Caesar Dies Part 3

"Can you imagine me a G.o.d?" he asked.

"I can imagine you an emperor," said s.e.xtus. "It is true; you have no following among the legions just at present. But I make one, and there are plenty of energetic men who think as I do. My friend Norba.n.u.s here will follow me. My father-"

Noises near the open window interrupted him. An argument seemed to be going on between the slaves whom Pertinax had set to keep the roisterers away and some one who demanded admission. Near at hand was a woman's voice, shrilling and scolding. Then another voice-Scylax, the slave who had ridden the red mare. Pertinax strode to the window again and leaned out. Cornificia whispered to Galen:

"If the truth were known, he is afraid of Flavia t.i.tiana. As a wife she is bad enough, but as an empress-"

Galen nodded.

"If you love your Pertinax," he answered, "keep him off the throne! He has too many scruples."

She frowned, having few, which were firm and entirely devoted to Pertinax' fortune.

"Love him? I would give him up to see him deified!" she whispered; and again Galen nodded, deeply understanding.

"That is because you have never had children," he a.s.sured her, smiling. "You mother Pertinax, who is more than twice your age-just as Marcia has mothered that monster Commodus until her heart is breaking."

"But I thought you were Pertinax' friend?"

"So I am."

"And his urgent adviser to-"

"Yes, so I was. I have changed my opinion; only the maniacs never do that. Pertinax would make a splendid minister for Lucius Severus; and the two of them could bring back the Augustan days. Persuade him to it. He must forget he hates him."

"Let him come!" said the voice of Pertinax. He was still leaning out, with one hand on a marble pillar, much more interested in the moonlit view of revelry than in the altercation between slaves. He strolled back and stood smiling at Cornificia, his handsome face expressing satisfaction but a rather humorous amus.e.m.e.nt at his inability to understand her altogether.

"Are you like all other women?" he asked. "I just saw a naked woman stab a man with her hairpin and kick his corpse into the shrubbery before the breath was out of it!"

"Galen has deserted you," said Cornificia. The murder was uninteresting; n.o.body made any comment.

"Not he!" Pertinax answered, and went and sat on Galen's couch. "You find me not man enough for the senate to make a G.o.d of me-is that it, Galen?"

"Too much of a man to be an emperor," said Galen, smiling amid wrinkles. "By observing a man's virtues one may infer what his faults are. You would try to rule the empire honestly, which is impossible. A more dishonest man would let it rule itself and claim the credit, whereas you would give the praise to others, who would shoulder off the work and all the blame on to you. An empire is like a human body, which heals itself if the head will let it. Too many heads-a conference of doctors-and the patient dies! One doctor, doing nothing with an air of confidence, and the patient gets well! There, I have told you more than all the senate knows!"

Came Scylax, out of breath, less menial than most men's slaves, his head and shoulders upright and the hand that held a letter thrust well forward as if what he had to do were more important than the way he did it.

"This came," he said, standing beside s.e.xtus' couch. "Cadmus brought it, running all the way from Antioch."

His hand was trembling; evidently Cadmus had by some means learned the contents of the letter and had told.

"I and Cadmus-" he said, and then hesitated.

"What?"

"-are faithful, no matter what happens."

Scylax stood erect with closed lips. s.e.xtus broke the seal, merely glancing at Pertinax, taking permission for granted. He frowned as he read, bit his lip, his face growing crimson and white alternately. When he had mastered himself he handed the letter to Pertinax.

"I always supposed you protected my father," he said, struggling to appear calm. But his eyes gave the story away-grieved, mortified, indignant. Scylax offered him his arm to lean on. Norba.n.u.s, setting both hands on his shoulders from behind, obliged him to sit down.

"Calm!" Norba.n.u.s whispered, "Calm! Your friends are your friends. What has happened?"

Pertinax read the letter and pa.s.sed it to Cornificia, then paced the floor with hands behind him.

"Is that fellow to be trusted?" he asked with a jerk of his head toward Scylax. He seemed nearly as upset as s.e.xtus was.

s.e.xtus nodded, not trusting himself to speak, knowing that if he did he would insult a man who might be guiltless in spite of appearances.

"Commodus commanded me to visit Antioch, as he said, for a rest," said Pertinax. "The public excuse was, that I should look into the possibility of holding the Olympic games here. Strangely enough, I suspected nothing. He has been flatteringly friendly of late. Those whom I requested him to spare, he spared, even though their names were on his proscription list and I had not better excuse than that they had done no wrong! The day before I left I brought a list to him of names that I commended to his favor-your father's name among them, s.e.xtus."

Pertinax turned his back again and strode toward the window, where he stood like a statue framed in the luminous gloom. The only part of him that moved was his long fingers, weaving together behind him until the knuckles cracked.

Cornificia, subduing her contralto voice, read the letter aloud:

"To Nimius Secundus s.e.xtus, son of Galienus Maximus, the freedman Rufus Glabrio sends humble greeting.

"May the G.o.ds give solace and preserve you. Notwithstanding all your n.o.ble father's piety-his respect for elders and superiors-he was accused of treason and of blasphemy toward the emperor, by whose orders he was seized yesterday and beheaded the same day. The estates have already been seized. It is said they will be sold to Asinus Seja.n.u.s, who is probably the source of the accusation against your father.

"I and three other freedmen made our escape and will attempt to reach Tarentum, where we will await instructions from you. t.i.tus, the son of the freedman Paulinus, will convey this letter to Brundisium and thence by boat to Dyrrachium, whence he will send it by post in the charge of a Jew whom he says he can trust.

"It is a certainty that orders will go forth to seize yourself, since the estates in Antioch are known to be of great value. Therefore, we your true friends and devoted servants, urge you to make all speed in escaping. Stay not to make provision for yourself, but travel without enc.u.mbrances. Hide! Hasten!

"We commend this letter to you as a sure proof that we ourselves are to be trusted, since, if it should fall into the hands of an informer by the way, our lives undoubtedly would pay the forfeit. We have not much money, but enough for the expenses of a journey to a foreign land. The place where we will hide near Tarentum is known to you. In deep anxiety, and not without such sacrifices to the G.o.ds and to the manes of your n.o.ble ancestors as means permit, we will await your coming." -RUFUS GLABRIO "Freedman of the ill.u.s.trious Galienus Maximus."

Pertinax turned from the window. "The Jews have a saying," he said, "that who keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from trouble. Often I warned Maximus that he was too free with his speech. He counted too much on my protection. Now it remains to be seen whether Commodus has not proscribed me!"

s.e.xtus and Norba.n.u.s stood together, Scylax behind them, Norba.n.u.s whispering; plainly enough Norba.n.u.s was urging patience-discretion- deliberate thought, whereas s.e.xtus could hardly think at all for anger that reddened his eyes.

"What can I do for you? What can I do?" wondered Pertinax.

Then Cornificia was on her feet.

"There is nothing-nothing you can do!" she insisted. She avoided Galen's eyes; the old philosopher was watching her as if she were the subject of some new experiment. "Let Commodus learn as much as that s.e.xtus was here in this pavilion and-"

s.e.xtus interrupted, very proudly:

"I will not endanger my friends. Who will lend me a dagger? This toy that I wear is too short and not sharp. You may forget me, Pertinax. My slaves will bury me. But play you the man and save Rome!"

Then the tribune spoke up. He was younger than all of them.

"s.e.xtus is right. They will know he was here. They will probably torture his slaves and learn about that letter that has reached him. If he runs and hides, we shall all be accused of having helped him to escape; whereas-"

"What?" Galen asked him as he hesitated.

"If he dies by his own hand, he will not only save all his slaves from the torture but remove the suspicion from us and we will still be free to mature our-"

"Cowardice!" Norba.n.u.s finished the sentence for him.

"Aye, some of us would hardly feel like n.o.ble Romans!" Pertinax said grimly. "Possibly I can protect you, s.e.xtus. Let us think of some great favor you can do the emperor, providing an excuse for me to interfere. I might even take you to Rome with me and-"

Galen laughed, and Cornificia drew in her breath, bit her lip.