CHAPTER XII.
THE FALL OF THE VEILS.
Lucius and Domitia stepped out of the boat; he moored it to the side, andthey walked together to the little temple. This was not one to which acollege of priests was attached, nor even an aediculum, with a guardian whohad charge of it, to open it on special festivals; it had been erected bythe father of Corbulo in deference to the wish of his wife, who had takenit into her head to become a votary of Isis, this having become afashionable cult. But on her death the doors had been closed, and it hadfallen into neglect, till the return of Longa Duilia from the East withthe Chaldee Magus from Antioch. It was now fashionable to dabble insorcery, and a distinguished lady liked to be able to talk of her Magus,to seek his advice, and, at table, air a superficial familiarity with thestars, and the Powers and AEons, the endless genealogies of emanations fromthe primaeval and eternal Light.
Longa had engaged the Magus when at Antioch, but when somewhat summarilysent to Europe by her husband, she had not taken her Chaldaean magicianwith her. As, however, she had no wish to appear in Rome without him, shehad laid it on her husband when he returned to bring the man with him, andif he did not return himself, to despatch the Magus to her.
On her arrival in the villa at Gabii, she had given up the temple of Isisto Elymas, and he had converted it into a place for study.
Before the door hung a heavy curtain, and this Lamia raised to allowDomitia to pass within. The interior would have been wholly dark, but thata brazier with glowing charcoal stood within, and into the fire themagician threw gums, that flamed up and diffused a fragrant smoke.
By the flicker Domitia observed that a bed was laid above a small fissurein the marble floor--a rent caused by earthquake--through which vapor of anintoxicating nature issued.
On this bed lay a woman, or rather a figure that Domitia took to be thatof a woman, but it was covered with much drapery that concealed face andhands.
The brazier was near the head, and by it stood Elymas in a tall headdress,with horns affixed, that met in front. He wore a black garment reaching tothe feet.
In the darkness nothing could be seen save his erect figure, and faceshining out like a lamp, when he cast resinous drops on the fire, and themotionless couched form of the woman.
Domitia, somewhat frightened, put her hand on the arm of Lamia, to makesure that he was present and could assist her, should need for assistancearise;--that is to say, should her courage fail, or the visions sheexpected to see prove too alarming.
Then the Magus said:
"As I have told thee, lady, out of the ineffable Light stream rays thatare both luminous and life-producing. These rays penetrate to the lowestprofundity of matter, and as they pass through the higher atmospheres,gather about them the particles of vapor, and become angels and demons.But other rays passing further down, and assuming grosser envelopes,become men and women, some more animal than others, some with higherspiritual natures than the rest, according as in them matter or spiritdominates. And the rays darting into further depths become the beasts ofthe field, the fishes of the sea, even the very worm that bores in thesoil. As thou knowest, he who stands on a high mountain can see farhorizons to right and to left as well as the objects below him. So, to theEternal, all is visible, the past on one side, the present before Him, andthe future on the other side, all in one vision. To Him there is no past,and no present, and no future, for Time is not--all is comprehended in oneview. But we, who are below, see only the present, remember the past, andconjecture what is future. If we would see future as well as past, we mustrise above matter, mount from our base level to the altitude of spirit.Thence all is clear. But this is not possible to all, only to those electones in whom the flesh is subdued, and to it the spirit remains attachedonly by a fibre. Such is Helena. Through her thou shalt see what thoudesirest. Now behold!"
He pointed into the darkness before him, and both Domitia and Lucius saw aspark that grew in intensity and shone like a star.
"That," said Elymas, "is a crystal. It is the lens through which the raysof the Eternal and Immortal Light pass to the soul of Helena, out ofInfinite Altitude and Illimitable Space. She is enveloped in seven veils.Now she lieth in a trance, and seeth naught. But I will invoke this Fountof Life and Light and Knowledge, and will gather the rays together intoher soul through yonder crystal, and she will see in vision what thoudesirest. Seven veils cover her, and seven are the revelations that willbe made. I cannot assure thee that all will be future--some may be scenesof the past, for to the All-Seeing, the Eye of Eternity, there is neitherpast nor future; all is present."
"Well, so be it," said Lamia, "By the past we can judge the future. Let ussee things that have been and we can form some notion of what is shown usas future. If the one be incorrect, then the other is untrustworthy."
"Thou shalt behold nothing," said the Magus, "for it is not thou whoconsultest me, but the lady Domitia Longina."
"How shall I see, and not he who stands beside me?" asked the girl. Herheart fluttered with apprehension.
The sorcerer stooped, and drew from under the covering the right hand ofthe prostrate woman, and bade Domitia hold it.
She took the hand in hers; it was stiff and cold as that of a corpse, andshe shuddered.
"Hold her hand in thine," said Elymas, "and I will invoke the Source ofSpirits, and as I withdraw each veil that covers her face, she will seesomething, and she seeing it, the sense of sight will pass through herhand to thee, and thou wilt see also, inwardly, yet very really. Only letnot go her hand, or all will become dark."
Then he went before the crystal, that stood on an altar like a truncatedcolumn; and he uttered words rapidly in a strange tongue, then turned,threw a handful of spices upon the coals, and a dense aromatic smokefilled the interior. It dissipated, and Domitia uttered a faint cry.
"What ails thee?" asked Lucius.
Thinking she was frightened, he added--"Let us go forth. This is merejugglery."
"But I see," she said in tremulous tones.
"What dost thou see?"
"O Lucius! It is the garden at Cenchraea--and my father! O, my father!" shesobbed.
One veil had been withdrawn.
"Enough," said Lucius. "I think naught of this: every one is aware how thenoble Cnaeus Corbulo came by his death."
"Then see again," said the Magus. He took hold of a second veil thatcovered the prostrate woman, drew it off, and let it fall on the ground.
Lucius felt the left hand of Domitia contract suddenly on his arm. Helooked before him, but saw nothing save the crystal, in which movedlights. It was iridescent as an opal.
Then Domitia exclaimed:
"It was he! the physician Luke--who cut the thong. But for him, we shouldhave run down the Imperial trireme. He did it!"
"What mean you?" asked the young man in surprise.
"Lucius, I see it all--the sea, the vessel on which is Nerocarousing;--ourselves--we are running at her. And he has cut the thong, thepaddle flies up, and our course is altered."
Then the Magus uttered a few words, and withdrew the third veil.
The young man heard his companion breathing heavily; but she said nothing.He waited awhile and then, stooping to her, asked:
"Seest thou aught?"
"Yes," she answered in a whisper. "Yet not with my bodily eyes, I know nothow--but I see--"
"What?"
"The end of Nero. Now thou hast thrown the mantle over his face--enough!"
Then Elymas turned and said:
"Hitherto thou hast beheld that which is past. Sufficeth it? or wilt thoueven look into that which is to be?"
"It sufficeth," said Lucius, and would have drawn his companion away. Butshe held to the hand of the woman on the bed, and said firmly:
"No, my friend. Now I have seen things that are past, I will even lookinto the future. It was for this I came hither."
And now again did the magician utter prayers, and wave his hands.Thereupon
strange lights and changes appeared in the crystal, and itseemed of milky moonlight hue, yet with shoots as of lightning traversingit. All at once the Magus took off the fourth veil and cast it on themarble floor.
Lucius remained motionless, looking at the changing light in the crystal,and feeling the nervous hand of Domitia twitching on his arm. He thoughtthat he heard her laugh, but almost immediately with a cry, she loosed herhand from the unconscious woman on the couch, threw her arms round theneck of Lamia, and sank sobbing on his breast.
It was some time before she was sufficiently recovered to speak, and thenwas reluctant to disclose what she had seen. Lucius, however, urged herwith gentle persuasion, and, clinging to him, between sobs, in whispersshe confided:
"Oh, Lucius! I thought--I--I saw that the day had come when you andI--Lucius, when I went to your house and was lifted across the threshold,and then, as I stretched my hands to you and took yours--then, all at once,a red face came up behind--whence I know not--and two long hands thrust usapart. Then I let go--I let go--and--and I saw no more."
"When that day comes, my Domitia, no hands shall divide us, no face bethrust between. Now come forth. You have seen enough."
"Nay, I will look to the end." She took the hand of Helena, into whichsome flexibility and warmth were returning.
"Art thou willing?" asked the Magus.
She nodded, and the fifth veil fell.
For full five minutes Domitia stood rigid, without moving a muscle, hardlybreathing.
Then Lucius said:
"See what a purple light shines out of the crystal. What is thy visionnow, Domitia? By the light that beams, it should be right royal."
"It is royal," she said in faint tones. "Lucius! what that Christianprophet spoke, that have I also seen--the beast with seven heads, onewounded to the death, and there cometh up another out of the deadly wound,and--it hath the red face I saw but just now. And it climbeth to a throneand lifteth me up to sit thereon. Away with the vision. It offendeth me.It maketh my blood turn ice cold!"
"Hast thou a desire to see further?" asked the Magus.
"I can see naught worse than this," said Domitia.
A shudder ran through her, and her teeth chattered as with frost.
Then Elymas again waved his hands, and chanted, "Askion, Kataskion, lix,Tetras, damnameneus," and raised and cast down the sixth veil.
At once from the crystal a red light shone forth, and suffused the wholecell of the temple with a blood-colored illumination, and by it Luciuscould see that there was in it no image present, only a dense black veilbehind the altar on which the stone glowed like a carbuncle. He heard thebreath pass through the teeth of Domitia, like the hissing of a serpent.He looked at her, her face was terrible, inflamed. The eyes stiffened, theteeth were set, the brow knitted and lowering. Then she said:
"I stand on the beast, and the sword of my father pierces his heart."
Lucius wondered; there was a look of hate, a hideousness in her face, suchas he had not conceived it possible so beautiful and sweet a countenancecould have assumed.
Then Elymas cast off the last veil.
For a moment all was darkness. The red light in the crystal had expired.In stillness and suspense, not without fear, all waited, all standing saveHelena, who had recovered from her trance, and she paused expectant on hercouch.
Then a minute spark appeared in the crystal, of the purest white light,that grew, rapidly sending out wave on wave of brilliance, so intense, sosplendid, so dazzling, that the magician, unable to endure the effulgence,turned and threw himself into a corner, and wrapped his head about withhis mantle. And the medium turned with a cry, as though the light causedher physical pain, buried her face in the pillow, and groped on the floorfor the veils to cast over her head to exclude the light.
Lucius, unable to endure the splendor, covered his eyes with his palm.
But Domitia looked at it, and her face grew soft, the scowl went from herbrow, and a wondrous tenderness and sorrow came into her eyes; great tearsrose and rolled down her cheeks, and glittered like diamonds in thedazzling beam.
Then she said with a sob:
"_Ubi lux--ibi Felicitas._"
Suddenly an explosion. The orb was shattered into a thousand sparks, andall was black again in the temple--black as deepest night.
Then Lucius caught Domitia to him, put his hand behind him, drew back thecurtain, and carried her forth into the calm evening air, and the light ofthe aurora hanging over the setting sun.
She sobbed, gradually recovered herself, drew a profound sigh, and said:
"Oh, Lucius! where is light, there is felicity!"
"SHE SAID WITH A SOB: 'UBI LUX--IBI FELICITAS.'" _Page 104._]