Part 23 (2/2)

”No, my lord,” she said slowly, and fixing her eyes fully upon his now, ”but I am prepared to die.”

”To die? What senseless talk is this?”

”Not senseless, my good lord. Even the G.o.ds do allow us poor mortals to find refuge from sorrow in death.”

”So!” he said slowly, still gripping her wrists and peering into her face till his scorching breath made her feel sick and faint. ”That is the way thou wouldst defy the will of Caesar? Death, sayest thou?...

Death and disobedience--rather than submission to the wish of him who has G.o.d-like power on earth. Death!” and he laughed loudly even whilst from afar there came, faint and threatening, the nearer presage of the coming storm. ”What death? A pleasing, dreamless sleep brought on by drugs? A soothing draught that lulls even as it kills--or hadst perchance thought of the arena?... of the tiger that roars?... or the lictor's flail that drives?... hadst thought ... hadst thought ...”

He was foaming at the mouth, his rage was choking him; he had only just enough strength left in him to tear at the neck of his tunic, for the next moment he would have fallen, felled like an ox by the power of his own fury. But as soon as he had released Dea Flavia's wrists and she felt herself free to move, she rose from her knees, and with quick, almost mechanical gesture, she rearranged her disordered robe and shook back the heavy ma.s.ses of her hair. Then she stood quite still, with arms hanging by her side, her head quite erect and her eyes fixed upon that raving monster. When she saw that he had at last regained some semblance of reason she said quite calmly:

”My gracious lord will work his way with his slave, and deal her what death he desires.”

”What!” he murmured incoherently, ”what didst thou say?”

”'Tis death I choose, my lord,” she said simply, ”rather than a husband who was not of mine own seeking.”

For a moment then she did look death straight and calmly in the face, for it was death that looked on her through those blood-shot eyes. He had thrust his lower jaw forward, his teeth, large and yellow, looked like the fangs of a wolf; stertorous breathing escaped his nostrils, and his distorted fingers were working convulsively, like the claws of a beast when it sees its prey.

Caligula would have strangled her then and there without compunction and without remorse. She had defied him and thwarted him even more completely than she knew herself; and there was no death so cruel that he would not gladly have inflicted upon her then.

”Dost dare to defy me...!” he murmured hoa.r.s.ely, ”hast heard what I threatened ...”

She put out her hand, quietly interrupting him.

”I heard the threat, my lord ... and have no fear,” she said.

”No fear of death?”

”None, gracious lord. There is no yoke so heavy as a bond unhallowed.

No death so cruel as the breaking of a heart.”

There was dead silence in the room now; only from a far distant rolls of ceaseless thunder sent their angry echo through the oppressive air.

Caligula was staring at the girl as he would on some unearthly shape.

Gasping he had fallen back a few steps, the convulsive twitching of his fingers ceased, his mouth closed with a snap, and great yellow patches appeared upon his purple cheeks.

Then he slowly pa.s.sed his hand across his streaming forehead, his breathing became slower and more quiet, the heavy lids fell over the protruding eyes.

Caius Julius Caesar Caligula was no fool. His perceptions, in fact, became remarkably acute where his own interests were at stake, and he had the power of curbing that demoniacal temper of his, even in its maddest moment, if self-advantage suddenly demanded it.

He had formed a plan in his head for the trapping of the unknown man who was to mount the throne of Caesar over the murdered body of his Emperor.

Before dealing with the whole band of traitors he wished to know who it was that meant to reap the greatest benefit by the dastardly conspiracy.

There was one man alive in Rome at the present moment who thought to become the successor of Caligula; that one man would be bold enough to woo and win Dea Flavia for wife.

Caligula's one coherent thought ever since Caius Nepos had betrayed the conspiracy to him, was the desire to know who that man was likely to be.

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