Volume I Part 39 (2/2)
Theodora now seated herself upright, and fastened the loose folds of her long under-garment with her girdle.
CHAPTER XVII.
Galatea appeared again immediately, accompanied by a little round-backed man, who looked much older than his forty-years justified.
His wise, but pinched features, piercing eyes, and cunning mouth, made a disagreeable impression on all who observed him.
Theodora returned his creeping salutation by a slight nod. Galatea began to paint her eyebrows.
”Empress,” the new-comer began, ”I wonder at your courage. If I were seen here! A moment's rashness would render vain the prudence of nine years!”
”But you will not be seen, Petros,” said Theodora quietly. ”This is the only hour in which I am secure from Justinian's importunate tenderness.
It is his hour of prayer. I must profit by it as much as I can. G.o.d preserve his piety! Galatea, my wine. What! Surely, thou dost not fear to leave me alone with this dangerous seducer?”
The old woman left the room with a hateful grin upon her lips, and soon returned with a jug of sweet heated Chian-wine in one hand, and a cup of honey and water in the other.
”I could not arrange our meeting in the church as usual, where, in the dark confessional, you look exactly like a priest. The Emperor will call you before church-time, and you must be thoroughly instructed beforehand.”
”What is then to be done?”
”Petros,” answered Theodora, leaning comfortably back and sipping the sweet mixture which Galatea now handed to her, ”the day has come which will reward all our years of patience, and make you a great man.”
”It is time, indeed!” observed Petros.
”Do not be impatient, friend.--Galatea, a little more honey.--In order to put you into the right humour for to-day's business, it will be well to remind you of the past, of the manner in which our--friends.h.i.+p originated.”
”What mean you? Wherefore----”
”For many reasons. To begin. You were the cousin and adherent of my deadly enemy, Na.r.s.es. Consequently, you were my enemy too. For years you acted against me in your cousin's service, hurting me but little, and still less benefiting yourself. For Na.r.s.es, your virtuous friend, considers it a point of honour never to do anything for his relations; so that, unlike other courtiers of the realm, he may never be accused of nepotism. Out of pure friends.h.i.+p and virtue, he left you unpromoted.
You remained a simple writer and a poor man. But a clever man like you knows how to help himself. You forged--you doubled the amount of the Emperor's dues. Besides what was demanded by the Emperor, the provinces paid another tax, which Petros and the tax-gatherers shared amongst themselves. For a time all went on smoothly. But once----”
”Empress, I beseech you!”
”I shall soon have finished, friend. But once you had the misfortune to have a new tax-gatherer, who valued the favour of the Empress more than the share of booty which you promised him. He entered into your plans, allowed you to forge the doc.u.ments--and showed them to me!”
”The wretch!” murmured Petros.
”Yes, it was bad enough,” said Theodora smiling, and setting down her gla.s.s. ”So I had the neck of my sly enemy, the confidant of the hated eunuch, under my foot; and, I must confess, I had a great desire to trample upon him. But I sacrificed a short revenge for a great and enduring advantage. I called you to me, and told you to choose whether you would die or serve me for life. You were kind enough to choose the last, and, still the greatest enemies in the eyes of the world, we have secretly worked together for years. No sooner has Na.r.s.es formed a plan, than you reveal it to me. I have rewarded you well. You are now a rich man.”
”Not worth mentioning.”
”Oh, indeed, ungrateful man! My treasurer knows better. You are _very_ rich.”
”Yes, but without dignity or rank. My fellow-students are patricians, great men in the East and West; like Cethegus in Rome, and Procopius here.”
”Patience! From this day you will quickly climb the ladder of ambition.
<script>