It was mid-day. Marcus, bathed, anointed, and clad in the robes of hisorder, was standing in one of the splendid apartments of his marblehouse, looking through an opening in the shutters at the passing of theTriumph. Presently old Nehushta joined him. She also was clad in clean,white robes which the slave woman had found for her.
"Have you any news?" asked Marcus impatiently.
"Some, lord, which I have pieced together from what is known by theslave-woman, and by your steward, Stephanus. A beautiful Jewish captiveis to walk in the Triumph and afterwards to be sold with other captivesin the Forum. They heard of her because it is said that there has beena quarrel between Titus and his brother Domitian, and Vespasian also, onaccount of this woman."
"A quarrel? What quarrel?"
"I, or rather your servants, know little of it, but they have heard thatDomitian demanded the girl as a gift, whereon Titus told him that ifhe wished for her, he might buy her. Then the matter was referred toVespasian Caesar, who upheld the decree of Titus. As for Domitian, hewent away in a rage, declaring that he would purchase the girl andremember the affront which had been put upon him."
"Surely the gods are against me," said Marcus, "if they have given meDomitian for a rival."
"Why so, lord? Your money is as good as his, and perhaps you will paymore."
"I will pay to my last piece, but will that free me from the rage andhate of Domitian?"
"Why need he knew that you were the rival bidder?"
"Why? Oh! in Rome everything is known--even the truth sometimes."
"Time enough to trouble when trouble comes. First let us wait and seewhether this maid be Miriam."
"Aye," he answered, "let us wait--since we must."
So they waited and with anxious eyes watched the great show roll bythem. They saw the cars painted with scenes of the taking of Jerusalemand the statues of the gods fashioned in ivory and gold. They saw thepurple hangings of the Babylonian broidered pictures, the wild beasts,and the ships mounted upon wheels. They saw the treasures of the templeand the images of victory, and many other things, for that pageantseemed to be endless, and still the captives and the Emperors did notcome.
One sight there was also that caused Marcus to shrink as though fire hadburned him, for yonder, set in the midst of a company of jugglers andbuffoons that gibed and mocked at them, were the two unhappy men whohad been taken prisoners by the Jews. On they tramped, their hands boundbehind them, clad in full armour, but wearing a woman's distaff wherethe sword should have been, and round their necks the placards whichproclaimed their shame. The brutal Roman mob hooted them also, that mobwhich ever loved spectacles of cruelty and degradation, calling themcowards. One of the men, a bull-necked, black-haired fellow, suffered itpatiently, remembering that at even he must be set free to vanish wherehe would. The other, who was blue-eyed and finer-featured, having gentleblood in his veins, seemed to be maddened by their talk, for he glaredabout him, gnashing his teeth like a wild beast in a cage. Opposite tothe house of Marcus came the climax.
"Cur," yelled a woman in the mob, casting a pebble that struck him onthe cheek. "Cur! Coward!"
The blue-eyed man stopped, and, wheeling round, shouted in answer:
"I am no coward, I who have slain ten men with my own hand, five of themin single combat. You are the cowards who taunt me. I was overwhelmed,that is all, and afterwards in the prison I thought of my wife andchildren and lived on. Now I die and my blood be on you."
Behind him, drawn by eight white oxen, was the model of a ship with thecrew standing on its deck. Avoiding his guard, the man ran down theline of oxen and suddenly cast himself upon the ground before thewooden-wheeled car, which passed over his neck, crushing the life out ofhim.
"Well done! Well done!" shouted the crowd, rejoicing at this unexpectedsight. "Well done! He was brave after all."
Then the body was carried away and the procession moved forward. ButMarcus, who watched, hid his face in his hands, and Nehushta, liftinghers, uttered a prayer for the passing soul of the victim.
Now the prisoners began to go past, marching eight by eight, hundredsupon hundreds of them, and once more the mob shouted and rejoiced overthese unfortunates, whose crime was that they had fought for theircountry to the end. The last files passed, then at a little distancefrom them, tramping forward wearily, appeared the slight figure of agirl dressed in a robe of white silk blazoned at its breast with gold.Her bowed head, from which the curling tresses fell almost to her waist,was bared to the fierce rays of the sun, and on her naked bosom lay anecklace of great pearls.
"Pearl-Maiden, Pearl-Maiden!" shouted the crowd.
"Look!" said Nehushta, gripping the shoulder of Marcus with her hand.
He looked, and after long years once more beheld Miriam, for though hehad heard her voice in the Old Tower at Jerusalem, then her face washidden from him by the darkness. There was the maid from whom he hadparted in the desert village by Jordan, the same, and yet changed.Then she had been a lovely girl, now she was a woman on whom sorrowand suffering had left their stamp. The features were finer, the deep,patient eyes were frightened and reproachful; her beauty was such as wesee in dreams, not altogether that of earth.
"Oh! my darling, my darling," murmured Nehushta, stretching out her armstowards her. "Christ be thanked, that I have found you, my darling."Then she turned to Marcus, who was devouring Miriam with his eyes, andsaid in a fierce voice:
"Roman, now that you see her again, do you still love her as much as ofold time?"
He took no note and she repeated the question. Then he answered:
"Why do you trouble me with such idle words. Once she was a woman to bewon, now she is a spirit to be worshipped."
"Woman or spirit, or woman and spirit, beware how you deal with her,Roman," snarled Nehushta still more fiercely, "or----" and she left herhand fall upon the knife that was hidden in her robe.
"Peace, peace!" said Marcus, and as he spoke the procession came toa halt before his windows. "How weary she is, and sad," he went onspeaking to himself. "Her heart seems crushed. Oh! that I must stay hereand see her thus, who dare not show myself! If she could but know! Ifshe could but know!"
Nehushta thrust him aside and took his place. Fixing her eyes uponMiriam she made some effort of the will, so fierce and concentrated thatbeneath the strain her body shook and quivered. See! Her thought reachedthe captive, for she looked up.
"Stand to one side," she whispered to Marcus, then unlatched theshutters and slowly pushed them open. Now between her and the air wasnothing but the silken curtains. Very gently she parted these with herhands, for some few seconds suffering her face to be seen between them.Then laying her fingers on her lips she drew back and they closed again.
"It is well," she said, "she knows."
"Let her see me also," said Marcus.
"Nay, she can bear no more. Look, look, she faints."
Groaning in bitterness of spirit they watched Miriam, who seemedabout to fall. Now a woman gave her the cup of wine, and drinking sherecovered herself.
"Note that woman," muttered Marcus, "that I may reward her."
"It is needless," answered Nehushta, "she seeks no reward."
"She is more than a Roman, she is a Christian. As she passed it she madea sign of the cross with the cup."
The waggons creaked; the officers shouted; the procession moved forward.From behind the curtain the pair kept their eyes fixed upon Miriam untilshe vanished in the dust and crowd. When she had gone they seemed to seelittle else; even the sight of the glorious Caesars could not hold theireyes.
Marcus summoned the steward, Stephanus.
"Go forth," he said, "and discover when and where the captivePearl-Maiden is to be sold. Then return to me swiftly. Be secret andsilent, and let none suspect whence you come or what you seek. Your lifehangs upon it. Go."
Pearl-Maiden: A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem Page 35
