Chapter LIX
FOR some time Vinicius had spent his nights away from home. It occurredto Petronius that perhaps he had formed a new plan, and was working toliberate Lygia from the Esquiline dungeon; he did not wish, however, toinquire about anything, lest he might bring misfortune to the work. Thissceptical exquisite had become in a certain sense superstitious. He hadfailed to snatch Lygia from the Mamertine prison, hence had ceased tobelieve in his own star.
Besides, he did not count this time on a favorable outcome for theefforts of Vinicius. The Esquiline prison, formed in a hurry from thecellars of houses thrown down to stop the fire, was not, it is true,so terrible as the old Tullianum near the Capitol, but it was a hundredtimes better guarded. Petronius understood perfectly that Lygia had beentaken there only to escape death and not escape the amphitheatre. Hecould understand at once that for this very reason they were guardingher as a man guards the eye in his head.
"Evidently," said he to himself, "Caesar and Tigellinus have reserved herfor some special spectacle, more dreadful than all others, and Viniciusis more likely to perish than rescue her."
Vinicius, too, had lost hope of being able to free Lygia. Christ alonecould do that. The young tribune now thought only of seeing her inprison.
For some time the knowledge that Nazarius had penetrated the Mamertineprison as a corpse-bearer had given him no peace; hence he resolved totry that method also.
The overseer of the "Putrid Pits," who had been bribed for an immensesum of money, admitted him at last among servants whom he sent nightlyto prisons for corpses. The danger that Vinicius might be recognized wasreally small. He was preserved from it by night, the dress of a slave,and the defective illumination of the prison. Besides, into whose headcould it enter that a patrician, the grandson of one consul, the son ofanother, could be found among servants, corpse-bearers, exposed to themiasma of prisons and the "Putrid Pits"? And he began work to which menwere forced only by slavery or the direst need.
When the desired evening came, he girded his loins gladly, covered hishead with a cloth steeped in turpentine, and with throbbing heart betookhimself, with a crowd of others, to the Esquiline.
The pretorian guards made no trouble, for all had brought propertesserae, which the centurion examined by the light of a lantern. After awhile the great iron doors opened before them, and they entered.
Vinicius saw an extensive vaulted cellar, from which they passed to aseries of others. Dim tapers illuminated the interior of each, which wasfilled with people. Some of these were lying at the walls sunk in sleep,or dead, perhaps. Others surrounded large vessels of water, standingin the middle, out of which they drank as people tormented with fever;others were sitting on the grounds, their elbows on their knees, theirheads on their palms; here and there children were sleeping, nestled upto their mothers. Groans, loud hurried breathing of the sick, weeping,whispered prayers, hymns in an undertone, the curses of overseerswere heard round about it. In this dungeon was the odor of crowds andcorpses. In its gloomy depth dark figures were swarming; nearer, closeto flickering lights, were visible faces, pale, terrified, hungry, andcadaverous, with eyes dim, or else flaming with fever, with lips blue,with streams of sweat on their foreheads, and with clammy hair. Incorners the sick were moaning loudly; some begged for water; others, tobe led to death. And still that prison was less terrible than the oldTullianum. The legs bent under Vinicius when he saw all this, and breathwas failing in his breast. At the thought that Lygia was in the midst ofthis misery and misfortune, the hair rose on his head, and he stifleda cry of despair. The amphitheatre, the teeth of wild beasts, thecross,--anything was better than those dreadful dungeons filled withthe odor of corpses, places in which imploring voices called from everycorner,--
"Lead us to death!"
Vinicius pressed his nails into his palms, for he felt that he wasgrowing weak, and that presence of mind was deserting him. All that hehad felt till then, all his love and pain, changed in him to one desirefor death.
Just then near his side was heard the overseer of the "Putrid Pits",
"How many corpses have ye to-day?"
"About a dozen," answered the guardian of the prison, "but there will bemore before morning; some are in agony at the walls."
And he fell to complaining of women who concealed dead children so asto keep them near and not yield them to the "Putrid Pits." "We mustdiscover corpses first by the odor; through this the air, so terriblealready, is spoiled still more. I would rather be a slave in some ruralprison than guard these dogs rotting here while alive--"
The overseer of the pits comforted him, saying that his own service wasno easier. By this time the sense of reality had returned to Vinicius.He began to search the dungeon; but sought in vain for Lygia, fearingmeanwhile that he would never see her alive. A number of cellars wereconnected by newly made passages; the corpse-bearers entered only thosefrom which corpses were to be carried. Fear seized Vinicius lest thatprivilege which had cost so much trouble might serve no purpose. Luckilyhis patron aided him.
"Infection spreads most through corpses," said he. "Ye must carry outthe bodies at once, or die yourselves, together with the prisoners."
"There are only ten of us for all the cellars," said the guardian, "andwe must sleep."
"I will leave four men of mine, who will go through the cellars at nightto see if these are dead."
"We will drink to-morrow if thou do that. Everybody must be taken to thetest; for an order has come to pierce the neck of each corpse, and thento the 'Putrid Pits' at once with it."
"Very well, but we will drink," said the overseer.
Four men were selected, and among them Vinicius; the others he took toput the corpses on the biers.
Vinicius was at rest; he was certain now at least of finding Lygia. Theyoung tribune began by examining the first dungeon carefully; he lookedinto all the dark corners hardly reached by the light of his torch; heexamined figures sleeping at the walls under coarse cloths; he saw thatthe most grievously ill were drawn into a corner apart. But Lygia hefound in no place. In a second and third dungeon his search was equallyfruitless.
Meanwhile the hour had grown late; all corpses had been carried out.The guards, disposing themselves in the corridors between cellars, wereasleep; the children, wearied with crying, were silent; nothing washeard save the breathing of troubled breasts, and here and there themurmur of prayer.
Vinicius went with his torch to the fourth dungeon, which wasconsiderably smaller. Raising the light, he began to examine it, andtrembled all at once, for it seemed to him that he saw, near a latticedopening in the wall, the gigantic form of Ursus. Then, blowing out thelight, he approached him, and asked,
"Ursus, art thou here?"
"Who art thou?" asked the giant, turning his head.
"Dost not know me?"
"Thou hast quenched the torch; how could I know thee?"
But at that moment Vinicius saw Lygia lying on a cloak near the wall;so, without speaking further, he knelt near her. Ursus recognized him,and said,--
"Praise be to Christ! but do not wake her, lord."
Vinicius, kneeling down, gazed at her through his tears. In spite of thedarkness he could distinguish her face, which seemed to him as pale asalabaster, and her emaciated arms. At that sight he was seized by alove which was like a rending pain, a love which shook his soul toits uttermost depth, and which at the same time was so full of pity,respect, and homage that he fell on his face, and pressed to his lipsthe hem of the cloak on which rested that head dearer to him than allelse on earth.
Ursus looked at Vinicius for a long time in silence, but at last hepulled his tunic.
"Lord," asked he, "how didst thou come, and hast thou come here to saveher?"
Vinicius rose, and struggled for a time with his emotion. "Show me themeans," replied he.
"I thought that thou wouldst find them, lord. Only one method came to myhead--"
Here he turned toward the grating in the wall, as if in answer tohimself
, and said,--
"In that way--but there are soldiers outside--"
"A hundred pretorians."
"Then we cannot pass?"
"No!"
The Lygian rubbed his forehead, and asked again,--
"How didst thou enter?"
"I have a tessera from the overseer of the 'Putrid Pits.'" Then Viniciusstopped suddenly, as if some idea had flashed through his head.
"By the Passion of the Redeemer," said he, in a hurried voice, "I willstay here. Let her take my tessera; she can wrap her head in a cloth,cover her shoulders with a mantle, and pass out. Among the slaves whocarry out corpses there are several youths not full grown; hence thepretorians will not notice her, and once at the house of Petronius sheis safe."
But the Lygian dropped his head on his breast, and said,--"She would notconsent, for she loves thee; besides, she is sick, and unable to standalone. If thou and the noble Petronius cannot save her from prison, whocan?" said he, after a while.
"Christ alone."
Then both were silent.
"Christ could save all Christians," thought the Lygian, in his simpleheart; "but since He does not save them, it is clear that the hour oftorture and death has come."
He accepted it for himself, but was grieved to the depth of his soul forthat child who had grown up in his arms, and whom he loved beyond life.
Vinicius knelt again near Lygia. Through the grating in the wallmoonbeams came in, and gave better light than the one candle burningyet over the entrance. Lygia opened her eyes now, and said, placing herfeverish hand on the arm of Vinicius,
"I see thee; I knew that thou wouldst come."
He seized her hands, pressed them to his forehead and his heart, raisedher somewhat, and held her to his breast.
"I have come, dearest. May Christ guard and free thee, beloved Lygia!"He could say no more, for the heart began to whine in his breast frompain and love, and he would not show pain in her presence.
"I am sick, Marcus," said Lygia, "and I must die either on the arenaor here in prison--I have prayed to see thee before death; thou hastcome,--Christ has heard me."--
Unable to utter a word yet, he pressed her to his bosom, and shecontinued,--
"I saw thee through the window in the Tullianum. I saw that thou hadstthe wish to come to me. Now the Redeemer has given me a moment ofconsciousness, so that we may take farewell of each other. I am going toHim, Marcus, but I love thee, and shall love always."
Vinicius conquered himself; he stifled his pain and began to speak in avoice which he tried to make calm,--
"No, dear Lygia, thou wilt not die. The Apostle commanded me to believe,and he promised to pray for thee; he knew Christ,--Christ loved him andwill not refuse him. Hadst thou to die, Peter would not have commandedme to be confident; but he said, 'Have confidence!'--No, Lygia! Christwill have mercy. He does not wish thy death. He will not permit it.I Swear to thee by the name of the Redeemer that Peter is praying forthee."
Silence followed. The one candle hanging above the entrance went out,but moonlight entered through the whole opening. In the opposite cornerof the cellar a child whined and was silent. From outside came thevoices of pretorians, who, after watching their turn out, were playingunder the wall at scriptoe duodecim.
"O Marcus," said Lygia, "Christ Himself called to the Father, 'Removethis bitter cup from Me'; still He drank it. Christ Himself died on thecross, and thousands are perishing for His sake. Why, then, should Hespare me alone? Who am I, Marcus? I have heard Peter say that he toowould die in torture. Who am I, compared with Peter? When the pretorianscame to us, I dreaded death and torture, but I dread them no longer. Seewhat a terrible prison this is, but I am going to heaven. Think of it:Caesar is here, but there the Redeemer, kind and merciful. And there isno death there. Thou lovest me; think, then, how happy I shall be. Oh,dear Marcus, think that thou wilt come to me there."
Here she stopped to get breath in her sick breast, and then raised hishand to her lips,--
"Marcus?"
"What, dear one?"
"Do not weep for me, and remember this,--thou wilt come to me. I havelived a short time, but God gave thy soul to me; hence I shall tellChrist that though I died, and thou wert looking at my death, thoughthou wert left in grief, thou didst not blaspheme against His will, andthat thou lovest Him always. Thou wilt love Him, and endure my deathpatiently? For then He will unite us. I love thee and I wish to be withthee."
Breath failed her then, and in a barely audible voice she finished,
"Promise me this, Marcus!"
Vinicius embraced her with trembling arms, and said,
"By thy sacred head! I promise."
Her pale face became radiant in the sad light of the moon, and once moreshe raised his hand to her lips, and whispered,--
"I am thy wife!"
Beyond the wall the pretorians playing scriptoe duodecim raised a louderdispute; but Vinicius and Lygia forgot the prison, the guards, theworld, and, feeling within them the souls of angels, they began to pray.
Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero Page 59
