Quo Vadis - Henryk Sienkiewicz (best ereader under 100 .txt) 📗

Chapter XIX

BARELY had Vinicius finished reading when Chilo pushed quietly into his

library, unannounced by any one, for the servants had the order to admit

him at every hour of the day or night.

 

“May the divine mother of thy magnanimous ancestor Æneas be full of

favor to thee, as the son of Maia was kind to me.”

 

“What dost thou mean?” asked Vinicius, springing from the table at which

he was sitting.

 

Chilo raised his head and said, “Eureka!”

 

The young patrician was so excited that for a long time he could not

utter a word.

 

“Hast thou seen her?” asked he, at last.

 

“I have seen Ursus, lord, and have spoken with him.”

 

“Dost thou know where they are secreted?”

 

“No, lord. Another, through boastfulness, would have let the Lygian

know that he divined who he was; another would have tried to extort from

him the knowledge of where he lived, and would have received either a

stroke of the fist,—after which all earthly affairs would have become

indifferent to him,—or he would have roused the suspicion of the giant

and caused this,—that a new hiding-place would be found for the girl,

this very night perhaps. I did not act thus. It suffices me to know

that Ursus works near the Emporium, for a miller named Demas, the same

name as that borne by thy freedman; now any trusted slave of thine may

go in the morning on his track, and discover their hiding place. I

bring thee merely the assurance that, since Ursus is here, the divine

Lygia also is in Rome, and a second news that she will be in Ostrianum

to-night, almost certainly—”

 

“In Ostrianum? Where is that?” interrupted Vinicius, wishing evidently

to run to the place indicated.

 

“An old hypogeum between the Viæ Salaria and Nomentana. That pontifex

maximus of the Christians, of whom I spoke to thee, and whom they

expected somewhat later, has come, and to-night he will teach and

baptize in that cemetery. They hide their religion, for, though there

are no edicts to prohibit it as yet, the people hate them, so they must

be careful. Ursus himself told me that all, to the last soul, would be

in Ostrianum to-night, for every one wishes to see and hear him who was

the foremost disciple of Christ, and whom they call Apostle. Since

among them women hear instruction as well as men, Pomponia alone perhaps

of women will not be there; she could not explain to Aulus, a worshipper

of the ancient gods, her absence from home at night. But Lygia, lord,

who is under the care of Ursus and the Christian elders, will go

undoubtedly with other women.”

 

Vinicius, who had lived hitherto in a fever, and upheld as it were, by

hope alone, now that his hope seemed fulfilled felt all at once the

weakness that a man feels after a journey which has proved beyond his

strength. Chilo noticed this, and resolved to make use of it.

 

“The gates are watched, it is true, by thy people, and the Christians

must know that. But they do not need gates. The Tiber, too, does not

need them; and though it is far from the river to those roads, it is

worth while to walk one road more to see the ‘Great Apostle.’ Moreover

they may have a thousand ways of going beyond the walls, and I know that

they have. In Ostrianum thou wilt find Lygia; and even should she not

be there, which I will not admit, Ursus will be there, for he has

promised to kill Glaucus. He told me himself that he would be there,

and that he would kill him. Dost hear, noble tribune? Either thou wilt

follow Ursus and learn where Lygia dwells, or thou wilt command thy

people to seize him as a murderer, and, having him in thy hand, thou

wilt make him confess where he has hidden Lygia. I have done my best!

Another would have told thee that he had drunk ten cantars of the best

wine with Ursus before he wormed the secret out of him; another would

have told thee that he had lost a thousand sestertia to him in scriptœ

duodecim, or that he had bought the intelligence for two thousand; I

know that thou wouldst repay me doubly, but in spite of that, once in my

life—I mean, as always in my life—I shall be honest, for I think, as

the magnanimous Petronius says, that thy bounty exceeds all my hopes and

expectations.”

 

Vinicius, who was a soldier and accustomed not only to take counsel of

himself in all cases, but to act, was overcome by a momentary weakness

and said,—“Thou wilt not deceive thyself as to my liberality, but first

thou wilt go with me to Ostrianum.”

 

“I, to Ostrianum?” inquired Chilo, who had not the least wish to go

there. “I, noble tribune, promised thee to point out Lygia, but I did

not promise to take her away for thee. Think, lord, what would happen

to me if that Lygian bear, when he had torn Glaucus to pieces, should

convince himself straightway that he had torn him not altogether

justly? Would he not look on me (of course without reason) as the cause

of the accomplished murder? Remember, lord, that the greater

philosopher a man is, the more difficult it is for him to answer the

foolish questions of common people; what should I answer him were he to

ask me why I calumniated Glaucus? But if thou suspect that I deceive

thee, I say, pay me only when I point out the house in which Lygia

lives; show me to-day only a part of thy liberality, so that if thou,

lord (which may all the gods ward from thee), succumb to some accident,

I shall not be entirely without recompense. Thy heart could not endure

that.”

 

Vinicius went to a casket called “area,” standing on a marble pedestal,

and, taking out a purse, threw it to Chilo.

 

“There are scrupula,” said he; “when Lygia shall be in my house, thou

wilt get the same full of aurei.”

 

“Thou art Jove!” exclaimed Chilo.

 

But Vinicius frowned.

 

“Thou wilt receive food here,” said he; “then thou mayest rest. Thou

wilt not leave this house till evening, and when night falls thou wilt

go with me to Ostrianum.”

 

Fear and hesitation were reflected on the Greek’s face for a time; but

afterward he grew calm, and said,—“Who can oppose thee, lord! Receive

these my words as of good omen, just as our great hero received words

like them in the temple of Ammon. As to me, these ‘scruples’” (here he

shook the purse) “have outweighed mine, not to mention thy society,

which for me is delight and happiness.”

 

Vinicius interrupted him impatiently, and asked for details of his

conversation with Ursus. From them it seemed clear that either Lygia’s

hiding-place would be discovered that night, or he would be able to

seize her on the road back from Ostrianum. At thought of this, Vinicius

was borne away by wild delight. Now, when he felt clearly sure of

finding Lygia, his anger against her, and his feeling of offence almost

vanished. In return for that delight he forgave her every fault. He

thought of her only as dear and desired, and he had the same impression

as if she were returning after a long journey. He wished to summon his

slaves and command them to deck the house with garlands. In that hour

he had not a complaint against Ursus, even. He was ready to forgive all

people everything. Chilo, for whom, in spite of his services, he had

felt hitherto a certain repulsion, seemed to him for the first time an

amusing and also an uncommon person. His house grew radiant; his eyes

and his face became bright. He began again to feel youth and the

pleasure of life. His former gloomy suffering had not given him yet a

sufficient measure of how he loved Lygia. He understood this now for

the first time, when he hoped to possess her. His desires woke in him,

as the earth, warmed by the sun, wakes in spring; but his desires this

time were less blind and wild, as it were, and more joyous and tender.

He felt also within himself energy without bounds, and was convinced

that should he but see Lygia with his own eyes, all the Christians on

earth could not take her from him, nor could Cæsar himself.

 

Chilo, emboldened by the young tribune’s delight, regained power of

speech and began to give advice. According to him, it behooved Vinicius

not to look on the affair as won, and to observe the greatest caution,

without which all their work might end in nothing. He implored Vinicius

not to carry off Lygia from Ostrianum. They ought to go there with

hoods on their heads, with their faces hidden, and restrict themselves

to looking at all who were present from some dark corner. When they saw

Lygia, it would be safest to follow her at a distance, see what house

she entered, surround it next morning at daybreak, and take her away in

open daylight. Since she was a hostage and belonged specially to Cæsar,

they might do that without fear of law. In the event of not finding her

in Ostrianum they could follow Ursus, and the result would be the same.

To go to the cemetery with a crowd of attendants was impracticable,—

that might draw attention to them easily; then the