________________________________________________
_ PETRONIUS was at home. The doorkeeper did not dare to stop
Vinicius, who burst into the atrium like a storm, and, learning that
the master of the house was in the library, he rushed into the
library with the same impetus. Finding Petronius writing, he
snatched the reed from his hand, broke it, trampled the reed on the
floor, then fixed his fingers into his shoulder, and, approaching his
face to that of his uncle, asked, with a hoarse voice, -- "What hast
thou done with her? Where is she?"
Suddenly an amazing thing happened. That slender and effeminate
Petronius seized the hand of the youthful athlete, which was
grasping his shoulder, then seized the other, and, holding them
both in his one hand with the grip of an iron vice, he said, -- "I am
incapable only in the morning; in the evening I regain my former
strength. Try to escape. A weaver must have taught thee
gymnastics, and a blacksmith thy manners."
On his face not even anger was evident, but in his eyes there was a
certain pale reflection of energy and daring. After a while he let
the hands of Vinicius drop. Vinicius stood before him shamefaced
and enraged.
"Thou hast a steel hand," said he; "but if thou hast betrayed me, I
swear, by all the infernal gods, that I will thrust a knife into thy
body, though thou be in the chambers of Caesar."
"Let us talk calmly," said Petronius. "Steel is stronger, as thou
seest, than iron; hence, though out of one of thy arms two as large
as mine might be made, I have no need to fear thee. On the
contrary, I grieve over thy rudeness, and if the ingratitude of men
could astonish me yet, I should be astonished at thy ingratitude."
"Where is Lygia?"
"In a brothel, -- that is, in the house of Caesar."
"Petronius!"
"Calm thyself, and be seated. I asked Cirsar for two things, which
he promised me, -- first, to take Lygia from the house of Aulus,
and second to give her to thee. Hast thou not a knife there under
the folds of thy toga? Perhaps thou wilt stab me! But I advise thee
to wait a couple of days, for thou wouldst be taken to prison, and
meanwhile Lygia would be wearied in thy house."
Silence followed. Vinicius looked for some time with astonished
eyes on Petronius; then he said, -- "Pardon me; I love her, and love
is disturbing my faculties." "Look at me, Marcus. The day before
yesterday I spoke to Caesar as follows: 'My sister's son, Vinicius,
has so fallen in love with a lean little girl who is being reared with
the Auluses that his house is turned into a stealnbath from sighs.
Neither thou, O Caesar, nor I -- we who know, each of us, what
true beauty is -- would give a thousand's sterces for her; but that
lad has ever been as dull as a tripod, and now he has lost all the wit
that was in him.'"
"Petronius!"
"If thou understand not that I said this to insure Lygia's safety, I am
ready to believe that I told the truth. I persuaded Bronzebeard that
a man of his aesthetic nature could not consider such a girl
beautiful; and Nero, who so far has not dared to look otherwise
than through my eyes, will not find in her beauty, and, not finding
it, will not desire her. it was necessary to insure ourselves against
the monkey and take him on a rope. Not he, but Poppaea, will
value Lygia now; and Poppaea will strive, of course, to send the
girl out of the palace at the earliest. I said further to Bronzebeard,
in passing: 'Take Lygia and give her to Vinicius! Thou hast the
right to do so, for she is a hostage; and if thou take her, thou wilt
inflict pain on Aulus.' He agreed; he had not the least reason not to
agree, all the more since I gave him a chance to annoy decent
people. They will make thee official guardian of the hostage, and
give into thy hands that Lygian treasure; thou, as a friend of the
valiant Lygians, and also a faithful servant of CTsar, wilt not waste
any of the treasure, but wilt strive to increase it. Caesar, to
preserve appearances, will keep her a few days in his house, and
then send her to thy insula. Lucky man!"
"Is this true? Does nothing threaten her there in Caesar's house?"
"If she had to live there permanently, Poppaea would talk about
her to Locusta, but for a few days there is no danger. Ten thousand
people live in it. Nero will not see her, perhaps, all the more since
he left everything to me, to the degree that just now the centurion
was here with information that he had conducted the maiden to the
palace and committed her to Acte. She is a good soul, that Acte;
hence I gave command to deliver Lygia to her. Clearly Pomponia
Gnecina is of that opinion too, for she wrote to Acte. To-morrow
there is a feast at Nero's. I have requested a place for thee at the
side of Lygia."
"Pardon me, Caius, my hastiness. I judged that thou hadst given
command to take her for thyself or for Caesar."
"I can forgive thy hastiness; but it is more difficult to forgive rude
gestures, vulgar shouts, and a voice reminding one of players at
mora. I do not like that style, Marcus, and do thou guard against it.
Know that Tigellinus is Caesar's pander; but know also that if I
wanted the girl for myself now, looking thee straight in the eyes,
I would say, 'Vinicius! I take Lygia from thee. and I will keep her
till I am tired of her."
Thus speaking, he began to look with his hazel eyes straight into
the eyes of Vinicius with a cold and insolent stare. The young man
lost himself completely.
"The fault is mine," said he. "Thou art kind and worthy. I thank
thee from my whole soul. Permit me only to put one more
question: Why didst thou not have Lvgia sent directly to my
house?"
"Because Caesar wishes to preserve appearances. People in Rome
will talk about this, -- that we removed Lygia as a hostage. While
they are talking, she will remain in Caesar's palace. Afterward she
will be removed quietly to thy house, and that will be the end.
Bronzebeard is a cowardly cur. He knows that his power is
unlimited, and still he tries to give specious appearances to every
act. Hast thou recovered to the degree of being able to
philosophize a little? More than once have I thought, Why does
crime, even when as powerful as Caesar, and assured of being
beyond punishment, strive always for the appearances of truth,
justice, and virtue? Why does it take the trouble? I consider that to
murder a brother, a mother, a wife, is a thing worthy of some petty
Asiatic king, not a Roman Caesar; but if that position were mine, I
should not write justifying letters to the Senate. But Nero writes.
Nero is looking for appearances, for Nero is a coward. But
Tiberius was not a coward; still he justified every step he took.
Why is this? What a marvellous, involuntary homage paid to virtue
by evil! And knowest thou what strikes me? This, that it is done
because transgression is ugly and virtue is beautiful. Therefore a
man of genuine aesthetic feeling is also a virtuous man. Hence I
am virtuous. To-day I must pour out a little wine to the shades of
Protagoras, Prodicus, and Gorgias. It seems that sophists too can
be of service. Listen, for I am speaking yet. I took Lygia from
Aulus to give her to thee. Well. But Lysippus would have made
wonderful groups of her and thee. Ye are both beautiful; therefore
my act is beautiful, and being beautiful it cannot be bad. Marcus,
here sitting before thee is virtue incarnate in Caius Petronius! If
Aristides were living, it would be his duty to come to me and offer
a hundred minae for a short treatise on virtue."
But Vinicius, as a man more concerned with reality than with
treatises on virtue, replied, -- "To-morrow I shall see Lygia, and
then have her in my house daily, always, and till death."
"Thou wilt have Lygia, and I shall have Aulus on my head. He will
summon the vengeance of all the infernal gods against me. And if
the beast would take at least a preliminary lesson in good
declamation! He will blame me, however, as my former
doorkeeper blamed my clients but him I sent to prison in the
country."
"Aulus has been at my house. I promised to give him news of
Lygia."
"Write to him that the will of the 'divine' Caesar is the highest law,
and that thy first son will bear the name Aulus. It is necessary that
the old man should have some consolation. I am ready to pray
Bronzebeard to invite him to-morrow to the feast. Let him see thee
in the triclinium next to Lygia."
"Do not do that. I am sorry for them, especially for Pomponia."
And he sat down to write that letter which took from the old
general the remnant of his hope. _
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