."
"Then we need not dread a head-wind," laughed the Lesbian. "We meetagain in three hours."
The Israelite waved his hand to his travelling companion, and proceededat first along the shore under the shade of an alley of sycamores withtheir broad unsymmetrical heads of foliage, but presently he turnedaside into a narrow street which led from the quay to the city. He stoodstill for a moment opposite the entrance of the corner house, one sideof which lay parallel to the stream while the other--exhibiting thefront door, and a small oil-shop--faced the street; his attention hadbeen attracted to it by a strange scene; but he had still much to attendto before starting on his journey, and he soon hurried on again withoutnoticing a tall man who came towards him, wearing a travelling-hat and acloak such as was usually adapted only for making journeys.
The house at which the Jew had gazed so fixedly was that of Apollodorus,the sculptor, and the man who was so strangely dressed for a walkthrough the city at this hour of the day was the Roman, Publius Scipio.He seemed to be still more attracted by what was going on in the littlestall by the sculptor's front door, than even the Israelite had been; heleaned against the fence of the garden opposite the shop, and stood forsome time gazing and shaking his head at the strange things that were tobe seen within.
A wooden counter supported by the wall of the house-which was usedby customers to lay their money on and which generally held a fewoil-jars-projected a little way into the street like a window-board,and on this singular couch sat a distinguished looking youth in a lightblue, sleeveless chiton, turning his back on the stall itself, which wasnot much bigger than a good sized travelling-chariot. By his side lay a"Himation"--[A long square cloak, and an indispensable part of the dressof the Greeks.]--of fine white woolen stuff with a blue border. His legshung out into the street, and his brilliant color stood out in wonderfulcontrast to the dark skin of a naked Egyptian boy, who crouched at hisfeet with a cage full of doves.
The young Greek sitting on the window-counter had a golden fillet on hisoiled and perfumed curls, sandals of the finest leather on his feet, andeven in these humble surroundings looked elegant--but even more merrythan elegant--for the whole of his handsome face was radiant withsmiles while he tied two small rosy-grey turtle doves with ribandsof rose-colored bombyx-silk to the graceful basket in which they weresitting, and then slipped a costly gold bracelet over the heads of thefrightened birds, and attached it to their wings with a white silk tie.
When he had finished this work he held the basket up, looked at it witha smile of satisfaction, and he was in the very act of handing it to theblack boy when he caught sight of Publius, who went up to him from thegarden-fence.
"In the name of all the gods, Lysias," cried the Roman, without greetinghis friend, "what fool's trick are you at there again! Are you turnedoil-seller, or have you taken to training pigeons?"
"I am the one, and I am doing the other," answered the Corinthian witha laugh, for he it was to whom the Roman's speech was addressed. "How doyou like my nest of young doves? It strikes me as uncommonly pretty, andhow well the golden circlet that links their necks becomes the littlecreatures!"
"Here, put out your claws, you black crocodile," he continued, turningto his little assistant, "carry the basket carefully into the house, andrepeat what I say, 'From the love-sick Lysias to the fair Irene'--Onlylook, Publius, how the little monster grins at me with his white teeth.You shall hear that his Greek is far less faultless than his teeth.Prick up your ears, you little ichneumon--now once more repeat what youare to say in there--do you see where I am pointing with my finger?--tothe master or to the lady who shall take the doves from you."
With much pitiful stammering the boy repeated the Corinthian's messageto Irene, and as he stood there with his mouth wide open, Lysias, whowas an expert at "ducks and drakes" on the water, neatly tossed into ita silver drachma. This mouthful was much to the little rascal's taste,for after he had taken the coin out of his mouth he stood with wide-openjaws opposite his liberal master, waiting for another throw; Lysiashowever boxed him lightly on his ears, and chucked him under the chin,saying as he snapped the boy's teeth together:
"Now carry up the birds and wait for the answer." "This offering is toIrene, then?" said Publius. "We have not met for a long time; where wereyou all day yesterday?"
"It will be far more entertaining to hear what you were about all thenight long. You are dressed as if you had come straight here from Rome.Euergetes has already sent for you once this morning, and the queentwice; she is over head and ears in love with you."
"Folly! Tell me now what you were doing all yesterday."
"Tell me first where you have been."
"I had to go some distance and will tell you all about it later, butnot now; and I encountered strange things on my way--aye, I must sayextraordinary things. Before sunrise I found a bed in the inn yonder,and to my own great surprise I slept so soundly that I awoke only twohours since."
"That is a very meagre report; but I know of old that if you do notchoose to speak no god could drag a syllable from you. As regards myselfI should do myself an injury by being silent, for my heart is like anoverloaded beast of burden and talking will relieve it. Ah! Publius,my fate to-day is that of the helpless Tantalus, who sees juicy pearsbobbing about under his nose and tempting his hungry stomach, and yetthey never let him catch hold of them, only look-in there dwells Irene,the pear, the peach, the pomegranate, and my thirsting heart is consumedwith longing for her. You may laugh--but to-day Paris might meet Helenwith impunity, for Eros has shot his whole store of arrows into me. Youcannot see them, but I can feel them, for not one of them has he drawnout of the wound. And the darling little thing herself is not whollyuntouched by the winged boy's darts. She has confessed so much to memyself. It is impossible for me to refuse her any thing, and so I wasfool enough to swear a horrible oath that I would not try to seeher till she was reunited to her tall solemn sister, of whom I amexceedingly afraid. Yesterday I lurked outside this house just as ahungry wolf in cold weather sneaks about a temple where lambs are beingsacrificed, only to see her, or at least to hear a word from her lips,for when she speaks it is like the song of nightingales--but all invain. Early this morning I came back to the city and to this spot; andas hanging about forever was of no use, I bought up the stock of the oldoil-seller, who is asleep there in the corner, and settled myself in hisstall, for here no one can escape me, who enters or quits Apollodorus'house--and, besides, I am only forbidden to visit Irene; she herselfallows me to send her greetings, and no one forbids me, not evenApollodorus, to whom I spoke an hour ago."
"And that basket of birds that your dusky errand-boy carried into thehouse just now, was such a 'greeting?"
"Of course--that is the third already. First I sent her a lovely nosegayof fresh pomegranate-blossoms, and with it a few verses I hammered outin the course of the night; then a basket of peaches which she likesvery much, and now the doves. And there lie her answers--the dear, sweetcreature! For my nosegay I got this red riband, for the fruit this peachwith a piece bitten out. Now I am anxious to see what I shall get for mydoves. I bought that little brown scamp in the market, and I shall takehim with me to Corinth as a remembr
ance of Memphis, if he brings me backsomething pretty this time. There, I hear the door, that is he; comehere youngster, what have you brought?" Publius stood with his armscrossed behind his back, hearing and watching the excited speech andgestures of his friend who seemed to him, to-day more than ever, one ofthose careless darlings of the gods, whose audacious proceedings giveus pleasure because they match with their appearance and manner, andwe feel they can no more help their vagaries than a tree can helpblossoming. As soon as Lysias spied a small packet in the boy's hand hedid not take it from him but snatched up the child, who was by no meansremarkably small, by the leather belt that fastened up his loin-cloth,tossed him up as if he were a plaything, and set him down on the tableby his side, exclaiming:
"I will teach you to fly, my little hippopotamus! Now, show me what youhave got."
He hastily took the packet from the hand of the youngster, who lookedquite disconcerted, weighed it in his hand and said, turning to Publius:
"There is something tolerably heavy in this--what can it contain?"
"I am quite inexperienced in such matters," replied the Roman.
"And I much experienced," answered Lysias. "It might be, wait-it mightbe the clasp of her girdle in here. Feel, it is certainly somethinghard."
Publius carefully felt the packet that the Corinthian held out to him,with his fingers, and then said with a smile:
"I can guess what you have there, and if I am right I shall be muchpleased. Irene, I believe, has returned you the gold bracelet on alittle wooden tablet."
"Nonsense!" answered Lysias. "The ornament was prettily wrought and ofsome value, and every girl is fond of ornaments."
"Your Corinthian friends are, at any rate. But look what the wrappercontains."
"Do you open it," said the Corinthian.
Publius first untied a thread, then unfolded a small piece of whitelinen, and came at last to an object wrapped in a bit of flimsy, cheappapyrus. When this last envelope was removed, the bracelet was in factdiscovered, and under it lay a small wax tablet.
Lysias was by no means pleased with this discovery, and lookeddisconcerted and annoyed at the return of his gift; but he soon masteredhis vexation, and said turning to his friend, who was not in the leastmaliciously triumphant, but who stood looking thoughtfully at theground.
"Here is something on the little tablet--the sauce no doubt to thepeppered dish she has set before me."
"Still, eat it," interrupted Publius. "It may do you good for thefuture."
Lysias took the tablet in his hand, and after considering it carefullyon both sides he said:
"It belongs to the sculptor, for there is his name. And there--why shehas actually spiced the sauce or, if you like it better the bitter dose,with verses. They are written more clearly than beautifully, still theyare of the learned sort."
"Well?" asked the Roman with curiosity, as Lysias read the lines tohimself; the Greek did not look up from the writing but sighed softly,and rubbing the side of his finely-cut nose with his finger he replied:
"Very pretty, indeed, for any one to whom they are not directlyaddressed. Would you like to hear the distich?"
"Read it to me, I beg of you."
"Well then," said the Corinthian, and sighing again he read aloud;
'Sweet is the lot of the couple whom love has united; But gold is a debt, and needs must at once be restored.'
"There, that is the dose. But doves are not human creatures, and Iknow at once what my answer shall be. Give me the fibula, Publius, thatclasps that cloak in which you look like one of your own messengers. Iwill write my answer on the wax."
The Roman handed to Lysias the golden circlet armed with a strong pin,and while he stood holding his cloak together with his hands, as hewas anxious to avoid recognition by the passers-by that frequented thisstreet, the Corinthian wrote as follows:
"When doves are courting the lover adorns himself only; But when a youth loves, he fain would adorn his beloved."
"Am I allowed to hear it?" asked Publius, and his friend at once readhim the lines; then he gave the tablet to the boy, with the braceletwhich he hastily wrapped up again, and desired him to take it backimmediately to the fair Irene. But the Roman detained the lad, andlaying his hand on the Greek's shoulder, he asked him: "And if the younggirl accepts this gift, and after it many more besides--since you arerich enough to make her presents to her heart's content--what then,Lysias?"
"What then?" repeated the other with more indecision and embarrassmentthan was his wont. "Then I wait for Klea's return home and--Aye! you maylaugh at me, but I have been thinking seriously of marrying this girl,and taking her with me to Corinth. I am my father's only son, and forthe last three years he has given me no peace. He is bent on my mother'sfinding me a wife or on my choosing one for myself. And if I took himthe pitch-black sister of this swarthy lout I believe he would be glad.I never was more madly in love with any girl than with this littleIrene, as true as I am your friend; but I know why you are looking at mewith a frown like Zeus the Thunderer. You know of what consequence ourfamily is in Corinth, and when I think of that, then to be sure--"
"Then to be sure?" enquired the Roman in sharp, grave tone.
"Then I reflect that a water-bearer--the daughter of an outlawed man, inour house--"
"And do you consider mine as being any less illustrious in Rome thanyour own is in Corinth?" asked Publius sternly.
"On the contrary, Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica. We are important byour wealth, you by your power and estates."
"So it is--and yet I am about to conduct Irene's sister Klea as mylawful wife to my father's house."
"You are going to do that!" cried Lysias springing from his seat, andflinging himself on the Roman's breast, though at this moment a partyof Egyptians were passing by in the deserted street. "Then all is well,then--oh! what a weight is taken off my mind!--then Irene shall bemy wife as sure as I live! Oh Eros and Aphrodite and Father Zeus andApollo! how happy I am! I feel as if the biggest of the Pyramids yonderhad fallen off my heart. Now, you rascal, run up and carry to the fairIrene, the betrothed of her faithful Lysias--mark what I say--carry herat once this tablet and bracelet. But you will not say it right; I willwrite here above my distich: 'From the faithful Lysias to the fair Irenehis future wife.' There--and now I think she will not send the thingback again, good girl that she is! Listen, rascal, if she keeps it youmay swallow cakes to-day out on the Grand Square till you burst--andyet I have only just paid five gold pieces for you. Will she keep thebracelet, Publius--yes or no?"
"She will keep it."
A few minutes later the boy came hurrying back, and pulling the Greekvehemently by his dress, he cried:
"Come, come with me, into the house." Lysias with a light and gracefulleap sprang right over the little fellow's head, tore open the door, andspread out his arms as he caught sight of Irene, who, though tremblinglike a hunted gazelle, flew down the narrow ladder-like stairs to meethim, and fell on his breast laughing and crying and breathless.
In an instant their lips met, but after this first kiss she tore herselffrom his arms, rushed up the stairs again, and then, from the top step,shouted joyously:
"I could not help seeing you this once! now farewell till Klea comes,then we meet again," and she vanished into an upper room.
Lysias turned to his friend like one intoxicated, he threw himself downon his bench, and said:
"Now the heavens may fall, nothing can trouble me! Ye immortal gods, howfair the world is!"
"Strange boy!" exclaimed the Roman, interrupting his friend's rapture."You can not stay for ever in this dingy stall."
"I will not stir from this spot till Klea comes. The boy there shallfetch me victuals as an old sparrow feeds his young; and if necessary Iwill lie here for a week, like the little sardines they preserve in oilat Alexandria."
"I hope you will have only a few hours to wait; but I must go, for I amplanning a rare surprise for King Euergetes on his birthday, and mustgo to the palace
. The festival is already in full swing. Only listen howthey are shouting and calling down by the harbor; I fancy I can hear thename of Euergetes."
"Present my compliments to the fat monster! May we meet againsoon--brother-in-law!"