Volume I Part 16 (2/2)
”That is only owing to my impatience. The herbs must be gathered during the new moon. I knew it well enough; but, hurried by your insistence, I tried it during the full moon, and, you see, it was not effectual.”
Cethegus shrugged his shoulders.
”But yesterday,” she went on, ”it was new moon. I was not idle with my golden scissors, and when he drinks now----”
”A second Locusta! Well, _my_ comfort is Camilla's beautiful eyes! Does she know of your arts?”
”Not a word to her! She would never suffer it. Silence! She comes!”
The girl entered in great excitement; her oval cheeks were red; a plait of her hair had got loose, and floated over her lovely neck.
”Tell me,” she cried, ”you who are wise and experienced, tell me what to think! I come from the boat. Oh, he has never loved me, the haughty man! He pities, he is sorry for me! No, that is not the right word. I cannot explain it.” And bursting into tears, she hid her face upon her mother's neck.
”What has happened, Camilla?” asked Cethegus.
”Very often before,” she began, with a heavy sigh, ”an expression played about his mouth, and filled his eyes, as if _he_ had been deeply offended by _me_, as if _he_ had to forgive, as if _he_ had made a great sacrifice for me----”
”Raw boys always imagine it to be a sacrifice, when they are in love.”
At this Camilla's eyes flashed; she tossed her head, and turned quickly upon Cethegus.
”Athalaric is no boy, and no one shall laugh at him!”
Cethegus was silent, and quietly dropped his eyelids; but Rusticiana asked in surprise:
”Do you hate the King no more?”
”To the death! He shall be undone, but not mocked!”
”What has happened?” repeated Cethegus.
”To-day I again noticed that puzzling, proud, and cold expression upon his face more distinctly than ever. A little incident occurred which caused the King to speak more plainly. An insect--a beetle--had fallen into the water. The King stooped and took it out, but the little creature turned against the beneficent hand, and bit the fingers that held it. 'The ungrateful thing!' I exclaimed. 'Oh,' said Athalaric, with a bitter smile, 'we wound most those to whom we are most indebted!' and he glanced at me with a sad and proud expression. But, as if he had said too much, he briefly bid me farewell, and went away; but I----” and her bosom heaved, her finely-cut lips were compressed--”I can bear it no longer! The haughty one! He _shall_ love me--or die!”
”That shall he,” said Cethegus inaudibly; ”one or the other.”
CHAPTER XV.
A few days later the court was surprised by a new step towards independence on the part of the young King. He himself summoned a council, a prerogative which, until now, had only been a.s.sumed by Amalaswintha.
The Queen-regent was not a little astonished when a messenger from her son bade her repair to his apartments, where the King had already a.s.sembled several of the highest officials of the realm, both Goths and Romans. Amongst these last were Ca.s.siodorus and Cethegus.
At first the latter had intended to absent himself, in order not by his presence to acknowledge the right which the youth had a.s.sumed; he suspected nothing good. But just for this reason he altered his mind.
”I must not turn my back upon danger, I must face it,” he said as he prepared for the distasteful a.s.sembly.
He found all those who had been invited already collected in the King's chamber. The Queen alone was still absent. When she at last entered, Athalaric, who wore a long and wide purple robe, with the crown of Theodoric s.h.i.+ning upon his brow, and his sword at his side, rose from his throne (behind which was a niche covered by a curtain), advanced to the Queen and led her to a second and higher throne, which, however, was placed on the left. So soon as she was seated he began:
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