Part 21 (2/2)

”Jesus of Nazareth, he called thee!” she said slowly and as if speaking to an invisible presence. ”And he said at thy call he would give up the world, and suffer death and torture and shame for thee!... Then so be it! And I do defy thee, O man of Galilee! even I, Dea Flavia Augusta, of the imperial House of Caesar! For that man whom I hate and despise, for that man who has defied and shamed me, for that man whose heart and allegiance thou hast filched from Caesar, for him will I do thee battle ... and that heart will I conquer; and it shall be Caesar's and mine--mine--for I will break it and crush it first and then wrest it from thee!”

And even as she spoke, from far away over the hills and beyond the Campania the thunder rolled dully in response.

CHAPTER XIV

”Hast thou an arm like G.o.d? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him.”--JOB XL. 9.

A few moments later Licinia came running back into the room.

”Augusta!” she exclaimed excitedly even before she had crossed the threshold. ”Augusta! quick! the Caesar!”

Dea Flavia started, for she had indeed been suddenly awakened from a dream. Slowly, and with eyes still vague and thoughtful, she turned to her slave.

”The Caesar?” she repeated, whilst a puzzled frown appeared between her brows and the young blood faded from her cheeks. ”The Caesar?”

”Aye,” said the old woman hurriedly. ”He is in the atrium even now, having just arrived, and his slaves fill the vestibule. He desires speech with thee.”

”He does not often come at this hour,” said Dea Flavia, whose face had become very white and set at mention of a name which indeed had the power of rousing terror in every heart just now. ”Doth he seem angered?”

she asked under her breath.

”No, no,” said Licinia rea.s.suringly, ”how could he be angered against thee, my pet lamb? But come quickly, dear, to thy robing room; what dress wilt put on to greet the Caesar in?”

”Nay, nay,” she said with a tremulous little laugh, ”we'll not keep my kinsman waiting. That indeed might anger him. He has been in this room before and hath liked to watch me at my work. Let him come now, an he wills.”

Licinia would have protested for she loved to deck her darling out in all the finery that, to her mind, rendered the Augusta more beautiful than a G.o.ddess, but there was no time to say anything for even now the Caesar's voice was heard at the further end of the atrium.

”Do not disturb your mistress. I'll to her myself. Nay! I'll not be announced. 'Tis an informal cousinly visit I am paying her this morning.”

”He seemeth in good humour,” whispered Dea Flavia, whose little hands were trembling as they made pretence once more of taking up the modelling tools. Licinia hurriedly tried to smooth down the golden hair which had become unruly during the course of the morning, but in her haste only succeeded in completely disarranging it and it fell in wavy ma.s.ses down the young girl's shoulders, all but one plait which remained fixed over her brow like a wide band of gold.

Dea uttered an exclamation of horror and made a quick gesture, trying to capture the recalcitrant curls, even at the very moment that the Emperor Caligula entered the room.

He paused on the threshold and her arms dropped down to her side. Her golden hair fell all round her as she bent her knees making obeisance to the Caesar. There was nothing regal about her now, nothing imperious or proud; she looked just like a child caught unawares at play.

Blus.h.i.+ng with confusion she advanced toward her kinsman, and with head bent received his kiss upon her pure forehead. Nor did she shrink at this loathsome contact which would have filled almost any other woman's heart with horror. To her this man was not really human--he was the Caesar--a supernatural being blessed by the G.o.ds, and endowed by them with supreme majesty and power.

”Dismiss thy slaves,” he said curtly, ”I would have speech with thee.”

He had well schooled his turbulent temper to calmness. After Caius Nepos' departure and a final outburst of unbridled violence, he had plunged into a cold bath and given himself over for half an hour to the ministrations of his slaves. Then, cool and refreshed--at any rate outwardly--he had dressed himself in simple robes, and pa.s.sing right through the halls of the Palace of Tiberius which adjoined his own, he had reached the precincts of Dea Flavia's house, which in its turn ab.u.t.ted on that built by Germanicus.

At any other time but the present one--when his frenzied mind was wholly given over to thoughts of the terrible treachery against his own person--he would have been conscious of Dea Flavia's exquisite beauty, as she stood before him, humble with the proud humility of one who has everything to give and nothing to receive; chaste with that pure ignorance which refuses to know what it cannot condone, and withal a perfect woman, imbued with a fascination which no man had ever been able to resist, for it was the fascination of youthful loveliness combined with the stately aloofness of conscious power.

At any other time but this, the unscrupulous voluptuary would have gazed on his beautiful kinswoman with eyes that would have shamed her with their undisguised admiration, and mayhap his look and actions would have placed a severe test on her loyalty and on her respect for him.

But to-day Caligula only saw in her the tool whom conspirators meant to use for their treacherous ends, her loveliness paled in his eyes before the awful suspicion which he had of her guilt, and whilst she stood quietly awaiting his pleasure, he marvelled how much she knew of the traitors' plans and whether her white fingers would effectually thrust the dagger into an a.s.sa.s.sin's hand.

She had dismissed her slaves at his bidding--all unconscious as she was of any danger that might threaten her through him. He waited for a while in silence, then he said abruptly:

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