Part 28 (2/2)
”One with eyes the fairest Cometh from his dwelling, Some one loves thee, rarest, Bright beyond my telling.
In thy grace thou s.h.i.+nest Like some nymph divinest, In her caverns dewy;-- All delights pursue thee, Soon pied flowers, sweet-breathing, Shall thy head be wreathing.”[126]
[126] Translated by Sh.e.l.ley.
And at the conclusion of the song Artemisia threw her arms around Agias's neck and kissed him; and then with astounding impartiality sprang into Sesostris's lap, and patted the old Ethiop's black cheeks, and bestowed on him all manner of endearing epithets. What was poor Agias to do in such a case? He blankly concluded that it had proved easier to blast the plot of Pratinas and Ahen.o.barbus, than to win the love--as he meant ”love”--of this provokingly affectionate girl. It was growing late. Pratinas might at any time return. And Agias constrained himself to depart.
”By Zeus!” was the exclamation he addressed to himself as he fought his way through the crowds toward his own quarters; ”where will this all end? How much longer are you going to lie in the toils of that most innocent of Circes? Will she never open her eyes? If I could only make her cry, 'I hate you!' there would be some hope; for when one hates, as I want her to, love is but a step away. Confound that Sesostris! For me to have to sit there, and see that baboon kissed and fondled!”
And so reflecting, he reached his rooms. One of the luckless slave-boys who now addressed him as ”Dominus,” was waiting to tell him that a very gaunt, strange-looking man, with an enormous beard, had called to see him while he was out, and would return--so the visitor said--in the evening, for his business was important. ”Pisander,”
remarked Agias; and he stayed in that evening to meet the philosopher, although he had arranged to share a dinner with one or two other freedmen, who were his friends.
The man of learning appeared at a very late hour. In fact, the water-clock showed that it wanted little of midnight before he came.
His explanation was that Valeria had called him in to read verses to a company of friends who were supping with her, and he could not get away sooner. Besides, the dark streets were full of bandits, and he had therefore taken a circuitous route to avoid attack. Agias had to let him ramble through all the details, although he knew very well that Pisander would never have taken so much trouble to come if he had not had information of the first importance to impart.
”And now, my dear Pisander,” ventured the young Greek, at length, ”I will ask Dromo to set something to drink before us; and I hope you will tell me why you have come.”
Pisander glanced timidly over his shoulder, pulled at his beard with suppressed excitement, then bent down, and in a very low voice burst out:--
”Pratinas and”--he hesitated--”Valeria!”
”_Ai”_ cried Agias, ”I have suspected it for a very long time. You are sure the fox has snapped up his goose?”
”By Hercules, very sure! They are planning to go to Egypt. Pratinas has just had a wonderful stroke of luck. He received six hundred thousand sesterces[127] with which to corrupt a jury for some poor wretch who expected to enlist Pratinas's cunning to get him out of the toils of the law. Pratinas calmly put the money in his strong-box, and let the unhappy wight be cast. He is not at all poor--he has ama.s.sed a large fortune while he has been in Rome. Shade of Plato! how this knave has prospered! And now he is arranging with Valeria to strip poor Calatinus of nearly all his valuables, before they fly the country.”
[127] $24,000.
”Ah, luckless Calatinus!” laughed Agias. ”That will be the end of his marrying the handsomest woman in Rome. And so this is what you came here to tell me? It really was a good secret to keep.”
”_St!_” interrupted Pisander, ”Pratinas has something else to attend to. Calatinus will get consolation for losing his dear spouse. I suppose Pratinas wishes to indemnify him, but he himself will make a good bit at the same time.”
In a twinkling a thought had flashed through Agias's mind, that made a cold sweat break out all over him, and a hot surge of blood mount to his head.
”Man, man!” he cried, grasping Pisander's wrists with all his strength, ”speak! Don't look at me this way! Don't say that you mean Artemisia?”
”_Ai!_ You know the girl, then?” said the other, with the most excruciating inquisitiveness.
”Know her?” raged Agias, ”I love the sunbeam on which her eyes rest.
Speak! Tell me all, everything, all about it I Quick! I must know!”
Pisander drew himself together, and with a deliberation that was nearly maddening to his auditor, began:--
”Well, you see, I had occasion this morning to be in Calatinus's library. Yes, I remember, I was just putting the new copy of Theognis back into the cupboard, when I noticed that the Mimnermus was not neatly rolled, and so I happened to stay in the room, and--”
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