The hour pa.s.sed. There was a solemn hush in the grand amphitheatre. The dead gladiators were dragged from the arena. Sliding panels were withdrawn and the great Naemean lion was seen behind his iron bars furiously lashing his sides with his tail.
The herald of Lelius cried with a loud voice:
"Bring forth the woman!"
There was a great rustling and stir in the vast audience. Every one held his breath. A sudden outcry was raised from the prison:
"She has escaped!"
It was echoed by a thousand hoa.r.s.e whispers in the crowd-"She has escaped!" There was a tremendous excitement. All stood upon their feet.
How? where? when? by whom? echoed from all sides. Simon Magus, a picture of flaming wrath, leaped into the arena and ran through the walk enclosed by iron railings that led into the prison.
He returned in a moment dragging the poor, old, bald-headed and beardless man by the arms, and holding up the female mask in the air, he exclaimed:
"The woman and the keeper have fled; but here is the miscreant; here is the criminal! Clear the arena and give him to the lion."
"Give him to the lion!" echoed thousands of voices, followed by thunders of applause.
A tall, stern-looking man, in the front row of seats, sprang to his feet and looking over to Lelius, exclaimed:
"Justice! justice! This man is no Christian; this man is no heretic."
"To the lion-to the lion!" interrupted the mult.i.tude with fiercer yells than before.
Simon Magus motioned significantly to the governor.
"To the lion," said Lelius, waving his hand.
"I defy you," said the speaker, in a loud and stern voice-"I defy you to throw him to the lion.
"In the name of the Senate and people of Rome I warn you that this man, Beltrezzor of Persia, is a Roman citizen."
Silence was partly restored; all eyes glaring upon the speaker as he continued.
"Not by birth nor by purchase, but by special decree of the Senate for commercial services rendered the Roman empire by this man, one of the wealthiest and n.o.blest men of the East. I am his agent and correspondent for Antioch. I have seen him before. I know him, and I can prove what I say."
"Release the Roman citizen," said Lelius in a proud and haughty tone, rising from his seat.
Whilst he was speaking Beltrezzor sank gently to the ground. He had been released by an authority higher than that of Rome.
"He is dead!" exclaimed a thousand voices at once.
"He died of fear," said Simon Magus.
"He died of joy," said the voice from the benches; "for that face is the face of an angel."
[Ill.u.s.tration: Ornament]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Ornament]
XXIX.
_CHRISTIAN CANDLES._
[Ill.u.s.tration: Initial]
Of all these things I was ignorant. I was bound and in prison, helpless, unfriended, unable to communicate with my friends. I bitterly repented having disobeyed my uncle"s orders. I cursed Demetrius and Simon Magus and Helena and Magistus. I cursed myself. Mary perhaps was devoured by the lion! Or if saved, she and Martha and Beltrezzor were out on the blue sea, and I left to perish in my folly.
A day or two afterward I observed that our prison ward had received a considerable accession of captives. I was then told by the keeper that a female heretic condemned to the lion had escaped, and that Lelius had ordered the arrest of all the Christians in the city, hoping to ferret out the parties who had a.s.sisted her. How my heart leaped for joy! My sister was saved!
My own captivity became a little more endurable. I delighted to think of my friends sailing away over the white-crested waves for the happy land of Gaul. I seemed to feel the fresh sea wind in my own hair and to hear the cool water dashing against the sides of their vessel. Alas! my own fate, how different!
I expected every hour to see the ugly and cunning face of Magistus peering in at my door. Several days and nights pa.s.sed, and he did not come. I knew he had not forgotten me. I knew he was only preparing himself for some extraordinary villainy and cruelty against me. I was right.
Late one evening my door suddenly opened, and Magistus entered the dungeon, followed by Ethopus. The latter bore an immense roll of some kind of cloth under his arm.
Magistus stood contemplating me for several minutes with folded arms and the old diabolical sneer on his face. Ethopus stepped behind him with downcast eyes.
"Now," he said, slowly, "for the greatest, sweetest revenge which any man in this world has ever enjoyed.
"You have been the bane, the curse, the evil genius of my life. I have always hated you; I know not why, but that it so pleased me. If you had perished in the desert as I designed, all would have been well. Simon would have procured the body of Mary, and we should have been G.o.ds in power and glory and pleasure. If you had not escaped my dungeon in Bethany, I would not be at this moment an exile and an outcast. You have eluded me twice. You are cunning. You have eluded the grave itself; but now, my amiable nephew, your time has really come.
"I respect my family too much, I respect your own distinguished merits too much, to doom you to any common ign.o.ble death. Your friend Helena and I have put our brains together to devise something for your especial honor.
We have achieved it. It is striking, original, charming. Listen.
"Our plan could not be carried out without absolute power. I have it. Do you see this diamond ring with this great seal upon it? That is the ring of the Roman governor. He who presents it to any officer, soldier, jailer, servant of the government, is to pa.s.s untouched, unquestioned. His word is law. When he speaks, it is obedience or death. This absolute power is given me for this whole evening by virtue of the ring.
"Helena obtained this favor from Lelius. Who but she could have done it?
Who can say how she did it? Ah! she is deep; she is cunning; she is irresistible.
"Now see what we intend to do. This cloth is a stiff heavy woollen, thoroughly saturated with bituminous substances. We intend to bind your arms down to your side and roll your body tightly up in this cloth, merely leaving out your head. This, when ignited, will burn slowly but brightly, and make a beautiful candle of you.
"But you will fall over, you say. Oh no: a strong iron rod run deep into the ground will pa.s.s through the outer layer of the cloth and keep you steady by penetrating in a long, sharp, needle-like point under your chin and through your mouth. Could there be anything more ingenious than that?
"You will be taken out in a cart to the great public square opposite the palace of Simon. There are twelve of you. Christian candles I have named you. You will be stationed immediately opposite our grand portico. Helena and I, arm in arm, will witness your combustion from that point. It is pleasant in a great crowd to know where one"s true love is standing.
"It is time for the fireworks to begin. The square is already crowded. We have rolled up the others snugly. They will call for you in a few minutes.
All the orders have been given and they will be obeyed.
"Come," he continued, turning to Ethopus. "Come, my old jolly, spotted dog of Egypt! get to work. Simon says his last training made a perfect machine of you. Be quick and bind this old friend and master of yours."