And then quickening his voice, as his whole face blazed up into fierce excitement-
The bow it rattled" the arrow flew, It smote his blade-bones through and through, Hurrah!
I sprang at his throat like a wolf of the wood, And I warmed my hands in the smoking blood, Hurrah!
And with a shout that echoed and rang from wall to wall, and pealed away above the roofs, he leapt to his feet with a gesture and look of savage frenzy which made Philammon recoil. But the pa.s.sion was gone in an instant, and Wulf sat down again chuckling to himself-
"There-that is something like a warrior"s song. That makes the old blood spin along again! But this debauching furnace of a climate! no man can keep his muscle, or his courage, or his money, or anything else in it. May the G.o.ds curse the day when first I saw it!"
Philammon said nothing, but sat utterly aghast at an outbreak so unlike Wulf"s usual caustic reserve and stately self-restraint, and shuddering at the thought that it might be an instance of that daemoniac possession to which these barbarians were supposed by Christians and by Neo-Platonists to be peculiarly subject. But the horror was not yet at its height; for in another minute the doors of the women"s court flew open, and, attracted by Wulf"s shout, out poured the whole Baccha.n.a.lian crew, with Orestes, crowned with flowers, and led by the Amal and Pelagia, reeling in the midst, wine-cup in hand.
"There is my philosopher, my preserver, my patron saint!" hiccupped he. "Bring him to my arms, that I may encircle his lovely neck with pearls of India, and barbaric gold!"
"For G.o.d"s sake let me escape!" whispered he to Wulf, as the rout rushed upon him. Wulf opened the door in an instant, and he dashed through it. As he wen, the old man held out his hand-
"Come and see me again, boy!-Me only. The old warrior will not hurt you!"
There was a kindly tone in the voice, a kindly light in the eye, which made Philammon promise to obey. He glanced one look back through the gateway as he fled, and just saw a wild whirl of Goths and girls, spinning madly round the court in the world-old Teutonic waltz; while, high above their heads, in the uplifted arms of the mighty Amal, was tossing the beautiful figure of Pelagia, tearing the garland from her floating hair to pelt the dancers with its roses. And that might be his sister! He hid his face and fled, and the gate shut out the revellers from his eyes; and it is high time that it should shut them out from ours also.
Some four hours more had pa.s.sed. The revellers were sleeping off their wine, and the moon shining bright and cold across the court, when Wulf came out, carrying a heavy jar of wine, followed by Smid, a goblet in each hand.
"Here, comrade, out into the middle, to catch a breath of night-air. Are all the fools asleep?"
"Every mother"s son of them. Ah! this is refreshing after that room. What a pity it is that all men are not born with heads like ours!"
"Very sad indeed," said Wulf, filling his goblet.
"What a quant.i.ty of pleasure they lose in this life! There they are, snoring like hogs. Now, you and I are good to finish this jar, at least."
"And another after it, if our talk is not over by that time."
"Why, are you going to hold a council of war?"
"That is as you take it. Now, look here, Smid. Whomsoever I cannot trust, I suppose I may trust you, eh?"
"Well!" quoth Smid surlily, putting down his goblet, "that is a strange question to ask of a man who has marched, and hungered, and plundered, and conquered, and been well beaten by your side for five-and-twenty years, through all lands between the Wesel and Alexandria!"
"I am growing old, I suppose, and so I suspect every one. But hearken to me, for between wine and ill-temper out it must come. You saw that Alruna-woman?"
"Of course."
"Well?"
"Well?"
"Why, did not you think she would make a wife for any man?"
"Well?"
"And why not for our Amal?"
"That"s his concern as well as hers, and hers as well as ours."
"She? Ought she not to think herself only too much honoured by marrying a son of Odin? Is she going to be more dainty than Placidia?"
"What was good enough for an emperor"s daughter must be good enough for her."
"Good enough? And Adolf only a Balt, while Amalric is a full-blooded Amal-Odin"s son by both sides?"
"I don"t know whether she would understand that."
"Then we would make her. Why not carry her off, and marry her to the Amal whether she chose or not? She would be well content enough with him in a week, I will warrant."
"But there is Pelagia in the way."
"Put her out of the way, then."
"Impossible."
"It was this morning; a week hence it may not be. I heard a promise made to-night which will do it, if there be the spirit of a Goth left in the poor besotted lad whom we know of."
"Oh, he is all right at heart; never fear him. But what was the promise?"
"I will not tell till it is claimed. I will not be the man to shame my own nation and the blood of the G.o.ds. But if that drunken Prefect recollects it-why let him recollect it. And what is more, the monk-boy who was here to-night-"
"Ah, what a well-grown lad that is wasted!"
"More than suspects-and if his story is true, I more than suspect too-that Pelagia is his sister."
"His sister! But what of that?"
"He wants, of course, to carry her off and make a nun of her."
"You would not let him do such a thing to the poor child?"
"If folks get in my way, Smid, they must go down. So much the worse for them: but old Wulf was never turned back yet by man or beast, and he will not be now."
"After all, it will serve the hussy right. But Amalric?"
"Out of sight, out of mind."
"But they say the Prefect means to marry the girl."
"He? That scented ape? She would not be such a wretch."
"But he does intend; and she intends too. It is the talk of the whole town. We should have to put him out of the way first."
"Why not? Easy enough" and a good riddance for Alexandria. Yet if we made away with him we should be forced to take the city too; and I doubt whether we have hands enough for that."