CHAPTER XXI.
THE VIRGIN'S WREATH.
"My dear," said Longa Duilia to her daughter, "with wit such as you have,that might be drawn through a needle's eye, it is positively necessary tohave you married as quickly as possible. I can no longer bear theresponsibility of one so full of waywardness and humors as yourself."
"That, mother, is as Lamia chooses. You know that I can marry only him."
"And I do not ask you to take another. I will get it settled forthwith.I'll see his father by adoption and have the settlements looked to. Youare a good match. I presume you are aware of that, and this explainscertain poutings and bad temper. Well--reserve them for Lamia, and don'tvex me. I wash my hands of you, when that you are married. A camel carrieshis own hump, but a man his wife's humors."
Domitia was sufficiently acquainted with her mother's elasticity of spiritand fertility of invention to be satisfied that she had a motive forpressing on her marriage, and what that motive was seemed obvious. But itwas one that distressed her greatly.
"My dearest mother," she said timidly, "I hope--I mean, since you are sogood as not to urge me further to break my engagement with Lamia, that youhave not set your mind--I mean your heart----"
"My excellent child," answered Longa Duilia cutting her daughter short,"make no scruple of blurting out what is on your tongue. You allude toDomitian. Well! If you had common sense, you would know that to get on inlife, one must fit one's heart with the legs of a grasshopper, so as to beable to skip from an inconvenient, into any suitable position. When a dishof ortolans is set on table, none but a fool will dismiss it untasted tobe devoured by the servants in the kitchen!"
"But, mother, he is quite young."
"By the favor of the Gods, Domitia, youths always fall in love with womensomewhat older than themselves. The Gods ordered it for their good. Ifthey, I mean the young men--would only follow their--I mean theGods'--direction, there would be fewer unhappy marriages. For my part, Ican't see anything attractive in half-baked girls."
But the thoughts of her own future, and approaching happiness took up thewhole of Domitia's brain, and left no space for consideration of hermother's schemes, and their chances of success.
The young prince was away. It was, as had been feared, too late for him toreap laurels in Germany, the revolt had been quelled by Cerealis, but asthere was a ferment working in Gaul, it was deemed advisable that Domitianshould go thither and overcome the dissatisfied instead of crossing theAlps. He had accordingly changed his route, and had appeared in Lyons.
The marriage between Domitia and Lamia could not take place so speedily asDuilia desired. She was wishful to have it over before the return to Romeof Domitian, so that she might be left a freer hand, and her daughter putout of the way who, she thought, exercised a peculiar fascination over theyoung prince; but she was unable to decide in her own mind whether whatdrew his eyes towards Domitia was dislike or love; possibly it was acommingling of resentment at her treatment of him, and admiration for herloveliness.
But hindrances arose. Lamia was absent on his estates in Sicily, wherethere had been disturbances among the slaves, and till matters weresettled there, he could not return.
Then came the month of May in which no marriages might be performed owingto the hauntings of the _Lemures_, or ghosts of bad men, and such as hadnot received burial. These, seen in the forms of walking skeletons orbugbears, rioted in that sweetest month of the whole year. Then theyobtained opportunities among the incautious to slip into their bodies, andpossess them with madness, or to take up their abodes in dwelling-housesand disturb the living occupants by phantom appearances and mysterioussounds.
On three days in the month of May special means were adopted to propitiateor scare away these spectres. On the 9th, 11th, and 13th, at midnight, themaster of a house, or, in the event of his death or absence, his widow orwife, walked barefoot before the door to a flowing fountain, where thehands were thrice washed, and then the propitiator of the ghosts returnedhome, and threw black beans over the shoulder, saying: "These I give toyou, and with these beans I ransom myself and mine."
It was supposed that the ghost scrambled for the beans, and so enabled theowner of the house to reach the door before them. There stood the servantsbeating brazen vessels, pots and pans, shouting, "Out with you! Out withyou, ye ghosts!"
At the beginning of June was the cleansing of the Temple of Vesta, andtill that was completed, on the 15th, marriages were forbidden.
Consequently the wedding could not take place much before midsummer, andto this Longa Duilia had to submit.
Domitia was content and happy. She had not been so happy since herfather's death. Indeed till now she had not been able to shake off thepain she had felt at his loss. For to her, that father was the model ofnoble manhood, high-minded, full of integrity, strong yet gentle. She hadoften marvelled at the manner in which he had dealt with her mother, whomshe indeed loved but who somewhat rasped her. With his wife he had everbeen firm yet forbearing. He allowed her to form her little schemes, butalways managed to thwart them when foolish or mischievous, without herperceiving who had put a spoke in the wheel.
Lucius AElius Lamia she looked upon as formed in her father's school, uponhis model. He was modest, honorable, true; a good man to whom she couldgive her whole heart with full assurance that he would treasure the gift,and that she could trust him to be as true to her as she would be true tohim.
Since her father's death, Domitia had felt more than previously theincompatibility of her mind with that of her mother. They had no thoughts,no wishes, no feelings in common. Domitia was a dreamer, speculative, everwith eager mind seeking the things beyond what was known, whereas Duiliahad not a thought, a care that were not material. The lady Duilia carednot a rush about philosophy or the theory of emanations. It was to her amatter of complete indifference whether the established paganism was trueor false. For she had no apprehension of the importance of Truth. And shehad no wish that could not be gratified by money or the acquisition ofposition.
Now also the haunting horror of those waking dreams that she had seen inthe Temple of Isis passed from the heart of the young girl, like thevapors that roll away and disclose the blue heavens and the glorious sun.She had been drifting purposeless; now she saw that she was about to enteron a condition of life in which she would have an object, and would findcomplete happiness in the pursuit of that object,--in the fulfilment of herduties as housewife to a loved husband, in whom she would find strength,sympathy and love.
And now also, for the first time since the death of Corbulo, she sang asshe went about the house, or worked at her bridal dress.
Lamia, on his return from Sicily was surprised to note the change in herappearance. She had been as a beautiful flower bowed by rain and pinchedwith cold, and now, as in renewed sunshine, she bloomed with expandedpetals. Light danced in her blue eyes, and a delicate rose suffused hersmooth cheeks. She had stepped back into the childhood out of which shehad passed on that terrible day at Cenchraea.
And as he looked at her, her eyes sparkling with love and tears of joy, hethought he had never seen one sweeter and to whom he could so whollydevote himself as to his dear Domitia.
Then arrived the eve of the marriage.
The young girl was in the garden, stooping, picking the flowers of whichher virginal crown was to be woven, and singing as she plucked.
Then she came with her lap full of herbs and blossoms to her mother, whosaid:--
"That is right. None may gather the flowers but the bride. By the way,have you heard? Domitian is back from Gaul. I was rejoiced at the news,and have despatched an invitation to him to attend the wedding."
"Oh, mother! it is a bad omen."
At the mention of the name, the vision of the red face, seen at Gabiibetween her own and that of Lamia, started up before her, and she let dropthe lap of flowers, and they fell at her feet.
"By the Gods! what a silly thing thou art!
Quick, gather up the herbs andthen go fetch thy dolls and toys of childhood, they must all this eveningbe offered on the altar of the household gods."
"I have them not, mother."
"Not your dolls!"
"Not one."
"But what have you done with them? I know they were all brought fromAntioch."
"Mother, they have been given away."
"Given away! to whom?"
"To Glyceria, the sister of Euphrosyne."
"But what can have induced you to do this?"
"She is paralyzed, and served by little children in the story of the_Insula_ where she lives. I considered that it would amuse her to dressthe dolls afresh, and perhaps mend broken limbs, and after that she willdistribute them among the little willing children that help her in herinfirmity."
"As the Gods love me!" exclaimed Duilia, "Whoever heard before of suchmadness. Hellebore would not cure it. Verily the more you labor at a holethe greater the hollow. You are a fool, and your folly grows dailygreater. You _must_ present your toys of childhood to the _Lares_, theyexpect it--it is the custom, it is right."
"But I have none left."
"Mother Ops! what is to be done? Run, Eboracus,--run and buy me half adozen dolls--dressed if possible. Domitia, you are determined to bringill-luck on yourself. There is nothing else to be done but for you tospend an hour in playing with the dolls, and then you can present them atthe altar, and the Gods will be none the wiser. Between me and you and thepillars of the peristyle, they are bigger fools than us mortals, andeasier gulled."
Domitia stooped to collect the fallen flowers.
"What is that?" asked her mother--"Oh! right enough, _natrix_,(5) thatdrives away ghosts and nightmare. And that of course is in the virginalwreath, _myosotis_ (Forget-me-not) it dries tears. An Egyptian slave Ihad--he fell ill, so I exposed him on the isle between the two Bridges--hetold me that if one ate the root in the month of Thoth--that is August, oneescaped sore eyes for a twelvemonth. That is right also, the scarletanemone, it betokens the flame of love--and that evergreen its continuance.The centaury--that is the herb of union, it will close a wound so as not toshow even a scar--and in marriage, no better symbol than that. What haveyou here? The _lysimachia_, that gives harmony and agreement of mind. Theysay that a plant of it fastened to the pole of a chariot will make thewildest and most impatient horses pull together. And the herb of theTwelve Gods! quite right, always remember the gods, they come in useful.The vervain--of course, it will give you all you will. But, ye Gods ofOlympus! What have you done to pluck cypress! My dear Domitia, are youmad? Thyme, mint, if you will--but cypress! the tree of the infernal gods,and--as the Gods love me! let me look at your hands! They are red--what haveyou plucked--plucked till your hands are dyed--the _androsoemum!_ Oh!Domitia! ill-fated child--look, look at your hands, the juice has stainedthem, they are dipped in blood."
"ILL-FATED CHILD, LOOK AT YOUR HANDS." _Page 176._]