Volume I Part 46 (1/2)
”Naturally burns to rule in Italy.”
”But certainly,” said Petros, much embarra.s.sed, ”cases might occur----”
”Peter,” said Cethegus, now rising indignantly, ”use no phrases and no lies with me; they do no good. See, Petros, this is your old fault; you are ever too cunning to be wise. You think that you must always lie, and are never courageous enough to be truthful. How can you pretend to me that the Emperor does not mean to have Italy again? Whether he will uphold or overthrow the Queen depends upon whether he thinks he will reach his goal more easily with or without her. What his opinion is I am not to know. But, in spite of all your cunning, the next time we meet I will tell you to your face what he intends to do.”
A wicked and bitter smile played upon the amba.s.sador's thin lips.
”Still as proud as ever you were in the schools of logic at Athens,” he said spitefully.
”Yes; and at Athens, you know, I was always the first, Procopius the second, and you came third.”
Syphax just then entered the room.
”A veiled woman, sir,” he said, ”awaits you in the Hall of Jupiter.”
Glad that the conversation was thus interrupted, for he did not feel capable of arguing with the Prefect, Petros said, with a grin:
”I wish you joy of such an interruption.”
”Yes, for your own sake,” answered Cethegus, smiling; and left the room.
”You shall one day repent your sarcasm, haughty man!” thought the Byzantine.
In the hall--which received the name of Jupiter from a beautiful statue, sculptured by Glycon of Athens--Cethegus found a woman, clad richly in the Gothic costume. On his entrance, she threw back the cowl of her brown mantle.
”Princess Gothelindis!” cried the Prefect in surprise. ”What leads you to me?”
”Revenge!” she answered, in a hoa.r.s.e voice, and advanced towards him.
Her features were sharp, but not plain; she would even have been called beautiful, but that her left eye was utterly destroyed, and the whole of her left cheek disfigured by a long scar. The wound seemed to bleed afresh as her cheeks flushed while p.r.o.nouncing the angry word. Such deadly hatred shone from her grey eye, that Cethegus involuntarily retreated.
”Revenge?” he asked. ”On whom?”
”On--of that later. Forgive that I disturb you,” she added, composing herself. ”Your friend Petros of Byzantium is with you, is he not?”
”Yes; but how do you know?”
”Oh! I saw him enter your door before supper,” she answered, with a.s.sumed indifference.
”That is not true,” said Cethegus to himself; ”for he was brought in by the garden-gate. So they have made an appointment here, and I was not to know it. What can they want with me?”
”I will not keep you long,” continued Gothelindis. ”I have only one question to ask of you. Answer briefly, 'yes' or 'no.' I have the power to ruin that woman--the daughter of Theodoric--and I have the will. Are you for me in this, or against me?”
”Oh! friend Petros,” thought the Prefect. ”Now I already know what you intend to do with Amalaswintha. But we will see how far you have gone.--Gothelindis,” he said aloud, ”I readily believe that you wish to ruin the Gothic Queen; but I doubt if you can do so.”
”Listen to me, and then decide whether I can or no. The woman has caused the three dukes to be murdered.”
Cethegus shrugged his shoulders. ”Many people think that.”
”But I can prove it.”
”You don't say so?” exclaimed Cethegus incredulously.