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 jMiJ^i-j^ji-ifSi 

 
 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM
 
 "I am no man's plaything!" burst out Gwenna, her 
 fiery temper ablaze (page 192)
 
 THE 
 FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 'The Island of Regeneration," "The Chalice 
 of Courage," "The West Wind," etc. 
 
 With Illustrations by The Kinneys 
 
 SYNDICATE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 NEW YORK. LONDON
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1912, 1913, BT 
 30DD, MEAD AND COMPANY 
 
 Published, March, 1913
 
 TO 
 
 THE IMMORTAL MEMORY 
 OF 
 
 OP ALL, WHO HAVE BEEN BORN 
 OF MAN AND WOMAN
 
 PREFACE 
 
 As everybody knows who is familiar with the making of 
 my many books, but one out of the number I have 
 written is without a preface. Like everybody addicted 
 to the preface habit I have been accustomed to write 
 the preface after everything else has been completed. 
 This time I reverse the practice. Gentle reader, not 
 one word of the story has as yet been put on paper! 
 I am resolved to be honest in at least one book, and my 
 preface shall be not only the thing that goes before, 
 but the thing that is before ; hence this beginning. 
 
 When a man creates a certain number of subjects 
 in the kingdom of his imagination, when he endows them 
 with temper and temperament, when they are imbued 
 with personality, which manifests itself in character and 
 is set forth in characteristics, and finally when he sets 
 them upon the stage of his world of romance, he cannot 
 always be quite sure where they will go, what they will 
 do, what they will say, and what will happen to them. 
 It is harder sometimes to control the child of the imagi- 
 nation than it is to direct the real boy or girl. I have 
 had much experience with both kinds of children and 
 I speak with authority ! Yet it is an imprudent parent 
 that does not lay some plans for his offspring in the 
 beginning, therefore I have certain designs for my 
 people, young and old. 
 
 Long, long study and heartfelt and boundless ad- 
 miration have made me thoroughly familiar with Paulus, 
 
 vii
 
 Tiii PREFACE 
 
 the Roman citizen of Tarsus. I do not possess him, he 
 possesses me. He will do what a man of his temper 
 and temperament must do, which indeed he did. I am 
 not quite so sure of Roman Attilius, the patrician pre- 
 torian, and I am even less sure of British Gwenna, a 
 lady as I see her of somewhat uncertain temper and of 
 great spirit, as might be expected from the glint of red 
 in her golden hair. 
 
 I have pictured in my mind's eye these people on the 
 sea, in the great Roman city, and on the sea again; 
 Paulus on the ship, on the island of Malta, and in " his 
 own hired house " convenient for that pretorian super- 
 vision to which he was subjected for two long, weary 
 but useful years ; I have seen Attilius also on the ship 
 and in his magnificent palace on Aventine Hill ; while 
 Gwenna has appeared to me in the slave market, in the 
 domus of Attilius, in the lodging of Paulus ; and all 
 these at the court of Nero and finally on the ship at last. 
 
 So much for the positive. For the negative, here- 
 after I promise you shall follow no extended description 
 of Roman life or manners. That subject has been done 
 and done so well of late in the works of Tucker, Dill, 
 Friedlander, Fowler, and many others to say nothing 
 of the historians, satirists, and poets of Rome itself 
 that it does not seem worth while for me to try to do 
 it over again. I have no desire to instruct anybody. 
 I have no ambition to show what I know. Although I 
 have read largely and studied long in these fields it is 
 not my intention to try to emulate the meticulous Farrar 
 in historical knowledge x or the fascinating Davis in 
 l " Darkness and Dawn."
 
 PREFACE ix 
 
 minute and careful erudition 1 or the great Sienkiewicz 
 in graphic and realistic description, 2 to say nothing of 
 " Ben Hur," or " The Sign of the Cross," or all the 
 other books of the kind. I pledge you my word, so 
 far as a poor author can, that I intend to keep my 
 people out of the Circus Maximus, for instance. It is 
 not my plan to describe any revelry in the " Transitory 
 House " of Nero. " Christians to the lions! " shall not 
 be heard in my pages. I delineate no wild orgies, no 
 rulgar and licentious revels of the Caesar and his de- 
 generate friends. Yet Nero and Tigellinus both have 
 parts to play and both exercise their baleful influence 
 over the fortunes of Attilius and Gwenna. Paulus will 
 preach his gospel, and the religion of his Christ will 
 be set forth in opposition to heathenism just as de- 
 cisively, and the results will be seen just as clearly as 
 if the sanded arena were wet with the blood of the slain. 
 So much by way of introduction. The preface goes 
 to the printer to-day. Let us see whether I can keep 
 to my text, as an author should as well as a preacher, 
 in what follows, which finally I assure you is not sermon 
 but story. 
 
 CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY. 
 
 ST. GEORGE'S PARISH HOUSE, 
 
 KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. 
 
 May, 1912. 
 
 1 " A Friend of Caesar. " " Quo Vadis ? "
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 BOOK I 
 IN THE SEA OF ADRIA 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I THE EMPEROR'S TREASURE ... 3 
 
 II THE SHREWD BLOW OP THE TRIBUNE . 19 
 
 III THE CORN SHIP OF ALEXANDRIA . . 35 
 
 IV THE PRISONER IN COMMAND ... 50 
 V THE SIGN AND THE BLESSING . . 66 
 
 BOOK II 
 MASTER AND SLAVE 
 
 VI THE BLOCK OF PHRYX .... 79 
 
 VII IN THE DOMUS OF ATTILIUS ... 97 
 
 VIII THE MESSAGE FROM CESAR . . . 109 
 
 IX NERO AND His SONG .... 121 
 
 X THE TRIBUNE GOES UPON A JOURNEY . 140 
 
 BOOK III 
 THE DISPLEASURE OF THE EMPEROR 
 
 XI THE MAIDEN Is LOST .... 155 
 XII THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE . .168 
 
 XIII THE TRIBUNE DEALS WITH Two WOMEN 186 
 
 xi
 
 Xll 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTBE 
 
 XIV 
 XV 
 
 XVI 
 XVII 
 
 XVIII 
 
 THE FORGOTTEN PROMISE . 
 THE TRIBUNE SEEKS RELEASE . 
 THE DRUNKEN GOD AND THE SLAVE . 
 THE CRAFT OF THE VETERAN CEN- 
 TURION 
 
 THE DEGRADATION OF THE TRIBUNE . 
 
 PA6B 
 
 201 
 214 
 229 
 
 243 
 256 
 
 XIX LOLLIA CLAUDIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 269 
 
 XX THE STROKE AND THE SPURNING . . 288 
 
 XXI MOCKED IN THE GARDEN . . . 301 
 
 XXII HUSKS OF THE SWINE . . . .311 
 
 XXIII THE LETTER TO PHILIPPI . . .321 
 
 XXIV BREAKING THE BREAD . 337 
 
 BOOK V 
 THE APPEAL UNTO CfiSAR 
 
 XXV How PAULUS SPOKE FOR HIMSELF 
 XXVI THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD . 
 XXVII CAIUS ET CAIA VALE . 
 
 353 
 369 
 387
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 " I am no man's plaything ! " burst 
 out Gwenna, her fiery temper 
 ablaze . . . (page 192) Frontispiece 
 
 " I have reserved her for the last. 
 It is a maid from wave-washed 
 Britain " Facing page 86 
 
 " T-thou shalt p-pay for this insult," 
 
 he hissed out ....** " 240 
 
 " That divinity that thou hast 
 
 claimed, oh Nero " . . . " " 382
 
 BOOK I 
 IN THE SEA OF ADRIA
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE EMPEROR'S TREASURE 
 < 
 
 THERE was no doubt that Caius Attilius, the young mil- 
 itary tribune, was a very ill man, perhaps had been 
 would be the better tense of the verb, for it appeared 
 to his officers and to the shipmaster, men of long and 
 varied experience of a rough-and-ready sort, although 
 none of them was a professional physician, that the crisis 
 of the disease had passed and that the grip of the fever 
 had been broken. 
 
 Regulus, the primipilus, or first centurion of the 
 legion, with two of his brother captains, stood over their 
 tribune where he lay asleep in the after cabin, and 
 thoughtfully and compassionately noted the ravages of 
 the fever. They were not much given to pity, these 
 Romans, but the old veteran was deeply attached to 
 the young patrician. He and the tribune had been 
 associated a long time in the Fourteenth Legion and 
 in many of the hard-fought battles with the wild Ethio- 
 pians and Abyssinians of the southern Egyptian fron- 
 tier they had stood side by side. Indeed, Regulus had 
 taught the youth the art of war, and this veteran 
 centurion was by no means an indifferent teacher. 
 There was no more renowned soldier of his rank in 
 Caesar's thirty-odd legions. He laid his horny, knotted 
 hand lightly on the brow of the sleeper and discovered 
 with satisfaction that the burning heat of the African 
 
 3
 
 4. THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 fever, which had gripped him so long and so fiercely, 
 and because of which he had been invalided home, had 
 at last left him. The forehead of the patient was even 
 cool. 
 
 It was late in the season, verging upon winter indeed, 
 and Regulus, after a moment's pause, drew a light cov- 
 ering of wool over the linen sheet which was thrown 
 over the young man. Caius Attilius, a patrician and 
 of senatorial rank, owned an immense number of slaves 
 who, after the custom of Rome, were always ready and 
 available for every conceivable bodily service, but the 
 ship was already overloaded and the few slaves who 
 had attended him in the army had been left behind to 
 take passage on other ships later. The soldiers of the 
 legion, who were fellow-passengers with the tribune, had 
 vied with each other in loving service to their officer, 
 for there was no more popular man in the legion, and 
 indeed in the army of Egypt, than Caius Attilius. 
 These veterans, who were going home with their dis- 
 charge papers after many years of honourable service, 
 jealously compassed their young leader with sweet ob- 
 servances cheerfully rendered by themselves. 
 
 There was something grotesque, yet infinitely touch- 
 ing in the attempts they made to be gentle, to be tender. 
 It was a great tribute to the character and personality 
 of Caius Attilius, and it would have pleased him greatly 
 if he had perceived it. He had known nothing about 
 it, of course; he had been too ill. 
 
 He had been stricken in the far south with the 
 dreaded African, or jungle, fever and had lost conscious- 
 ness early in the hasty voyage down the ancient river
 
 THE EMPEROR'S TREASURE 5 
 
 Nile. He knew nothing of the efforts made by the 
 skilled leeches and physicians of Alexandria to effect 
 his cure. He did not know that the prastor, the Em- 
 peror's legate, who governed the province, had at last 
 determined that his only chance would be at home in 
 Rome. The Greek-Alexandrian physicians had con- 
 curred in this view and had also pointed out that the 
 sea voyage might do him good. Hence his position that 
 morning in the after cabin of the I sis. 
 
 The hopes of the Emperor's legate and the prognos- 
 tications of the clever Egyptian practitioners had been 
 abundantly justified. Although scarcely a week had 
 elapsed since the great Pharos at the mouth of the 
 harbour had sunk beneath the horizon, the fever was 
 already broken, Caius Attilius was in the first sound 
 sleep he had enjoyed for many days, and all was well. 
 If no setback occurred his recovery was assured. In 
 the mind of Regulus and the other centurions of the 
 legion, the voyage was a success. 
 
 The Isis was one of the largest and best equipped of 
 the huge imperial freight and passenger boats which 
 plied between Alexandria and Italy. The navigation 
 season for the year was practically over, but in an 
 emergency ships did not hesitate to venture upon the 
 passage at any time. Not only was the Isis carrying 
 Caius Attilius, the young tribune and friend of Csesar, 
 but in place of her usual lading of corn she was also 
 transporting a huge cargo of the richest, rarest, and 
 most costly products of- Egypt, destined for the im- 
 perial treasury. Included in her lading was a report 
 from the quaestor of the province accompanying a vast
 
 6 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 treasure of gold and silver the yearly tribute and a 
 small parcel of jewels of great price designed for the 
 personal use of the Emperor and the Augusta, his wife. 
 
 In addition to the ordinary crew of the ship there 
 were on board some two hundred men of the Fourteenth 
 Legion with the primipilus and two other veteran cen- 
 turions, whose time of service had expired, who had 
 reached the age of retirement, and were returning to 
 Italy to receive such rewards as were usually heaped 
 upon veteran soldiers. They had not been established 
 in one of the colonies of the Emperor with grants of 
 land because the Fourteenth Legion had been raised and 
 constantly recruited in Italy itself; these men were 
 Romans and would live nowhere but in the City of the 
 Seven Hills. Caius Attilius was, of course, theoretically 
 in command of them, but in his disability the charge 
 had devolved upon Regulus. 
 
 The voyage had been a rather tempestuous one. The 
 I sis had become severely strained in a series of half 
 gales which she had encountered. She had been forced 
 by the storm to run into Fair Havens, a harbour near 
 Lasea on the south side of the island of Crete. Upon 
 their arrival there if another ship had offered Regulus 
 would have taken the liberty of trans-shipping the cargo 
 because of the leaky condition of the I sis, but there was 
 no ship available in the harbour save another huge, 
 lumbering trader, the Osiris, also of Alexandria, which 
 had just arrived from Myra on the coast of Asia Minor, 
 and which, in addition to an immense cargo of wheat, 
 was carrying a large number of prisoners of various 
 sorts from Syria to Rome for trial. These she had
 
 THE EMPEROR'S TREASURE 7 
 
 picked up from a coaster at Myra, a Lycian port to 
 which the Osiris had been driven by heavy weather. 
 This ship was not in much better condition than the 
 Isis, Regulus found after consulting with the centurion 
 who had it in charge, an old friend of his, whose name 
 was Julius. 
 
 It was important that the cargo of the Isis should 
 reach Rome, that the jewels should be delivered, and 
 that young Caius Attilius should be landed as soon as 
 possible; therefore Regulus, although the Isis was in a 
 measure unseaworthy, determined to proceed in her, 
 rather than winter at Crete. Before he left the har- 
 bour, which was scarcely more than an open roadstead 
 by the way, he caused the treasure and some of the 
 least bulky and most precious merchandise to be landed 
 at Crete and turned over to the proconsular officers 
 in Lasea, to be held for a safer ship and a more favour- 
 able time for transportation to Rome. This was done 
 secretly and at night because the virtue of the inhab- 
 itants of Crete was not above suspicion and the storing 
 of so great a treasure in the city might have excited 
 the cupidity of the islanders and made it a mat- 
 ter of some difficulty for the scanty garrison to pro- 
 tect it. 
 
 Regulus was in some doubt as to the landing of the 
 jewels, but concluded, since they were not of great bulk, 
 that he could put them in a bag and attach it to his 
 person, where they would be safe enough in case of 
 accident. He had faced and had surmounted every 
 conceivable danger that could menace a soldier during 
 his long life, and he had an auspicious confidence in his
 
 8 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 own good fortune. If the ship sank he at least would 
 be saved. 
 
 When all had been done in accordance with his views, 
 the Isis weighed anchor and spread sail before a strong 
 but favourable breeze that blew from the eastward, leav- 
 ing the Osiris, the sister ship, about ready to weigh 
 and follow. Two days after her departure she had, 
 in the opinion of Agacles, the old shipmaster, gained 
 sufficient westing to enable him to lay his course to the 
 northward through the Sea of Adria to the port of 
 Brundisium, which, as it was nearer than Puteoli on 
 the west coast, the port the ship usually made, seemed 
 the more desirable haven under the circumstances. The 
 wind, shifting to the southward, was still fair for the 
 run northward, and although it was increasing in force, 
 Agacles concluded that the ship would bear her canvas, 
 except the little topsail which was often hoisted above 
 the great mainsail upon the single mast amidships. The 
 smaller sail being furled and the upper yard struck, the 
 Isis plunged through the rolling seas under the grey 
 sky on her final run of perhaps four hundred miles 
 toward safety and the haven. 
 
 It was noticed that the leak which had threatened 
 ere they reached Crete had become actual after they 
 passed Clauda, and that the ship was taking in water 
 at a continually increasing rate. Efforts to get at the 
 leak had proved futile, but the water was not coming 
 in fast enough to give them any great amount of un- 
 easiness at present. Later it might become necessary 
 to resort to pumps and buckets to get rid of the water, 
 but there was no great need for anxiety yet.
 
 THE EMPEROR'S TREASURE 9 
 
 In fact the thought of the leak was lost in a more 
 obvious and threatening danger which had developed 
 that morning. It was to consult about that danger that 
 Regulus and the others were summoned from the cabin 
 of Attilius to the deck of the ship by one of the seamen, 
 there to confer with the shipmaster. Since the tribune 
 slept so soundly, Regulus concluded that to send 
 watchers into the cabin would but disturb him. Indeed, 
 since no harm could possibly come to him he would 
 best be left alone. He carefully closed the door behind 
 him and went out on deck with the other two. 
 
 The sleep of Attilius was indeed calm and peaceful. 
 A long time he lay still in the comparative quiet of 
 the cabin; his ears had long since become accustomed 
 to the creaking and groaning of the timbers, as well 
 as his body to the rolling and pitching of the huge, 
 unwieldly, heavily loaded ship. Presently, however, his 
 eyes unclosed and he stared uncertainly and uncom- 
 prehendingly about him. When the fever had left him 
 the night before and ere he slept again, he had asked 
 questions enough to put himself in possession of most 
 of the facts of the situation. He knew at last that he 
 had been stricken in the desert, that he had been brought 
 down the Nile and placed on the ship at Alexandria, 
 and was now homeward bound, but his mind was natu- 
 rally not yet clear and alert, and it took him some time 
 on his awaking to reconstruct the story that had 
 been told him and to appreciate the situation once 
 more. 
 
 From the berth in which he lay, which was built 
 across the cabin, athwartships that is, he had a plain
 
 10 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 view of the sea for a long distance through the windows 
 of the after cabin, which overhung the stern. As he 
 lay idly staring a triple-banked ship, swiftly propelled 
 by oars, suddenly flashed across his vision, although she 
 was yet a long way off. Her purple mainsail was set, 
 and under the impetus of wood and canvas she was 
 going at a great pace. The sight was sufficiently un- 
 usual and remarkable to have aroused the closer atten- 
 tion of Attilius in an instant had he been in his normal 
 condition. As it was he only speculated with an idle, 
 weak curiosity as to what the ship might be and what 
 she might be doing there and what was the impelling 
 motive for the furious haste with which she was driving 
 through the seas. The problem was too great for his 
 weakened condition, and though for a while he feebly 
 pondered it, he finally dismissed it as the strange tri- 
 reme drew out of his range of vision. 
 
 His eyes wandered around the cabin, which was bare 
 of furniture save for a table, chair, and his sleeping 
 berth, until they fell upon his armour piled up upon 
 a transom. From a hook above it and near where he 
 lay hung his short Roman sword. Two or three pila, 
 or short Roman spears, leaned in the same corner. 
 
 Attilius was a soldier who loved his profession. His 
 eyes lighted a little and a faint colour came into his 
 pale cheeks as his glance lingered on these military 
 trappings. By stretching out his hand he found he 
 could touch his sword. He languidly made the motion, 
 and his fingers caressed with satisfaction the chased 
 scabbard which contained the short blade. That weapon 
 had served him well in many a campaign. Little flashes
 
 THE EMPEROR'S TREASURE 11 
 
 of reminiscence came over him, in the midst of which 
 he presently fell contentedly asleep again. 
 
 Out on the deck Regulus and Agacles with the 
 other centurions had at once engaged in an interested 
 debate. The same ship which Attilius saw later was 
 visible to them on the eastern horizon. A short distance 
 from it they also saw a sister ship, and the two were 
 making straight for the Isis. 
 
 Now Pompeius with his great fleet many years be- 
 fore had cleared the Mediterranean of the numerous 
 squadrons of pirate ships which had made navigation 
 so hazardous. The subsequent Caesars had maintained 
 a navy for the sole purpose of keeping down these 
 ferocious and pestilent marauders, and piracy, once 
 an easy and not very hazardous method of making a 
 living, had become a most dangerous trade. When they 
 were captured and convicted the punishment that was 
 visited upon pirates was of the severest description 
 crucifixion. It was nevertheless impossible to stamp 
 out piracy completely, and ever and anon some ship 
 sailed away from some harbour and failed to reach its 
 destination. Sometimes its fate was due to the storms 
 and perils of the sea, sometimes, if there had been a 
 survivor, tales of rapine, bloodshed, frightful outrage, 
 and murder could have been told. 
 
 Certain pirates of Cilicia had heard at Tarsus of 
 the projected despatch of the treasure ship from Alex- 
 andria. They had stationed themselves off the north 
 coast of Crete expecting, when the time of their calcula- 
 tions had arrived, to fall on the ship in the Sea of 
 Adria. Fortune had favoured them, for when the Isis
 
 12 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 had put into Fair Havens some of their crew were 
 in the city of Lasea. The pirate ships had touched 
 on the north coast for water and provisions, and these 
 men strayed over to Lasea, where they had remained 
 until the Isis sailed. Then they had made haste to re- 
 cross the island and give the news to their commander. 
 The men of these galleys were expert at their trade 
 and knew all the tricks thereof; they were seamen 
 of the first quality, too, and they were thus able to 
 locate the Isis with almost wizardlike accuracy. Three 
 days from Fair Havens they saw her, hull-down before 
 them, on the western horizon. They made all speed 
 to close with her. 
 
 The pirate galleys were of different build from the 
 bluff-bowed merchant ship, whose best speed under sail 
 was perhaps five knots an hour. These plundering 
 triremes could make that speed under sail without diffi- 
 culty, and when the triple-banked oars were used they 
 could go half again as fast. The oarsmen were usually 
 galley-slaves, but in the case of these two pirate ships 
 the men of the band themselves did the rowing until 
 the ships closed with their quarry ; after which, aban- 
 doning their oars, each seized his weapons and became 
 a fighting man. The triremes of the pirates were, 
 compared to the Isis, of smaller size, and if the oarsmen 
 had been slaves they could not have carried enough 
 fighting men to have overcome their prey in case of 
 much resistance. 
 
 Two hundred and fifty fighting men could be crowded 
 into a galley in this way. Although they lacked drill, 
 discipline, and organisation, they had courage, ferocity,
 
 THE EMPEROR'S TREASURE 13 
 
 ruthless brutality, and long experience in battle, and 
 they were consequently a formidable body of men. 
 They were recruited from all the nations that bordered 
 the Mediterranean, including many Greeks, some rene- 
 gade Italians, men of Little Asia and of the Orient, 
 some from Syria, and even a few masterless and outcast 
 Jews. 
 
 Their plans were quite simple. They would run the 
 I sis aboard, one to the starboard and one to the port, 
 fling a mass of men upon her decks, master the ship, 
 murder the crew and passengers, relieve her of such 
 of her cargo as was of value to them, scuttle or burn 
 her, and go on their way rejoicing. 
 
 Their information, however, was faulty in several 
 particulars. They had not learned, for instance, that 
 the more precious part of her lading, the gold and the 
 silver, had been landed at Crete ; neither had they been 
 informed that the Isis carried a detachment of Roman 
 soldiers. These had been embarked at the last minute 
 with Attilius, after the informant of the rovers had 
 sailed away from Alexandria to meet them at Paphos 
 in Cyprus. They would not have raced down upon the 
 great merchantman with such confidence and zeal had 
 they known of the legionaries aboard her. 
 
 " Worthy centurion," began the shipmaster, " what 
 thinkest thou of those ships yonder? " 
 
 Regulus turned his head and shaded his brows the 
 better to see. Glasses, or telescopes, were of course 
 unknown in those days, but the eye of the Roman was 
 trained to take in much more than the unaided vision 
 would be apt to discover to-day.
 
 14 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " If I know anything about them, they are ships of 
 war, Master Agacles," answered the chief centurion 
 after a long look. 
 
 " Aye, but not imperial galleys despite their purple 
 canvas." 
 
 " It doth not seem so to me," added Regulus. 
 
 "What thinkest thou of them, under-pilot?" con- 
 tinued Agacles, turning to the steersman. 
 
 The pilot who stood aft by the huge oar thrust out 
 of its port, attending to the steerage of the ship, 
 turned and surveyed the two ships drawing rapidly 
 nearer. 
 
 " Pirates, by Neptune ! " he cried, " if I know the 
 breed." 
 
 Regulus nodded. 
 
 " Salvus," he said to a brother centurion who stood 
 with the little group, " send Balbo to me at once." 
 
 The centurion saluted, turned, and the call for Balbo 
 went echoing through the ship. In a moment a bronzed, 
 weather-beaten, bowlegged legionary came rolling 
 aft. 
 
 " Balbo, thou hast been a sailor on Caesar's ships, a 
 pilot, if I mistake not " 
 
 " Aye, sir," was the answer, " that I have." 
 
 " Good. What thinkest thou of yonder pair?" 
 
 Balbo stepped to the extreme after part of the ship, 
 shaded his eyes with his hand, and stared. 
 
 " Ships of war," he muttered, " but not those of 
 Caesar, whom the gods preserve. Cilicians, I take it, 
 worthy centurion," he added, turning. " To thee, 
 Master Agacles, my advice is, do thou put the ship
 
 v THE EMPEROR'S TREASURE 15 
 
 in position of defence without delay. These be sea 
 wolves who have somehow escaped the Emperor's fleet, 
 and will be upon us " he looked over the side and then 
 aft again, appearing to calculate in his mind the rate 
 of sailing " within an hour." 
 
 "The advice is good," interposed Regulus. He 
 looked at the shipmaster. " What dost thou propose? " 
 he asked. 
 
 " My business is to sail the ship," said Agacles, " and 
 thine to defend her." 
 
 " And couldst thou sail away from them? " 
 
 " By no means. There is presage of storm in the 
 air." He turned his head up in the direction of the 
 wind and sniffed the breeze. " The wind is scarcely as 
 strong as it was when day dawned, and oftentimes there 
 is a previous calm for an hour or two before the storm 
 breaks upon us. Is that not thine experience, chief- 
 pilot? " 
 
 " My judgment agrees with thine," said Ramses, an 
 Egyptian who occupied that important position on the 
 ship and who had just come aft from his cabin where he 
 had been off watch. 
 
 " If the wind fall," said Regulus thoughtfully, " have 
 we not oars " 
 
 " A few," answered Agacles, " but if we took the 
 men to man them we should be more helpless than we 
 are and our speed would be as nothing in respect to 
 theirs." 
 
 " Then we must meet their attack. Salvus ! " 
 
 " Sir." 
 
 " Take thou seventy-five of the men of the legion and
 
 16 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 occupy the fore part of the ship. I, with Paetus, will 
 command the aft part with seventy-five more. As to 
 the remainder " 
 
 " Give me leave, most noble centurion," interrupted 
 Agacles, " I am not a fighting man, but the ship is 
 mine and all my fortune is embarked in her. May not I, 
 too, be of service under thy direction? I have wielded 
 the sword and lance in Thrace and Bithynia 
 
 " Good. Thou and thy men shall keep the waist 
 with Balbo and the remaining legionaries to assist 
 thee." 
 
 "And how about the tribune?" interposed Paetus, 
 the third centurion. 
 
 " We will leave the noble Attilius to his needed rest, 
 I think," continued Regulus, looking upon the men 
 who crowded the decks and who had heard all. " I 
 and my brave comrades of the Fourteenth Legion can 
 hold the ship without disturbing a sick man who can 
 scarcely raise his head." 
 
 " We will protect the noble Attilius and the ship 
 with our lives," burst from the men. 
 
 " Good," said Regulus. " Now put on your armour, 
 lay aside your baggage, and repair to your stations. 
 Conceal yourselves in the fore cabin or by lying on the 
 floor of the deck close under the bulwarks. Let no 
 light upon a spear point or gle'am upon a helmet be- 
 tray us. And do thou, Master Agacles, keep thine even 
 course and we shall see how yonder pirates will like the 
 welcome prepared for them by the men of the Thunder- 
 ing Legion." 
 
 So the Fourteenth Legion was named, its device being
 
 THE EMPEROR'S TREASURE 17 
 
 a thunderbolt, or lightning flash, darting through a 
 mass of clouds. Great Jupiter himself was its patron 
 deity. 
 
 There ensued a few moments of hasty yet orderly 
 preparation while the men buckled on their armour, 
 donned their helmets, slung their short swords over 
 their shoulders, slipped their left arms through their 
 shield-holds, and looked to the heavy spears and javelins 
 which formed part of their war gear. As fast as they 
 were equipped they were mustered, divided into three 
 groups of seventy-five under Salvus, seventy-five under 
 Pastus, and the remainder under old Balbo. The group 
 forward concealed itself in the forecastle, or seamen's 
 cabin, those amidships lay down upon the deck behind 
 the low bulwarks, those aft filled the after castle, every 
 space, indeed, except the cabin in which the sleeping 
 tribune lay. And it was amusing to note how softly 
 and with what little jingling of armour the rude legion- 
 aries moved into the greater outer cabin so as not to 
 disturb the life-giving, refreshing sleep of their young 
 leader. The sailors and men of the ship, mainly from 
 Alexandria, armed themselves with bows, slings, spears, 
 swords, and shields, and made ready to contribute what 
 they could to the defence. 
 
 Regulus, Agacles, the shipmaster, and Ramses the 
 chief-pilot aft, with a few of the seamen forward, 
 such as might naturally be visible on such a ship 
 under such circumstances, were alone to be seen on the 
 decks as the Isis drove slowly on before the failing 
 breeze. 
 
 It was evident to the more experienced of those she
 
 18 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 carried that the attack of man would soon b'e succeeded 
 by a furious tempest which was piling terrible and 
 ominous black clouds upon the eastern horizon. But 
 they could pay no attention to the threat of the storm 
 then.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE SHREWD BLOW OF THE TRIBUNE 
 
 THE second sleep of Caius Attilius differed from his 
 previous slumber; it was no longer untroubled. Per- 
 haps the excitement upon the decks was communicated 
 in some way to the consciousness of the sleeping man. 
 His rest was broken by dreams and visions. He lay, 
 after a long time, in a condition between sleeping and 
 waking, half conscious of the unwonted trampling of 
 feet upon the decks and the orders and commands 
 which, though carefully subdued, came to him imper- 
 fectly. He heard the faint clink of steel on steel as 
 the legionaries jostled each other in the rolling ship. 
 The wind came less fiercely into the cabin, the movement 
 of the ship was still great, but she seemed to rise and 
 fall inertly. 
 
 He vaguely suspected he knew not what, but some- 
 thing gave him a sense of peril. Finally he threw aside 
 the woolen coverlet, and raised himself on his elbow. 
 There was a feeling of suspense in the atmosphere. 
 He was sure of it. He opened his mouth to call when 
 a chorus of sudden shouts in Greek and fierce yells in 
 mongrel dialects broke upon his ear. The shouts he 
 knew, the yells were strange. The noise came first from 
 the right hand and then from the left; the tumult of 
 sound did not arise from the decks of the Isis, either. 
 
 He listened with senses keenly on the alert in spite of 
 
 19
 
 20 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 his weakness, wondering for a moment what this wild 
 medley of clamorous, various voices might portend. 
 The solution of the mystery at the instant did not 
 appear to him. 
 
 The next moment there was a terrific, crashing, rend- 
 ing sound. The Isis shivered, stopped, and then reeled 
 from some tremendous impact. So violent was her re- 
 coil from the blow that Caius Attilius was thrown over 
 backward against the bulkhead across which his berth 
 was placed. The shock of his fall was severe for one 
 in his condition, although had he been reasonably well, 
 he would not have minded it for a second. He fought 
 valiantly against a sudden faintness which bade fair 
 to overcome him. 
 
 The recovery of the ship, her languid return to an 
 even keel, was not rapid. Whatever had struck her 
 seemed to be pressing her down, but before Caius Attil- 
 ius could reason it out a similar crashing impact upon 
 the other side drove the ship suddenly backward, almost 
 upon her beam ends, in the other direction. As he lay 
 helpless upon his berth under these shocks, his hand 
 reached out toward the table and clasped a flat-bottomed 
 flask just as it was about to capsize. He knew what 
 was in that flask ; wine, strong, such as sailors love and 
 the ship afforded. 
 
 If ever he needed strength and stimulant he needed 
 it now. His first thought had been that the ship had 
 struck a rock or a submerged hulk, but the second shock 
 had enlightened him. In a flash he remembered the 
 rowing galley which a few moments or was it a few 
 hours? before had flashed athwart his dull vision as
 
 SHREWD BLOW OF THE TRIBUNE 21 
 
 he stared out of the broad stern port. He realised that 
 the Isis had been rammed first on one side and then on 
 the other by two ships. He was too experienced a sol- 
 dier not to recognise the noise of conflict, for now the 
 whole air above him was filled with ringing sounds 
 shouts, yells, oaths, curses, in every language of the 
 Mediterranean littoral, the ringing of the swords, the 
 clashing of shield on shield, the scream of agony in 
 many languages, the twang of bows, the crashing of 
 slingstones upon battered armour, the grinding of 
 the ships side by side, rolling against one another in 
 a seaway, and above all the deep-toned shouts of the 
 Roman soldiers ! 
 
 His legion and the ship were attacked. The treasure 
 of the Emperor was menaced. The decks of the Isis 
 were being wet with blood, gory streams were even 
 now pouring out of her scuppers, and he was not there ! 
 He could distinguish the voices of Regulus and Salvus 
 and Paetus, the hoarse shouts of Balbo, and the full, 
 musical war-cry of Greek Agacles. They were fighting 
 for their lives, for their honour, for the treasure of 
 the Emperor, for him and he was not there! He 
 could not endure the position. It was not to be borne 
 patiently by a man, a soldier, and a Roman. 
 
 All that put life into his wasted limbs. He drew the 
 flask toward him and drank, took a breath, and drank 
 again. War, and he, Caius Attilius, tribune of the 
 Thundering Legion, was not there ! 
 
 He could not tell how the battle was going. The 
 struggle was evidently fierce and hand-to-hand, and 
 there was no abatement. Each side appeared to be
 
 22 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 meeting stronger resistance than had been anticipated. 
 Regulus and the soldiers and the crew of Alexandrians 
 were fighting for liberty, honour, and the Emperor. 
 The pirates were fighting for their lives, fighting with 
 a vision of a cross and long, lingering hours of fearful 
 torture before them. 
 
 After they had swarmed over the high bulwarks 
 upon the apparently deserted deck, with shouts of tri- 
 umph, only to find themselves confronted on every hand 
 by ranks of legionaries, the fiercest fighting soldiers 
 in the world, they would have retreated to their ships ; 
 but Agacles, with Greek cunning, had fastened grap- 
 nels by ropes and chains to the arms of the great yard. 
 The two ships had struck the Isis fairly amidships. 
 The Greek, warning all clear, had cut the halyards, and 
 the far extending yard had fallen across the decks of 
 the two ships, and the pirate galleys were thus fast 
 bound to the quarry upon which they had flung them- 
 selves. Unable to escape, it was to be a battle to the 
 death, therefore. Indeed, each man fought as if his 
 back were against a wall. Nothing, apparently, could 
 withstand the legionaries ; yet nothing, it seemed, could 
 sustain the fierce onslaught of the overwhelming num- 
 bers of ruthless sea wolves. So back and forth across 
 the broad decks amidships the battle surged and raged, 
 while Caius Attilius listened and prayed on his narrow 
 bed in his cabin. 
 
 The first rush from the port ship had driven Balbo 
 and his men aft to where Regulus and his detachment 
 were stationed. The pirates filled the waist, or centre, 
 of the ship. Another torrent of men from the starboard
 
 SHREWD BLOW OF THE TRIBUNE 23 
 
 vessel had hurried forward, where they hurled themselves 
 upon Salvus and his band. Thus two separate battles 
 raged on the Isis. 
 
 The pirate chieftain, however, still had a string to 
 his bow. He had not anticipated any such resistance. 
 Had he dreamed of it for a moment, in spite of the 
 tremendous booty to be gained, he would have let the 
 Isis severely alone, but being in the quarrel he bore 
 himself with a courage and skill worthy of a better 
 cause and a better man. 
 
 Astern of one of the galleys a pinnace, or small boat, 
 was towed. From his position on the starboard rail 
 he saw that his only chance of ultimate success would 
 lie in attacking the rear of one or the other groups 
 of legionaries forward or aft. He called to him a 
 gigantic Nubian, upon whom he depended for close 
 desperate work, and bade him return to the galley, 
 gather up what men he could of those who had been 
 left upon the ship, drop into the pinnace, row around 
 to the stern of the Isis, climb aboard through the cabin 
 windows, and take Regulus and his men in the rear. 
 Catching the legionaries between the two files of Cili- 
 cians he hoped to win the after part of the ship, after 
 which the rest would be easy. 
 
 The movement of the Nubian was not observed, or 
 if it were noticed, no attention was paid to it. The 
 battle raging was of the fiercest description. The 
 Roman soldiers in all their campaigning, extending over 
 a score of years on many a hard-fought field, had never 
 experienced anything like it. The pressure upon them 
 was tremendous, they were outnumbered nearly three
 
 24 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 to one, and had the field of operation not been limited 
 to the narrow deck so that the enemy could not use 
 their numbers to the best advantage, they had been 
 annihilated. As it was, they stood in close-locked 
 ranks, shields advanced, stubbornly at bay. Those in 
 the front cut viciously with their short, sharp Roman 
 swords, those in the rear thrust violently with their 
 terrible Roman spears. Most of the sailors had been 
 cut down, but a few bowmen still stood on the high 
 poop of the ship overlooking the battle and shot their 
 remaining arrows into the mass of the enemy. With 
 longer lances, with longer swords, with axes, with stones, 
 the latter sought to break the ordered ranks of the 
 Romans. The two battles had crowded so at each end 
 of the vessel that a broad space, tenanted only by dead 
 bodies, stretched amidships between them. 
 
 Caius Attilius in the cabin below drank again. He 
 prayed to the gods, as he had never prayed before for 
 anything else, for strength to enter the fight. He could 
 hear the roar of the battle undiminished. Evidently 
 his men were hard put to it. Ordinarily such a contest 
 would have been decided long since by the disciplined 
 valour and steady courage of the legionaries. Its con- 
 tinuance was evidence to him of the fierceness of the 
 struggle and of the jeopardy his soldiers must be in. 
 
 He raised himself to his elbow and then struggled to 
 a sitting position ; his feet dropped to the deck. He 
 knew that he could not put on his armour, that he 
 could not carry a shield, but at least his appearance 
 might hearten his men. He reached his hand out the 
 distance was short, and by leaning forward he could
 
 SHREWD BLOW OF THE TRIBUNE 25 
 
 make it and grasped the hilt of his short sword and 
 drew it slowly toward him. He took another draught 
 of the energising wine. He knew the cumulative effect 
 of small doses taken at frequent intervals. He was 
 no deep drinker, consequently the wine helped him. 
 Finally by a great effort he rose unsteadily to his feet. 
 He clutched the stanchion which upheld the ceiling of 
 the cabin to support himself. 
 
 After waiting a moment he slowly turned to the 
 door, but as he did so the light of the cabin was 
 suddenly obscured. He faced about again to see great 
 gnarled and knotted black hands clutching the port 
 sill. A moment and a jet-black, thick-lipped Nubian 
 face rose in view. The newcomer wore a red cloth 
 bound around his brow. A broadsword was held be- 
 tween white teeth. Other hands of lighter hue clutched 
 at the sill on either side also. Other faces appeared 
 in the broad opening. Caius Attilius stared as if in 
 a dream. He cursed his weakness, realising on the 
 instant that this was an attack on the rear which, if 
 it succeeded, would mean the loss of the ship. Could 
 he stop it? 
 
 He released his hold on the stanchion. Silently he 
 had no strength to waste in cries he staggered across 
 the cabin toward the stern window. The Nubian saw 
 him coming, ghastly pale as the linen cloth wrapped 
 about his loins, thin as death itself from the ravages 
 of the fever. A light shone on the short sword that 
 trembled in his feeble hand. The Nubian paused in 
 amazement a moment, half in half out of the window, 
 his knee on the sill. This seemed like a figure of death
 
 26 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 itself to him. His blood ran a little cold about his 
 heart. The next moment Caius Attilius lurched aft 
 and thrust with the last vestige of strength in his arm. 
 
 Fortune guided his hand. If he had been in health 
 and strength, it had been easy, but now to the gods 
 alone he admitted success was due, for the sharp point 
 of the sword touched the throat of the fierce marauder. 
 There was not enough strength in the thrust to have 
 driven home the blade, but Caius Attilius fell forward 
 in sheer weakness, and his own weight was added to the 
 impetus of the blow. The Nubian, taken at such dis- 
 advantage, could do nothing. He dropped his own 
 sword which he had seized with his left hand, threw up 
 his arms, and fell backward. As he went hurtling down, 
 his extended arms struck the other figures clinging to 
 the sill and endeavouring to draw themselves up, for 
 they had no ladder. These, too, were swept down with 
 him. His huge body, dead, inert, fell heavily into the 
 pinnace, knocked two men overboard, crushed a third, 
 and almost overturned the boat, which drifted clear of 
 the ship. 
 
 The attack was foiled for the moment. If they came 
 again, however, it would inevitably succeed, for Caius 
 Attilius was spent. One of the figures at the stern 
 window had thrust at him with a spear before he fell 
 and torn a long, red gash in the Roman's side. It 
 needed not that, however, for the fictitious strength 
 lent by the wine and by the desperate determination 
 of the tribune had disappeared. Caius Attilius lay in 
 a senseless heap on the cabin floor, incapable of any- 
 thing further. Whether a second attempt would have
 
 SHREWD BLOW OF THE TRIBUNE 27 
 
 been made upon the ship was not to be determined, for 
 at that very instant there broke over the sea and the 
 ships and the fighting men the brewing storm. 
 
 In such a conflict of steadiness and endurance, dis- 
 cipline must always be served in the end. Waiting in 
 vain for that attack in the rear by his Nubian coadjutor, 
 which he expected would turn the scales in his favour, 
 the robber leader had begun to lose heart. As it was 
 with the leader, so it was with the men. The legionaries 
 had been on the defensive heretofore, but with that 
 peculiar intuition of the successful soldier, Regulus 
 divined that the crisis of the battle had arrived and 
 that he would triumph who first seized the psychological 
 moment for an advance. He had contented himself 
 hitherto with defence, realising that upon him and his 
 the safety of the ship depended; but now was the 
 moment to throw defence to the winds. 
 
 Opening a way for himself through the ranks of his 
 legionaries, he drove a heavy pilum into the breast of 
 the man opposite him, and then with a great surge 
 he fairly leaped against the stubborn ranks, uttering 
 his battle-cry as he did so. The sight of their pri- 
 mipilus in the advance inspired the legionaries with new 
 courage, filled them with something of his own splendid 
 hardihood. With an irresistible impetus they too 
 moved forward. 
 
 On the other flank Balbo, who had possessed himself 
 of a gnarled and knotted war-club, dropped his shield, 
 disdaining its protection, and leaped upon the foe with 
 uplifted arms, and although a dozen spears were buried 
 in his breast, he brought down his heavy weapon, sweep-
 
 28 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 ing all before him as he fell. He immediately opened 
 a way into which Paetus sprang. The next instant 
 the close-locked ranks of the pirates disintegrated into 
 units. Through them the Roman soldiers sifted, cutting 
 and stabbing. 
 
 As the men aft gave way, so the men forward, after 
 one brave, desperate effort, did the like, and the vacant 
 space amidships was suddenly crowded with flying, 
 panic-stricken figures frantically seeking salvation upon 
 their own ships. The bulwarks on either side were 
 instantly black with men scrambling over and leaping 
 down on their own decks. Some sought to raise the 
 halyards, others strove to man the oars, while cooler 
 hands cut and hacked frantically at the grapnels of 
 rope and chain. 
 
 The fighting blood of the Romans was up, however; 
 they thought they saw a chance at capture. The two 
 galleys, if they could be seized and brought into port, 
 would be rare and valuable prizes; they might have 
 much booty aboard. Without orders, therefore, they 
 swarmed across the bulwarks to starboard and to port, 
 and the interrupted battle was at once resumed upon 
 the decks of the galleys. 
 
 Agacles was down, a spear through his heart. 
 Ramses, the chief-pilot, had had his brains beaten out 
 by a war-club. Balbo, the sailor legionary, was dead 
 from a dozen wounds. Most of the crew also were 
 killed. 
 
 In the wild excitement of the conflict none thought 
 to look toward sky or sea. Mad with the lust of the 
 battle, none realised the coming of the storm until it
 
 SHREWD BLOW OF THE TRIBUNE 29 
 
 broke upon them. With a crash of terrific thunder 
 the tempest was heralded. The wind had died away 
 and, save for the rolling of an uneasy sea, the battle had 
 been fought in a perfect calm. In the twinkling of an 
 eye, with a roar which made even the thunderbolt in- 
 significant, the tornado burst upon them. The sea was 
 beaten into a white froth on the instant. The three 
 ships were wrenched apart. Two of them, having their 
 sails partly spread, were driven ahead, the grapnels and 
 lashings snapped like threads. A horrible mist and 
 darkness fell over the waters. With men still fighting 
 for mastery on her decks one of the galleys disappeared 
 in the sudden obscurity on one side, the other on the 
 other. 
 
 There were left upon the Isis Regulus and a half- 
 dozen veterans whom he had gathered about him as 
 a reserve so as to be ready for any emergency. There 
 were perhaps half as many seamen unwounded. A 
 score of the legionaries had been killed, and practically 
 all of the unarmed sailors, and there must have been fifty 
 of the pirates, dead and severely wounded, lying upon 
 the decks. The remainder of the legionaries were upon 
 the two boats which had disappeared in the storm. 
 Among the sailors left there were none of skill, experi- 
 ence, or importance. The cutting of the halyards de- 
 prived Regulus of the ability to set any sail, yet the 
 Isis, under the terrific pressure of the wind, forged 
 swiftly ahead, turning as she did so until she lay broad- 
 side in the trough of the sea. At first, the wind had 
 flattened the water, but the waves were beginning to 
 rise and the Isis was soon rolling terribly.
 
 30 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 Regulus did not know what to do. Indeed it would 
 have taxed the skill of old Agacles, who had made so 
 good a fight for his ship, to have remedied affairs. 
 The primipilus looked over the side and thought that 
 the ship was considerably lower in the water. He went 
 forward and saw that the timbers had been strained 
 on either side where the galleys had crashed into the 
 Isis. If they had been provided with iron beaks they 
 would have cut her down, but even the blunt impact 
 had proven sufficiently damaging. Seams had opened, 
 butts had started. He sent below a seaman who re- 
 ported that the Isis was filling with water and would 
 soon sink. The small boat of the merchant ship which 
 had been towed along one side had been crushed as one 
 of the galleys had struck her. 
 
 Bidding the crew make what preparations seemed 
 best to them for their own salvation Regulus, with a 
 heavy heart, turned and went into the after cabin. He 
 was amazed beyond measure to find the tribune huddled 
 in a heap near the after window with a spear wound 
 in his side, and yet he instantly divined what probably 
 had happened. He lifted the senseless young patrician 
 up in his arms as if he had been a baby and laid him 
 upon his berth. With skilful hands he bound up the 
 wound with the linen of the bed. Indeed, it was merely 
 a flesh wound and dangerous only because of the weak- 
 ened condition of the tribune. He bathed his face and 
 forced some of the wine between his lips, and presently 
 had the satisfaction of seeing his beloved young com- 
 mander open his eyes. 
 
 " What hath happened? " whispered Attilius.
 
 SHREWD BLOW OF THE TRIBUNE 31 
 
 " We were beset by two pirate galleys of Cilicia. 
 They boarded us on either side and the fight upon the 
 decks was close and bloody. Never saw I the like of 
 it in my forty years of service." 
 
 "But we beat them?" 
 
 " Aye, the legionaries boarded the ships on either 
 side " 
 
 " I remember," said Attilius ; " they sought entrance 
 through this cabin. I drove my sword through the 
 throat of a great Nubian " 
 
 " By Hercules ! " burst out Regulus, picking up as 
 he did so the blood-stained sword of the tribune. " The 
 gods gave thee strength in thy weakened arm." 
 
 " It must have been so." 
 
 " And thou didst save the battle, for had they burst 
 upon us and taken us in the rear through the cabin, we 
 had been lost." 
 
 " What is to do now ? " began Attilius in the little 
 pause that followed the centurion's words. 
 
 " But little, I fear me. The storm hath broken upon 
 the ship. The galleys have been wrenched away. With 
 our men still fighting the pirates upon their decks they 
 have disappeared in the mist and spray. We are alone 
 and helpless and scarcely a seaman or a legionary re- 
 maineth aboard." 
 
 "But Agacles?" 
 
 " Dead." 
 
 "Ramses?" 
 
 " Dead." 
 
 " Balbo? " 
 
 " Dead all. The ship hath fallen in the trough of
 
 32 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 the sea. The leak is gaining, butts and seams have 
 opened " 
 
 " And we must die," said Attilius. " Well, the gods 
 know that it was a good fight. Would that I had found 
 strength to do more. Help me to my feet, worthy 
 friend and tutor in war and honour and glory for 
 these many years. I may not bear armour, but at 
 least wrap my toga about me and give me my sword. 
 A Roman should die upon his feet, his sword in hand. 
 And do thou help me out upon the deck that we may 
 not be drowned like rats in a trap. It is well that we 
 are together. I could wish no better companion than 
 thou, brave Regulus, in the long descent to Avernus 
 or what lieth beyond." 
 
 " I thank thee, Caius Attilius," answered the old 
 soldier, his eyes gleaming. " When I was a boy I fol- 
 lowed the great proconsul, thy father, and I am hon- 
 oured with the affection of his worthy and beloved 
 son." 
 
 Supported by the arm of Regulus, Attilius pres- 
 ently stepped upon deck. The water was gaining rap- 
 idly. The decks of the I sis were almost awash. For- 
 ward the survivors were busy making a raft. With the 
 ready skill of the Roman soldier they had cut the yard 
 in two, water casks had been lashed between the two 
 pieces, planks ripped from the deck had been laid 
 across, and aided by the sailors, who had wit enough 
 for that, a serviceable raft had been prepared. 
 
 The wash of the sea had taken overboard most of 
 the bodies of the slain and most of the wounded as 
 well. There was no time for the care of the wounded,
 
 SHREWD BLOW OF THE TRIBUNE 33 
 
 and had there been time there was little pity in the 
 hearts of the survivors ; so dead and wounded alike were 
 left to themselves. Indeed, the severely wounded and 
 helpless among the Romans had stoically refused suc- 
 cour, knowing that their fate was sealed in any event 
 and that the endeavour to do anything for them would 
 only jeopard the chance, slim enough at best, of the 
 survivors. 
 
 They brought the tribune fonvard, the raft was 
 launched to leeward, the survivors boarded it, the lash- 
 ings were cut, and it drove away in the storm. The 
 slight support of the rude mass of timbers had been 
 gained just in time, for they presently saw the I sis 
 lift her stern high in the air and plunge bow foremost 
 beneath the raging sea. Regulus knelt upon the raft, 
 supporting the body of the tribune in his arms. The 
 legionaries stood to windward to break if possible the 
 force of the seas which continuously swept across the 
 frail, tossing platform. 
 
 " There goeth the Emperor's treasure," whispered 
 Attilius regretfully. "What will he think of us?" 
 
 " Not all of it," whispered the centurion to the young 
 man, " for while thou wert unconscious we landed at 
 Crete and turned over to the proconsul there all the 
 gold and silver." 
 
 "And the jewels?" 
 
 " I have them on my person." 
 
 " That was well done. Caesar will reward thee." 
 
 " Methinks," answered Regulus, smiling grimly as he 
 looked over the tossing seas, " that no man will have 
 a chance to reward us, for a greater power than Cassar
 
 34 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 hath us now within his grip. By Hercules, I have 
 voyaged from Alexandria to far Britain and never saw 
 I such a storm." 
 
 The old centurion looked down upon the young trib- 
 une as he spoke, but the eyes of Caius Attilius were 
 closed. He had fainted, or died, under the strain of 
 it all.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE CORN SHIP OF ALEXANDRIA 
 
 A LITTLE group of men stood before the break of the 
 poop of a large merchant ship about the size and build 
 of the ill-fated Isis, belonging in fact to the same im- 
 perially licensed fleet of ships. They were sheltered in 
 some degree from the furious storm from the east- 
 northeast which blew upon the ship, by the high poop 
 and the slight overhang of the deck above. For sev- 
 eral days they had been tempest-tossed and at the 
 mercy of this furious gale which the sailors called 
 Euraquilo. They had sought to beat up into it, but 
 its force had been so great that they had been com- 
 pelled, first to furl the great mainsail, and then to strike 
 the yard to the deck. After they had thus lowered 
 and secured it, the labouring of the great ship in the 
 immense seas raised by the storm had rendered it ad- 
 visable to lighten her by getting rid of the immense 
 and weighty spar, which accordingly they had with 
 some difficulty cast overboard. They were drifting now 
 before the wind, and only the hardest kind of work 
 with the huge steering-oar, thrust out of an after port 
 just forward of the cabin, kept the ship from broach- 
 ing to and falling into the trough of the sea. Their 
 endeavours to keep the ship hove to were supplemented 
 
 by a little sail called the artemon, a small portion of 
 
 85
 
 36 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 which was spread on a supplementary mast and yard, 
 which raked out from the bows of the ship, like the 
 bowsprit and spritsail yard of later days. 
 
 Skilful and resourceful seamen were aboard that ship. 
 She was filled with wheat, in bulk, from Alexandria to 
 Rome, and carried besides her crew some two hundred 
 prisoners and their guards from the east end of the 
 Mediterranean, who were being sent to Rome under 
 escort for trial or punishment. Deeply laden, the ship 
 had laboured frightfully in the heavy seas. The high 
 forecastle and stern, where much of the weight was 
 concentrated, made such ships apt to break in two in a 
 seaway. To prevent this a heavy cable had been passed 
 from the stem to stern posts above the deck, and by 
 twisting it until it was as taut as a harp string, an im- 
 mense support had been afforded to the vessel to help her 
 sustain the longitudinal strain. And the better to enable 
 her to resist the incessant battering of the waves, huge 
 cables had been passed several times completely around 
 the ship amidships, under the bottom that is, both for- 
 ward and abaft the mast. The ends of these cables were 
 brought up on deck and led through huge blocks to 
 the capstans and bowsed taut. Undergirding, this 
 necessary process was called. 
 
 Ancient ships were not so stoutly built or so well 
 calculated to resist weather as the great sailing vessels 
 of later centuries, and such expedients were usual and 
 necessary. Indeed, the larger and better provided ves- 
 sels, like those of the imperial line, invariably carried 
 such cables for the very purpose of encircling the ship, 
 for frapping her together, as it were.
 
 THE CORN SHIP OF ALEXANDRIA 37 
 
 The group aft consisted of the master of the ship, 
 as' usual an Egyptian-Greek, named Ptolemeus ; a tall, 
 distinguished looking centurion who had command of 
 the century of legionaries which had been detailed to 
 guard the prisoners, and a much smaller man of dis- 
 tinctly Jewish aspect. The helmeted centurion was 
 dressed in the full armour of his rank and wore in 
 addition a long, heavy cloak of scarlet to protect him 
 from the chilling, misty rain of the late fall morning. 
 The shipmaster was wrapped in a rough, warm Greek 
 chlamys with a hood which was drawn over his head. 
 The third person, the Hebrew, was clothed in a long, 
 dull brown, much worn tunic encircled at the waist by 
 a many-folded girdle of the same material. His head 
 was covered with a dark crimson cloth, tightly bound 
 in turban-like folds about his brows, yet showing be- 
 neath its edges a fringe of short, curly, iron grey hair 
 matching his short grey beard. From the broad if 
 somewhat stooped shoulders of this man hung a rusty 
 black cloak, which had seen much hard service since it 
 had been woven from goat's hair by the man's own hand 
 years before. 
 
 The shipmaster was of middle size, the centurion 
 unusually tall for a Roman, but the Hebrew, measured 
 by any standard, was a small man. Yet as he stood 
 in the centre of the group he was easily the most striking 
 and commanding personality of the three. An inde- 
 finable air of ability and power appertained to him. 
 Although one was the commander of the vessel, the 
 other was the representative of the Emperor, while the 
 Hebrew was only a prisoner, there was a marked defer-
 
 38 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 ence, of which they were quite unconscious apparently, 
 in their manner toward him. 
 
 The time was early in the morning. The sky was 
 heavily overcast, they had enjoyed no glimpse of the 
 sun for several days, and the weather promised none 
 that day or soon thereafter. The air was filled with 
 wind-driven spray and mist which sometimes developed 
 into a fine, cold rain. Huge waves frequently broke 
 over the ship. The decks were crowded with drenched 
 and shivering men. Many of the prisoners were allowed 
 the liberty of the ship at all times, and all were on deck 
 in such an emergency, when any hour might see the 
 foundering or wrecking of the vessel. The craven, 
 slavish demeanour of most of the prisoners and their 
 undisguised fear were thrown into high relief by the 
 firm and steady courage of the legionaries posted where, 
 in case of an outbreak, they could command the ship. 
 The seamen, more or less accustomed to such scenes, 
 were busy about their several duties, the principal one 
 of which was the arduous labour of manning the pumps, 
 for the ship was leaking badly in spite of her under- 
 girding and the other precautions they had taken. 
 
 Breakfast had been served a sorry meal indeed: a 
 piece of hard bread, a handful of raw wheat, a scant 
 draught of water mingled, in the case of the soldiers 
 and officers, with a modicum of thin, sour wine. The 
 centurion, the shipmaster, and the Hebrew who shared 
 the small after cabin, had breakfasted within and had 
 come forth on deck to discuss their situation. A huge 
 Cappadocian pilot with two stout assistants, for the 
 storm made the work hard, handled the great steering-
 
 THE CORN SHIP OF ALEXANDRIA 39 
 
 oar thrust out of a porthole to windward. To him 
 the shipmaster addressed himself. 
 
 " Hath there been any change during thy watch? " 
 
 " None, master ; the wind holdeth as steadily as ever. 
 It hath not abated in violence." 
 
 " I scarcely expected any change," continued Ptole- 
 meus. 
 
 He stepped forward a few paces and beckoned with 
 his hand to an old seaman who was supervising and 
 directing the gang of men at the pumps. The man 
 turned, walked aft, and saluted. 
 
 "What hast thou to report?" asked the shipmaster. 
 
 " The water gaineth upon us in spite of all we can 
 do." 
 
 "But slowly?" 
 
 " If the leak grow no worse we can keep it down 
 provided the strength and the spirit of the men do 
 not give way." 
 
 " Aye, it is hard work, back breaking and heart 
 tearing, bending over the pumps," continued the 
 captain. 
 
 "As to that, worthy shipmaster," said the little 
 man, who was intently observing everything with a pair 
 of very bright eyes, " thou hast the prisoners. They 
 can relieve thy men, and even I, though I am old, am 
 not helpless and shall be able to do my share with 
 the rest." 
 
 " Paulus, thou hast well said," interposed the cen- 
 turion. " Rather than drown ignobly without a strug- 
 gle, I and my men will take their turns at whatever 
 work may be necessary. They are a sturdy set," con-
 
 40 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 tinued the soldier, looking with pride at his legionaries, 
 " and will do well whatever they undertake." 
 
 " It hath not come to that yet," returned the ship- 
 master. "But, sirs, I thank ye for your good will. 
 Should we need relief I will remember your proffers ; not 
 that thou, centurion, or thou, Paulus, wilt be permitted. 
 The ordering of the one and the counselling of the 
 other are more valuable than any labour of hand or 
 arm which could be contributed by either or both 
 of you." 
 
 " And what thinkest thou of our prospects, worthy 
 shipmaster? " inquired the centurion. 
 
 The Greek shrugged his shoulders and extended his 
 arms. 
 
 " We are in the hands of the gods," he said ; " we 
 have done all we can do. The ship driveth on." 
 
 " And what is thine opinion of the duration of the 
 storm?" 
 
 " I have known Euraquilo to blow for two weeks 
 steadily. Fortunately, we have plenty of sea room. 
 There is nothing ahead, and to the westward but Sicilia 
 and Melita, and while I have little on which tp base 
 any estimate of our course or direction, not having had 
 sight of sun or stars for so long, I am inclined to the 
 supposition that we are well to the southwest of them 
 both. There is plenty of open water between Melita 
 and the African coast. We may drive before the wind 
 until it blow icself out." 
 
 "But that African coast? Is there no danger of 
 our bringing up on it ? " 
 
 " Grave danger. The wind hath not shifted, so far
 
 THE CORN SHIP OF ALEXANDRIA 41 
 
 as we can tell, but in this murky air and sea who could 
 be sure from what direction it cometh? Lest we should 
 fall on the quicksands of Syrtis I have spread a corner 
 of the artemon forward yonder to balance the thrust 
 of the rudder oar, and you see that though we are 
 drifting, I strive to keep her head up to the wind as 
 much as possible." 
 
 "And if the leak gain?" 
 
 " We can lighten the ship by discharging the cargo, 
 but it is a slow process." 
 
 "And canst thou think of nothing more?" 
 
 " Nothing. All things that my skill and the experi- 
 ence of many years can suggest have been done." 
 
 " I can well believe that," answered the centurion. 
 " Dost thou not agree, Paulus ? " 
 
 " Twice I have suffered shipwreck," returned the 
 Hebrew gravely, " and once I was a day and a night 
 in the deep upborne by a frail raft to which I clung 
 until rescued, but never saw I storm like this." 
 
 " And canst thou suggest anything? " 
 
 " Nothing further can be done. Often in my long 
 life have I gone down upon the sea in ships, and the 
 worthy shipmaster and his men have done all in their 
 power. We are in the hands of Him who, on storm- 
 tossed Galilee, said to wind and wave, * Peace, be still.' ' 
 
 "And who was He?" asked Julius. "But I know 
 thine answer," he smiled faintly, giving the other no 
 time to reply, " that wondrous Jesus, called Christus, 
 of Nazareth, whom thou declarest to be a God." 
 
 " For Whose sake," assented Paulus, smiling, and 
 when he smiled his stern, austere countenance was il-
 
 42 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 luminated with brightness, geniality, and charm, " I 
 go to Rome a prisoner." 
 
 " By Hercules, thou art a strange man, Paulus, with 
 thy crucified God," said Julius, the centurion, gravely. 
 " I would hear more of thy religion when I have a con- 
 venient season." 
 
 " So said Antonius Felix, the most excellent pro- 
 curator," answered Paulus, with equal gravity and 
 greater emphasis, " but if he depend upon me his oppor- 
 tunity is lost." 
 
 " Indeed I think so," answered Julius, mistaking the 
 other's meaning somewhat, " for unless the storm abate, 
 I believe this straining ship will never weather it." 
 
 " Thou shouldst have hearkened unto me," said 
 Paulus gravely, " and not loosed from Crete. Never- 
 theless, I think " 
 
 But the Hebrew did not finish his words, for at that 
 moment from out of the cabin came another man, 
 habited like Paulus save that his head was bare as 
 became his Greek birth and upbringing. He was an 
 elderly man and a tall. Though not so old as Paulus 
 his beard was longer and whiter. He stepped to the 
 side of the other and laid his hand affectionately upon 
 his arm. 
 
 "Art thou not imprudent to expose thyself to the 
 rigour of the storm in this cold and cutting wind and 
 rain when thou mightst remain within the shelter of 
 the cabin, beloved teacher? " 
 
 " Nay, good Lucas, worthy yoke-fellow in the Gospel, 
 that thorn in the flesh that troubleth me so often doth 
 not prick me this morning, and after the confinement
 
 THE CORN SHIP OF ALEXANDRIA 43 
 
 of the night, I would fain breathe the air. Thou art 
 my physician, I know " 
 
 " Well, well," said Lucas, looking affectionately at 
 his beloved preceptor and leader, " thou seemest in 
 good health and spirits, for which Our Lord Christ be 
 praised." 
 
 " His spirit doth help and cheer us all," answered 
 Julius, referring to Paulus, of course. " I know not 
 what we would do without him." 
 
 " It is not my spirit, brave centurion," returned the 
 Hebrew, his hand pointing upward, " but His that sus- 
 taineth me and shall sustain you all." 
 
 Further conversation was interrupted by a hail from 
 the forecastle. The shipmaster had withdrawn from 
 the others and was talking to some of his crew when 
 the man who had hailed came running aft.' 
 
 " Sir," said he, " there is a raft in tl^e water right 
 ahead." 
 
 " A raft ! Is it deserted? " 
 
 " There are men upon it." 
 
 "How many?" 
 
 " I cannot make out in the mist, but thou canst see 
 for thyself from the weather side of the upper deck 
 yonder." 
 
 " A raft hath been sighted," said the shipmaster, 
 turning and climbing up the ladder to the poop deck, 
 " there are men upon it, and " 
 
 " Men in trouble upon a raft," exclaimed Paulus ; 
 " we must look to their salvation." 
 
 He turned, and with astonishing steadiness, consid- 
 ering the wild motion of the ship, followed the ship-
 
 44 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 master up the ladder to the poop deck together with 
 Julius and Lucas. 
 
 " It is there," said the seaman who had discovered 
 the raft and reported it, pointing forward to a grey 
 blur rising and falling in the seas. 
 
 They all stared in the direction of his outstretched 
 hand. 
 
 " I make nothing of it," said Paulus at last. 
 
 " The brightness of thine eyes belieth their vision," 
 said the shipmaster in some surprise. 
 
 " Even so," answered the other a little sadly. 
 
 " But they have seen things hidden from the rest of 
 us," commented Lucas tenderly. 
 
 " I can see the raft plainly," said Julius. " There 
 are men on it." 
 
 " I, too, make them out," said Lucas after a long 
 stare. " See," he took the Hebrew by the shoulders, 
 faced him in the right direction, and pointed. " Canst 
 thou not distinguish them now ? " 
 
 " Yes," answered Paulus, " faintly." 
 
 " Well, I see them clearly," said Julius. 
 
 " We can do but little for them," said the ship- 
 master. " It may be a few hours when we too shall 
 be in as dangerous a situation." 
 
 " Meanest thou to make no effort to rescue them ? " 
 cried Paulus. 
 
 The shipmaster shook his head. 
 
 " That must not be," said the Hebrew positively. 
 " Think of the emotions of those men as we pass by. 
 I tell thee, I myself have clung to a piece of timber 
 and have waited and watched a heedless ship sail away,
 
 THE CORN SHIP OF ALEXANDRIA 45 
 
 and but that I was sustained by the Lord's Christ, my 
 heart had broken with the abandonment." 
 
 "As ever, Paulus is right," said Julius decisively, 
 " and I am much mistaken if those men be not Romans," 
 he continued, shading his eyes and looking hard. 
 " They look to me like soldiers. Thou must e'en do 
 what thou canst, Master Ptolemeus." 
 
 " Have it your way, my masters," said the Greek 
 smoothly, " although I should think there were enough 
 souls already aboard this over-laden, over-crowded, leak- 
 ing ship. Although I can do but little, I will try." 
 
 He measured the bearing of the raft with his hand. 
 There were half a dozen figures on it, and they were 
 gesticulating wildly. One of them was waving an offi- 
 cer's cloak of scarlet, the paludament making a vivid 
 dash of colour against the dull grey background of 
 sky and mist and sea. The shipmaster stepped to 
 the break of the poop and called to the pilot and directed 
 him to throw the ship well up into the wind. He next 
 spoke to an under officer and bade him lower the shred 
 of the artemon that had been spread forward. He did 
 not think that the ship would broach to, yet he did 
 not order them to furl the scrap of sail forward but to 
 hold it in their hands so that it could be set again in 
 a moment. The pilot, comprehending all, so skilfully 
 used the huge steering-oar that, deprived of the sail 
 forward, the ship swept slowly up into the wind. 
 
 A few minutes' drift showed that she would bring the 
 raft under her lee in a short time. 
 
 " Thou darest not launch the boat, I suppose? " asked 
 Julius, when this manreuvre had been completed.
 
 46 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Not for a moment could the attempt be made," was 
 the seaman's answer. He then cried out to the men, 
 " Let ropes be provided upon the lee side for casting 
 to the occupants of the raft." 
 
 The ship was low in the water, and the men on the 
 raft could be lifted on board by the men on the decks, 
 once the raft had been drawn alongside. The manoeuvre 
 was practicable enough, the only danger being that the 
 leeway of the ship would be somewhat greater than 
 was anticipated, in which case she might rise upon a 
 wave and crash down upon the frail raft, which would 
 be the end of all on that crazy platform. But the 
 handling of the steersman was admirable. Working his 
 steering-oar frantically he barely cleared the raft, and 
 as the platform on the crest of a huge wave rushed along 
 to leeward, ropes were cast, its momentum was stayed, 
 and it was drawn alongside, where it ground heavily 
 against the planking. The rail of the ship was black 
 with men, hands were stretched out, and one after 
 another the half-dozen living men standing on the raft 
 were hoisted aboard. 
 
 As they were dragged over the rail, however, a pros- 
 trate man was discovered lying upon the raft, his head 
 and shoulders supported in the arms of the last of the 
 soldiers. The raft was moving aft, the ship forward. 
 There was but little time to spare. At the shipmaster's 
 suggestion, two of the seamen leaped from the ship to 
 the raft. They tied ropes around the prostrate man 
 by which he was dragged hurriedly to the deck. Not 
 until then did the man holding him release his grasp. 
 He, too, was dragged aboard, hands were extended, and
 
 THE CORN SHIP OF ALEXANDRIA 47 
 
 the two sailors also scrambled back. The scrap of sail 
 forward was hoisted again, the ship fell away on her 
 previous course, and the raft was instantly left behind. 
 
 The rescued men were surrounded by a crowd at once, 
 and many tongues wagged curiously to know their 
 story. He who had come last aboard, however, picked 
 up in his arms the body that had been hauled from 
 the raft by the ropes and carried it aft in his arms, 
 his bearing being such as would indicate the propriety 
 of his approaching that end of the ship. He looked 
 haggard and old, his cuirass and helmet were rusty, 
 and his cloak was faded and water-stained, but the 
 centurion Julius recognised him at once. 
 
 " Why, it is my old comrade, Regulus, by Hercules ! " 
 he exclaimed, stepping forward with hands extended in 
 welcome. 
 
 " Julius of the Augustan band," answered Regulus, 
 a smile appearing on his countenance, " and this is the 
 Osiris, the gods be praised ! " 
 
 " The same, and glad am I that the gods permit 
 me to serve thee. But who hast thou here? " 
 
 " The noble tribune, Caius Attilius." 
 
 " Thou shalt take him to mine own cabin," answered 
 Julius, pushing aft. " This way," he cried. 
 
 " Hast thou a physician on board? " continued Reg- 
 ulus. 
 
 " I am a physician," said Lucas, stepping forward. 
 
 " Thou shalt have rich reward if thou canst preserve 
 the life of the noble tribune." 
 
 " Without that, but for the service of mankind 
 alone," answered Lucas- gravely, " I will do my best."
 
 48 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " This way," cried Julius, and in a short time the 
 two centurions, with Lucas the physician and Paulus 
 the Hebrew, were crowded in the little bare cabin 
 allotted to Julius, which was, of course, the best and 
 largest cabin upon the ship, as he was the highest officer 
 thereon. 
 
 Caius Attilius, wasted to a mere skeleton and uncon- 
 scious, was laid upon the couch. Lucas stooped over 
 him and examined him skilfully and rapidly with an 
 ever deepening gravity of face. 
 
 "He hath had the greater fever?" he questioned, 
 looking up at Regulus. 
 
 " Aye, the African, but it broke the day our ship 
 foundered." 
 
 " Blood hath been let from him by this spear thrust." 
 
 " That, too." 
 
 " He liveth," said the physician at last, " but barely. 
 His chances of life are small." 
 
 " Let me look at him," said Paulus. 
 
 " Art thou, too, a physician? " asked Regulus, giving 
 up his place by the side of the couch to the Hebrew. 
 
 " A physician of the soul." 
 
 " He needeth no such doctor," answered the pri- 
 mipilus grimly. 
 
 " On the contrary, he and the whole world cry aloud 
 for my healing," was the gentle yet decided answer. 
 
 " Give Paulus his way, friend Regulus," said Julius. 
 " He hath a strange power." 
 
 " And if I have, the Spirit which possesses me," said 
 Paulus, stepping over to Attilius and laying his hand 
 upon him, " declareth that the young man shall live and
 
 THE CORN SHIP OF ALEXANDRIA 49 
 
 some day " He stopped and compressed his lips. 
 
 " Have no dark fears," he said confidently, " he shall 
 not die but live. Yet do thou, Lucas, exercise all thy 
 skill over this goodly youth, for I see that he shall be 
 profitable to me some day for the Gospel." 
 
 " As thou sayest it shall be, beloved Paulus," an- 
 swered Lucas. " If it be possible, worthy centurion, do 
 thou order that a fire be kindled and some broth heated. 
 The fever is broken, I take it, and the man is starving. 
 The dry bread and water which is our fare will hardly 
 suffice for such as he, now." 
 
 " I will see to it," said Julius, " if I have to fire the 
 ship." 
 
 " And while thou speakest of food," said Regulus 
 grimly, " I have had three days without either food 
 or drink, and even that dry bread and turgid water 
 would be nectar and ambrosia to a poor soldier." 
 
 " Bear with me," said Julius. " I do reproach my- 
 self that I should have forgot thee, and as thou breakest 
 thy fast thou canst tell me what bringeth thee hither and 
 in such a plight."
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE PRISONER IN COMMAND 
 
 THE condition of the great ship Osiris and her passen- 
 gers had been bad enough on the day on which they 
 rescued Caius Attilius and his men from the raft, but 
 after eleven days of such fierce, long-continued buffet- 
 ing as none of the seamen or passengers had ever 
 before experienced, which indeed made a total of four- 
 teen days of storm since they had left Fair Havens, 
 the ship was in a frightful condition. They had got 
 rid of everything they could come at except the cargo. 
 They had cut away the mast and cast overboard the 
 tackling and gearing, even the scanty, movable furni- 
 ture of the cabins and the places where the prisoners 
 slept between decks had gone in a vain attempt to 
 lighten the ship. The cargo would be the last thing to 
 be jettisoned. 
 
 With the pumps and buckets they had bailed the leak- 
 ing ship until absolute and entire exhaustion caused a 
 stoppage of the work. They had all, from the highest 
 to the lowest, been put upon the shortest of short 
 allowances of provisions and water for the greater part 
 of the time. Physical weariness, with their hunger and 
 thirst and their pains and desires, had quite obscured 
 their sense of peril. Most of the people of the Osiris 
 were utterly worn out and were equally indifferent. 
 
 50
 
 THE PRISONER IN COMMAND 51 
 
 Some of them had already sunk into the torpor of 
 silent despair. A few of the hardier spirits, the stoics 
 among the Romans and the prisoners, alone manifested 
 courage and willingness to keep up the almost hopeless 
 fight against wind and sea in the doomed ship. 
 
 Roman pride caused Julius, the centurion, and Regu- 
 lus, the primipilus, to keep a brave front toward the 
 disaster. The soldiers looked with philosophic con- 
 tempt upon the despair of the poorer sort among the 
 prisoners, who were in the great majority. Ptolemeus, 
 the captain of the ship, with the pilots who seconded 
 him in his efforts at navigation, preserved a certain 
 amount of calm. Lucas, the cool, collected physician, 
 had been untiring in his ministrations to all who needed 
 such medical attention as his skill and the scanty supply 
 of drugs could afford. 
 
 But the spirit that was highest and bravest and 
 noblest of all the little company was that of the Hebrew 
 Paulus. The skill of Lucas availed much, but the gentle 
 smile and the kindly strength and confidence and cour- 
 age that emanated from the personality of the little 
 Tarsian were a thousandfold more precious and more 
 helpful. As tireless as the centurions, or the ship's 
 officers, Paulus went to and fro among the men, dis- 
 tributing words of comfort and cheer, of confidence and 
 assurance, to high and low alike. Most of the soldiers 
 met his advances with contemptuous disdain ; with them 
 his Roman citizenship counted for little except as a 
 political privilege. In their eyes, he was a prisoner 
 and a Hebrew; a member of that arrogant race which 
 regarded all other peoples with hatred and contempt
 
 52 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 and which all other peoples repaid to the full measure 
 and in kind especially the Romans. 
 
 But the prisoners looked to him with joy. Few of 
 these last were Hebrews. They were a motley assem- 
 blage representing all phases of life and all varieties 
 of race in the Orient: Little-Asians, tall, blond Gala- 
 tians, black-haired Greeks; swarthy Syrians, olive- 
 cheeked Egyptians, fierce Cappadocians and Bithynians, 
 graceful and depraved Cypriots ; worshippers of every 
 god and none; committers of crimes nameable and un- 
 nameable, offenders against the massive majesty of 
 Roman law; old and young, high and low, rich and 
 poor, it seemed incredible that One God could have been 
 the Maker of them all. There were a few of the better 
 sort among them, men like Paulus, who were being car- 
 ried Romewards because in the provincial courts they 
 had pleaded their Roman citizenship and had appealed 
 unto Caesar for his personal judgment, as indeed they 
 had a legal right to do. But most of the captives 
 were destined to bloody deaths in the arena, in hopeless 
 condemnation food for wild beast or wilder gladiator. 
 
 Partly because of his privilege as a Roman citizen, 
 by birth and not by purchase, but more on account of 
 the extraordinary personality of the man, which 
 strangely impressed all with whom he came in contact, 
 the place of Paulus among the principal officers, in- 
 cluding Julius, the centurion, was unquestionable. He 
 came and went freely in accordance with his fancy. He 
 had one of the smaller after cabins allotted to him, which 
 he shared with Lucas. His age, his experience, and 
 an indefinable, but not the less recognisable air of
 
 THE PRISONER IN COMMAND 53 
 
 power about him added to his importance and estab- 
 lished him in a condition rare and unusual even in a 
 prisoner of the highest rank appealing to the Emperor. 
 And that position and its privileges he entered upon 
 without assertiveness or indeed effort, but quite natur- 
 ally. 
 
 Neither Regulus nor Julius was of gentle blood, 
 but they were men who had mingled freely and upon 
 such terms of intimacy as their soldier life permitted 
 with the noblest and best, not only of Rome but of 
 nearly all of the countries of the world. They instinc- 
 tively felt themselves in the presence of an aristocrat, 
 by birth, breeding, and character, when they conversed 
 with Paulus, although he was of the simplest in his 
 manner and bearing. In short, he lent rather than 
 took, honour from his Roman citizenship. 
 
 That Hebrew Paulus was a born Roman citizen of a 
 wealthy and influential family of the important city 
 of Tarsus ; that he had been cast off by his family and 
 was hated by his nation because he preached the Gospel 
 of one Jesus of Nazareth called Christus, who, he had 
 heard vaguely, was a fanatic who had been executed 
 upon the cross by Pontius Pilate when he was procura- 
 tor of turbulent Judea, was well known to Julius. In- 
 deed, the Hebrew declared that the same Christus had 
 risen from the dead! That was the frequent burden 
 of his converse, and he claimed it was because of that 
 declaration that he was a prisoner, a statement which 
 Julius could by no means understand. 
 
 In conversation with Paulus these substantial Romans 
 had not failed to observe that he was a man of sound
 
 54- THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 sense and great learning in discussing any other sub- 
 ject. It was evident that he had been thoroughly edu- 
 cated and had enjoyed a wide acquaintance of men 
 and manners. Julius came to the conclusion after a 
 time, in which Regulus joined, when he came to know 
 Paulus better, that much learning had unsettled the 
 mind of Paulus on the one subject which he was ever 
 fain to discuss the Divinity of that Christus, and that 
 He had risen from the dead and had the highest place 
 among the gods, by the side of great Jupiter himself 
 so they dimly apprehended it. And yet as Paulus 
 reasoned with them about these, to them, impossible 
 occurrences, strange ideas would come into the mind of 
 Julius, which he could neither explain nor explain 
 away. 
 
 Among all on the ship there was one especially whose 
 gratitude to the Hebrew sage and Greek physician 
 grew with every passing day. The determination of 
 Regulus, enforced by the command of Julius, that who- 
 ever might suffer from lack of food it should not be 
 the young tribune, had caused the preparation of 
 reasonably suitable fare with which to build up the 
 wasted tissues and restore the impaired strength of 
 Caius Attilius. With difficulty fires were kindled each 
 day and nourishing broths were made ready for the 
 invalid. 
 
 Contrary to the prognostications of Lucas, but in 
 accordance with the deeper insight of Paulus, the trib- 
 une daily gained in strength and spirit. He was still 
 immeasurably weak, but each day marked a decided 
 advance toward the goal of restored health and strength.
 
 THE PRISONER IN COMMAND 55 
 
 Happily possessed of an iron constitution, accustomed 
 by long service to all the hardships and vicissitudes of 
 a soldier's life, which had been his lot for so long a 
 time, with a body clean because it was the tabernacle 
 of a soul which kept itself pure amid the excesses of 
 the day and generation these all stood him in good 
 stead now. 
 
 He had gone through a terrible experience, however. 
 The ghastly fever had been long and wasting, the 
 spear thrust in the side had drained much blood from 
 a body which had none to spare, the days of exposure 
 and starvation upon the open raft had brought the 
 vitality of the man to the very lowest ebb. And so, 
 although he grew daily better he was still far from 
 well, weak and ill indeed, and scarcely able to help 
 himself much. 
 
 " The gods have been good to thee, noble Attilius," 
 said old Regulus, standing by the side of Paulus as 
 they both looked down upon the young man late one 
 evening before they made ready for the night. 
 
 " Even so," answered the Roman weakly. 
 
 " And in thy behalf I have promised an ox to Her- 
 cules, my patron, should we reach Rome safely." 
 
 "What sayest thou to that, O wise Paulus?" asked 
 Attilius, looking up at the composed face. 
 
 " The God I serve, young tribune," replied the sage, 
 " delighteth not in the blood of bulls and goats." 
 
 "What sacrifice then?" asked the invalid wonder- 
 ingly. 
 
 " In the sacrifice of men," was the startling answer. 
 
 " Thou and thy companion, Lucas, have saved my
 
 66 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 life," answered the tribune, " and yet I like not human 
 sacrifice. Moloch, Baal, I hate. If that be thy re- 
 ligion " 
 
 " Nay, thou mistakest me. It is the sacrifice of self 
 that I preach. That we should resist sin even unto 
 blood. That we should suffer all things, endure all 
 things, bear all things for His sake and for the sake 
 of those who are made in His image." 
 
 " And what is this strange word sin of which thou 
 speakest? Is it disobedience to the will of the 
 gods?" 
 
 " By Hercules," said old Regulus, " I know of no 
 greater fault in a soldier than disobedience to the orders 
 of his captain." 
 
 " Thou hast well said, disobedience to the laws of 
 God," answered Paulus, looking approvingly at the 
 old soldier, " that is sin disobedience to the moral 
 law involved when men lie and steal and lust and 
 murder." 
 
 " Is that all? " 
 
 " It is but the half of human duty," answered Paulus. 
 
 "What more?" 
 
 " He I serve summed it up thus, ' Thou shalt love 
 the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy neighbour 
 as thyself.' " 
 
 "But if thy neighbour be thine enemy?" queried 
 Attilius. 
 
 " ' Love your enemies, do good to them which hate 
 you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them 
 which despitefully use you,' " quoted the Hebrew with 
 deep solemnity.
 
 THE PRISONER IN COMMAND 57 
 
 " Strange advice to a soldier, old man," commented 
 Regulus contemptuously. " If we loved our enemies, 
 what would Rome be? " 
 
 " Heaven," answered Paulus gravely, " instead of 
 the hell it now is." 
 
 " I know not," said Regulus, " where the Elysian 
 Fields do lie, but with money in his purse, a roof to 
 cover him, good wine to drink, and mayhap a woman 
 to cherish him, with slaves to come to his call, 
 one might be indifferent happy in the Imperial 
 City." 
 
 " There is a happiness thou knowest not, O soldier," 
 answered the other, " and it doth not consist of the 
 things of this earth." 
 
 " Maybe, maybe," returned the Roman imperturb- 
 ably, " but what I do know is enough for a veteran of 
 thirty years of service. But the tribune groweth 
 weary." 
 
 " It is even so," said Paulus, laying his hand upon 
 the head of the young man. " Good-night." 
 
 " Wait," said Attilius, " what is the name of this 
 God whom thou servest?" 
 
 " Jesus of Nazareth, surnamed Christus." 
 
 " I shall remember His name. And didst thou pray 
 to Him for me? " 
 
 " Many a time." 
 
 " I am grateful. I shall cause a statue of Him to 
 be placed in the Pantheon and sacrifices to be made in 
 His honour." 
 
 Paulus shook his head. 
 
 " That thou art grateful is well," he said, " but my
 
 58 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 God standeth not with the heathen gods. Alone He 
 shall fill the Pantheon and the world even some 
 day." 
 
 What further might have passed between the two 
 was interrupted by a wild outburst of yells outside the 
 cabin. Above the thundering of the waves alongside 
 and the beat of the spray upon the deck rose a tumult 
 of cries in which could be heard above all the words : 
 
 " Breakers ! " 
 
 " Breakers on the right hand ! " 
 
 " Breakers ahead ! " 
 
 The inert ship and her hapless company were sud- 
 denly galvanised into action. Lucas thrust his head 
 in at the door. Behind him stood the tall form of 
 Julius. 
 
 " Paulus," began the latter hurriedly, " where art 
 thou?" 
 
 " Here, and at thy service," answered the Hebrew, 
 gathering his cloak about him and stepping swiftly 
 toward the door and thence out on deck. 
 
 Regulus stopped by the side of Attilius for a mo- 
 ment. 
 
 " Should any danger impend," he said, " trust me to 
 see thee safely through with my life." 
 
 He then turned and followed the others out on deck. 
 The shipmaster had mounted the high poop with one 
 of the pilots. They were staring hard to leeward at a 
 line of white seen imperfectly yet clearly enough to 
 bespeak what it was in the darkness of the stormy night. 
 Scarcely an eighth of a mile away the waters, driven
 
 THE PRISONER IN COMMAND 59 
 
 by the mighty gale, were leaping over a reef and 
 throwing columns of ghostly white spray high into the 
 sodden air. The most inexperienced could read beneath 
 those white beating seas, rocks, which, should the ship 
 touch them, meant the instant and certain destruction 
 of all. 
 
 The apathy, the weakness, the dull indifference that 
 had possessed the human cargo had all disappeared. 
 Men stood and stared, a few silently, most crying 
 loudly and gesticulating violently, others running aim- 
 lessly to and fro in their despair. The peril was so 
 close, the drive of the ship although slow was so in- 
 evitably toward the reef, that even the shipmaster aban- 
 doned hope. 
 
 " Thou hast said, O worthy Paulus," began the 
 centurion, " that we should escape with our lives. What 
 thinkest thou of that? " 
 
 " Sirs," said Paulus, raising his voice high that all 
 might hear, " be of good cheer. There shall be no 
 loss of any man's life among us, although the ship shall 
 be cast away. There stood by me this night the angel 
 of God, Whose I am and Whom I serve, saying, * Fear 
 not, Paulus ; thou must be brought before Caesar : and 
 lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.' 
 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, 
 and it shall be even as it was told me." 
 
 " But my ship ! " exclaimed the captain of the vessel. 
 
 " Naught can save her. Before us is some island ; 
 we shall be cast upon it." 
 
 " The will of the gods be done," said the Greek 
 captain resignedly. " We are helpless."
 
 60 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Nay, not yet," interposed Julius stoutly, " there 
 is surely something we can do." 
 
 " Bid one of the seamen sound the water alongside," 
 said Paulus. "What is the hour?" 
 
 " It is near the middle of the night," said Regulus, 
 joining them. "Are we lost?" 
 
 " Not yet," was the reply of the Hebrew. 
 
 "How much water have we alongside?" cried the 
 captain as the under officer came aft with a weighted 
 line dripping wet in his hand. 
 
 " Twenty fathoms, sir." 
 
 " In what depth canst thou anchor ? " asked Paulus 
 of the shipmaster. 
 
 " In twenty, if necessary, but in a less depth, better 
 still." 
 
 " We approach the shore," said Julius, " more 
 nearly." 
 
 " It is still some distance off," answered Paulus. 
 " Head the ship up into the wind." 
 
 " Turn her with thy steering-oar," cried the ship- 
 master to the pilot. 
 
 " Sound again, worthy seaman," said the He- 
 brew. 
 
 " The water shoals, sir," cried the old sailor, after 
 another cast of the leaded line. " It is but fifteen 
 fathoms deep now." 
 
 " If we are to anchor before we drift upon the reef 
 it should be done now," suggested the shipmaster, 
 astonishingly deferential to this mysterious Hebrew. 
 
 Paulus nodded his head, and answered: 
 
 " Cast into the sea from the stern all of thy great
 
 61 
 
 tackling and every anchor. We shall scarce hold even 
 then against the mighty drive of the fierce wind." 
 
 " Lay aft here," roared the captain. " Break out 
 the anchors. Worthy centurion," he turned to Julius, 
 " if thy men would help ; the anchors are heavy, my 
 men are few." 
 
 " Legionaries to me ! " cried Julius. 
 
 " And if there be any of the prisoners who would 
 also bear assistance," cried Paulus, " let them come 
 hither." 
 
 The after part of the ship, in obedience to these 
 hails, was soon filled with men eager to help. Lanterns 
 had been lighted. In the dim radiance cast they busied 
 themselves with the heavy anchors and the great tack- 
 ling. Paulus and the two officers stepped back and 
 left the direction to the shipmaster. Under his skilful 
 management, the anchors were at last got overboard 
 and the ship brought to. The thrust of the sea and 
 the wind was tremendous. For some time the ship- 
 master, the pilots, the under officers, Paulus, and the 
 two centurions hung over the stern staring, but after 
 dragging for some distance the anchors caught, the 
 ropes tautened, and the ship came to a stand but a short 
 distance from the breakers. 
 
 "Will they hold, thinkest thou? " anxiously asked 
 Julius of the commander of the vessel as she was finally 
 brought to. 
 
 " I know not. If the wind freshen I think it hardly 
 likely. I would that it were day." 
 
 " And I, too," answered Regulus. " I like not this 
 fighting in the dark; give me the sunlight shining on
 
 62 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 the helm, the open enemy in the field. I hate this mist 
 and sea." 
 
 " What dost thou propose now ? " asked the centurion 
 of the captain. 
 
 " When day breaketh and we see where we are I shall 
 endeavour to beach the ship, if there be any beach 
 among these reefs, and we can then get ashore. The 
 ship is low in the water, she is like to founder during 
 the night." 
 
 A sailor came running aft, forcing his way through 
 the crowd of men upon the decks, and stepped to the 
 side of his captain. 
 
 " A word in thine ear, sir," he said. 
 
 The two whispered together for a moment, and then 
 both walked rapidly forward. 
 
 " I like not that," said Paulus after a little while, 
 seeing that the shipmaster did not return. " Let us 
 go forward, centurions." 
 
 " As thou wilt," answered Julius. " Come, Regulus." 
 
 " Ye have your swords with you? " 
 
 " If we are to die," answered Julius, " we prefer to 
 die like Romans with our arms at hand." 
 
 " Who knoweth what need of them we may have " 
 
 " Keep them in readiness," interposed the old 
 Hebrew. 
 
 " I thought thou wert a man of peace, Paulus," com- 
 mented Regulus half sarcastically as they forced their 
 way forward through the excited throng upon the deck. 
 
 " And so I am, but there are times when Ah ! " 
 cried the Hebrew, " I was not deceived ! Look yon- 
 der!"
 
 THE PRISONER IN COMMAND 63 
 
 He pointed forward where some sailors under direc- 
 tion of the master had, by means of tackling, raised 
 the small boat the ship carried, and had her already 
 swung in the air about to drop into the water alongside. 
 
 "What meaneth this?" thundered Julius, springing 
 into the midst of the group. 
 
 The face of the shipmaster suddenly paled. 
 
 " We we were preparing to cast another anchor 
 from the bows," he faltered. 
 
 " Every anchor in the ship," said Paulus quietly, 
 " hath been cast astern, and to what purpose wouldst 
 thou anchor by the bows ? " 
 
 " Jewish dog ! " cried the shipmaster, turning upon 
 him furiously. "What business is it of thine? Art 
 thou in command of the ship ? " 
 
 " Silence ! " thundered Julius. " Thou art address- 
 ing a Roman citizen, and if there be dispute as to who 
 commandeth, remember that I am here." 
 
 " And I," added Regulus. 
 
 " And we represent Caesar and the Empire." 
 
 " Sirs," said Paulus, " take no thought for me, but 
 cut away the boat." 
 
 The shipmaster started uneasily. 
 
 " We shall have great need of the services of the sea- 
 men later," continued Paulus earnestly. " If they 
 abandon the ship now we cannot be saved." 
 
 " Shall we not need the smaller vessel? " asked Regu- 
 lus. 
 
 " Nay, she could not float in such a sea, and " 
 
 " Paulus is right," said Julius. 
 
 He made a step forward. A low growl rose from
 
 64 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 the men clustered about him. Regulus unsheathed his 
 sword and sprang to his friend's side. 
 
 " What ho ! Legionaries to me ! " cried Julius at 
 the same moment. 
 
 Instantly upon his call came the soldiers. They 
 brushed away the seamen unceremoniously. 
 
 " Cut me those ropes," said Julius, pointing to those 
 which held the boat suspended. 
 
 A few swords flashed suddenly in the darkness, and 
 the pinnace fell into the sea. A cry of despair rose 
 from the sailors. 
 
 " Silence," commanded the centurion. " Ye thought 
 to desert us. If we perish, so, too, shall you, and lest 
 there be no mistake about it, we will send you to the 
 nether world ahead of us on our sword points." 
 
 " Worthy centurion " began the shipmaster. 
 
 " And thou art the coward in chief," cried Julius. 
 " Get thee to thy cabin, nor show thy face until I 
 command. By Jupiter, I am fain to run thee through 
 where thou standest, thou white-cheeked craven." 
 
 The centurion made a threatening movement toward 
 the sea captain. The latter recoiled, and it was Paulus 
 who interposed. 
 
 " Said I not," he remarked gently, " that God hath 
 given me all in the ship? Put up thy sword. And 
 now it is my counsel that whatever provision remain 
 be served out generously to all on board. We have 
 fasted and starved for fourteen days, saving our sup- 
 ply, for we knew not when it would be replaced, but our 
 voyage endeth here." 
 
 " It is well said," answered Julius. He turned to
 
 THE PRISONER IN COMMAND 65 
 
 some of the soldiers. " Go to the storeroom and bring 
 what you find there upon the deck, and be speedy 
 about it." 
 
 " Give me leave," said Paulus a short time after, as 
 the men came back bearing cooked and salted meat and 
 sacks of bread. 
 
 He took some of the bread in his hands, broke it, and 
 blessed it, uttering a prayer as he did so, and then 
 under the supervision of the centurion the provisions 
 were divided impartially among all who were there. 
 
 " This eating," said Paulus, as the division pro- 
 ceeded, " is for your health. And I bid you be of good 
 cheer, for there shall not a hair fall from the head 
 of any one of you." 
 
 After they had eaten and drunk their fill, having 
 done all, they waited anxiously upon the deck for the 
 dawn of the day.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 THE SIGN AND THE BLESSING 
 
 THEY did not await the longed-for day in idleness, 
 however, for by the advice of the Hebrew, whose quali- 
 ties of leadership manifested themselves more and more 
 as the danger grew greater, the prisoners, under the 
 supervision of the soldiers, were set to work at lighten- 
 ing the vessel. A good deal of the cargo had already 
 been cast into the sea, but there was yet left aboard a 
 considerable proportion, and as the ship was making 
 water fast, and as her drag upon the anchors was tre- 
 mendous, it was deemed best to lighten her as much as 
 possible. Besides, it may be imagined that Paulus and 
 the others shrewdly reasoned that men busily employed 
 were less apt to be troublesome than those that had 
 nothing whatever to do, and the hard work, therefore, 
 served a double purpose. 
 
 Paulus, of course, attempted no supervision of such 
 work. That was efficiently overseen by the two cen- 
 turions, who worked in perfect harmony together, he 
 of the higher rank, for the occasion, cheerfully sub- 
 mitting himself to the direction of him charged with 
 the safety of the prisoners and the movement of the 
 ship. So the long hours dragged away on the doomed 
 vessel. 
 
 The wished-for day broke at last, if possible colder 
 and more stormy than ever. At the first glimpse of 
 
 66
 
 THE SIGN AND THE BLESSING 67 
 
 dawn eager eyes searched the shore. There, close under 
 their lee, lay a barren ridge of rocks extending far to 
 the eastward, over which the waves rolled furiously. 
 They had brought to the ship just in time, a half cable 
 length further and she would have taken ground upon 
 the reef, and in the darkness of the night probably most 
 of them would have been lost. Forward and on the 
 right hand land could be seen dimly in the grey light. 
 The shores were low and in general rocky and ill adapted 
 for beaching the ship. The country was desolate and 
 there were yet no signs of humanity. 
 
 The place in which they had come to anchor was a 
 deep bay enclosed on one side by the projecting point 
 upon which they had so nearly driven, and on the other 
 side by a rocky islet which ran almost to the main shore. 
 Under the lee of the islet, which lay well to the north- 
 west of them, they finally discovered a stretch of sandy 
 beach, suitable for their purpose. Their only hope of 
 safety lay in beaching the ship there, and whatever 
 they were to accomplish had to be attempted without 
 delay, for the vessel was about to founder beneath 
 their feet. 
 
 Summoning the pilot, and the master from his cabin, 
 where he had been confined, Julius peremptorily bade 
 them get the ship under way. Regulus, meanwhile, 
 went into the cabin accompanied by some of the men, 
 and presently appeared supporting Caius Attilius, whom 
 he had sworn not to desert. It would be a matter of 
 great difficulty to get the yet more or less helpless 
 tribune ashore, but in spite of himself, although he be- 
 lieved not at all in the God that Paulus preached, there
 
 68 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 was a certain amount of comfort to the old sailor in 
 the assurance he had received. He told these hopes to 
 young Attilius, who remarked that if he had to die 
 he trusted that he could show his Roman fortitude as 
 well in the face of a watery grave as before an enemy's 
 spear thrust. 
 
 In order to give the ship sufficient way the shipmaster, 
 after carefully examining the situation, ordered the 
 smaller sail called the artemon to be hoisted on the 
 raking-mast forward, and at the same time he instructed 
 the seamen, who were provided with sharp axes for the 
 purpose, to cut away the straining cables aft. There 
 was no use in wasting time or labour in weighing or 
 hauling up the anchors. The ship must infallibly 
 break up even if they succeeded in running her ashore, 
 and to cut the cables was the simplest and the quickest 
 method to free her. From the condition of the ship 
 Ptolemeus promptly decided that there was pressing 
 need for haste. 
 
 At a given signal, therefore, the sailors hoisted the 
 artemon, hauled aft the sheets, the anchors were cut 
 away, and the lashings which had lifted the huge rudder 
 paddles clear of the water and secured them were cast 
 adrift. The wind had changed slightly, and under the 
 drag of the forward sail and the skilful steering of 
 both the pilot and the shipmaster in person, the Osiris 
 drove rapidly toward the beach. Narrowly escaping 
 the rocks on one hand or the other, she finally ran into 
 the shallow water under the lee of the islet to the north- 
 ward. The wind still held, and they were enabled, by 
 the comparative cessation of the huge rollers broken
 
 THE SIGN AND THE BLESSING 69 
 
 by the islet, to control her course somewhat better until 
 they passed the end of the islet and got the full force 
 of a counter current which ran through a narrow 
 channel between the islet and the mainland. This swift 
 current cast the head of the ship to the southwest, but 
 not enough to make void the nice calculation of the 
 steersmen, for in a moment a huge roller lifted her up 
 and hurled her forward until, with a frightful con- 
 cussion, she buried her stem in the sand of the shore. 
 
 It was some little distance from the bow of the ship 
 to the land. Some of the older soldiers suggested to 
 Julius that they now kill the prisoners out of hand lest 
 they should escape in the confusion, but the centurion 
 disdained the counsel, more especially on account of 
 Paulus than of any other. He gave command accord- 
 ingly that all who could swim, prisoners, soldiers, sailors 
 alike, should cast themselves into the sea and endeavour 
 to reach the land as best they could. A hardy soldier 
 was the first to make the attempt. Throwing aside 
 shield and spear, but otherwise accoutred as he was, 
 he plunged from the bow of the ship into the water and 
 struck out for the shore. It was but a short distance 
 after all, and his success, especially when he turned and 
 waved his hand in triumph, inspired others, and soon 
 the water was black with bobbing heads and tossing 
 figures. 
 
 Presently the decks were more or less deserted. There 
 were, perhaps, two score men who could not swim, the 
 superior officers of the ship, and the two centurions, 
 Paulus and Lucas and Caius Attilius left on board. 
 
 " Sirs," began Ptolemeus to the two centurions, " I
 
 70 
 
 have done everything that I can. The ship is about to 
 break up. See ye any reason why I should tarry 
 longer ? " 
 
 " Go," said Julius contemptuously. 
 
 " Worthy centurions," said Caius Attilius as the 
 shipmaster and the pilot ran forward, " trouble your- 
 selves no longer for me." 
 
 " By thy leave, Caius Attilius," said Regulus bluntly, 
 "we will get thee safe to shore, and thou, Paulus, and 
 thy companion, Lucas." 
 
 " Give thyself no concern in my behalf," said Paulus, 
 " I can swim. My life had been forfeit five times were 
 it not so, and Lucas as well, but indeed I think we 
 would all better remove to the fore part of the 
 ship." 
 
 At that moment a huge wave struck the vessel. The 
 weakened fabric began to give way under the hammer- 
 ing, hard and long continued. Another roller followed, 
 but before it struck the counter the remainder of the 
 people still upon the Osiris were huddled together in 
 the bows. It was well that they had left the after part, 
 for before their very eyes the doomed ship, strained 
 and battered beyond measure, fairly broke in two and 
 a whirling mass of timbers was dashed by the seas 
 toward the shore. This proved the salvation of those 
 who could not swim, for they made haste to drop into 
 the water, and seizing whatever afforded them support, 
 were carried by the waves toward the shore until they 
 were within reach of their companions, who formed 
 human chains by linking hands and wading out into the 
 surf to the rescue of the helpless ones buffeted to and
 
 THE SIGN AND THE BLESSING 71 
 
 fro in the boiling seas. It was a work of great danger 
 on account of the debris of the wreck, which was tossed 
 about by the waves, but the soldiers were ever men of 
 daring and there were skilful and brave men among the 
 prisoners, too. 
 
 Presently all were safe but the two centurions, the 
 Hebrew, the Greek physician, and the young man. The 
 remains of the ship were now lower in the water than 
 ever. The sea began to make clean breaches over what 
 was left. Regulus and Julius had bound two or three 
 pieces of timber together. They now shoved their 
 hastily improvised raft over the side. Caius Attilius 
 was laid upon it, and with one man swimming at each 
 side, holding him on it, they struck out for the shore, 
 followed by Paulus and Lucas. They were driven back 
 and forth by the oncoming and receding waves, but 
 finally aided by the chain of soldiers, who were resolved 
 that their officers should not perish, the whole party 
 successfully made a landing. Strange to say, Attilius 
 was not much the worse for this, his second encounter 
 with the angry seas. 
 
 They had scarcely gained the shore when the ship, 
 even that portion which had been buried in the sand, 
 was completely torn to pieces. By Julius' direction 
 pieces of the wreckage were gathered in piles on the 
 shore well above the high-water mark, and with flint and 
 steel and some dry tinder that had almost miraculously 
 escaped wetting in the possession of one of the soldiers, 
 huge fires were soon blazing, around which they 
 crowded, warming themselves and drying their wet gar- 
 ments, for the water was icy cold.
 
 72 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 It seemed as if in the final effort which had wrecked 
 the ship the storm had at last spent itself, for with 
 as much suddenness as it had arisen, the tempest, which 
 had blown with such violence for fourteen days, now 
 rapidly died away. The sun came out to their great 
 comfort. By Julius' direction the prisoners were 
 gathered together and placed under guard. Scouting 
 parties were sent inland, which soon came in touch with 
 the inhabitants of the island, which they learned was 
 called Melita or Malta. The whole party marched in- 
 land, therefore, until they came to a populous town, 
 the seat of government. 
 
 The Roman governor of the island, one Publius, re- 
 ceived them with courtesy and kindness, provided food 
 and clothing for them, and quartered them according 
 to their degree. Paulus, although he was a prisoner, 
 with Lucas, was by the request of Julius given the 
 same comfortable treatment and enjoyed the same pleas- 
 ant hospitality which was meted out to the two cen- 
 turions and the tribune. And when the governor of the 
 island heard that one of the vipers, with which the 
 island abounded, whose bite was deadly, had fastened 
 upon the hand of Paulus as he had gathered sticks for 
 the fire on the beach, and that the Hebrew had received 
 no hurt from the serpent, merely shaking the reptile 
 into the fire, he even reverenced him as enjoying in 
 some strange way the favour of the gods ! 
 
 It chanced that the father of the governor lay within 
 the palace sick of a fever and a bloody flux. Bringing 
 Paulus to the bedside of the sick man, Publius requested 
 his good services in behalf of the invalid. Paulus laid
 
 THE SIGN AND THE BLESSING 73 
 
 his hands upon him and prayed, and the fever presently 
 left him, the flux was stopped, and the man was made 
 well. The fame of this miraculous cure spread over 
 the island, and many sick were brought and laid at the 
 feet of this strange wonder worker and he healed them 
 all. And in this work Lucas gave much timely and val- 
 uable counsel and assistance. 
 
 In two weeks Caius Attilius was able to travel. His 
 rank and his wealth procured for him the use of a small 
 ship to take him to Sicily. Attended by Regulus and 
 those of the soldiers of the Fourteenth Legion who had 
 survived the wreck of the Isis, Attilius embarked for 
 home, for that Rome from which he had been so long 
 absent. Julius, with Paulus and Lucas and the other 
 prisoners and the soldiers of the Augustan band, were 
 forced to tarry longer for the opening of navigation 
 and a larger ship. 
 
 The Roman was not unmindful of the kindness he 
 had received from the Hebrew. 
 
 " Thou goest to Rome as a prisoner to be tried," he 
 said as he bade him farewell. " I know not what be 
 these gods whom thou servest, O wise Paulus, but thou 
 shalt see that a Roman is not ungrateful. If ever 
 thou needest a friend, I pray thee call upon me." 
 
 " And upon me as well," added Regulus, " although 
 my influence is but small as I am but a plain, blunt, old 
 soldier seeking retirement." 
 
 " I thank thee, noble Attilius," answered Paulus, 
 " and thee also, worthy centurion. Although my Mas- 
 ter and Lord is able to deliver me even from the lions' 
 mouths if need be, I am not foolish enough to disdain
 
 74 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 the help of men, and it may hap that I shall call upon 
 thee." 
 
 " Good," said the tribune heartily. " And thou, too, 
 Lucas, I would fain help. Thou hast served me well. 
 That I am alive at this hour is in no small part due 
 to thy skill, I am sure." 
 
 " Thou honourest me, my lord," said the gentle physi- 
 cian. "Like my teacher and leader, Paulus, I ask 
 nothing for myself, but shouldst thou meet with this 
 appeal from any in trouble, I pray thee heed it for the 
 sake of what we may have done for thee." 
 
 As he spoke, with 'Nfingers Lucas traced in the air 
 the outlines of a fish. The two Romans stared at the 
 Greek in some amazement. 
 
 " Unless I am greatly mistaken," said Attilius, " thou 
 hast traced a fish with thy fingers." 
 
 " It is even so," answered the physician. 
 
 " And what meaneth it ? " 
 
 " It is the sign of those who think as we." 
 
 " I understand it not," said the tribune. 
 
 " Perhaps some day," said Paulus, smiling, " thou 
 shalt know." 
 
 " Perhaps. Meanwhile the sign itself is plain, and 
 for your sakes I will remember." 
 
 " And I," added Regulus. 
 
 " I am an old man," said Paulus, lifting his hand, 
 " and though like thee I am a Roman citizen, I come of 
 a race between which and the proud people of Rome but 
 little love passeth, yet thou canst take an old man's 
 blessing." 
 
 Something in the gesture and the tone of Paulus
 
 THE SIGN AND THE BLESSING 75 
 
 affected Attilius strangely. He bent his head, and 
 Paulus laid his hand upon it. With upturned face he 
 murmured strange words. There was something in the 
 scene which moved Regulus strangely. He had been 
 standing at ease. He gathered himself together and 
 his hand touched his helmet in military salute. It was 
 his way of acknowledging the presence of something 
 which he could not understand. 
 And so they parted.
 
 BOOK II 
 MASTER AND SLAVE
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE BLOCK OF PHRYX 
 
 NERO was at Naples when Attilius and Regulus finally 
 arrived at Rome. In view of the hard experiences 
 of the tribune and his weakened condition the Im- 
 perator sent back word by the messenger who an- 
 nounced their arrival and the loss of the ship that 
 Attilius should await the return of the court to the 
 capital city to make his final and complete report. The 
 order naturally included Regulus, who, pending the 
 settlement of his affairs and his final retirement from 
 active military service, cheerfully accepted the hospi- 
 tality generously tendered him by the young tribune. 
 
 For some days Attilius rested quietly at home. With 
 restored health he busied himself with his private affairs. 
 He had been absent from Rome for a long time, and 
 there was much to be done in the way of reordering 
 his household after the fashion which was usually main- 
 tained by men of his rank and circumstances. By 
 inheritance and good management and through his share 
 in the plunder of many wars he was now the possessor 
 of a very considerable fortune, well invested and highly 
 productive. He was not one of the richest men in 
 Rome by any means. He could not vie with the philos- 
 opher Seneca, for instance, who had been Nero's tutor, 
 and the brightness of whose fame was already somewhat 
 dimmed by his unbounded avarice ; nor could he in any 
 
 79
 
 80 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 way compare with Pallas, one of Nero's freedmen, the 
 richest man of his time ; nevertheless, his means were 
 far above the average. He had neither father, mother, 
 sister, nor brother, and he could afford to indulge his 
 every fancy. 
 
 Attilius had served many years with the army, al- 
 though he was still in his late twenties. He had lived 
 a clean, decent life, and a hard one, and he desired now 
 to take his proper place in society and to enjoy him- 
 self there. That desire for pleasant things did not take 
 a low turn. He looked with disgust and even horror 
 at the practices which were prevalent in Rome, espe- 
 cially in the class with which he naturally affiliated. 
 There was something of the ancient spirit of the Roman 
 of the best days of the Republic about him. He sol- 
 emnly swore by the gods that he would not descend to 
 the depths of iniquity so lightly sounded by practically 
 all of his acquaintance. On the other hand, he did not 
 propose by any undue austerity to pose as a censor of 
 manners or morals. Others might do as they pleased. 
 It was not his affair. He, at least, made up his mind 
 to be clean and decent and a gentleman when cleanli- 
 ness and decency were rare and gentlemen rarer still, 
 especially among those who, technically at least, were 
 entitled to the term. 
 
 As he gained strength, the first business that Attilius 
 undertook was the refurnishing of his house. He was 
 largely entertained, of course, and he could not but 
 contrast the old-fashioned character of his dwelling and 
 his household goods with the magnificently furnished, 
 modern, and convenient houses of his friends. The
 
 THE BLOCK OF PHRYX 81 
 
 walls of the atrium sadly needed redecorating, for in- 
 stance, he decided. New mosaics should replace the 
 pavement, which had become broken in many places. 
 The hangings in the doorways were old and faded, 
 the fountain in the peristyle was of a fashion popular 
 at least two generations back. And new furniture was 
 needed everywhere. 
 
 The tribune's most serious requirement, however, was 
 a complete establishment of household servants slaves, 
 that is. When he had started for the wars some ten 
 years before, he had disposed of all except a few old 
 family retainers, and he now commissioned his freedman 
 and major-domo, Pheidippides, an able and devoted 
 Greek of mature years, to buy many more, in the pur- 
 chase of which Attilius took a lively interest. One of 
 his first visits, therefore, was to the slave market. It 
 had been counted a fortunate lot for a slave to be 
 owned by Sabinus Attilius, the father of young Caius. 
 In general, the slaves in Rome were horribly treated. 
 They were scarcely regarded as human beings even by 
 the best of owners, and they certainly did not receive the 
 same care as a favourite horse, a milch cow, a blooded 
 bull, or a Molossian hound. For one thing, most of 
 these latter cost more than an ordinary slave. 
 
 Human chattels were a drug on the market. It was 
 a poor patrician household indeed which did not boast 
 of several hundred for domestic service alone, and when 
 to these were added artificers and cultivators on country 
 estates, for every great household was a little world 
 in itself and produced practically everything needed 
 for the inmates, the number speedily rose into the
 
 82 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 thousands. Attilius had no idea how many slaves he 
 owned, but he knew that there were not nearly enough 
 to enable him to maintain the standard set by his neigh- 
 bours on the Aventine, where his house was situated. 
 
 Accompanied by Pheidippides, who was his household 
 supervisor and master of the slaves, an old and valued 
 attendant of the family, he made extensive purchases 
 in the slave markets, much more extensive indeed than 
 his inclinations suggested, but, advised by this man and 
 by friends old and new, he bought until even they 
 were convinced that he had enough. 
 
 He had become unused to the degree of personal 
 service slaves rendered, for a Roman household was now 
 so ordered that a man had a slave for every possible 
 function. Indeed, slaves usually had but one duty, and 
 when that was performed they passed the rest of the 
 day in an idleness which was not good for them. For 
 instance, Attilius was told that he must have a slave 
 whose sole task was to arrange the folds of his toga 
 when he put it on over his tunic, a vestiplica so called, 
 and this slave was always a woman, as women were 
 rightly believed to possess more ability in draping 
 gracefully the heavy and somewhat clumsy folds of the 
 typical Roman garment. There was another slave, a 
 man, whose sole duty it was to put on his sandals, or, 
 in case he elected to wear them, his black leather boots 
 with the silver crescent of his senatorial condition. And 
 for every conceivable service there was a different man 
 or woman. 
 
 The slave market was a very interesting place. There 
 was usually spirited competition for strong, sturdy
 
 THE BLOCK OF PHRYX 83 
 
 men, for graceful boys, for learned philosophers, for 
 witty poets, or story tellers, or skilful artisans, or 
 mechanics, and, above all, for beautiful women. Bands 
 of unfortunate captives, strange peoples from the far- 
 flung frontiers of the Empire, were constantly arriving 
 at the Capital. Rich men collected denizens of different 
 lands as they collected fine dogs, or horses, or jewels, 
 or embroidered garments, or Myrrhine vases. Slaves 
 were invariably exhibited without clothes at the request 
 of any buyer, and their good and bad physical points 
 noted and discussed as if they had been animals. Some- 
 times frantic women fought for their modesty and des- 
 perate men for their dignity in the slave market. At 
 such times the sport was almost as good as in the 
 Circus, the assemblage bursting into uproarious laugh- 
 ter, watching the conflict between the slave dealers and 
 their attendants and the slaves with evident relish and 
 appreciation. 
 
 Attilius was sometimes shocked at these spectacles, 
 but he was enough of a Roman and of a soldier to 
 regard them on the whole with a certain amount of 
 arrogant indifference. With Seneca and some of the 
 more advanced thinkers of the time he was prepared 
 to admit that slaves were human beings and had some 
 rights which should be respected even by those who 
 owned them. He had long since learned to control a 
 naturally fierce temper, and he had a highly developed 
 Roman sense of justice and order which extended even 
 to his slaves. In many respects the pleasant traditions 
 of the rule which had made his father's slaves envied 
 would probably be perpetuated in his regime; yet his
 
 84. THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 long military training had made him severe and exact- 
 ing. He required absolute obedience and prompt, un- 
 questioned service and efficiency, without discussion of 
 any sort, and he could be ruthlessly hard on occasion 
 when any of these things were lacking. 
 
 One morning, a short time after his arrival, he was 
 informed by a messenger from old Phryx, a vendor 
 of slaves with whom he had already dealt largely, that 
 a shipload of blond Iceni from the far-off island of 
 Britain had been received recently which included some 
 unusual specimens of human merchandise. With his 
 friends, Senecio, Vestinus, Cotta, Pollio, and others of 
 youthful and aristocratic Rome who had received sim- 
 ilar messages, he had accordingly repaired to the slave 
 market, attended as usual by old Regulus and a number 
 of clients. 
 
 On one side of the court upon a low platform were 
 massed a number of tall, fair-haired men and women. 
 The buyers walked up and down in front of them, and 
 if any of the poor captives caught the fancy of the 
 prospective purchaser, the man or woman, as the case 
 might be, would be put upon the block and offered for 
 sale at auction. The demeanour of the captives was 
 always interesting. Most of them were of the poorer 
 sort of people the great ones usually being reserved 
 for triumphal processions or private sales and they 
 were usually cowed and broken by the misery of their 
 position. But these people were different. There was 
 a haughty, splendid contempt in the faces of many of 
 them. They were evidently children of freedom. The 
 men were sturdy specimens and some of the women were
 
 THE BLOCK OF PHRYX 85 
 
 beautiful. They were all good to look at, but poor 
 materials for servitude. It was probable that the men, 
 most of them, would be sent to the gladiatorial schools 
 and the women bought by patricians who had country 
 estates, where a sturdy form and fine physique indicated 
 they could be worked to advantage, if they were not 
 to be used for breeding purposes. In households men 
 preferred Greeks or Egyptians as being more deft and 
 more graceful, more adapted to the refinements of civ- 
 ilised life and society. 
 
 The bidding, therefore, finally languished. Senecio, 
 one of the most dissolute and abandoned of the younger 
 Romans, at last called to Phryx, the slave dealer, a de- 
 generate Greek. 
 
 " We are tired of these sullen-faced, beetle-browed, 
 impudent animals ; of these big, thick-limbed, stupid, 
 clumsy women, these draught horses and brood mares. 
 If thou hast anything of value or price, bring it for- 
 ward, otherwise we will go. Say I not well, gentlemen? " 
 
 " Well indeed," answered Vestinus. 
 
 " From the lips of folly fall words of wisdom," cried 
 Pollio, who was as caustic as he was vicious. 
 
 " As for me," began Attilius, " I weary of the scene. 
 I am going to the Forum. Paetus Thrasea makes a 
 noble plea for a client this morning, I am told, and I 
 would fain " 
 
 " Wait, noble sirs," pleaded the slave dealer anxiously, 
 "and thou especially, brave tribune." 
 
 Caius Attilius had been a frequent purchaser in the 
 last few weeks and he was therefore treated with special 
 consideration.
 
 86 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " I have something well worth your while," the vil- 
 lainous old rascal continued with insinuating sugges- 
 tion. " I have reserved her for the last. It is a maid 
 from wave-washed Britain, with the sunlight of the 
 island in her hair, the blue of the sea in her eyes, the 
 grace of Atalanta in her limbs, the figure of Hebe, the 
 face of Juno ! I vow that " 
 
 " By the goddesses he cites," cried Pollio, " our 
 worthy trafficker in flesh and blood is turned poet." 
 
 " The sight of British Gwenna," returned the slave 
 dealer cunningly, " would make a poet even of the 
 bitterest cynic in all Rome. If it were not that I 
 must make my profit I would reserve her for myself, 
 sirs." 
 
 " And that combination," sneered Pollio, " would put 
 poetry and harmony among the lost arts at once." 
 
 " Produce thy paragon without further discus- 
 sion," said Attilius peremptorily, " and let us be gone." 
 
 For answer the slave dealer clapped his hands. Two 
 attendants ran to the entrance of an inner apartment, 
 drew aside a curtain, disappeared, and presently came 
 back with a woman between them. She came unwillingly, 
 with obvious reluctance, yet the grasp of the two Nu- 
 bians who had been sent to fetch her allowed no hesita- 
 tion on her part. The old Greek slave dealer had a 
 fine eye for the dramatic. Hanging from the door was 
 a deep curtain of Tyrian purple, a rich, royal shade 
 of blue. The slave market of Phryx was the richest 
 and most exclusive afforded by the city. The posts 
 and lintel of the doorway were of white marble. 
 
 The Nubians, naked save for a loin cloth, were out-
 
 I have reserved her for the last. It is a maid from 
 wave-washed Britain."
 
 THE BLOCK OF PHRYX 87 
 
 lined against the marble. The slave between them, 
 with the curtain for a background, was vested in a short, 
 immodest tunic of silver tissue which fell barely to 
 her knees. The sunlight shone full upon her. She 
 was the fairest woman that Attilius had ever looked 
 upon. Her eyes were blue as the sea that washed the 
 shores of her native island, and her hair was gold, shot 
 with deeper tinges of rich, reddish brown. What of 
 her white figure could be seen was exquisitely propor- 
 tioned. She was a tall woman, taller than most of 
 the Romans in the courtyard, and indeed, thought 
 Attilius, who was above the medium height, she could 
 look even at him with level brows. Her hands and arms 
 and legs might have served as models for Praxiteles. 
 Her feet, albeit not so small as those of the Roman 
 women, were exquisite in their proportions, and the 
 silver-laced sandals she wore accentuated their beauty. 
 Here was no slender girl like the customary Greek or 
 Egyptian offerings, but a woman, though a very young 
 one, nobly and perfectly planned, just passing out of 
 girlhood apparently. In spite of the carefully calcu- 
 lated and suggestive immodesty of her habit, she bore 
 herself with an immense dignity, a disdain almost 
 royal in spite of her youth and immaturity. Phryx 
 had spared no pains in her adornment. Her tunic, san- 
 dals, and the binding of her hair were tissue of silver, 
 and well served to enhance the appeal which he in- 
 tended she should make. 
 
 As she was held upright between the slaves, confront- 
 ing the people in the courtyard, colour flamed fiercely 
 in her cheeks. She lifted her beautiful head haughtily,
 
 88 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 and indomitable spirit shone in her eyes. A low murmur 
 of approval came from the bystanders. 
 
 " She might be an Augusta," said one. 
 
 " She carrieth herself like a Roman," cried another. 
 
 " But few Roman women are so tall and so splendid," 
 said a third. 
 
 " It is but a girl," remarked another, " but what 
 promise of royal womanhood ! " 
 
 " Said I not right, worthy gentlemen ? " cried the 
 slave dealer, rubbing his hands with joy. 
 
 " Right, indeed," answered Senecio. " Hath she been 
 sold before, Phryx? " 
 
 " No, sirs," answered the slave dealer. " She was 
 captured a few months since after the defeat of Boadi- 
 cea, queen of the Iceni. Her father, who was killed 
 in the battle, was a great noble among those barbarians. 
 The centurion to whom she was awarded, knowing her 
 value, protected her carefully. She cometh to you as 
 pure as the snow upon the Alps." 
 
 " Thou hast not chalked her feet," observed Ves- 
 tinus. 
 
 "What will you, sirs?" answered the slave dealer. 
 " Should I desecrate a foot like that with yellow chalk? 
 Nay, thou mayest take my word for it that she is what 
 I say and for the first time offered for sale. There is 
 not another slave dealer in Rome hath such a piece of 
 merchandise as this." 
 
 " I believe thee," answered Pollio. " Put her on the 
 block, strip off her tunic, and then we will see if what 
 is hidden agreeth with what is visible. Meanwhile, I 
 start the bidding with ten thousand sesterces."
 
 THE BLOCK OF PHRYX 89 
 
 " Ten thousand sesterces ! " exclaimed the slave 
 dealer, motioning to the Nubians. " Thou dost but jest, 
 noble Pollio ; for such a woman as this that price were 
 almost an insult." 
 
 " Nevertheless, it is the bid I make in the beginning," 
 answered the other calmly. 
 
 " I will make it fifteen," put in Senecio. 
 
 " Twenty ! " cried out a third voice. 
 
 "Wait, gentlemen; wait until she is on the block," 
 said the delighted old slave dealer. 
 
 The block was a huge stone about six feet square 
 elevated a foot or two above the pavement. Although 
 the unfortunate woman clenched her hands and stiffened 
 her knees, she was rapidly forced across the courtyard 
 and lifted unceremoniously upon the block and left there 
 alone by the slaves. 
 
 " Now then, off with her tunic," cried Senecio, " and 
 let us look at her as she is." 
 
 " Aye," cut in Pollio caustically, " clothes may con- 
 ceal as many things as speech on occasion." 
 
 To remove that tunic was a privilege which the slave 
 dealer reserved for himself in this instance. With the 
 air of an Hyperides about to unveil a Phryne he walked 
 to the stone platform and laid his hand upon the single 
 garment the poor girl wore, protesting by all his vicious 
 gods that in this case there was no defect to conceal 
 as all these noble Roman gentlemen should soon see for 
 themselves. The woman had not yet spoken a word, 
 but it was quite evident that whether she understood 
 the Latin language or not, she divined what was toward, 
 for doubling her fist she struck the approaching slave
 
 90 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 dealer a violent blow on the chest. He fell backward 
 before the utterly unexpected thrust, but still retained 
 for a moment his hold upon her garment. As he rolled 
 over on the ground he tore the light silver tissue from 
 her shoulder. Instantly the girl caught it with her 
 hand, drew it together, and stood at bay, her bosom 
 heaving, her breath coming short, her face pale, her 
 eyes blazing. But that one glimpse of the naked shoul- 
 der had whetted all the base desires of the degenerate 
 Romans. 
 
 " Off with the tunic," they cried in unison. 
 
 " To it again, Phryx," exclaimed Vestinus. 
 
 " Let not a woman master thee, O son of Achilles," 
 sneered Pollio mockingly. 
 
 Presently, as the clamour died away, the object of 
 all this persecution herself spoke, to the great surprise 
 of all. 
 
 " Sirs," she began in a low, musical voice, speaking 
 Latin with a charming accent, " I am the f reeborn 
 daughter of a prince of the Iceni. My father was 
 killed in defence of our forest glades, following our 
 unhappy Queen Boadicea in a combat against you 
 Romans. By your gods, put not this shame upon me. 
 Have pity." 
 
 " Pity ! " laughed Senecio. " Pity in the slave 
 market ! " 
 
 " Thou baggage, strip off thy tunic," growled the 
 angry slave dealer, who had by this time struggled to 
 his feet, raising his hand threateningly as he spoke, 
 and making ready to step upon the block a^ain and 
 complete his task.
 
 THE BLOCK OF PHRYX 91 
 
 " Stop ! " cried Attilius in a voice of thunder. " Lay 
 not thine hand upon her, Phryx, or thou shalt feel the 
 weight of mine." 
 
 " Thou art a fortunate maid, if maid indeed thou 
 art," said Vestinus with bitter jibe, approaching the 
 block more closely. " Thine appeal hath raised thee up 
 a defender already." 
 
 " Defender or not," protested Pollio, " the girl is 
 yet for sale. No one hath bought her. Off with her 
 tunic, Phryx, and if, as I think, she proveth as fair as 
 she seemeth, I offer thee forty thousand sesterces for 
 her." 
 
 The woman recoiled to the edge of the platform and 
 clenched her hands once more. There was that furious 
 intent and purpose in the gaze she cast upon him that 
 caused the slave dealer to pause uneasily. 
 
 " Give her a sword," laughed Cotta, " and she will 
 fight like a gladiator." 
 
 " Is there no one here," cried the woman desperately, 
 " who will have mercy? " 
 
 She looked about at the faces of the laughing, ad- 
 miring Romans, yet in their laughter was contempt and 
 in their admiration contamination. Finally her glance 
 rested upon the face of Attilius. She thought she de- 
 tected there some gleam of human interest, some evi- 
 dence of compassion. It was he who had prevented 
 the slave dealer from striking her. He was her only 
 chance, her last hope. What could she do? Some- 
 thing moved her. She unclenched her fingers, lifted 
 her hand, and made a little movement in the air. Only 
 those who had seen it before could tell what outline
 
 92 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 her white fingers traced, but Attilius recognised it on 
 the instant. He turned to Regulus, who had stood at 
 his side silent, it not being his place to interfere with 
 the amusements of these dissolute youths. 
 
 " Sawest thou the sign of Paulus and Lucas ? " whis- 
 pered Attilius. 
 
 " Aye," answered Regulus, " she made the outline 
 of a fish." 
 
 " It is enough," said the young tribune firmly. 
 
 He had stood in the background. Now he thrust 
 himself through the others and came to the edge of 
 the platform on which she stood. 
 
 *' I offer thee fifty thousand sesterces for the maiden," 
 he said quietly. 
 
 " For a soldier," said Senecio, " thou hast a nice 
 taste in human flesh. Unveil her, Phryx, and I offer 
 thee fifty-five." 
 
 " Sixty," said Attilius quietly. 
 
 " Seventy," cried Pollio. 
 
 ** This transaction calleth for immediate payment, 
 gentlemen," interrupted Phryx rather anxiously, look- 
 ing at the bidders. 
 
 " One hundred thousand sesterces," said Attilius with 
 a stamp of his foot. 
 
 The woman, perfectly comprehending everything, 
 sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands, 
 forgetful of the tear in the tunic, which fell low over 
 her shoulder, exposing its purity and beauty. The large 
 price offered by the tribune settled the matter. None 
 could overbid him, especially as the payment had to be 
 made immediately.
 
 THE BLOCK OF PHRYX 93 
 
 " She prayeth," jeered Senecio. " I want no priestess 
 save of Venus." 
 
 " She fighteth," sneered Pollio. " I seek no fiery 
 maenad." 
 
 " She hath a bad temper," scoffed Vestinus. " I have 
 ever avoided a virago." 
 
 " I would not have her on any account," laughed 
 Cotta. " She is of too high a spirit for my humble 
 household." 
 
 " They do but jest, sir," argued the slave dealer 
 anxiously to Attilius. " They are consumed with envy. 
 Thou wilt not withdraw from the bargain? " 
 
 " Enough," said Attilius with unusual haughtiness. 
 He was somewhat ashamed of himself. He could 
 scarcely afford the price and he had no use for the 
 
 woman. But for the sign of the fish He put 
 
 down these disquieting thoughts. " I hold to mine 
 offer." 
 
 " She is thine, worthy sir, and a great bargain. As 
 thou hast been so generous thou mayest choose freely 
 another from the huddle yonder to accompany her." 
 
 " Regulus," said Attilius, "go thou and take what 
 thou wilt yonder as a gift from me." 
 
 " Be pleased to step down from the block, lady," 
 said the slave dealer obsequiously, bowing low to the 
 young woman. 
 
 She had now become the property of the noble Caius 
 Attilius, and was hereafter to be treated with some of 
 the deference due the young patrician, if for nothing 
 else, which fully accounted for the sudden and radical 
 change in manner of old Phryx.
 
 94 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Well," said Senecio rashly, " I wish thee joy of 
 thy bargain. Thou hast " 
 
 " Silence, Senecio ! " thundered Attilius. " The 
 woman now is mine, my property, and I will allow no 
 man to disparage her under penalty of the forfeiture 
 of my friendship. Would any of you incur my en- 
 mity? " 
 
 He towered among these young men as the woman 
 had towered among the slaves. None of them cared to 
 encounter Attilius in that peremptory and somewhat 
 terrifying mood. 
 
 " I did but jest," said Senecio lightly, endeavouring 
 to pass it off indifferently. 
 
 " I like not jests about my slaves," said Attilius. 
 " Woman," he turned toward her, " speakest thou our 
 Roman tongue? " 
 
 The girl nodded breathlessly. There was something 
 intensely likable in the young man who had bought 
 her, she thought, and in any case her condition could 
 not be worse than on the block a few moments before. 
 She regarded him with deep interest and heartfelt grati- 
 tude. 
 
 " Fear nothing," continued the tribune. " Serve me 
 faithfully and thou shalt be well entreated. Give her 
 a cloak," he commanded, turning to some of his clients 
 who had stood in the background watching the bidding 
 while waiting the pleasure of their lord. " Wrap it 
 about her shoulders and convey her home. She cannot 
 be left unguarded. Give her to Pheidippides and bid 
 him treat her kindly until I return and advise him of 
 what disposition I wish made of her. And thou, Phryx,
 
 THE BLOCK OF PHRYX 95 
 
 bring me paper and a reed and I will write thee an 
 order upon my bankers in the Forum of Augustus for 
 thy purchase money." 
 
 " It shall be done, sir. And hath the worthy cen- 
 turion chosen ? " 
 
 " That I have," answered Regulus. " Here is a 
 sturdy man, who hath been, if I mistake not, a soldier. 
 I need such a man about me." 
 
 " What, Regulus ! " laughed Pollio. " With all the 
 women of Britain at thy command thou choosest that 
 hard-faced villain ! " 
 
 " I have been a soldier for forty years, young sir, 
 and I have had my share of fighting. I want no women. 
 My choice satisfieth me and I am the one to be pleased," 
 returned the centurion with his usual calmness. 
 
 " Thou art indeed, worthy primipilus," said Vestinus, 
 laughing. 
 
 " Sirs," said Attilius, who had finished writing the 
 order, which he handed to Phryx, " I have had enough 
 of the slave market. I am for the Forum; do ye go 
 that way?" 
 
 " I go," answered Vestinus. 
 
 "And I, too," chimed in Senecio. 
 
 " We will all go," added Cotta, " unless perchance 
 thou hast another woman for sale, like the one just 
 bought, within thy secret chambers, Phryx." 
 
 " Alas, no, gentlemen," answered the slave dealer, 
 " but I am expecting another shipload within the week, 
 and, the gods favouring us, we may hap upon such a 
 prize again." 
 
 " In which event thou wilt let us know ? "
 
 96 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Assuredly, sirs." 
 
 " Take it not ill that I mocked thee, Attilius," said 
 Senecio as they stepped toward the entrance, " but I 
 will make it up to thee with a word of advice. If thou 
 valuest thy prize, let her not be seen of Caesar." 
 
 " I shall know how to keep mine own," said Attilius 
 proudly, turning away. 
 
 He was not to get off without a further episode, 
 however, for the woman he had bought suddenly turned 
 to him, and before he could prevent it she knelt at 
 his feet, seized his hand, and kissed it. 
 
 " May Christus reward thee, noble sir," she said. 
 
 Attilius looked at her in some amazement as she rose 
 to her feet, turned, and, accompanied by several of 
 his clients, who treated her with all deference, went out 
 into the streets. 
 
 " The girl cometh to thy hand already, thou hast 
 conquered her ! " said Vestinus enviously. " I am half 
 sorry that I did not overbid thee while she was on the 
 block."
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 IN THE DOMUS OF ATTILIUS 
 
 IT was late in the afternoon before Caius Attilius re- 
 turned to his home on the crest of the Aventine Hill. 
 Ordinarily he found his chief interest in life outside of 
 his domus, but in this instance he was rather glad 
 when the doorkeeper turned the huge door of the ves- 
 tibulum on its pivot, and, with obsequious bows and 
 wordy welcome, ushered him into the atrium. He had 
 bidden his friends farewell, dismissed his clients, and had 
 given his personal attendants slaves, that is a brief 
 holiday as he left the Forum, whence he had returned 
 home alone, declining several pressing invitations on 
 the plea of other engagements. Even Regulus did not 
 accompany him. He had fallen in with some congenial 
 old army companions and would not be in until late at 
 night. Other, engagements the tribune had none, but, 
 truth to tell, he was anxious to see again and to learn 
 something further of his lovely purchase of the morning. 
 He had been so long away from Rome and society 
 that the constant and officious attention of his numerous 
 slaves somewhat annoyed him, and he was yet a little 
 self-conscious in their presence. He had so long and 
 so largely shifted for himself in camp that he could 
 not quickly or easily get used to so much personal 
 service and attention. Consequently, instead of at once 
 summoning to his presence the British girl he had 
 
 97
 
 98 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 bought, when he entered the atrium and had been 
 divested of his cloak and toga, he put the matter by 
 after inquiring and being told that she had been brought 
 home that morning and was awaiting his pleasure in 
 the women's section of the slave quarters on the other 
 side of the garden back of the peristyle. 
 
 His bath, his dinner, an hour passed in his library 
 with a reader who was to brush up his acquaintance with 
 the much neglected poets and philosophers, about whose 
 works he had grown somewhat rusty in his years of 
 campaigning, served to pass the time until evening. 
 The night had fallen, and the lamps, filled with per- 
 fumed oil and swinging on the tall, many-branched 
 candelabra, were lighted when at last he returned to 
 the atrium, seated himself upon a handsome chair of 
 citron wood inlaid with silver, one of his recent pur- 
 chases, which was placed on a thick carpet from Persia, 
 spoil of a campaign, and bade his freedman and major- 
 domo, Pheidippides, send the new slave into his presence. 
 
 Now Attilius had, of course, been brought into social 
 association with women of high birth and good breed- 
 ing in Rome, in Egypt, and in other parts of the 
 world where he had served. Since his return he had 
 been a welcome guest at the private table of some of 
 the first families of the city, and a certain Lollia of 
 the ancient house of Claudii had greatly impressed him. 
 He could not be said to be in love with her, and yet, as 
 she was one of the most eligible women in Rome from 
 his point of view, and as matrimonial suggestions had 
 been made by friends, he had already considered her in 
 the light of a possible mistress of his household.
 
 IN THE DOMUS OF ATTILIUS 99 
 
 He knew little about Lollia Claudia, and no one had 
 yet thought it worth while to enlighten his ignorance. 
 To him she seemed everything that a well-conducted, 
 well brought up Roman maid ought to be; but in spite 
 of her demure air and modest bearing she belonged 
 to the. fastest and most reckless set of young Roman 
 womanhood. Caius Attilius was not an unworthy suitor 
 for any Roman maiden ; his wealth, the fact that he was 
 the last representative of the Attilii, a senatorial family 
 of established dignity, worth, and credit ; his handsome 
 person, coupled with a certain manly frankness and 
 soldierly vigour, which was most attractive to a woman 
 satiated with the blase, effeminate, and dissolute Roman 
 youth, inclined Lollia to look favourably upon him. 
 And there were other reasons as well. 
 
 Yet the sight of Lollia never moved Attilius so much 
 as the prospect of seeing this young Briton whom he 
 had just purchased at so high a price. He leaned 
 forward a little, sat with his elbows on the arms of the 
 chair, his chin resting upon his hands, thinking for a 
 few moments. Presently he lifted his head, and there 
 before him stood the woman, habited exactly as when 
 she had been placed on the block in the morning. She 
 had begged for other garments, but Attilius had given 
 no orders, and other vesture had not been provided yet. 
 
 The tribune stared at her in some amazement; her 
 presence gave him a certain little shock. She had not 
 been announced, and she had come in silently. Then 
 he had not expected to see her so beautiful in her 
 strange, un-Roman way. He had thought her fair in 
 the courtyard of the slave dealer. She was no less fair
 
 100 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 in the soft light cast by the perfumed lamps which 
 filled the atrium with their mild radiance and diffused 
 a rich fragrance in the warm air. Caius Attilius was 
 as yet above the ordinary feeling of the young Roman 
 patrician for his slaves ; the thing which he thought 
 was love in his heart for Lollia kept him true, for the 
 time being, to the ideal of womanhood which she repre- 
 sented to him. The being who stood before him was 
 absolutely in his power, she was his to do as he liked 
 with, yet the thought of harming her did not enter his 
 mind for a single moment. 
 
 He rather felt compassion for her as she stood there. 
 While he now recognised in full her beauty and grace 
 and charm, he took an aesthetic pleasure in their con- 
 templation. And to that was added an utterly un- 
 Roman pity for this forlorn and helpless captive. Caius 
 Attilius might even have set the poor girl free, but that 
 would have deprived her of the protection of his house- 
 hold and was not to be thought of. Such as she alone 
 in Rome would have been the prey of any young patri- 
 cian who might choose to lay his hand on her. It was 
 far, far better, did she but know it, that she should 
 be his slave and in his household, so long as he con- 
 tinued in his present mind, than almost any one else's 
 captive. 
 
 The steady scrutiny, not to say stare, of the young 
 Roman at last brought a slow blush to the face of the 
 young woman. 
 
 " Thou hast summoned me," she began, and there was 
 nothing cringing or servile in her tone; it was rather 
 that of an equal addressing an equal, " and I am here."
 
 IN THE DOMUS OF ATTILIUS 101 
 
 " Yes," said Attilius, " as I have paid a great price 
 for thee," he went on, quite unconscious of his unin- 
 tentional hurt to her feelings, " I should like to know 
 something about thee." 
 
 " I am, as I told thee," answered the girl simply and 
 unequivocally, " the daughter of a great chief of the 
 Iceni in the island of Britain. My mother was an 
 ^Eduan of Transalpine Gaul. We lived for a long 
 time at Massilia, and there I learned to speak Latin. 
 Indeed, I was born there, and thy language is more 
 familiar to me than my native tongue. My father 
 owned ships and traded between Britain and Gaul. 
 When he was older he went back to Britain. In the 
 last war my father was slain, scarcely six months ago, 
 and my brothers, too. My mother had died years be- 
 fore, and I was left alone. You Romans beat us in the 
 field, took our camp ; I fought with the other women, 
 but in vain. I was seized, sold into slavery, brought 
 to the market of Phryx, and thou didst buy me this 
 morning. I am here alone and helpless, I would say 
 at thy mercy, but it is a quality not known in Rome," 
 she concluded bitterly and with injustice, forgetting 
 apparently what Attilius had done for her. 
 
 "Thou speakest boldly, British woman," said At- 
 tilius, frowning as he noted her forgetfulness. 
 
 " And why should I not, Roman man ? I am free- 
 born, the daughter of a great chief. I was not destined 
 to be any man's slave, much less thine." 
 
 " The fortune that hath brought thee low, the 
 gods " 
 
 " The gods," said the woman bitterly. " There is
 
 102 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 no power divine that overrules the world. The mastery 
 of it is in human hands. It is a world upheld by 
 human swords, and those blades are in Roman hands, 
 I think." 
 
 " Thou art a philosopher, maiden." 
 
 " I have learned that philosophy in the bitter school 
 of life." 
 
 ** Am I right to call thee maiden?" asked Attilius 
 suddenly. 
 
 " Thou art right." 
 
 "And the proof?" 
 
 " I am here." 
 
 " That answer is worthy of a Roman." 
 
 " And dost thou think that virtue which will not 
 survive shame the peculiar property of thy Roman 
 people ? " 
 
 " I confess," said Attilius, smiling and when he 
 smiled, disclosing his white teeth, his dark face grew 
 strangely attractive " that I had not given the matter 
 of virtue or the lack of it in other peoples much 
 thought." 
 
 " A Roman answer," said the girl sharply. " With 
 ye all, it is Rome first, and the rest of the world is 
 nothing." . 
 
 " Indeed, thou sayest truly, for, after all, what is 
 the rest of the world? The nations are but stepping- 
 stones upon which we rise to greater dominion." 
 
 " And I am a broken fragment of one of these 
 stepping-stones." She threw up her arms. " Some 
 day, as we have fallen, Rome shall fall," she added with 
 the face and bearing of a prophetess.
 
 IN THE DOMUS OF ATTILIUS 103 
 
 " Mayhap," said Attilius carelessly. " I believe noth- 
 ing is eternal." 
 
 "Not even Rome?" 
 
 " Not even Rome, yet it will last our time doubtless. 
 But our discourse hath carried us far. I am a plain, 
 blunt soldier; such matters are beyond me. I sent not 
 for thee to discuss them. What I shall do with thee 
 is a problem which presseth upon me more heavily and 
 demandeth solution now." 
 
 " As thou hast bought me and as I have become thy 
 chattel by thy cruel law, I have neither part nor lot 
 in such a discussion," said the woman bitterly. 
 
 " Aye, * the will of the master is as the will of 
 the gods,' for the slave," quoted the tribune thought- 
 fully. 
 
 " And though there are no gods the master is a 
 reality," answered the woman. " What dost thou de- 
 cide for me? " 
 
 She threw out her hands as she spoke and stood very 
 erect before him, very proud, haughty, and independent 
 in face and bearing. He stared at her in growing 
 perplexity. 
 
 " I scarce know what to do with thee," he admitted 
 at last, " though I dare say the question would not long 
 or greatly puzzle my friends. Canst thou sing, or play 
 upon the cithara, or dance?" 
 
 " How can I sing the songs of home in a strange 
 land, and to what music should I address myself in 
 servitude? To dance is the expression of a joyful 
 heart! Have I that?" 
 
 "What is thy name?" irrelevantly asked Attilius,
 
 104 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 suddenly reflecting that he had not yet been informed 
 of it. 
 
 " Gwenna." 
 
 " Gwenna," said the patrician, " only a bitter heart 
 for which I can scarcely blame thee would bring such 
 bitter words to thy lips. I mean thee no harm. Thou 
 shalt be treated kindly." 
 
 "Kindness from a Roman?" 
 
 " Even so, and perhaps in days to come thou wilt 
 be thankful that thou hast fallen to me rather than 
 become the slave of Senecio or Pollio or any of the 
 others the men who would fain have bought thee and 
 who would have stripped thee of thy raiment, from 
 which humiliation I saved thee, thou mayest remember. 
 And so perhaps some day thou wilt dance and sing 
 and play for me with joy." 
 
 He stopped and smiled at her, and as he smiled his 
 usually stern countenance was greatly changed. It al- 
 most seemed kindly for the moment. There was a 
 pleasant humour about it, and where there is humour 
 gentler qualities are apt to accompany it. Even the 
 poor, prejudiced, resentful captive admitted that in 
 her heart. 
 
 These words affected the woman strangely. They 
 brought back to her all that she had escaped. A warm 
 wave of colour at the thought of the outrage that had 
 almost been put upon her, that she would have suffered 
 but for this man her owner flooded her whole body. 
 She suddenly sank to her knees before him, seized his 
 hand, and, as she had done in the slave market of 
 Phryx, kissed it passionately, while her tears fell upon
 
 IN THE DOMUS OF ATTILIUS 105 
 
 it. Attilius, manlike, hated scenes ; he did not care 
 particularly to have his hand kissed, but the soft pres- 
 sure of this woman's lips affected him most strangely. 
 He suffered the homage without question, finding it by 
 no means unpleasant. 
 
 " My lord," said the woman, looking up at him- with 
 wet eyes, " I had forgot what thou hast done for me 
 in the contemplation of the misery of my present lot. 
 Thou hast saved not only my honour and my modesty " 
 and at the time it did not seem strange to Attilius 
 that a captured British slave girl should talk to him 
 about her honour and modesty "but thou hast saved 
 my life as well, for had they succeeded in stripping me 
 of my tunic, I had snatched a dagger from one of the 
 slaves and stabbed myself before their eyes." 
 
 " And doth life mean so little to thee? " 
 
 " I am young, my lord, and fair, men say, but be- 
 cause I am fair I have been preserved while others of 
 my people have suffered ignominy unspeakable. Life 
 six months ago was full of promise for me, but now 
 for what have I to hope ? Thou seemest kind ; thy house 
 is beautiful, but it is a prison. Thou art my master 
 and I am thy slave. For what purpose didst thou 
 buy me? " 
 
 " For no purpose," answered Attilius frankly. " I 
 saw thy hand move in the air ; thou madest a sign " 
 
 " The fish ! " exclaimed the woman. 
 
 " I recognised it." 
 
 " Art thou a Christian? " 
 
 " Am I a Jew, woman? " cried Attilius, rising to his 
 feet in some displeasure.
 
 106 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Nay, master," protested the girl, rising also and 
 extending her hand as if to ward off a blow, " I meant 
 no harm, but I am not of that strange Hebrew race 
 either, and " 
 
 "Art thou a Christian?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 "Why that sign then?" 
 
 " On the ship that brought me hither there was an 
 old man skilled in medicine, his life forfeit save for his 
 knowledge. He was from the Far East, but had been 
 sold into slavery. He taught me something of this 
 strange new religion, that they worship one Christus 
 whom you Romans crucified, who, they say, rose from 
 the dead, and doth live among the gods, the gods in 
 which I do not believe." 
 
 "But the sign?" 
 
 " The old man knew what lay before me, and told 
 me when I was in the direst trouble to make that sign 
 of the fish and perhaps some one might help me." 
 
 " Knowest thou what it meaneth ? " 
 
 The woman shook her head. 
 
 " I know not, and yet it must have potency since 
 it called thee to my assistance and saved me for the 
 time at any rate." 
 
 "Strange," mused Attilius. 
 
 "Knowest thou its meaning, lord?" she asked in 
 turn. 
 
 " No more than thyself," was the prompt and quite 
 unexpected answer. " It was disclosed to me by one 
 who rendered me great service, with the prayer that I 
 should help, when I could, those who made it."
 
 IN THE DOMUS OF ATTILIUS 107 
 
 " Perhaps," said the woman slowly, great awe in her 
 face, " there may be gods and this Christus may be 
 one of them." 
 
 Attilius laughed somewhat scornfully. 
 
 " When thou hast lived longer and hast gained wis- 
 dom and experience to match thy beauty thou wilt be 
 more convinced than ever that there are no gods, and 
 that there is no hereafter. We must live while we live 
 and enjoy the day; there is no other. But it groweth 
 late. Thou art weary and shouldst rest. Canst thou 
 read our Latin tongue as well as speak it ? " 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " I will have thee taught Greek, too, then. Thou 
 shalt take the place of my lector, who hath a harsh 
 voice and groweth old. Meanwhile thou shalt be my 
 vestiplica and help me don my toga, draping it so 
 that it may fall with grace and dignity. At table thou 
 shalt stand behind me and serve me at my pleasure." 
 
 " Thou hast saved me," said the girl, forcing a certain 
 docility into her voice, " from the greatest peril. I 
 will try to serve thee faithfully in whatever thou mayest 
 command." 
 
 " I will see that thou art protected. When I marry, 
 thou shalt attend the noble lady who will become the 
 domina of this, my familia. For the rest He 
 
 clapped his hands and a messenger entered. " Send me 
 old Lais," he added. 
 
 In a short time the ancient Greek woman, who now 
 had charge of the women slaves of the household, ap- 
 peared before him. 
 
 " This is Gwenna of Britain, Lais," said Attilius.
 
 108 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " See her housed safely for the night. She is to be 
 my vestiplica, and old Eurotas, the philosopher, is' to 
 teach her Greek. See that she be kindly treated and 
 not molested. On thy head " 
 
 " Lord, it shall be as thou dost command," said the 
 old woman, bowing low. " Come with me, British 
 Gwenna," she continued. 
 
 The two turned and walked to the door. 
 
 " Thou art a fortunate girl," whispered Lais, as 
 they went down the passage. " Thou hast fallen to 
 the kindest master in all Rome." 
 
 " That I should call any man master in Rome or else- 
 where is intolerable," flashed out the younger woman. 
 
 Long time that night Caius Attilius thought of his 
 new and interesting slave, that British Gwenna, and 
 when at last he fell asleep he even dreamed of her!
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE MESSAGE FROM C^SAE. 
 
 CAIUS ATTILIUS highly appreciated the unwonted luxury 
 of sleeping late. It was a habit which he had acquired 
 during his convalescence and which, somewhat to his 
 surprise, for he had been a hardy soldier indeed and 
 accustomed to little sleep, he found himself enjoying 
 greatly. Therefore, he had barely finished his break- 
 fast, although the hour was late, when a messenger 
 from the imperial court was announced. This messen- 
 ger, when ushered into the atrium, proved to be a minor 
 freedman of the Emperor's. He was attended by a 
 number of slaves and was sufficiently imposing in dress 
 and bearing, as befitted his position as one of the mouth- 
 pieces of the Caesar. 
 
 Attilius did not recognise the man. He did not know 
 who or what he was, and he did not greatly care. The 
 tribune had been so long away at the wars that he 
 was not familiar with the officers of the court, and as 
 he himself was of a senatorial family of immense an- 
 tiquity and dignity, which had furnished many consuls 
 to the Republic and rendered much important service 
 to the state, he received the messenger seated, which 
 was not particularly pleasing to the pompous and self- 
 important freedman. Even senators, in the degenerate 
 days which had come upon that body, were not ashamed 
 to treat with extraordinary respect and complaisance 
 
 109
 
 110 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 these base-born men whom the Emperor favoured and 
 dignified. Attilius did not like freedmen in general, 
 especially when they were arrogant and presumptuous 
 as this one in particular. With a coolness and a 
 haughtiness, therefore, which he scarcely ever mani- 
 fested even to his slaves, the young patrician received 
 Nero's agent. 
 
 " The divine Emperor," began the freedman, inso- 
 lently resentful, " whom his fellow-gods ever cherish, 
 and whose voice I am, hath returned last night from 
 Naples. He summoneth thee to audience this morning 
 at the fourth hour. Thou art commanded to bring 
 with thee the centurion, Regulus, and give an account- 
 ing of the treasure committed to thy charge in the Isis, 
 which ship Caesar hath heard, with feelings of regret, 
 hath been lost at sea while in thy command." 
 
 " Say to Caesar, whom the gods preserve," said Attil- 
 ius curtly, his face flushing at the presumption implied 
 by the bold words of the freedman, "that I shall be 
 there with the primipilus of the Fourteenth Legion to 
 make such account of my trust as is proper. For the 
 rest thou art not thy master, and thy manner and 
 speech are not pleasing to me. Farewell." 
 
 Being thus rather unceremoniously given his dismis- 
 sal, the freedman, after a venomous look at the tribune, 
 whom he would fain have answered impertinently, but 
 did not yet dare, turned, and followed by his attendants, 
 disappeared through the vestibule into the street. He 
 murmured to his chiefest and most sympathetic con- 
 fidant, as he did so, that a longer sojourn in the city 
 would probably tame the haughty spirit of the proud
 
 Ill 
 
 Roman. He ought to be made to feel that even a 
 freedman had influence with his master and that those 
 who were dignified by the favour of Nero had a great- 
 ness and a power against which no long descent or 
 ancient family could be measured for a moment ! 
 
 Left alone Caius Attilius clapped his hands. In- 
 stantly a young slave who acted as page entered the 
 atrium. 
 
 " Send me Lais." 
 
 " Yes, master." 
 
 " And bid her hasten." 
 
 In a few moments the mistress of the women slaves 
 hurriedly made her appearance. 
 
 " Greetings, lord," she began, bowing low before him 
 and yet smiling kindly upon him. 
 
 She had occupied the same position in the household 
 of his father and mother, and had known him from a 
 child. She was in some sort a foster-mother to 
 him. 
 
 " Greetings, Lais," said Attilius, smiling upon her 
 with a very different mien from that he had exhibited 
 toward the freedman. " I called thee to inquire as to 
 the welfare of British Gwenna, the slave whom I en- 
 trusted to thy care last night." 
 
 The eyes of old Lais opened a little wider at this 
 extraordinary and unusual inquiry as to the welfare 
 of a slave. Such concern was not expected from a 
 master who usually troubled himself very little about 
 such things. All sorts of ideas flashed into the old 
 woman's mind, none of which could be said to be jus- 
 tified by the real state of affairs as yet.
 
 112 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " She was so lonely and miserable, master," answered 
 Lais, " that I took her into my own cubicle for the 
 night." 
 
 " Doth she seem happier this morning? " 
 
 " This morning, master, happily she maketh no com- 
 plaint." 
 
 " That is well. Bring her to me, and bid her hasten. 
 As thou goest through the hall send hither the boy in 
 attendance also." 
 
 When the youngster presented himself Caius Attilius 
 bade him awaken the old centurion, who, having spent 
 the greater part of the night carousing with some old 
 comrades recently returned from the army in Gaul, had 
 not yet arisen. 
 
 " Tell him," said the tribune, " that we are sum- 
 moned to Nero's court to make an accounting for our 
 lost ship. Bid him bring the jewels from the treasure- 
 chest in his chamber." As he spoke he glanced at the 
 clepsydra, or water-clock, over against the wall. " It 
 is now past the third hour," he added, " and our audi- 
 ence is set for the fourth. He knoweth it is not well 
 to be behind time with Caesar, and therefore will make 
 speed. Tell Eurotas to be in attendance in the hall 
 and await my summons hither, and thereafter let me not 
 be disturbed until I call." 
 
 By the time these directions had been communicated 
 to the messenger the hangings parted and the girl, 
 followed by old Lais, entered the atrium. In her youth 
 the Greek woman had been beautiful, with the classic 
 regularity of feature of her race, and with her white 
 hair and kindly face she was not uncomely now. She
 
 THE MESSAGE FROM CAESAR 113 
 
 made an excellent foil for the splendid young barbarian 
 who. stood by her side. 
 
 " Master," said Lais, bowing low and stepping back- 
 ward, " the maid is here at thy pleasure."^ 
 
 " Hast thou no word of greeting for me this morn- 
 ing, British Gwenna? " said Attilius, smiling, and when 
 he smiled again the woman noticed with pleasure char- 
 acteristically feminine how white his teeth were and 
 how pleasant his stern expression became. 
 
 " How should the slave greet her master? " she an- 
 swered. 
 
 " With a smile, maiden, lest tears should be imposed 
 upon her," said the tribune. 
 
 " Can the freeborn laugh in slavery? " 
 
 " That I know not," answered Attilius, " never having 
 been a slave." 
 
 "Shall I withdraw and leave you alone?" queried 
 Lais softly. 
 
 " Nay, what I have to say concerns you both. British 
 Gwenna, I entrust thee to the care of Lais, who hath 
 been in my household since she was a girl, younger 
 even than thou art. She was woman grown when I was 
 a little boy. Long since she should have been freed 
 from bondage but that she willed it otherwise herself." 
 
 " Here have I lived," said Lais, " in peace and com- 
 fort ; here I am happy and content ; I know no other 
 home; I want no other; here, if it be thy pleasure 
 and the gods', when the time comes, I shall die in 
 peace." 
 
 " May that day long be deferred, good mother," 
 said Attilius, smiling at her fondly. " Do thou take
 
 114 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 full charge of Gwenna. She is to be my vestiplica. 
 Thou knowest Latin, maiden, but Greek? " 
 
 " I cannot speak it," answered Gwenna, " although I 
 can manage to spell out a little of it." 
 
 " Thou hast been well taught, it seemeth," said 
 Attilius. " There is music in thy voice. I am a rough 
 soldier and have forgot much that I learned in youth. 
 It is the fashion to study the philosophers and history, 
 and I would fain be in the fashion. I will have thee 
 taught to read in Greek the works of the great poets, 
 philosophers, and historians, and when thou hast learned 
 thou shalt be my reader also. My domestic philosopher 
 groweth old. He hath a cracked voice and nods over 
 the roll. Thou shalt read to me." 
 
 Gwenna looked at him without speaking as he paused, 
 evidently expecting some evidence of pleasure or grati- 
 tude from her. 
 
 " Doth not that prospect please thee ? " he asked 
 presently in some disappointment. 
 
 " As well, perhaps, as anything could please me, 
 being, as I am, a slave." 
 
 " Thou mayest grow to love thy slavery as yonder 
 Lais." 
 
 " Never." 
 
 " Some day I may even take thee to the praetor " 
 
 " And set me free ? " she interrupted eagerly. 
 
 " It is not impossible," answered Attilius, " but not 
 now." 
 
 " What wouldst thou do with thy freedom, girl? " 
 asked old Regulus, who had come in unannounced and 
 had heard the last part of the colloquy.
 
 THE MESSAGE FROM (LESAR 115 
 
 Gwenna turned and faced him. 
 
 " I know not," she answered, " unless I could return 
 to Britain and " 
 
 " Greeting, worthy centurion," said the tribune. 
 " I did not hear thee enter." 
 
 " Greeting, noble Attilius," rejoined the old soldier. 
 " Thou hast pleasant occupation to excuse thy failure 
 to notice me. Why, maiden," continued Regulus, 
 after this interchange of courtesy, " thy safety lieth 
 within these walls. Once on the streets, alone, free, 
 thou wouldst be as helpless as a lamb among a pack 
 of wolves. The first human beast with a purple stripe 
 down his tunic that met thee would gobble thee up." 
 
 " Regulus spe.ikcth truly," said Attilius. " Here 
 thou wilt be protected and cared for, and in time thou 
 mayest be happy." 
 
 " It is not home, it is not freedom," persisted the 
 girl stubbornly. 
 
 " Enough," answered Attilius shortly. He did not 
 like to be confronted by a will so unyielding. His rank, 
 his station, to say nothing of his military position, 
 ill fitted him to brook opposition. " Eurotas ! " 
 
 " Worthy patron, here," said a venerable Greek, 
 appearing from the hall where he had been waiting a 
 summons. 
 
 " This maiden's education is in thy care, learned 
 philosopher. She speaketh and readeth our own Latin 
 tongue and she hath some slight knowledge of Greek. 
 I give her into thy hands for further training. She is 
 to be taught to read Homer and your philosophers 
 and poets. Upon thee and Lais I particularly lay the
 
 116 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 charge of teaching her. And, Lais, see that the 
 gaudy silver tunic she weareth be laid aside at once 
 and that she be habited in attire more suited to her 
 modesty." 
 
 " Shall she wear the uniform of the other slave 
 women? " asked Lais, who was herself exempted from 
 the distinctive dress of servitude. 
 
 The girl, blushing deeply at the thought of the short, 
 scanty garment she wore, which she had almost for- 
 got in the greater matters towards, took a step for- 
 ward. She smote her hands together softly and ex- 
 tended them beseechingly toward her new master. Must 
 even her clothing remind her of her state? 
 
 " Dress her as thou wilt, but becomingly," said Attil- 
 ius, well understanding what was in her mind. "A 
 garment like thine perhaps and of blue, for she is fair. 
 And now thou art dismissed." 
 
 But Gwenna stepped nearer, her hands still extended, 
 and opened her mouth to speak. 
 
 "Didst thou not hear? Thou art dismissed," said 
 Caius Attilius sternly, whereat the girl shrank back, 
 her cheeks paling, and turned away with Lais. 
 
 "He is the kindest master in all Italy," whispered 
 the elder woman to the younger as they withdrew, " but 
 even he must not be crossed. Thou hast won his favour. 
 I never knew him to show so much consideration to a 
 slave and thou shouldst be grateful." 
 
 " I only meant to express that gratitude," explained 
 the girl humbly enough. " I know that he might have 
 treated me differently, and I am thankful. I would 
 have said so, that was all."
 
 THE MESSAGE FROM CAESAR 117 
 
 " Thou canst show thy gratitude best," said the 
 woman as the two passed into the garden back of the 
 peristyle on their way to the slave quarters, " by study- 
 ing to please him. There is not one in the house who 
 would not give her head to be vestiplica; and to be 
 reader, as thou shalt be when thou hast learned, is 
 beyond their veriest dream. But question not thy 
 master, and go when he bids thee; that is best." 
 
 " That pretty maiden needeth lessons," said old 
 Regulus back in the atrium. 
 
 " She hath not become accustomed to her slavery," 
 answered Attilius. 
 
 "Not yet." 
 
 " But for that I can scarcely blame her," the tribune 
 continued. " Would anything ever accustom us to 
 slavery? " 
 
 " We are Romans," answered Regulus calmly, as if 
 that settled the matter, as indeed it did. 
 
 " True, worthy centurion," smiled Attilius, thor- 
 oughly agreeing. " But knowest thou that we are 
 summoned to the court? Art ready? " 
 
 " Ready as always." 
 
 " Hast thou the jewels? " 
 
 " Beneath my cloak, here." 
 
 The primipilus was dressed in his best armour, but 
 without his sword, which was not worn at imperial 
 audiences, and his newest military cloak hung from 
 his broad shoulders. He opened it and disclosed a stout 
 leather bag in his clenched hand. 
 
 " Shall we go in a litter or walk? " 
 
 " Litters are for the elderly and feeble, and for
 
 118 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 women and the Emperor," answered Regulus promptly. 
 " A veteran like myself goeth on his own two legs 
 according to his wont." 
 
 " I am still hardy enough to walk with thee," assented 
 the tribune. 
 
 " Greetings, sirs," said Pheidippides, the worthy old 
 freedman who acted as major-domo, who at that moment 
 entered the atrium. " A number of thy clients have 
 waited for thee in the vestibule yonder since early 
 morning." 
 
 " Have they breakfasted ? " 
 
 ** Thinking that it would be thy pleasure, I admitted 
 them early to a modest repast." 
 
 " Thou hast done well. And have they received their 
 customary basket gifts for the day?" 
 
 " They have, lord." 
 
 " Bid them attend me to the Palatine," answered 
 Attilius. " Fetch me my toga and send some one to 
 assist me." 
 
 " Let that service be mine," said old Lais, re-entering 
 the hall. " Mine eyes are dim and my fingers tremble, 
 but I have performed the service often enough for 
 thee and for thy father before thee to try it yet once 
 again." 
 
 " Where didst thou leave thy charge ? " 
 
 " With Eurotas, master. I came back to receive 
 thy further commands." 
 
 " I have none." 
 
 " And to say to thee that what the maiden would have 
 said to thee when thou didst dismiss her was but to 
 express her gratitude for all thy kindness."
 
 THE MESSAGE FROM CAESAR 119 
 
 "And that is well," said Attilius, submitting to the 
 draping. " How hangeth my toga, Regulus ? " 
 
 "I am no great judge of the matter," answered the 
 centurion, scanning the young patrician, " but it seem- 
 eth to me to be well enough, like the man who weareth 
 it, even for Csesar." 
 
 " Do thou cause the clients again to be admitted, 
 Pheidippides," said the tribune, smiling at the blunt, 
 but undeniable compliment in his friend's rough 
 words. 
 
 Attilius had been but a short time in Rome, but 
 many of the former clients of his father had already 
 found him out, and the atrium was soon filled with a 
 body of that class of toga-ed Romans who possessed 
 the citizenship and little else and who lived upon the 
 charity of wealthy patricians, to whom in turn they 
 rendered such service in the way of personal attendance 
 and companionship when they walked abroad, as well 
 as supported and countenanced them should they run 
 for office, or read a play in public, or plead a cause, 
 or deliver an oration in the Forum. As usual they were 
 a sorry-looking lot, although they bore themselves with 
 all the pride of their Roman citizenship. Under their 
 togas they carried little baskets that morning filled with 
 food by the orders of Pheidippides, to which a small 
 coin or two had been added for a draught of cheap 
 wine a customary daily dole upon which they lived. 
 
 " Greeting, noble Attilius," burst from the lips of 
 one and another until the atrium was filled with sound. 
 
 " Greeting, worthy friends," returned the young 
 patrician courteously. " I am summoned to an audi-
 
 120 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 ence with the Emperor at the fourth hour, and I beg 
 you to attend me there." 
 
 " It is a pleasure," answered one who seemed to be 
 the spokesman of the clients, " to attend the noble Caius 
 Attilius abroad on any business, but when he is sum- 
 moned to receive the favour of Caesar every client of 
 his ancient house rejoices." 
 
 " I thank you," returned the tribune. 
 
 " Will the noble Attilius be borne in his litter or go 
 afoot?" asked Pheidippides. 
 
 " Afoot," answered Attilius, laying his hand fondlj 
 upon the broad shoulder of old Regulus. " Afoot, with 
 my comrade here, as becometh two veteran soldiers."
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 
 
 As near as might be, when he judged that the hour of 
 ten would be indicated by the water-clock in his house, 
 for the Romans possessed no portable timepieces, Caius 
 Attilius, with Regulus and the clients, stopped before 
 the door of what the Emperor loved to call his " Transi- 
 tory House " on the Palatine. A group of pretorians, 
 at whose resplendent armour, embossed with silver and 
 glowing with colour from their plumed helmets to their 
 sandals, Regulus looked with the contempt of a real 
 veteran, barred their way as was proper. Attilius 
 promptly gave his name, and indicated that he had 
 been summoned to the palace by the Csesar himself. A 
 call for the decurion in charge of the maniple, or squad 
 of ten, posted at the front entrance gate, promptly 
 brought that functionary forward, and he relieved the 
 situation. 
 
 In attendance at this gateway in the walls was a 
 minor freedman, who had a tablet on which were in- 
 scribed the names of those who had the privilege of 
 entrance that morning. To find and check off the 
 names of Caius Attilius and Regulus was the work of 
 a few moments. Attended by the clients, they accord- 
 ingly entered the courtyard surrounding the palace, 
 where the clients were bidden to remain while the tribune 
 
 121
 
 122 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 and the centurion were ushered into the great atrium 
 of the building itself. 
 
 Thej were not alone that morning, for the spacious 
 hall of audience was filled with people ; the greater 
 number being senators, their rank indicated by a broad 
 purple stripe that ran down the front of the tunic 
 and was seen where the under garment was exposed by 
 the toga, and knights, distinguished by two narrower 
 stripes in the same position. In addition there were 
 freedmen, soldiers, civic officials, magistrates, a motley 
 assemblage, indicative of the social strata into which 
 Rome was divided, for in one far corner were even 
 huddled a rather forlorn deputation of the common 
 people, who had come to present a petition to the 
 Imperator. Mingled with them all were the ever pass- 
 ing slaves busy about various errands. 
 
 Caius Attilius and Regulus were expected, evidently, 
 for they had scarcely joined the throng when the 
 hangings at the rear of the atrium, imperial purple 
 by the way, were thrown apart and a nomenclator, or 
 announcer, called out their names. As they stepped 
 forward, he beckoned to them and they followed him 
 through the hangings, down the long passageway, and 
 into the peristyle beyond. 
 
 Lolling upon a carved ivory chair inlaid with silver 
 and cushioned with purple, which was raised above the 
 floor of the peristyle on a low dais, the Emperor awaited 
 them. He was surrounded by a squad of pretorians 
 in the same resplendent armour and equipment as was 
 worn by those at the gate, and as he was consul himself 
 at that time, his lictors, with their bundles of rods out
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 123 
 
 of which the axe projected, were also in attendance. 
 Near him stood a richly dressed and armoured officer, a 
 tall, dark man whose black locks and swarthy counte- 
 nance were an excellent foil to the ruddy complexion, 
 reddish-blond hair, and blue eyes of the Emperor. 
 Other dandies of the court were grouped about, but 
 a little removed from the royal vicinity. Close at 
 hand and within call were scribes, secretaries, and 
 freedmen, richly vested knights and senators, and others 
 of the so-called friends of Caesar. 
 
 The lovely and extensive garden, the grassy expanse 
 of which was enclosed on three sides by the many-col- 
 umned peristyle, was rich with gorgeous blossoms and 
 diversified with many trees. A fountain occupied the 
 centre of the enclosure. The part where the Emperor 
 sat was shaded from the sun, which was already quite 
 high, by projecting awnings of purple with poles and 
 ropes of silver. 
 
 The nomenclator stepped within the entrance, bowed 
 almost to the ground, and in stentorian tones he had 
 been chosen for the position because of his great voice 
 announced : 
 
 " The noble Caius Attilius, Tribune, and the worthy 
 Regulus, Primipilus, of the Fourteenth, the Thunder- 
 ing Legion, from Egypt, and now in attendance upon 
 the divine Emperor at his command." 
 
 As the shout died away Nero, who appeared to be 
 in a rare good humour, gave evidence of his pleasure 
 at the sight of these two by an unusual act of con- 
 descension. He rose from his seat and took a step or 
 two in the direction of the approaching pair. He was
 
 124 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 some distance away, and Caius Attilius, who looked 
 at him with the trained eye of a soldier, had time to 
 take him in as they approached each other. 
 
 The tribune had been away from Rome during the 
 whole course of Nero's reign; the Emperor Claudius 
 had not partaken of the poisoned mushrooms when the 
 young patrician had departed for Egypt with the Four- 
 teenth Legion. He had seen Nero as a boy, and had 
 often played with him and the young Prince Britannicus 
 in those days, but he had never laid eyes on him since 
 he had become Cassar, although he had enjoyed that 
 position now for nearly half a score of years. 
 
 The handsome, attractive boy he remembered, so 
 Caius Attilius thought, had not developed accordingly. 
 His manhood had not fulfilled the promise of his youth. 
 He saw before him a man rather above the middle 
 stature with a face half good and half bad. For in- 
 stance, he noted a weak, cruel, ineffably sensual mouth, 
 puckered and pouting. His pale, unhealthy complexion 
 was already stamped unmistakably by his continued in- 
 dulgence in every kind of vice. Only the broad and 
 noble brow crowned by masses of bright and beautifully 
 curly hair in any degree matched the position of the 
 man. The good features were spoiled by a pair of 
 blinking blue eyes from which the fire and clarity 
 of youth had long since faded, much increasing the 
 near-sightedness of the man : a fact which was painfully 
 apparent even though he had as then not peered at 
 the tribune through a huge emerald which served him 
 as an eyeglass. 
 
 As a boy, Nero had been slender and graceful. He
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 125 
 
 was now clad in a loose, flowing, uncinctured, effeminate 
 robe of purple silk, embroidered in gold, which fell 
 almost to his gold-laced sandals. This garment, en- 
 tirely un-Roman, called a synthesis, or confection, 
 served to hide his thin, slim legs, although it did not 
 conceal his growing development of paunch. The Em- 
 peror was unmanly and undignified in appearance. He 
 wore a silk handkerchief wrapped around his huge, bull- 
 like neck, and Attilius saw two men in the background, 
 anxiously watching over a cithara, or harp, carefully 
 wrapped in the same purple silk the Emperor wore. 
 They were always in attendance, for no one knew when 
 it would please the Caesar to entertain the faithful 
 with a song. 
 
 Arriving within speaking distance, Attilius and 
 Regulus halted ; both threw up their hands in military 
 salute, which seemed to please the Emperor, and then 
 both bowed low before him. 
 
 " Greeting to the Imperator," said both in unison, 
 " from two of his faithful soldiers." 
 
 And that greeting pleased the tyrant still more. 
 As the two bowed low before him, he lowered the emerald 
 through which he had been squinting at them and took 
 another step in their direction, laid his hand upon the 
 shoulder of the tribune and kissed his cheek, a senatorial 
 privilege, though one which Nero in these late days 
 rarely extended, since he was in constant enmity with 
 the Senate an enmity which all the servility of that 
 degenerate body was insufficient to alter. But Caius 
 Attilius had come from the front, he had not yet had 
 time to enter into any of the cabals, conspiracies, and
 
 126 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 factions of the Senate, hence the warmth of his wel- 
 come. 
 
 Regulus, being of the people, received no such murk 
 of condescension. The Emperor, however, extended his 
 hand to the centurion, who took it, bowed low over it, 
 and released it. 
 
 " Greeting, noble Attilius, and thou, worthy cen- 
 turion," began Nero affably, amid a chorus of exclama- 
 tions and similar words of welcome from those who 
 surrounded him and took their cue from him. 
 
 His voice was undeniably pleasant. Much humour 
 has been exercised over his singing, but he sang un- 
 doubtedly much better than the ordinary man, albeit 
 he was in no sense a great singer, and his conversational 
 voice when he chose to make it so was agreeable accord- 
 ingly. 
 
 " The corn ship," he continued, " we have been in- 
 formed, which should have brought you hither foun- 
 dered at sea with all my treasure. Well, our need of 
 money is always great, is it not, Tigellinus ? " he asked, 
 throwing a meaning look at the tall, dark man in the 
 pretorian uniform who had followed him closely. 
 
 " The treasures of the world are thine, divinity ; 
 thou hast but to stretch forth thy hand and take." 
 
 " Yes, I know," said Nero, smiling rather grimly, 
 " but before we can take we must first find and but 
 enough of that. Thy life was spared, my tribune, and 
 thine," he included the primfpilus thus, " and for that 
 we should be satisfied." 
 
 " Still," persisted Tigellinus, " it was a rare treasure 
 that went down with the Isis."
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 127 
 
 " Thou wilt know," said Nero, laying his hand upon 
 the arm of the commander of the Pretorian Guard, 
 " thou wilt know where to find that which will make up 
 to us for the loss, most excellent Tigellinus." 
 
 " Noble Caesar," interposed Regulus boldly, yet with 
 respect enough at this juncture, " I have observed in 
 the course of my long life that things are frequently 
 not always as bad as they seem." 
 
 "Art thou philosopher as well as soldier?" asked 
 Nero, frowning slightly at this somewhat unceremoni- 
 ous interruption. 
 
 " I have played many parts in thy service in my 
 day, Imperator, and this day I add another." 
 
 " And what may that be ? " asked Nero, frowning still 
 more. 
 
 " That of thy treasurer for the nonce," answered 
 the veteran, apparently no whit disturbed by Caesar's 
 frowns. 
 
 As he spoke he drew from under his toga the leather 
 bag and presented it to the Emperor. Nero shrank 
 back, surprised and a little fearful. 
 
 " Have these people been searched ? " he cried sharply 
 to Tigellinus. 
 
 " We bear no weapons," answered Attilius. " Hesi- 
 tate not, O Caesar," he continued. " Although the con- 
 tents of this bag have been fought for and every sep- 
 arate item washed in blood, doubtless, it will bring only 
 joy to thee." 
 
 " Take it, thou, Tigellinus," said Nero, apparently 
 still distrustful. 
 
 The pretorian prefect seized the bag whatever
 
 128 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 his vices, he had not yet been made a coward by them 
 as had the last of the Domitii whom he served 
 broke the strings and seals that closed it, opened it, 
 peered within, and uttered an exclamation. He shot a 
 quick glance at the two soldiers. 
 
 " Well," said Nero impatiently. 
 
 For answer, Tigellinus stepped to a little tripod of 
 polished brass supporting a table of beautifully grained 
 citron wood for which Nero had paid a king's ransom. 
 He opened the bag and carefully let run from it a heap 
 of jewels of every colour, size, and value. Nero in- 
 stantly stepped to the tripod, bent over it, peered at 
 the heap through his emerald, and laid his fingers caress- 
 ingly over the jewels. 
 
 " The imperial treasury itself hath no finer stones 
 than these," he said with the assurance of a connoisseur, 
 which indeed he was in such matters. " Whence come 
 these?" 
 
 " From thy praetor in Egypt," answered Attilius. 
 
 " How came the centurion by them? " 
 
 " When the ship appeared like to sink he took them 
 from the cases that contained them, put them in this 
 bag, bound it about his waist, and finally brought them 
 to thee in safety." 
 
 "Are they all here?" asked Nero with a greedy 
 sparkle in his eye. 
 
 The face of Attilius flushed at the insult in the 
 question. Regulus was more hardened, and the colour 
 did not easily come into his bronzed cheeks ; still he felt 
 the implication. 
 
 " When the invoice cometh from Egypt," he said
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 129 
 
 bluntly, " thou wilt find none of them missing or let 
 my head be forfeit." 
 
 And here Tigellinus did an unusual thing. To be 
 sure, Regulus was so humble that in him there was no 
 possibility of a rival in the good graces of the Emperor. 
 
 " I knew this man in Spain, divinity ; he had there a 
 reputation for strict honesty." 
 
 " And hath it still," added Attilius promptly. 
 
 " He must indeed be an honest man," said a tall, 
 handsome man of great elegance of bearing, somewhat 
 older than the rest, who had watched and heard all with 
 an expression of amused indifference, " if he made that 
 reputation while in Spain in thy society, Tigellinus." 
 
 " By the gods, thou hast no mercy on the poor 
 prefect, Petronius," laughed Nero. 
 
 The dark face of the prefect flushed under this sneer- 
 ing insult, but he knew too well his limitations when it 
 came to exchanging verbal thrusts with the Arbiter 
 Elegantiarum of Nero's court, to take any other notice 
 of it or to express any resentment. He would bide his 
 time. 
 
 " I thank thee, Sophonius Tigellinus," said Regulus 
 stoutly, " for thy good word." 
 
 " Knowest thou to whom thou speakest, soldier ? " 
 asked Nero, looking at the bold and unawed centurion 
 in some amazement. " Seest thou not my blazonry on 
 his breast ? " 
 
 " Perfectly, Imperator. Tigellinus is the commander 
 of the Pretorian Guard, I am the primipilus of the 
 Thundering Legion, or rather, I was." 
 
 "Hast thou completed thy years of service?"
 
 130 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Aye, and twenty years added to the score." 
 
 "And dost thou now seek retirement?" 
 
 " Unless some emergency should call me to the field 
 in Caesar's service," answered Regulus. 
 
 "Will Caesar permit me?" began Caius Attilius. 
 
 " Speak on." 
 
 " I have been the tribune of thy Fourteenth Legion 
 and I know this man. No worthier soldier is to be 
 found in thine armies." 
 
 " It is excellent testimony," said Nero, running his 
 hands again through the jewels, " and these be powerful 
 advocates." He lifted a sapphire. " Mark the blue," 
 he said, turning to Tigellinus. 
 
 " There is but one thing bluer and brighter in 
 Rome," said the pretorian prefect, examining the jewel 
 closely. 
 
 "And what is that?" 
 
 " Thine eye, O Csesar. And this diamond," continued 
 Tigellinus, selecting a brilliant from the heap, " there 
 is but one thing purer." 
 
 "And what is that?" 
 
 " Thy voice, divinity." 
 
 " Thou dost improve ; by the gods, thou dost im- 
 prove. Look to thy laurels, Petronius," laughed Nero, 
 greatly pleased with this gross and vulgar flattery. 
 "Now, soldier, what can I do for thee? Thou hast 
 not come empty-handed from the wars? " 
 
 " I have a little treasure," answered Regulus. " A 
 trifle to thee, but enough to keep a common soldier 
 in peace and quietness in his declining days." 
 
 " And askest thou nothing of me? "
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 131 
 
 "But little, O Csesar; if now I might wear a ring 
 like that." 
 
 Regulus pointed to the Emperor's fat hand as he 
 spoke. 
 
 " It is not enough for thy deserts, but take it," said 
 Nero, drawing a plain gold ring from his finger and 
 extending it to Regulus. 
 
 The latter fell to his knees and thrust out the little 
 finger of his huge hand, upon which, after some diffi- 
 culty, Nero forced on the ring. 
 
 " Rise, sir knight," he said. " Get thee a double 
 stripe upon thy tunic at once." 
 
 " Hail to Caesar," said Regulus, much delighted, rising 
 to his feet and looking admiringly at the badge of his 
 new knighthood on his stubby finger. 
 
 Nero picked up one of the smallest brilliants from 
 the heap on the tripod table and handed it to Regulus. 
 
 " Knighthood for thy services, this for thine hon- 
 esty." 
 
 " Thou hast not heard all that the worthy knight 
 hath done in thy service, Caesar," said Caius Attilius, 
 smiling. 
 
 "What more?" 
 
 "The gold and silver that was being carried on the 
 Isis was landed, by this worthy soldier's direction, at 
 Lasea, in Crete, and turned over to thy treasurer there. 
 The ship was leaky and it was thought best not to trust 
 the precious metals within her. Some of the more port- 
 able and valuable cargo is also there waiting thy 
 commands." 
 
 " Thou hast a wise head, Regulus. I did well to-
 
 132 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 make thee knight; I shall make thee a senator yet 
 doubtless." 
 
 " The gods forbid," said Regulus piously. " I am 
 more at home in the barracks than in the Senate 
 chamber." 
 
 "And how cometh it, Attilius, that all this was done 
 by the worthy centurion when thou wert in command?-" 
 asked Nero. 
 
 " I was sick, ill unto death," answered Attilius, " un- 
 conscious with African fever. We were attacked by 
 pirates, two 
 
 " Pirates in the Sea of Adria ! " exclaimed Nero. 
 " Anicetus, if thou wouldst remain my admiral this 
 must be looked into." 
 
 " I will have them caught and crucified at once, 
 divinity," hurriedly answered a man whose vesture 
 sported a trident in token of his office. 
 
 " Whether they be there now or not no one can tell," 
 said Attilius, " for we were bringing with us on the 
 Isis a detachment of men who had completed their 
 twenty years with the eagles. The pirates boarded us 
 from either side; the legionaries drove them back upon 
 their own ships and followed after. When the storm 
 broke upon us it tore the three locked ships apart, and 
 they were still fighting on the pirate decks when we 
 lost sight of them. We have heard nothing more 
 of them. I presume they foundered in the ensuing 
 gale." 
 
 "And thou?" 
 
 " Our ship was so badly rammed that she sank in a 
 few hours. The few legionaries left aboard, with some
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 133 
 
 of the seamen and Regulus, made a raft upon which 
 they put me, and we drifted for three days. We were 
 picked up by another belated corn ship from Alexandria, 
 the Osiris, upon which we were wrecked at Melita. She 
 carried prisoners from Syria and Judea 
 
 " Hast thou report of her? " asked Nero, turning to 
 Tigellinus. 
 
 " Not yet, majesty." 
 
 " We left them at Melita waiting transfer," continued 
 Attilius, " and came hither on a fast galley to report. 
 I have recovered and have awaited thee here according 
 to thy command." 
 
 " He hath not told all, most noble Caesar," said Reg- 
 ulus. " We had been captured, and those bright baubles 
 on the tripod yonder had been lost but for him. They 
 made a secret attack upon the rear part of the ship. 
 They climbed into the after cabin, where the brave 
 tribune lay scarce conscious, but the sight of the faces 
 of your enemies peering through the cabin windows 
 aroused him. He got to his feet, the gods only know 
 how, struck savagely with his sword, and drove them 
 back. That saved us, for had they come through the 
 cabin and fallen on our backs as we fought on deck, 
 we had been lost." 
 
 " My duty as a soldier," murmured Attilius, much 
 confused. 
 
 "How can I reward thee, tribune?" asked Nero. 
 
 " The Imperator hath honoured me with his friend- 
 ship," said Attilius tactfully. " That kiss of greeting 
 hath gained me the envy of all Rome, and I ask nothing 
 but a continuance of that friendship."
 
 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " If thou wouldst increase that envy to madness, sing 
 to him, divinity," interposed Petronius softly. 
 
 " Thou art ever considerate of strangers, Petronius," 
 said Nero, looking at him in mock resentment, " but 
 careless of thy Emperor." 
 
 " From which," returned the arbiter audaciously, " I 
 infer that thou art not in good voice this morning." 
 
 "I what hast thou noticed?" exclaimed Nero in 
 alarm, his hand going to his throat. " I ' 
 
 " But even Caesar at his worst surpasses the world 
 at its best," continued Petronius smoothly, smiling into 
 the face of the Emperor and so contagiously that 
 Nero's good humour was instantly restored. 
 
 " If thou couldst sing as well as thou canst turn a 
 compliment, I should be jealous of thee." 
 
 " And had I not thee to inspire me, I should be at 
 loss for words also. Who, for instance, could com- 
 pliment our worthy prefect here save on his black looks ? 
 Cheer up, man," continued Petronius, who much en- 
 joyed baiting the stupid, brutal Tigellinus, " thou art 
 in the presence of the sun, here is no place for 
 clouds." 
 
 And again the gibe was received in silence by the 
 soldier, and with smiles by some who felt sufficiently 
 secure, through the friendship of Nero, to venture to 
 incur the enmity of the prefect; not very many, to be 
 sure. 
 
 " Bring hither the harp, Terpnos," said Nero, at 
 which the whole company broke into rapturous exclama- 
 tions of delight. 
 
 The skilled musician brought the unwrapped cithara
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 135 
 
 to the Emperor, and then tenderly took the handker- 
 chief from his bull neck. 
 
 "What shall I sing, Petronius? " the Caesar asked, 
 affectedly clearing his throat. " Thou knowest my 
 repertoire; shall it be something of Homer? " 
 
 " Homer ! " exclaimed Petronius contemptuously. 
 "Dost thou really seek to honour Attilius, divinity?" 
 
 " I do ; thou knowest it." 
 
 " Sing something of thine own, then. Let outworn 
 Homer rest in that oblivion into which thou hast con- 
 signed him with thine own incomparable verses." 
 
 " And thou alone of all my court " began Nero. 
 
 " Art worthy of thy voice, divinity ! " interrupted 
 Petronius to the delight of the Emperor, who seized a 
 jewel from the heap and extended it to the arbiter. 
 
 He shook his head. 
 
 " Do not dim the lustre of thy song by such a bauble 
 as that, Caesar," said Petronius. " Sing ; that is 
 enough." 
 
 And Nero sang. It was neither a bad song nor a 
 bad voice, but it was not a great enough song, or a 
 great enough voice, for an Emperor. As the applause 
 died away, Csesar handed back the harp. 
 
 " I would sing longer for thee, Attilius," he said, 
 " but it is early in the morning. I must save my voice. 
 What more can I do for thee? " 
 
 " Nothing. Thy voice, like thy kindness, overwhelms 
 me," said the tribune, bowing low and biting his lips, 
 whereat Petronius shot a meaning glance at him, recog- 
 nising a kindred spirit. Fortunately neither Tigellinus 
 nor the Emperor observed it.
 
 136 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Thine appreciation of an artist is as great as thy 
 merit as a soldier," said Nero. " Enter his name upon 
 my tablets," he added, turning to one of the secretaries, 
 "as one of the friends of Caesar with the privilege of 
 access to our presence without summons or announce- 
 ment. I wish I had more men like thee about me.'* 
 
 " By the gods," growled Regulus thoughtlessly, " I 
 can well believe that." 
 
 He surveyed the effeminate, spiritless crowd which 
 surrounded the Emperor with a certain grim contempt 
 which greatly amused Nero. In the midst of the Em- 
 peror's laughter, Tigellinus approached and spoke a 
 few words into his master's ear. 
 
 " Tribune," said Nero, " thou hast shown thyself 
 worthy in my service. I trust thee as I trust few even 
 of my own household." He looked about, frowning and 
 glaring somewhat fiercely at those around him. A faint 
 chorus of protest arose as he continued, " I have mes- 
 sages of great importance to be delivered to Otho in 
 Lusitania, to Julius Vindex in Gaul, and Suetonius 
 Paullus in Britain. I will give thee a century or a 
 cohort for thy escort since times are troubled. Wilt 
 thou take my messages and bring me back the reports 
 and the observations of a trained soldier? " 
 
 " At Caesar's command," answered Attilius, compos- 
 ing his features into an iron calm lest his disappointment 
 at being thus immediately ordered to service after so 
 long an absence from Rome should appear. 
 
 " Come hither," said Nero, stepping away from the 
 assemblage, followed by Tigellinus alone. " I know 
 that thou hast earned a rest and that Rome appeareth
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 137 
 
 inviting to thy youth even as to mine, but this is a 
 commission of great importance. Much dependeth upon 
 it. There are few that I can trust. Return as quickly 
 as thou canst and my favour rideth with thee. Thou 
 shalt be legate to my Corbulo in the East, and a 
 legion, perhaps later an army, shall be committed to 
 thy charge." 
 
 " My life is Rome's and Rome is Nero's," answered 
 Attilius simply. 
 
 "When canst thou start?" 
 
 " To-day." 
 
 " That is well said," answered Nero. " Eh, Tigelli- 
 nus?" 
 
 " Well said indeed, divinity," answered the prefect. 
 
 " Make out the orders, let him take a cohort from 
 one of the legions in northern Italy, and give him the 
 packets. Report thyself to me instantly on thy return, 
 and let nothing escape thy observation while away," 
 said Nero meaningly to Attilius. " Dost understand ? 
 Thou art the eyes and ears of Caesar." 
 
 " I understand." 
 
 " That is well. May the gods speed thee on thy way 
 and bring thee safe to Rome again." 
 
 " Thy kindness overwhelmeth me," said Attilius. 
 " The messengers of Caesar will find me in my domus 
 within an hour. Have we thy leave to withdraw? " 
 
 " Thou hast," said Caesar, " but stay." He selected 
 carefully a stone of great value from the heap of jewels, 
 one of the largest of the diamonds. " This for the 
 woman of thy heart." 
 
 He was evidently greatly pleased with Attilius, and
 
 138 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 he knew how to be royally generous on occasion. The 
 two soldiers bowed low before him, turned, and marched 
 away. Not until they had gained the street and were 
 well out of earshot did Regulus break forth. 
 
 " It is a shame," he said indignantly, " that thou 
 shouldst be sent away from Rome ere thou hast become 
 safely settled there, and on a wild errand to the ends 
 of the world, to Lusitania, Gaul, and Britain the ut- 
 most bounds of the West." 
 
 " Be silent," said Caius Attilius warningly. " Caesar 
 hath ears in every street. It is part of a soldier's duty." 
 
 " Aye," said Regulus, " I see through it. There is 
 not one he can trust in the court. Thou art fresh in 
 Rome, uncontaminated by disloyalty, unattached to any 
 faction, uninfluenced by the intrigues that go on every- 
 where." 
 
 " And I am therefore in high favour with Nero," 
 laughed Attilius. " Well, I have but little to keep me 
 here," but as he spoke he thought at the same time 
 of Lady Lollia and of British Gwenna. 
 
 " I will go with thee," said Regulus suddenly. " I 
 am not to old to put on the harness again, and Lusitania 
 is a country in which I have campaigned." 
 
 " Nay," said Attilius, " thou shalt stay here and 
 watch over my house, my slaves, my 
 
 "That British Gwenna of thine," said Regulus 
 bluntly, filling out the sentence. 
 
 " Even so," replied Attilius, and why the colour came 
 into his cheeks as he did so he could not tell, although 
 the fact annoyed him greatly. 
 
 " Well, I will do it with my life," said the new-made
 
 NERO AND HIS SONG 139 
 
 knight. " Now that I am a man of position and in- 
 fluence," he fondled the gold ring upon his little finger, 
 " I can the better serve thee." 
 
 " What knowest thou of Tigellinus ? " 
 
 " I served with him when he was but a tribune like 
 thyself, and I a simple legionary in the ranks." 
 
 " And didst thou love him? " 
 
 " Nay, none loved him, but it was my fortune to do 
 him some trifling service." 
 
 " And that was " 
 
 "Well, I saved his life, if the truth be told, and I 
 have often thought it would have been better for Rome 
 had I not done so." 
 
 " Doth he still remember the circumstance? " 
 
 " I shall see." 
 
 " Meanwhile, as he is all-powerful with the Emperor, 
 thou hadst best keep on his good side." 
 
 " And so I shall," added Regulus thoughtfully, " if 
 for no other reason than for thy sake."
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE TRIBUNE GOES UPON A JOURNEY 
 
 PREPARATIONS for the journey were not extensive, nor 
 did it require much time for Attilius to slip into his 
 well-worn armour, to have his modest belongings packed, 
 and to detail some of his f reedmen and slaves to accom- 
 pany him. Pheidippides, with the counsel of Regulus, 
 or indeed without it, was quite capable of attending 
 to his master's affairs. A few words put the major- 
 domo in possession of the necessary facts. A long time 
 before the hour he had set for his departure, the 
 tribune had completed his preparations. To attempt 
 to see Lollia Claudia at this hour of the morning would 
 be preposterous. He was sure that unless something 
 extraordinary was toward she would not arise until long 
 after midday, and to have disturbed her before would 
 have been to forfeit, any chance at her affections. 
 
 Caius Attilius had a wax-coated writing tablet 
 brought to him, and indited a brief letter to her, in- 
 forming her of the courteous and distinguished wel- 
 come he had received at the Emperor's hands, of the 
 commission which had been thrust upon him, and that 
 he was compelled, to his very great regret, to depart 
 without seeing her, and so bade her farewell. To trace 
 these letters upon the wax, to fold together, tie and 
 seal the leaves, and entrust the delivery to one of the 
 
 140
 
 THE TRIBUNE GOES UPON A JOURNEY 141 
 
 slaves, took also but little time. Strangely enough 
 he did not send her the Emperor's jewel! 
 
 He looked toward the water-clock. It was drawing 
 on to the hour of twelve, which was the time set for 
 his departure. Regulus had withdrawn for the time 
 being, and with the departure of the messenger to 
 Lollia, Attilius was left alone. He clapped his hands 
 and bade the answering slave send British Gwenna into 
 his presence. 
 
 In a moment she stood before him. She was clad 
 this time in a longer tunic of a beautiful blue colour 
 which reached to her ankles. Her delicate feet were 
 shod in sandals laced with blue like the tunic. The 
 garment was girdled below the breast and was of the 
 sleeveless variety. Nothing could have better become 
 her. The gorgeous tissue of silver had detracted from 
 rather than added to her beauty, but the blue tunic 
 brought out every radiance of her face and colour. 
 The graceful folds suggested rather than concealed the 
 youthful, yet already splendid, figure they enshrouded. 
 
 Attilius stared at her without a word. He reflected 
 afterward that whenever she came into his presence she 
 seemed to strike him speechless, and it was usually she 
 who had to break the silence. He had been ready enough 
 with his answers when he conversed with the all-power- 
 ful Nero who could ruin him with a word, but this 
 woman whom he owned, with whom he could do as he 
 liked and no hand could be raised in her defence, no 
 voice speak a word in her behalf, made him strangely 
 dumb and silent. 
 
 " Thou hast sent for me master," she began at last.
 
 142 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 There was a long hesitation between the first words 
 and the last. The maiden did not love the title, and 
 yet without compunction she said it deliberately. Old 
 Lais had been talking to her evidently. Her de- 
 meanour outwardly was even submissive. She stood 
 with her head slightly bent and with her hands crossed 
 upon her breast, and the little touch of humility made 
 her even more beautiful than before. How different 
 she was from the black-haired, black-eyed, brilliant 
 Lollia Claudia ! Yet, although that one had never stood 
 before him a slave, this girl's bearing, in spite of her 
 attitude, was really as full of pride as if she had been 
 the daughter of a hundred senators of Rome. 
 
 " Yes," said Attilius, " I did send for thee to bid 
 thee farewell." 
 
 Now, there was no reason on earth why Caius Attilius 
 should bid the newest of his slaves farewell, and he 
 fully realised the unusualness of his position, although 
 she was as yet so little accustomed to her servitude that 
 she did not realise it at all. And indeed a feeling of 
 dismay at the announcement so instantly possessed her 
 that she gave no thought to other things. 
 
 In all the months that had elapsed since her cap- 
 tivity, he was the only Roman who had shown her 
 the least degree of kindness or human feeling. Her 
 beauty, her availability, had saved her from the out- 
 rages which had been visited upon her less fortunate 
 sisters. She was too valuable a piece of property to 
 be spoiled in transit, but she had been regarded and 
 treated simply as a piece of merchandise. Her feelings 
 had been outraged, her person exposed. She had been
 
 THE TRIBUNE GOES UPON A JOURNEY 143 
 
 discussed and commented upon as if she had no more 
 human feeling than a horse. 
 
 She had borne these indignities because she had to, 
 because she was without even a semblance of a weapon. 
 Her captors had taken good care to see that no means 
 of doing herself bodily harm was ever available. They 
 had even cut her finger-nails close lest she should scratch 
 her cheeks and so mar her beauty and render herself 
 less salable. She had tried to starve herself, but they 
 had forced her to eat, and they had watched her con- 
 stantly day and night. The scene in the courtyard 
 when she had struck old Phryx to prevent an exposure 
 of herself to that gaping mob had been the climax of 
 all the tortures she had endured. 
 
 She had heard vaguely of the treatment accorded 
 to slaves by the Romans, and all that she had heard 
 had been intensified by the jibes of the slave dealers 
 to whom she had fallen. She had at first expected 
 little better at the hands of Attilius. He seemed some- 
 what different from the rest, it is true, and he had 
 undeniably interfered in her behalf in those awful mo- 
 ments on the slave dealer's block, but whether he wished 
 to preserve her for himself or for other reasons she 
 could not tell. 
 
 Yet since she had been of his household her treat- 
 ment had been kindly, even gentle. Except that she was 
 a slave, a bitter thing for her to realise, no more con- 
 siderate usage could have been meted out to her; noth- 
 ing degrading or humiliating had been required of her, 
 nothing of the kind seemed to be intended toward her. 
 There was a pleasanter, a more contented atmosphere
 
 144. THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 in the establishment of the tribune than she had deemed 
 possible. 
 
 Slaves took their cues from their masters. A cruel 
 master, a hard, harsh, ruthless owner, made hard, harsh, 
 ruthless, cruel slaves and each one in his separate sphere 
 meted out to those beneath him the same treatment that 
 he received; the converse proposition was, naturally, 
 equally true. There is a contagion in good breeding 
 as well as in bad. Although he was a soldier, Attilius 
 was in the best sense of the word a Roman gentleman, 
 and his example was not without force even among the 
 motley people he held in bondage. 
 
 Lais, the matron of the slaves and the head of the 
 women's quarters, and Pheidippides, the freedman 
 major-domo, followed the tribune's example, and even 
 when Attilius was not in residence things went on much 
 as they did when he was there, perhaps a little more 
 easily, if the truth be told. 
 
 The loss of liberty and the personal restraint was a 
 dreadful thing to the freeborn British maiden, but since 
 liberty was lost and she was restrained, she had begun 
 to thank her gods that she was where she was. She 
 could remember the leering, brutal, lustful faces of 
 the other Romans who had bid for her. She might have 
 fallen into their hands instead of to this kindly soldier. 
 She had not yet learned that the bravest were the ten- 
 derest or the loving were the daring which indeed 
 was not always true, especially in Rome but she had 
 wondered if such, in substance, might not be true of 
 Caius Attilius. And as she wondered so she also prayed. 
 
 She could never be happy, she thought, as a slave,
 
 THE TRIBUNE GOES UPON A JOURNEY 145 
 
 but after all to which she had been subjected, and after 
 the possibilities that had loomed before her, the quiet 
 domus of the tribune was like a haven of rest. She 
 was almost becoming contented. Her father, her 
 brethren, had been killed when the Iceni had been con- 
 quered by the Romans, her mother had died long be- 
 fore, and she was alone. Some rude British chieftain 
 might have seized her and borne her away, willy-nilly, 
 to his forest lair; in which case at least her fate would 
 not have been much better than her present condition. 
 
 She was a woman of fine instincts and deep feelings 
 which had been intensified by the unusual education 
 she had received in Roman Gaul, and she looked forward 
 with positive pleasure to the lessons of Eurotas in 
 the Greek tongue, in which so many treasures were 
 written. To be reader to her master if she could 
 once get over that mastership ! promised pleasant 
 things. She would study diligently to deserve and re- 
 ceive his approval, hoping to fit herself for the promised 
 position and perhaps some day earn her freedom. Mean- 
 while, taught by old Lais, she had already begun to 
 acquire the nice art of properly draping a toga. 
 
 She was a sensible, if hot-tempered, young woman in 
 a way, too. She realised the inevitable since it was 
 presented to her, and she had made up her mind to 
 accept it with such philosophy as she could, praying 
 to her gods that her honour, if not her dignity, might 
 be preserved. She would deserve well of Attilius by 
 her faithful services, by her studious application, by 
 her aptitude, by her humility. Her cheek flushed and 
 her bosom heaved as she pronounced the word to herself.
 
 146 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 It was not a pleasant word to have to speak, even to 
 have to think, for this freeborn, haughty, imperious 
 maiden. 
 
 It cannot be denied that one factor in reconciling her 
 to her lot, which is not the least important because it 
 has been left to the last, was Attilius himself. There 
 was no more handsome, splendid type of Roman man- 
 hood in all Italy than he. Young, well above the aver- 
 age height, well-knit, active, martial, arrogant even 
 that last quality thrilled the maiden ! She had woman's 
 wit enough, in spite of her youth, to realise that she 
 had made an impression upon the master, and she was 
 woman enough to desire to deepen that impression, 
 which she was consciously or unconsciously determined 
 to do, not realising the possible consequences to him 
 or to her. 
 
 It was, therefore, with a tremendous sense of shock 
 that she received the communication of the intentions 
 of the tribune. That he should announce his departure 
 now when she had just made up her mind, at what cost 
 he would never know, that she would submit to the 
 inevitable and strive to deserve his kindness, swept her 
 away from her moorings at once. She had not yet 
 learned that the will of Attilius was the will of the 
 household. She feared that with him gone her position 
 would be entirely changed. Dismay overwhelmed her, 
 nor was the dismay due entirely to the fear of the 
 consequences of his absence. It was dismay because he 
 was going and she should not see him for a long time. 
 
 She had planned to exhibit to him, day by day, as 
 he gave her opportunity, the advances she made in her
 
 THE TRIBUNE GOES UPON A JOURNEY 147 
 
 studies, and she had counted unconsciously upon his 
 encouragement. But now she felt almost as lost and 
 alone as she had when she had been first seized in the 
 plundered camp, defenceless before what enemies the 
 gods alone knew. This bereavement flashed swiftly 
 through her mind. 
 
 "Thou art going away, lord?" she asked, staring 
 at him with frightened, eyes. 
 
 " To my very great regret, yes." 
 
 " Will it be for a long time? " 
 
 " Perhaps for six months, or it may be for a year." 
 
 " But thou wilt come back? " 
 
 " As soon as I can." 
 
 " Take me with thee," she broke out in all innocence. 
 
 " On a soldier's errand ? " 
 
 " But why must thou go, and where? " she continued, 
 utterly oblivious to her slavery and the impropriety of 
 questioning her master as to his comings and goings. 
 
 Her dismay was so manifest, her concern so patent, 
 and both were so pleasant to Attilius that he over- 
 looked them. Many times as she stood before him he 
 quite forgot that she was a slave and his property. He 
 treated her as he would any other maiden with whom 
 he might come in contact. 
 
 " The answer to thy question is short, British 
 Gwcnna. At the Emperor's command and wherever he 
 sendeth me." 
 
 " But Lais said that thou hadst been away long 
 years at the wars and that thou hadst come home to 
 rest and enjoy thyself." 
 
 " Lais is a wise old woman and she hath truly set
 
 148 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 forth my purpose. But it is the Caesar's will that 
 governeth." 
 
 " And thou must go? " 
 
 " I must." 
 
 " And dost thou like thy errand ? " 
 
 " I did not care very much," answered Attilius truth- 
 fully, " until " 
 
 " Until thou didst think of the lady Lollia," flashed 
 out the slave. 
 
 " What knowest thou of the lady Lollia ? " asked 
 Attilius, frowning heavily. 
 
 " I know but little the girls in the slave quar- 
 ters She faltered, suddenly conscious of her 
 
 grave blunder. 
 
 " They gossip too much," thundered the tribune, his 
 frown deepening. " I am too kind a master." 
 
 His brow was now black with growing indignation. 
 
 " I have offended thee," protested Gwenna humbly 
 and remorsefully, " and thou hast treated me so kindly. 
 I make but poor reward for thy gentle usage. The 
 fault is mine. I encouraged them to talk about thee. 
 
 I wanted to know " She stopped suddenly again, 
 
 realising upon the verge of what perilous admission 
 she had been led. And then she did a strange thing. 
 She fell on her knees and extended her hands to him. 
 " Master," she said, " forgive them and me. Thine 
 anger hurteth." 
 
 " Fear not " began Attilius more mildly. 
 
 " Nay," interrupted the woman, " it is not fear that 
 maketh me kneel." 
 
 " Rise then," said the tribune not unkindly. " I
 
 THE TRIBUNE GOES UPON A JOURNEY 149 
 
 pass it by for this time, but let there be no more gossip 
 of the lady Lollia or of my affairs. Besides," he ad- 
 mitted frankly, " I am sorry to have to go because I 
 must leave thee behind. I should have enjoyed noting 
 thy progress and but thou wilt be quite safe with 
 Pheidippides and Lais and the worthy knight, Regulus, 
 new made by Csesar this morning. He hath promised 
 to abide here and take care of my proper of thee," 
 he added as he saw the woman's face flush. " Thou wilt 
 be a faithful maiden, and when I return I shall expect 
 great things of thee. Thou wilt not be confined to the 
 house, but under suitable escort mayest go abroad and 
 see the great city in its power and in its beauty. I 
 forget not that thou art the daughter of a chieftain in 
 thine own land, and I shall give orders to Pheidippides 
 that any reasonable wish of thine shall be respected, so 
 thou dost not seek to escape me." 
 
 " To whom could I turn but to thee, lord ; where else 
 might I seek shelter? " asked the woman. " I will study 
 to deserve thy commendation, and again for all that 
 thou hast done, I thank thee. The words are simple," 
 she continued, " but they mean much." 
 
 She had arisen, she stepped forward, seized his hand, 
 bent low over it as she had done in the slave market, 
 and kissed it. The warm touch of her lips sent a 
 strange thrill through the young Roman. He was not 
 ready, however, in his dealings with women, especially 
 with a woman who was at once princess and slave. An 
 awkward pause, or what would have been an awkward 
 pause if it had been prolonged, was broken by the 
 entrance of Pheidippides.
 
 150 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Worthy tribune," he began, " the messengers of 
 Nero are at the door." 
 
 " Admit them into the atrium." 
 
 In a moment a centurion of the pretorians came in. 
 He bore in his hand several packets sealed with the 
 Emperor's seal. He stopped and saluted. 
 
 " Greeting," he said tersely, " to the noble tribune." 
 " Greeting," answered Attilius, " to the messenger 
 of Cffisar." 
 
 " Here are thy messages," said the centurion, step- 
 ping forward and placing the several packets in the 
 extended hand of the tribune, " to Csesar's legates in 
 Lusitania, Gaul, and Britain. Here also," continued 
 the officer, presenting another unsealed packet, " are 
 thine orders. From the garrison at Ariminium thou 
 wilt take, a cohort in accordance with thy fancy. The 
 imperial treasurers have orders to furnish thee with the 
 money thou wilt need, and every officer of the Empire 
 is here bid to speed thee on thy way. If aught else be 
 required, Caesar bade me ask thee to declare it and he 
 would see that it was provided." 
 
 " Say to the Imperator that what he hath done is 
 more than enough. Declare to him also that by the time 
 thou art in his presence I shall be on the way." 
 
 " Health and success attend thee," said the centurion, 
 saluting. " Farewell." 
 
 " For thy good wishes, many thanks." 
 "And may the gods have thee in their keeping." 
 As the centurion turned away Gwenna spoke again: 
 " Thou wilt go to Britain, thou wilt see the land of 
 my birth, its hills and valleys, its fertile fields, its noble
 
 THE TRIBUNE GOES UPON A JOURNEY 151 
 
 woodlands, its silvery rivers ! Would that I might go 
 with thee, lord ! " 
 
 " Who knoweth, British Gwenna, the ordering of the 
 Fates?" said Attilius. "Some day thou mayest look 
 upon that land again; and as for me, when I set foot 
 upon it I shall think of thee " 
 
 " Waiting thy return," said the maiden, smiling 
 through her tears. 
 
 " And if that doth not resemble perilously the parting 
 of two lovers," thought old Pheidippides, surveying the 
 scene, " my old heart doth not recognise the ancient 
 symptoms."
 
 BOOK III 
 THE DISPLEASURE OF THE EMPEROR
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 THE MAIDEN IS LOST 
 
 A SUCCESSION of events had detained Caius Attilius far 
 beyond his expectations. He had left Rome about the 
 winter solstice. A year and more had elapsed and 
 spring was now beginning for the second time since 
 his departure. He had seen some service, eagerly wel- 
 coming the opportunity, under Otho in Spain, had 
 passed some time with Julius Vindex in Gaul, and had 
 taken part with distinction in one sharp and exciting 
 campaign in Britain under Suetonius Paullus, who was 
 rapidly subduing the southern part of that turbulent, 
 liberty-loving island. But now he was rejoiced to be 
 back in the city again. 
 
 Having delivered his report to the Emperor instantly 
 on his return to Rome, he had been graciously com- 
 mended for the discharge of his duty with a promise 
 of a relief from further service, and an intimation 
 that whenever he had had enough of the idleness of the 
 city he should have the leadership of a legion under 
 Corbulo, in Asia Minor, with the right of succession 
 to the supreme command in the Far East when that 
 worthy soldier should retire or withdraw. With further 
 profuse promises of greater rewards from Nero, with 
 whom he stood in high favour because the Emperor saw 
 but little of him, Attilius made all speed to his domus 
 on the Aventine, passing on the way the residence of 
 
 155
 
 156 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 the senator Publius Claudius, Lollia's father. If he 
 had stopped to think about it his failure to avail him- 
 self of the opportunity for a call upon Lollia might 
 have given rise to a suspicion as to the state of his 
 affections. 
 
 Truth to tell, his mind was so full of Gwenna that 
 he did not give a passing moment to the fair lady 
 whom he had once fancied might become the mistress 
 of his household. The thought of Gwenna had been 
 with him much more constantly than befitted her lowly 
 station. For her sake he had struck with the flat of 
 the sword rather than with the edge of the blade those 
 British barbarians against whom he had campaigned ; 
 and for her sake he had spared men and women who 
 would otherwise have filled his purse with their ransoms, 
 or their price as slaves. All of her compatriots he 
 had taken he had allowed to go free in her name, in- 
 cluding some of her own tribe of Iceni. But he had 
 no thought of extending the same gift of liberty to 
 Gwenna on the contrary ! 
 
 He wondered what had happened to her in the year ; 
 whether she had added Greek to her ability to use the 
 ruder Latin language which she spoke with just the 
 shade of an accent that would have been torture to 
 Cicero but that was sweet to him. He speculated as 
 to how she would grapple with the majesty and grace 
 of the Attic tongue. The neglect of his own education 
 was pressed home to him, and he resolved, as he had 
 many times, often to avail himself of her powers as 
 his reader, provided she had fitted herself for the 
 position.
 
 THE MAIDEN IS LOST 157 
 
 He thought with a thrill as he hastened along the 
 way, attended by the slaves he had taken with him, 
 that in a short time he would doff the heavy war harness 
 which he had worn almost constantly since his departure, 
 that he would enjoy a refreshing bath, and then that 
 over a fresh tunic her white, graceful hands would 
 drape the spotless toga of his Roman citizenship. 
 
 He wondered if she would be clumsy at that task. 
 He wondered if she would hesitate and stumble in her 
 reading ; and if either, he wondered why. He wondered 
 how she would meet him or greet him. He wondered 
 many things, and he had wondered them often while 
 he had been away. The journey from the palace to 
 his home was all too short to exhaust his thoughts, all 
 too long for his desires. He quickened his steps, and 
 but that it had been undignified he would have run 
 as he came in sight of his vestibule. 
 
 Syfax, the porter, stood within. Caius Attilius trav- 
 elled faster than couriers usually, and he had made 
 the last stage of the journey down through Italy at 
 headlong speed. No message of his coming had pre- 
 ceded him. Syfax was startled almost out of his wits 
 by the sudden appearance of his master. He recovered 
 himself instantly, and his loud and hearty greeting 
 echoed through the vestibule into the atrium and even 
 into the peristyle beyond. 
 
 " Salve, Domine ! " he cried in his great voice. " The 
 master is home," he shouted, scarcely waiting for any 
 return to his greeting. " What ho, within the noble 
 Attilius returns." 
 
 The house, which had been quiet enough in all con-
 
 158 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 science, awoke suddenly into activity. Pheidippides, 
 from the office in which he transacted his patron's busi- 
 ness, instantly appeared. Lais came running from the 
 women's quarters. The atrium was immediately filled 
 with men and women all uttering greetings, the sin- 
 cerity of which was attested by the smiles on the faces 
 of the slaves. Attilius comprehended the multitude in 
 one sweeping glance, seeking for a tunic of blue and 
 a head covered by that reddish-gold coronet upon which 
 his mind had dwelt so often. She was not there! A 
 shade of annoyance swept across his face. 
 
 " Noble Attilius," began Pheidippides nervously and 
 with great agitation, " we have missed thee sorely ; 
 never had we more need of thee than now." 
 
 " It is good to be back again," answered the Roman, 
 handing his sword to one, his helmet to another, while 
 a third unbuckled his belt, and a fourth made haste 
 to relieve him of his cuirass. " Have me a bath pre- 
 pared at once," he said to the slave charged with that 
 duty, " and bring me a fresh tunic, new sandals to take 
 the place of these harsh military boots, a toga by 
 all the gods, it is good to be among you all again in 
 Rome. Thou saidst that thou hadst need of me, Phei- 
 dippides, and indeed thou hast a troubled look. What 
 is amiss in the familia? " 
 
 Pheidippides looked at the young tribune with grow- 
 ing hesitation. He had news which his heart divined 
 would not be welcome, and just how to break it he 
 could not quite decide. Every slave in the household 
 knew the situation as well as the freedman, and the 
 smiles and murmurings suddenly ceased.
 
 THE MAIDEN IS LOST 159 
 
 " I do not see the worthy knight, Regulus ; where 
 is he? " continued the master. 
 
 "Unfortunately, he was called to Brundisium," an- 
 swered Pheidippides, " on a matter of business a few 
 days since. If he had been here it had not happened." 
 
 "What had not happened?" asked Attilius. His 
 thoughts instantly turned to the absent. There might 
 be hundreds of slaves who were not there, he could not 
 begin to know them all by name or even by appearance, 
 but he at once divined that what they were perturbed 
 about, or what they were keeping from him, related 
 to Gwenna. " Why do ye stand there staring? " he 
 thundered, stepping forward and frowning, whereat 
 they all fell back. " Answer me, Pheidippides. By the 
 gods, I shall repent me of having made thee free. 
 Where is the maiden? " 
 
 Although no mention had been made of British 
 Gwenna it was more than evident that his question had 
 struck home. And still no one answered. No one 
 dared. 
 
 " By great Jupiter himself," thundered the tribune, 
 " are ye all struck dumb? Thou, Lais, hast a woman's 
 tongue; it runneth fast enough on occasion. Speak 
 thou." 
 
 " My lord, my lord," faltered old Lais, " remember 
 that I held thee against this breast when thou wert a 
 child." 
 
 " I mean thee no harm," said Attilius more mildly, 
 " but I shall kill some one if I be not told. Pheidippides, 
 any of you, answer me." 
 
 " She hath gone," burst from one or two in the
 
 160 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 crowd, and taking advantage of their numbers the 
 whole assemblage now gave him that startling reply. 
 
 " Gone ! " exclaimed Attilius, whose dismay and dis- 
 appointment needed not to be imagined they were so 
 apparent. " Where ? " 
 
 " Lord, we know not ! " answered Pheidippides, at last 
 finding voice. 
 
 "When?" 
 
 " Last night." 
 
 "With whom?" 
 
 " With thy slave Zoilus." 
 
 " The cellarer? " 
 
 " The same." 
 
 " Hath he disappeared too ? " 
 
 " We found him drunk on the Via Sacra early this 
 morning and brought him home. He was stupid with 
 liquor, and I flung him into a cell and set a watch over 
 him." 
 
 " Thou hast well done," said Attilius grimly. He 
 turned to the man who had charge of the slaves, a 
 brawny Cappadocian, named Gellia. " Bring him 
 hither." 
 
 " And if he should still be drunk? " asked that func- 
 tionary. 
 
 " Souse him in the fountain of the peristyle until he 
 recover his wits, but bring him hither and quickly. Now 
 tell me what thou hast done," he said, turning to Phei- 
 dippides, as the keeper and the other slaves whom he 
 had commanded hastened away. 
 
 " There is but little to tell, lord," answered the freed- 
 man. " Gwenna, with the other skves, had liberty to
 
 THE MAIDEN IS LOST 161 
 
 go out under proper escort. Generally old Eurotas 
 accompanied her when she went abroad " 
 
 " Eurotas where is he? " 
 
 " 111 of a fever. He would be here to greet thee if 
 he could crawl from his bed." 
 
 " Proceed." 
 
 " Eurotas being ill and Gwenna having some errand 
 into which I did not inquire, Zoilus volunteered to escort 
 her whither she would." 
 
 " Was he in liquor then? " 
 
 " I did not notice." 
 
 " Oh, Pheidippides, Pheidippides ! " 
 
 " Reproach me not, lord, else under thy displeasure 
 I shall despatch a life that, though thou hast made me 
 free, is thine alway," answered the old man remorse- 
 fully. 
 
 " Nay, nay," said Attilius more kindly, " I will for- 
 give thee so no harm come to the maiden." 
 
 " The sweetest maiden in all thy household," said 
 Lais. " I have listened while she studied with Eurotas. 
 She readeth my noble tongue with the sweetness and 
 fire of Sappho." 
 
 " She is as learned as Aspasia," added Pheidippides 
 mournfully. " Even the worthy Regulus, who giveth 
 but little thought to women, cherisheth her." 
 
 "Enough," cried Attilius. "You madden me; she 
 is gone." 
 
 "Here is Zoilus, master," cried the Cappadocian, 
 dragging after him a huge slave dripping with water, 
 his head rolling, his eyes still stupid. 
 
 " Thou drunkard," cried Attilius, clenching his hands
 
 162 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 and feeling for the sword that had hung so long by 
 his side, " what hast thou done with the maiden 
 Gwenna ? " 
 
 Zoilus stared stupidly at his master at first, not the 
 faintest appreciation of his position having yet entered 
 his head. But the ducking he had received and the 
 terror which suddenly fell upon him at the fact that 
 Attilius was there, the incarnation of wrathful passion, 
 quickly cleared his brain. He suddenly remembered all. 
 He fell to the marble pavement, caught the booted feet 
 of the Roman, and grovelled in terror. 
 
 " Forgive, lord," he wailed. " I did but try to snatch 
 a kiss." 
 
 Attilius spurned him with his foot as if he had been 
 a craven cur. 
 
 " Stand up, thou," he cried. " Thou shalt die upon 
 thy feet, like a man, rather than grovel like the reptile 
 thou art. Drag him up," he continued, as the slaves 
 hauled the cellarer to his feet and held him weak and 
 trembling before the infuriated tribune. 
 
 Although it probably meant the death of their fellow- 
 servant, there was no hesitation in complying with the 
 peremptory request of Caius Attilius in that mood. 
 
 " Now my sword ! " 
 
 This was instantly thrust into his hand; he whipped 
 it out of its scabbard and pointed it at the throat of 
 the slave. 
 
 " Answer me," he said, " answer me truly. Thou hast 
 sought to force thy unwelcome attentions upon this 
 poor maiden? " 
 
 " Am I to blame, lord? " said Zoilus, striving for his
 
 THE MAIDEN IS LOST 163 
 
 courage, " that I loved her? Who among the slaves 
 doth not? And is not she herself the best excuse? 
 And " 
 
 " Had she ever given thee any encouragement, had 
 she ever looked upon thee or given thee a thought, she 
 a princess of the Iceni and thou a degenerate Thra- 
 cian?" 
 
 " Master," said Zoilus desperately, " she was but a 
 slave after all, and I loved *her, and with thy consent 
 I would have married her." 
 
 " Thou thou " cried Attilius in fury. 
 
 " I did not know," went on the Thracian hurriedly, 
 " that she was reserved for thee " 
 
 " Say thy last prayer to the gods quickly, Zoilus," 
 said Attilius, drawing back his arm. 
 
 Pheidippides alone ventured to interfere. 
 
 " If thou dost kill him now thou shalt not learn what 
 hath become of her, lord," he said. 
 
 " True," said Attilius, dropping the sword, putting 
 his hands to his head. " A quick thrust with a bright 
 blade were a soldier's fate. Flogging, crucifixion, star- 
 vation, the lions of the arena these were more meet 
 for him." 
 
 " My lord," said Zoilus more bravely, " at thy com- 
 mand. I " he wetted his lips and looked forlornly 
 about the excited circle, and piteously glanced into the 
 face of Attilius " I loved the maiden honestly. It is 
 true I heard she was a princess of Britain, but I was 
 freeborn in Thrace. I had never spoken with her, her 
 mind was fixed on other things, and although I am 
 among the foremost of thy slaves, she never noticed
 
 164 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 me. For some reason she had many errands, was often 
 abroad with Eurotas. I heard Lais say that she was 
 anxious to go out last night upon some particular busi- 
 ness which I did not know. She had permission of 
 Pheidippides." 
 
 " True," answered the freedman. 
 
 " Where went she so often ? " 
 
 " My lord, I do not know. Old Eurotas is perfectly 
 trustworthy and they always returned at a reason- 
 able hour. I did not question. For that I am at 
 fault." 
 
 " Master," said Lais, " I have seen British Gwenna 
 make a sign like this when on occasion being abroad 
 upon an errand of mine own I passed Eurotas and the 
 maiden talking with people on the street." 
 
 As she spoke Lais' fingers traced an irregular outline 
 in the air. 
 
 " The sign of the fish," said Attilius, recognising it 
 
 instantly. " Could it be that " He stopped and 
 
 left the question unanswered. " Proceed with thy story, 
 Zoilus." 
 
 " We walked together down the Sacred Way and 
 turned into the Subura by one of the side streets. The 
 maiden had borne herself as if she had been a princess 
 indeed, rather than a slave, and had made me keep 
 in the rear. I was offended in my pride and my passion 
 was inflamed. We were alone. I was the stronger " 
 
 Attilius stepped nearer the man, his fist clenched. 
 
 " If thou strikest me," cried the slave, " if thou 
 killest me, thou canst learn no more." 
 
 " Go on."
 
 THE MAIDEN IS LOST 165 
 
 " I had carried with me a flask of thy best wine, 
 vintage Opimian." 
 
 " Thief also," hissed out the tribune. 
 
 Zoilus nodded his head. He had made up his mind 
 that his only salvation lay in an absolute and entire 
 confession, and he knew his chances were slender even 
 in that case. No law of man would hold Caius Attilius 
 accountable for anything he did to a slave and there 
 were no recognised laws of God; no gods at all, even, 
 in the prevalent Roman creed of that day. 
 
 " Between the presence of the maiden and the potency 
 of the wine, I lost my wits," he admitted woefully but 
 honestly. " I ran forward, caught her about her waist, 
 drew her to me " 
 
 " Didst thou press her lips to thine ? " asked Attilius 
 in the deadly pause that followed the incompleted sen- 
 tence, his voice low but tremulous with passion. 
 
 " I would have done so," the man whispered through 
 his white lips, " I admit it, and she herself and her 
 beauty are my justification, but we were interrupted." 
 
 "How? Why?" 
 
 " Lord, wilt thou spare me if I tell thee all ? " 
 
 " Wretch," cried the tribune, " dost thou seek to 
 make conditions with me? Speak. I will have thee torn 
 limb from limb but I will have the truth. If thou 
 cravest an easy and a speedy death conceal nothing, 
 or by the gods " 
 
 " I can tell little more," said Zoilus. " A body of 
 men, cloaked, tore us apart. One cried, * She is meet 
 for thy betters,' another, 'Let us toss her in the 
 blanket,' and a third shouted, ' This for thee.' I re-
 
 166 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 ceived a buffet which struck me senseless to the pave- 
 ment. It was about the third hour of the night. When 
 I came to my senses, bleeding and sick, the maiden was 
 gone. I realised what I had done. I entered the near- 
 est wine shop and drank and drank until I was thrust 
 out into the street, and I awoke to find myself here." 
 
 "And is this the truth?" 
 
 " By the soul of my mother, it is." 
 
 " What hast thou done to find her? " said the tribune 
 suddenly, turning to Pheidippides. 
 
 " Many of thy slaves and thy clients and freedmen 
 are even now searching the streets. I was minded to 
 go to the city prefect and should have done so ere 
 this hadst thou not returned." 
 
 " I will appeal unto Cassar. Whoever hath hurt hair 
 of that maiden shall pay for it with his life. No man 
 shall be so high placed as not to feel my vengeance." 
 Attilius lifted his hand to the heavens. " By the god 
 of the Legion, I swear it. And thou, Zoilus " 
 
 " A messenger, lord," cried Syfax, the porter, who 
 had stood nearest the vestibule, " for Pheidippides, the 
 freedman of the noble Attilius." 
 
 " I am here," answered Pheidippides, turning. 
 
 " Make way," said the porter. 
 
 The next instant a slender, dark-eyed, dark-haired 
 youth of Hebrew aspect entered the little group. He 
 looked curiously at Attilius, and instantly, with Jewish 
 shrewdness, divined that he was no freedman. He 
 turned accordingly to the grey-bearded, venerable Phei- 
 dippides. 
 
 " Hail, master," he said, " this for thee."
 
 THE MAIDEN IS LOST 167 
 
 " Boy," said Attilius, catching him roughlj bj the 
 shoulder, " dost thou bring tidings of Gwenna bj any 
 happy chance? " 
 
 " If Gwenna," said the boy, looking fearlessly at 
 him, " be the name of the Christian maiden who sought 
 shelter last night with Paulus of Tarsus, then I bring 
 tidings." 
 
 " The gods be praised," cried Attilius. " The letter." 
 
 Unhesitatingly Pheidippides handed it to him, and 
 with nervous hands Caius Attilius broke the seal*.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 
 
 " Paulus, the prisoner of Jesus Christ in Rome, to Plici- 
 dippides, Freedman at the house of the Tribune, 
 Cawis Attilius; Greeting: Grace to thee and peace. 
 " Thy patron, with whom I was shipwrecked on 
 Melita, hath been good enough to declare an obligation 
 to me. Last night there came to me at my apartment 
 in a great insula on the slope of the Viminal Hill, in the 
 Subura, above the Vicus Patricias and near the gate 
 that leadech to the Pretorian Camp, a certain Gwenna, 
 a member of his household. She had been sorely used 
 and was in great terror. Therefore I detained the 
 maiden with me albeit she is ready to give herself into 
 thy hands. I dare not trust her in the streets alone, 
 I have no one to send with her and I have no liberty 
 to go abroad myself. I, Paulus, therefore, beseech thee 
 that thou wilt come thyself and receive her at my hands. 
 Commend me to the noble Attilius when he returneth, 
 or shouldst thou write him. Farewell." 
 
 " She is there ! " cried Attilius, when he had rapidly 
 perused the tablets. " Read thou." He thrust them 
 into the hands of Pheidippides. " My armour," he 
 cried, while the major-domo was reading, " and be quick 
 about it," he added as the slaves hastened toward him. 
 
 168
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 169 
 
 " My sword, too," he continued as it was belted about 
 his waist. 
 
 " Lord," said Pheidippides, " I will go. Thou art 
 weary with thy journey and would fain refresh thy- 
 self." 
 
 " Nay," answered Attilius, " I myself will bring back 
 the maiden. Do thou choose some stout slaves to go 
 with me and see that they carry swords. There is 
 more to this than appears. Meanwhile thrust Zoilus 
 into the darkest cell and watch him well. Where is the 
 messenger? " 
 
 "Here, and at thy service, lord," answered the Jew- 
 ish boy, who had stepped aside. 
 
 " And here are thy men," said Pheidippides, pointing 
 to a half-score of the stoutest among the slaves who 
 had hastily armed themselves with swords and shields 
 and put on leathern caps and jackets of leather rein- 
 forced with steel plates. 
 
 " Well done," answered the tribune, to continue to 
 call him by his familiar title. " This for thy faithful 
 messengership, lad," he added as he handed the boy a 
 gold piece. " Lead us back to the insula where Paulus 
 dwelleth by the quickest way. I would that the horses 
 we left at the Milvian Bridge were here." 
 
 " They would be of but little service, lord," said the 
 boy, " for without them I can guide you by back ways, 
 which will enable us to save much time we should lose 
 had we to take to the broader streets." 
 
 " Lead on," said Attilius. " And, Pheidippides, do 
 thou give the people a holiday, as many as can be 
 spared to-day, and enough sesterces to enable them all
 
 170 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 to drink my health in what they choose. But keep 
 Zoilus in close ward. I will see thee on my return and 
 determine his fate then." 
 
 In too long a time indeed for his desires, although 
 the minutes that elapsed were but short, the boy, with 
 unerring instinct, had led the hurrying tribune and 
 his party through by-ways and alleys until they stopped 
 before an immense apartment house called an insula 
 which stood halfway up the slope of the Viminal, over- 
 looking the Subura, or lowest quarter of the town. 
 The valley space between that hill and the Esquiline was 
 densely crowded with wretched dwellings. Back of the 
 insula, which was the largest and most prominent in 
 the neighbourhood, the top of the hill was covered 
 with beautiful gardens and noble houses. From the 
 highest story of the huge, lofty building one had a 
 lovely view upon one side of the patrician abodes, 
 while upon the other side the spectator overlooked the 
 city walls, and upon the third the vision comprehended 
 the crowded dwellings of the very humblest classes. 
 
 This particular insula stood somewhat removed from 
 many others lower down the hill and provided a more 
 spacious and more comfortable habitation than most 
 of the other apartment houses, or tenement blocks, with 
 which that section of Rome abounded. The city was 
 much congested. Even in those days landowners had 
 begun to build upward on account of the immense 
 value of the ground within the walls. 
 
 Arrived before the building, the guide turned and 
 walked rapidly down a narrow street and around the 
 corner. In front of them a flight of steps led to a
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 171 
 
 public terrace above the second story, and from this 
 another and a private flight of stairs led to the top 
 story the sixth of the building. When they had 
 surmounted these they found themselves on a landing 
 before a small vestibule. The boy turned the door 
 upon its pivot without further ceremony, and indicated 
 that the tribune should enter. 
 
 Without a second's hesitation, Caius Attilius, bid- 
 ding his slaves wait for him below, stalked through 
 the doorway and found himself in a large, well- 
 lighted room, something like the atrium of smaller 
 houses, although utterly devoid of any of the usual 
 luxuries. There were four people in the room ; two of 
 them were Hebrews, one was a Greek, and the other 
 was a Roman soldier. The silver mounting of his uni- 
 form instantly apprised Attilius that the soldier was 
 a member of the Pretorian Guard. As the tribune en- 
 tered, the soldier, who had been lounging against one 
 of the windows, turned his head, recognised a superior, 
 straightened up, and brought his hand to his helmet in 
 salute. 
 
 As he did so, Attilius was conscious of a not un- 
 musical clinking as of the jangling of steel. The 
 cause of the unusual sound was not difficult to dis- 
 cover. Around the left wrist of the soldier a fetter 
 of steel was clasped. From it there ran from the left 
 wrist of one of the Hebrews, who happened to be stand- 
 ing, bending over a table, leaning upon it at the time, 
 a thin steel chain. It was long enough for a large 
 part of it to lie on the floor, and although it was 
 fastened to a similar manacle over a woolen band on
 
 172 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 the left wrist of the standing Hebrew, it did not inter- 
 fere very greatly with his freedom of movement. 
 
 The low clink of the steel and the creak of the door 
 upon its pivot aroused the attention of the man at 
 the table. He looked up and peered at the tribune. 
 The young man presented a very different appearance 
 then from that picture of him which the mind of the 
 old Hebrew cherished. For all their striking brightness, 
 the eyes of the man were not good. He blinked un- 
 certainly for a moment. He stepped forward and, 
 seeing better, recognised the newcomer. Before he 
 could say a word the messenger spoke. 
 
 " I bring thee, in answer to thy message, honoured 
 master, the noble Caius Attilius himself." 
 
 " It is even so," said Lucas, the Greek. " Greeting." 
 
 " I recognise thee now," exclaimed Paulus, smiling. 
 " Thou art very welcome. I appreciate the honour 
 done to my poor abode." 
 
 " Greeting, Paulus, and thou, too, Lucas," answered 
 Attilius. " By happy chance, or the will of the gods, 
 I arrived home from Gaul this morning. I found my 
 slave Gwenna gone, and as I questioned my household 
 as to her absence thy letter to Pheidippides was put in 
 my hand." 
 
 " It is indeed an opportune ordering," said Paulus, 
 " that brought thee home." 
 
 "Aye," said Attilius, "but the maiden?" 
 
 Paulus hesitated and looked meaningly at Lucas, who 
 had drawn near to him and whispered something in 
 his ear. 
 
 " Thou canst understand me now ? " asked Paulus,
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 173 
 
 turning to Attilius and addressing him this time' in 
 the Greek tongue. 
 
 " Perfectly," answered Attilius, who was, like most 
 educated Romans, a good Grecian, wondering for a 
 moment at the use of that language. 
 
 The next moment Paulus explained it, for without 
 looking at the pretorian, he nevertheless addressed a 
 quick remark in Greek to him. The man gave no evi- 
 dence whatever of having heard or comprehended, al- 
 though so soon as he had spoken Paulus observed him 
 narrowly. 
 
 " I am a prisoner, noble Attilius," he said in Greek, 
 in which all the future conversation was carried on. 
 " I have to keep guard on the door of my lips, and 
 there is in this something that concerneth " he hesi- 
 tated " the chief man of the empire," he added euphe- 
 mistically. " Understandest thou? " 
 
 " I understand. Speak, relieve my anxiety. The 
 maiden, where is she? " 
 
 " Within an inner chamber." 
 
 "Safe and well?" 
 
 " Perfectly. What knowest thou of the affair? " 
 
 " I know that she went out last night with a certain 
 slave of mine for whom a crucifix shall be made ready 
 on my return that he became familiar with her, and 
 that as he sought to kiss her a certain mob interposed 
 and tore her from him, striking him down. Before they 
 knocked him senseless he heard them propose to toss 
 her in a blanket. After that I know nothing." 
 
 " Thou shalt hear from her own lips," said Paulus, 
 " what further happened to her. Summon Rebekah
 
 174 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 and the maiden, my son," he added in Hebrew to the 
 Jewish lad. 
 
 " Instantly at thy will," answered the boy, turning 
 toward a hall which gave entrance to the inner chambers 
 of the apartment. 
 
 "Hath not thine appeal been heard yet?" asked 
 Attilius as he waited. 
 
 " My case hath been heard before the pretorian 
 prefects by appointment of the Emperor, and they 
 have both adjudged me innocent." 
 
 "But thou art not free?" 
 
 " Nero hath a desire to hear me in mine own defence 
 before he signeth the order for my release." 
 
 "When shall that be?" 
 
 " I know not. The Csesar is busy and troubled with 
 many things. A poor prisoner like myself must await 
 his pleasure," answered Paulus, smiling. " We write 
 no more this morning, my son," he said to the young 
 man at the table. " Engross upon the parchments 
 what I have already dictated, I will complete the letter 
 on the morrow." 
 
 The young man at the table, who had evidently been 
 writing at Paulus' dictation, bowed reverently, gathered 
 up his paper, his ink-horn and pen of reed, and with- 
 drew from the room. 
 
 " I shall make interest with the Emperor, with whom 
 I am in favour," said Attilius, " to secure thee a speedy 
 hearing and thy freedom from his galling and most 
 irksome bondage." 
 
 " For my work's sake, thou wilt do well," replied 
 Paulus gravely, " but "
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 175 
 
 At this moment the hangings over one of the door- 
 ways were drawn apart; an aged woman, habited after 
 the manner of the Hebrews, appeared within the en- 
 trance. She stepped aside and disclosed to the young 
 patrician the form and face of Gwenna, his slave. 
 
 " Gwenna ! " cried Attilius, forgetful of Paulus and 
 Lucas, the pretorian, and all else. 
 
 He stepped forward quickly with extended arms. 
 
 " Lord ! " exclaimed Gwenna, shrinking back against 
 the wall. " Is it thou, in truth, or thy spirit ? " 
 
 " Flesh and blood," answered Attilius, smiling in 
 gladness. 
 
 " I thought thou wert far away. Paulus wrote to 
 Pheidippides " 
 
 " I came back to Rome this morning, the gods be 
 praised, only to receive the news that thou wert gone. 
 Couldst thou have known the shock it was to me not 
 to receive the welcome of thy blue eyes when I entered 
 my atrium ! When I looked over the assemblage thou 
 wert not there." 
 
 " Chide me not," said Gwenna. 
 
 The colour came and went in her face, her bosom 
 heaved, her heart throbbed, her breast was full of 
 strange emotions, for clad in his war panoply the 
 magnificent youth looked like one of the young gods 
 which, in his desultory way, he worshipped perfunc- 
 torily, more as a matter of habit than otherwise. 
 
 " I have no reproaches for thee," said Attilius gently. 
 
 " Thou hast well said," interposed Paulus. " I know 
 this maiden ; she is a woman for any man to respect 
 and care for."
 
 176 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Hast thou converted her to that God of thine ? " 
 
 " Praised be the name of Christus, I have," answered 
 Paulus instantly. " I know well that although we 
 Christians are spoken against in Rome, I am safe in 
 confiding in thee." 
 
 " In thy turn, thou hast well said, wise Paulus, for 
 I am bound to thee and Lucas for my life. But enough 
 of that at present. I care not what religion the maiden 
 believeth, so she is mine." 
 
 " She is still thy slave," answered Paulus. " She 
 hath learned to be content in that state of life in which 
 it hath pleased God to call her." 
 
 " And hast thou taught her that ? " 
 
 " That and more." 
 
 " I shall inquire further into this," said Attilius, 
 " but now I must know how she came hither and what 
 befell her in the night." 
 
 "Thou hast heard? " said Gwenna, and it was evident 
 that the lessons of Eurotas had borne fruit, for she 
 spoke Greek as well as did Attilius himself, although 
 he did not notice it at the time. 
 
 " I have heard about the wretch, Zoilus, from whom 
 a bitter penalty shall be exacted." 
 
 "What penalty, lord?" 
 
 " I shall give him into thy hands. Thou shalt say 
 the word. He shall be flayed alive, or flogged to death, 
 or crucified, but of that presently. Tell me of thy- 
 self." 
 
 " There is but little to tell. When Zoilus put his 
 arm around me and would fain have kissed me, which 
 I resisted "
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 177 
 
 " Thou dost not care for such as he ? " asked Attilius 
 anxiously. 
 
 " I regard him no more than any of thine other slaves 
 who might come to my call," answered the woman 
 proudly. 
 
 " Thou dost forget," said Paulus gently, " that thou, 
 thyself, art in bondage," whereat Gwenna, thus recalled, 
 flushed painfully, " and even the humblest slave is in 
 Christ a brother to us all," continued the old man. 
 
 " Proceed, maiden. And of thy courtesy interrupt 
 her not, Paulus," said the tribune impatiently. " I am 
 consumed with anxiety." 
 
 " As he drew me to him we were set on by a mob of 
 men, cloaked, their faces hidden. One of them said I 
 was meet for my betters, another seized me and dragged 
 my cloak from me. I heard a voice saying that I 
 should be tossed in a blanket." 
 
 " The dog ! " cried Attilius, clenching his hand. " I 
 shall seek him through the length and breadth of Rome, 
 and he and his shall pay for this outrage." 
 
 " Wait," said the young woman. " As I struggled 
 and screamed, I tore off the covering from the face 
 of one of them." 
 
 "Wouldst thou know that face?" 
 
 " I am not likely to forget it," answered Gwenna, 
 shuddering. 
 
 " Hadst thou ever seen it before? " 
 
 " Never, except upon a coin." 
 
 " Caesar ! " exclaimed Attilius. " Ye gods ! " 
 
 " It was he," answered Gwenna. " It was he who had 
 me by the arm, and, my master, I am a brave woman
 
 178 
 
 and no coward, but the blood in my veins turned to 
 water." 
 
 " Beast ! " cried Attilius harshly. " No one shall take 
 thee from me; no, not even though he sitteth upon the 
 throne." 
 
 "For a moment I struggled and screamed. Just as 
 I had begun to despair, the street, which had been de- 
 serted, was suddenly filled with men. They were un- 
 armed, but they threw themselves upon the group, 
 snatching me away, and, by the suddenness of their 
 onslaught, forcing the others back. Lanterns were 
 carried by some of my assailants. They were knocked 
 down, trampled upon, and extinguished. He who held 
 me was forced to release me. He was sent reeling to 
 the pavement by some blow. The place was in darkness. 
 There were soldiers in the background, but before they 
 could come up it was all over. Some one caught me 
 by the arm, whispered words in my ear, and, following 
 his guidance, I ran. I am young and strong and fleet 
 of foot. Before the people who had attacked us could 
 relight their lanterns, summon their soldiers, and gather 
 their wits, the multitude had disappeared as rapidly as 
 it .had assembled. He who caught me led me here. I 
 was afraid to return home that night, and in the morn- 
 ing I feared to go back lest I should be punished for 
 being a runaway. And I was afraid to go again into 
 the streets." 
 
 " Now by the immortal gods," cried Attilius, " the 
 man who laid lash in punishment upon thy tender skin 
 would sign his death warrant." 
 
 " But thou wert not there," answered Gwenna, " and
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 179 
 
 how could I know? The honoured and beloved Paulus 
 promised to plead with Pheidippides that he would hold 
 me without punishment for my unauthorised absence 
 until thy return." 
 
 " Paulus," said Attilius, " it will be two years soon 
 since thou didst save my life, thou and Lucas yonder. 
 And by thy wise counsel and thy prayers to thy God 
 thou didst save the lives of all upon the ship. That 
 was much. Thou shalt see that a Roman is not un- 
 grateful, by the gods, but when thou didst save my 
 woman yonder" What had changed Gwenna that no 
 such wild revolt rose in her soul at these words as 
 would have developed a year or more agone ? " thou 
 didst lay me under greater obligations, so great that I 
 know not how to discharge them." 
 
 " It was not I that saved thy maiden," Paulus an- 
 swered. " I did but receive her here and write the 
 letter." 
 
 " Never was missive more acceptable than that," said 
 the tribune. " But tell me, Gwenna all is not clear 
 who were these people who rescued thee, how did 
 they come, and why did they interest themselves in 
 thee?" 
 
 " My lord," began the maiden. 
 
 She hesitated and looked at Paulus. 
 
 " Speak on," said the old man. 
 
 " Doth my slave require thy permission to answer 
 m,e ? " flashed out Attilius, his proud spirit quick to 
 take offence. 
 
 Paulus smiled at him. 
 
 " How short is thy memory ! "
 
 180 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Thy pardon," said Attilius. " Speak on." 
 
 " They were Christians, lord," said Gwenna, " poor 
 people, slaves, artisans, workmen 
 
 "And art thou, too, a Christian?" 
 
 " When Paulus thinks me worthy I shall be bap- 
 tised." 
 
 " And dost thou believe in this crucified God? " 
 
 " Yes, lord," answered the maiden simply, " I be- 
 lieve." 
 
 " And dost thou, a princess of the Iceni, consort with 
 slaves and freedmen and workmen? " 
 
 " Thou dost forget, lord, that I, too, am a slave." 
 
 "And mine," cried Attilius. 
 
 " And thine," answered Gwenna, crossing her hands 
 once again over her breast. 
 
 " By the gods ! " exclaimed the Roman exultantly. 
 " I never knew what that meant until to-day. I have- 
 been blind." 
 
 He stepped nearer to her, his eyes shining, strangely 
 oblivious to the presence of Paulus and Lucas, to 
 everything but that the woman before him was beautiful 
 and his own. Men had sought her, slaves had seen and 
 loved her, the Emperor himself had laid hands upon 
 her, and he, Caius Attilius, owned her ! He caught her 
 by the arm, drew her to him. 
 
 " Come with me," he said. " My domus awaiteth its 
 mistress." 
 
 " Lord, lord," she whispered, " for Christus 5 sake," 
 her face suddenly as white as the under tunic whose 
 edges could be seen beneath the blue colour of the outer 
 garment that she wore.
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 181 
 
 " And what is He to me or thee? " cried Attilius. 
 " Thou art mine, and " 
 
 " Noble Attilius," said Paulus, bravely stepping for- 
 ward. He caught Attilius with one hand, the maiden 
 with the other; the chain clinked in the faces of both 
 of them. With strength surprising in one so old he 
 slowly forced them apart. " This must not be." 
 
 "And speakest thou so to me?" cried Attilius 
 furiously. " Shall I not do what I like with mine 
 own?" 
 
 " I am a man born under the law," said Paulus as 
 the tribune, ashamed for the moment of his outburst, 
 relaxed his hold on the maiden's arm, " and I have been 
 proud of my Roman citizenship. I will do nothing to 
 forfeit it. This human bondage is for so short a while 
 that I have therefore always bidden the slaves render 
 better service and always to endure, for Christ's sake, 
 their servitude." 
 
 " Well, then," began Attilius. 
 
 " I cannot argue with thee," said Paulus. " Thou 
 hast the law on thy side, but thou didst say a moment 
 since, and swear it by thy gods, that certain gratitude 
 was due to me, and to Lucas yonder, for some slight 
 service rendered thee and thy handmaid." 
 
 " And so I did." 
 
 " Well, there is a request I would make of thee." 
 
 " What wouldst thou have? " asked Attilius as Paulus 
 paused. 
 
 " That thou shouldst respect this maiden, of whom 
 thou art the master, as thy sister or thy wife." 
 
 Attilius stared at him.
 
 182 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Thou askest much," he began hoarsely. " Take 
 money. A hundred thousand sesterces I paid for this 
 woman. I will buy her from thee again for twice the 
 price." 
 
 " Thy money perish with thee," said Paulus severely. 
 " Thinkest thou that thou canst pay in money for a 
 maiden's honour and to me? " His voice rose like 
 thunder, and the sonorous Greek rolled from him with 
 Homeric force. " This is thy gratitude," he cried, 
 " this is the measure of dependence upon the word of 
 a Roman? Why do I prize a citizenship which is ex- 
 emplified by : 
 
 " Peace," said the abashed tribune sternly. " Thou 
 hast thy wish. The maiden shall be held inviolate. 
 Thou hast my word. Know, O Hebrew, that when I 
 pass it I keep it even to my hurt." 
 
 " And thou hast done well. There is that in this 
 woman which any man might delight to honour." 
 
 " It was a passing madness," said Attilius for the sake 
 of his pride, forcing the pretence to his lips. He was 
 looking at Paulus and did not see Gwenna start at the 
 phrase. " I have women enough in my household at 
 my command." 
 
 Paulus shook his head. 
 
 " I would have thee hold all women " 
 
 " Stop ! " said the tribune. " Thy request hath been 
 granted. My gratitude covereth no more." 
 
 Paulus bowed and turned away. He knew when the 
 limit had been reached. It was, he realised, a great 
 thing that he had exacted from the tribune. ,
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 183 
 
 " Come," said the Roman to the woman. 
 
 But she turned and shrank near to the side of the 
 Hebrew. 
 
 " Thou mayest go without hesitation," said the aged 
 Paulus. " He hath given his word, and as I know the 
 man he will keep it." 
 
 " I thank thee, Hebrew, for thy assurance," said 
 Attilius proudly. " I am still in thy debt, it seems. 
 What can I do further for thee ? " 
 
 " Nothing," answered Paulus, " and yet, wilt thou 
 hear a word of counsel from me? " 
 
 " I will hear." 
 
 " Be kindly affectioned to all dependent upon thee, 
 especially those of thy household who call thee master 
 and lord." 
 
 " Ask the slaves of my f amilia if I am a cruel master 
 and a hard." 
 
 " Gentleness doth there abound, beloved Paulus," an- 
 swered Gwenna quickly. "Until last night no hand 
 was lifted against me, no voice spoke harshly, no one 
 ever attempted the least familiarity, save Zoilus." 
 
 " And he shall pay ; oh, how he shall pay ! " cried 
 Attilius. 
 
 " What meanest thou to do with him ? " asked 
 Paulus. 
 
 " His fate is in the maiden's hands ; she shall choose, 
 crucifixion, flaying alive, or " 
 
 " Let him be crucified," said Gwenna fiercely. 
 
 " My daughter," said the Hebrew, " is this the result 
 of the teaching thou hast heard? "
 
 184. THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " The wretch laid his hands upon me and sought to 
 press his lips to mine." 
 
 "Thou must forgive him even as God for Christ's 
 sake forgave us." 
 
 "But I am no follower of thy meek, forgiving 
 Christus," interposed Attilius quickly. 
 
 " Did I not hear thee say his punishment was in 
 the maiden's hands ? " 
 
 " There are some things which no woman ought to 
 forgive. I trust her to fix his punishment. Speak, 
 Gwenna." 
 
 " Hast thou never heard what the Lord said to Peter 
 when he asked how many times his enemies should be 
 forgiven?" persisted Paulus. 
 
 Gwenna nodded. 
 
 " ' Seventy times seven,' " she whispered. 
 
 " As thou seekest baptism " 
 
 " Speak, speak," said Attilius. 
 
 " For his transgressions the man must be punished," 
 answered the maiden thoughtfully, " but not unto death, 
 neither crucifixion nor flagellation. Let him no longer 
 be cellarer. It was drink the wine that was the 
 undoing of him. Send him to work in thy fields. I 
 will forgive him." She turned to Paulus. " Say I 
 not well?" 
 
 " Well indeed," answered the old man approv- 
 ingly. 
 
 " Thou art mad, mad," protested Attilius angrily, 
 resentful also that the influence of Paulus over this 
 slave was greater than his own, " but thou hast chosen. 
 So be it. Now we will go home. Paulus and Lucas,
 
 THE GRATITUDE OF THE TRIBUNE 185 
 
 farewell. Should ye need me, ask and ye shall re- 
 ceive my assistance." 
 
 " Farewell, noble Attilius," said Lucas. 
 
 " Farewell, beloved young* man," said Paulus, lifting 
 his hand and making a cross in the air. " I have great 
 hopes for thee."
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE TRIBUNE DEALS WITH TWO WOMEN 
 
 CAIUS ATTLLIUS was not at all satisfied with himself 
 or his situation. He felt, first of all, that he had 
 demeaned himself unworthily by his passionate out- 
 burst in the apartment of his Hebrew friend, and his 
 self-respect was impaired accordingly. Then he was 
 convinced that Paulus had taken advantage of the 
 obligation which the tribune had so willingly acknowl- 
 edged by exacting such a return- for it. Naturally he 
 did not relish the fact that he was bound in any way 
 and prevented from doing what he would with his own. 
 The mere existence of the prohibition made him the 
 more eager to break it, but he was a Roman and a man 
 of honour his word was, in truth, his bond. That he 
 could not see how to break it, that he could see no 
 way of discharging the obligation in some other way 
 and leaving himself free to possess himself of Gwenna, 
 maddened him. He was passionately in love with her 
 already, although not in the noblest way. But he could 
 do nothing unless he could get a release from his obliga- 
 tion from Paulus, which he reluctantly decided was 
 so unlikely as to be impossible. Every way he saw an 
 impasse. And the thought of marrying her never 
 occurred to the young patrician. He craved her ter- 
 ribly, yet he could not have her. These thoughts put 
 
 186
 
 him in a worse humour than ever. He was not used to 
 being balked of his desire. 
 
 He stalked along wrathfully and in silence. Gwenna 
 followed equally silently to one side and a little back 
 of him as became her humble station, the slaves bring- 
 ing up the rear. His growing ill-humour was so ob- 
 vious that she did not venture to interrupt him by 
 speech. Indeed, her own feelings since the moment he 
 had sought to clasp her in his arms in that upper 
 chamber had been of the most varied and tumultuous 
 character. One moment she longed to be there again 
 on any terms, another she raged against the cool, un- 
 questioning proprietorship with which he had seized 
 her, the brutal frankness with which he made clear his 
 ownership of her. How dared he ! Why had he not ; 
 though 
 
 Generally her heart was throbbing wildly at being 
 with him once more. She had heard his praises sung 
 throughout the year by old Lais, his foster-mother; 
 by Eurotas, the private philosopher of the household; 
 by Pheidippides, the freedman who supervised all. 
 These were all devoted to him. He had made a deep 
 impression upon her. She had spent long hours think- 
 ing of him as she prepared herself for the position he 
 had indicated she should occupy. He had never seemed 
 so splendid to her as he had that morning. The poor 
 woman was torn this way and that by conflicting emo- 
 tions. She loved and she hated. She admired and she 
 loathed. Her heart was free and bound. 
 
 She had nothing to hope for save through him, noth- 
 ing to expect but of his pleasure. She was a slave.
 
 188 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 She had come now to realise all that was involved in 
 that station the absoluteness of his command of her. 
 Such a disgrace as would be involved in marrying her 
 she knew would be beyond Roman ideas. Paulus had 
 safeguarded her for the moment, but for how long? 
 To be his in any way than as wife was a thing she 
 could not endure for a moment. And yet, to be his at 
 all! The barbaric passion of her wild race, but 
 half controlled by the Christian principles dimly 
 apprehended as yet, ran riot in her veins at the 
 thought. 
 
 She stole a look at the black brow of Attilius. In 
 spite of herself the consciousness came to her that she 
 had but to lay her hand upon his shoulder and whisper 
 a word or two to bring back light and joy to him who 
 had been her protector. Yet she could not speak the 
 word or give the touch. Perhaps it was the grave 
 figure of old Paulus that stood between them. His 
 hands had forced them apart. A year ago she might 
 have given herself freely, although she had died even 
 then rather than be enforced she would have killed 
 herself before that but now it was different. What 
 she had learned of the Nazarene had made her see some 
 things differently when she thought upon them. What 
 she might do in some tempestuous outburst of passion- 
 ate abandonment and despair she could not tell. 
 
 It was a very miserable maiden that walked along 
 the Via Sacra toward the Aventine that morning, and 
 yet, miserable as she was, she would not have changed 
 places with any one, for Attilius was there and she 
 loved him. And she would not have been a woman at
 
 HE DEALS WITH TWO WOMEN 189 
 
 all had she not realised that she stood for something 
 much dearer, that she meant something much more 
 precious than all the other slaves of his household to the 
 young soldier to whom she had given her heart. 
 
 Climbing the slopes of the streets that wound up the 
 hill the two, with their attendants, found the doorway 
 of Attilius' house blocked by a crowd of people sur- 
 rounding an empty litter richly caparisoned, which the 
 insolent Nubian slaves who bore it had deposited upon 
 the pavement and then lolled lazily upon the handles. 
 Attilius stared at it with some annoyance, his brow 
 blacker than ever. He was in no mood for company. 
 He had not got things straightened out in his own 
 mind yet. What was to be his future relation to the 
 lovely woman walking by his side was not yet clear, 
 and although he was master in every sense of the word, 
 yet since he had been constrained by Paulus' demand 
 he could not decide the question for himself; the woman 
 had to be consulted. He was hot, tired, physically as 
 well as mentally and spiritually. He craved the luxuri- 
 ous bath upon which the Romans so depended. He 
 wanted those clean, fresh garments to which he had 
 looked forward. He desired to be alone to think these 
 things out and then to have her before him to talk 
 things over. 
 
 And here was a stranger awaiting him in the atrium, 
 and the visitor, by the look of the gorgeously decorated 
 litter, was somebody of rank evidently who could not 
 easily be put aside. How had his arrival become known 
 so early? Why could he not be left alone until he 
 indicated his desire to receive his friends? Ignoring
 
 190 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 the greeting of the porter at the door therefore, and 
 giving no heed to the explanation he began to make, 
 the tribune stalked into the atrium followed by the rest. 
 Only the ordinary attendants were there. The curtain 
 covering the passageway to the peristyle and garden 
 beyond was drawn aside and fastened back. He heard 
 voices beyond the arch in the garden. His visitor had 
 evidently gone there. 
 
 Without deigning to speak to the people in the 
 atrium he strode down the passageway into the peristyle 
 and stared through the marble columns at the fountain 
 in the lovely garden beyond. Gwenna, having received 
 no orders to the contrary, naturally accompanied him. 
 The tribune in his armour and the woman in that tunic 
 of blue, which she always insisted upon wearing because 
 he had approved of it when first she put it on, were 
 well matched. They might have stood for Mars and 
 Venus, for golden Gwenna was hardly less nobly pro- 
 portioned than Attilius. The year had ripened, 
 rounded, and developed her. She had all the freshness 
 of youth, but it was youth just budding into complete 
 and perfect womanhood. She carried herself not at 
 all like a slave, which was one reason why Attilius liked 
 her. 
 
 The eyes that were turned upon the young tribune, 
 however, were not especially prepossessed with one of 
 the pair; yet the woman in the garden, who looked at 
 them across the basin of the fountain, recognised in the 
 newcomer charms that surpassed hers as much as they 
 differed from them. The lady Lollia Claudia was not 
 without a certain undeniable beauty of her own.
 
 HE DEALS WITH TWO WOMEN 191 
 
 Measured by Roman standards she was well-nigh per- 
 fect. Her eyes were dark, her hair glowing brown, her 
 complexion warm olive, her features perfect. Her dress 
 was rich, daring, even barbaric in its crimson colour. 
 Jewels blazed upon her arms, about her neck, upon her 
 ankles, at the crossed lacings of her sandals, and at her 
 girdle. Although she was a head shorter than Gwenna 
 she bore herself with a more than royal dignity. Not 
 for nothing did the blood of the Claudii run in her 
 veins. 
 
 She smiled at Attilius as he stood staring, almost 
 bewildered, at her. With consummate care she had 
 taken her place by the fountain, where she was certain 
 she would look her best. The awning had not yet been 
 spread, and the bright morning sunlight was reflected 
 from every gold and silver tissue, from every gem that 
 she wore. That she did not disdain or fear the revela- 
 tions of the Italian sun was proof of the naturalness 
 of her colour and the genuineness of her beauty. 
 
 " Greeting to the noble Attilius," she began in an 
 exquisitely trained and modulated voice. 
 
 *' Greeting to the beautiful Lollia," was the answer 
 somewhat grudgingly given. 
 
 " Let me see," said Lollia, her eyes narrowing as she 
 looked at him. " It is a year and four months since 
 we exchanged words. Methinks that there is something 
 lacking in my welcome." 
 
 " Thou hast surprised me," said Attilius bluntly. 
 
 "By my presence?" 
 
 He longed to say yes, but remnants of discretion 
 withheld him.
 
 192 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " By thy beauty, lady. Coming from the shadow 
 of the atrium to see thee in the sunlight hath somewhat 
 dazzled my eyes." 
 
 " Prettily said for a soldier," returned Lollia. " This 
 woman," she looked insolently at Gwenna, and the latter 
 returned stare for stare, "who is she?" 
 
 " She is a " Attilius hesitated. " She is of my 
 
 household," he said at last. 
 
 " A f reedwoman ? " 
 
 Now the situation was terrible for Gwenna. It only 
 needed the presence of Lollia, whom she had never seen 
 before, to enable her to recognise her own feelings for 
 Attilius. The British woman was suddenly conscious 
 of her slavery and of her passion at the same time. 
 It is to be feared that she quite forgot to be a Christian 
 under the circumstances. At heart she was every whit 
 as proud as the daughter of the Claudii. 
 
 " Well, why art thou silent ? What is this woman 
 to thee?" 
 
 " She is a slave whom I purchased the day before I 
 left for Lusitania." 
 
 " A pretty plaything ! " 
 
 " I am no man's plaything ! " burst out Gwenna, her 
 fiery temper ablaze. 
 
 " How darest thou speak to me, woman ? " cried 
 Lollia. 
 
 " Silence ! " thundered Attilius, and whether he meant 
 his injunction for the one woman or for the other 
 was not quite clear. 
 
 " Go, slave," said Lollia insolently, " I would have 
 speech with thy master alone."
 
 HE DEALS WITH TWO WOMEN 193 
 
 " To my own master I stand or fall," said Gwenna. 
 " Until he bid me go, I remain." 
 
 " Wilt thou allow me to order mine own household? " 
 said Attilius, turning to the patrician. " Thou art not 
 yet domina of this familia," he continued. 
 
 At this, it must be confessed, cutting remark, Lollia 
 flushed painfully. 
 
 " Way," she said imperiously, " and let me pass. 
 Not now or ever would I consider thy suit. I leave thee 
 to thy " 
 
 She flashed at Gwenna as she advanced toward the 
 passageway a bitter, common word. 
 
 A maiden of less gentle spirit would have been crushed 
 by it. Not so Gwenna. Forgetful of everything but 
 the outrage and insult she stepped forward, fiercely 
 resentful, but Lollia, too, had all the courage and fire 
 of her race and family. 
 
 " If thou dost lay the weight of thy finger upon me," 
 she said, " I will cause thee to be flogged to death, and 
 not even thy lover can protect thee. I have but to 
 whisper to the Emperor " 
 
 And indeed she did not underrate her influence with 
 Nero, although Caius Attilius knew nothing about it, 
 much less the cause of it. 
 
 " This is madness," he cried, interposing between the 
 two. " Gwenna, go thou instantly to Lais. I will send 
 for thee later when I require thy services. Enough," 
 he said curtly as the poor woman started to speak. 
 
 Mastering her desires at his behest, and it was evi- 
 dence of her feeling for him that she could do so, 
 Gwenna bowed low before him.
 
 194 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " I obey thee," she said, and turned away and swept 
 haughtily down the peristyle toward the quarters of 
 the women slaves upon the other side of the garden. 
 
 " That," said Lollia, " was a timely dismissal, Caius 
 Attilius. Another word and plighted troth had been 
 broken forever between us." 
 
 Indeed, had Lollia been all that she seemed, what had 
 passed already had sufficed for that, but, truth to tell, 
 she was anxious to marry. Her character and career 
 were known to all in Rome save to Attilius, who was a 
 stranger; and there was something in the character of 
 the man which made it a dangerous thing even to hint 
 that the woman whom he honoured with his affections 
 was unworthy of them. Lollia knew this as well as 
 anybody. She was broken in fortune as well as in 
 reputation. Attilius was her last chance. He stood, as 
 it were, between her and ruin, and she could not lightly 
 cast him off. Yet had she consulted her inclinations 
 in the presence of what she believed, she would have 
 struck him in the face and thrown him aside. The 
 affront conveyed by the woman Gwenna had been almost 
 more than could be borne by her proud Roman soul. 
 In one way indeed it had intensified her determination 
 to marry Attilius, for when she was mistress of his 
 household this blue-eyed, yellow-haired British woman 
 would be made to suffer. 
 
 She therefore assumed a sweet meekness. She drew 
 near to Attilius, laid her hand upon his arm, and looked 
 up into his face. Her graceful head only came to his 
 shoulder. She smiled upon him tenderly, and when she 
 smiled she could look very attractive indeed.
 
 HE DEALS WITH TWO WOMEN 195 
 
 Attilius had seen that smile before. It had formerly 
 a great effect upon his impressionable nature, more im- 
 pressionable, perhaps, because he had been so long with- 
 drawn from such society as Rome afforded, but this time 
 he was singularly unresponsive to it. Time was when 
 he would have thrilled at her proximity, at her caress- 
 ing gesture, at her inviting, not to say languishing, 
 look, but these now left him cold and untouched. 
 
 Truth to tell, his heart was hot within him. He was 
 full of anger against Paulus and full of desire for 
 Gwenna. He had resented the presence of Lollia in 
 the first instance, and the scene which had just then 
 been enacted had not diminished that resentment. And 
 yet it was not in him to be a boor in her presence. 
 Vicious she might be, but he did not know that, and 
 she was certainly graceful and charming whatever her 
 character. Thought of marrying Gwenna had never 
 entered Attilius' head, yet matrimony was a condition 
 for which he had prepared himself. He was the last 
 of his house; the perpetuation of his family was laid 
 upon him as a duty. Lollia Claudia was high-born and 
 beautiful enough though not for a moment to be 
 compared to Gwenna in his eyes her other disabilities 
 were not known to him. He felt he could scarcely do 
 better. He really imagined at that moment that, de- 
 prived of Gwenna, he hated all women, that it was more 
 or less a matter of indifference so far as affection went, 
 and therefore Lollia would do as well as another. 
 
 By the code of Roman society, as he very well knew, 
 Lollia had been treated abominably ; that a slave woman 
 should have dared to lift her eyes to her, much less to
 
 196 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 address her as an equal, was unheard of. The tribune 
 could not but justify in his secret heart the resentment 
 of Gwenna, yet he was forced to condemn it. In a 
 mood akin to despair he forced himself to smile upon 
 his fair companion. 
 
 Really, thought the Roman woman, when he smiled 
 the rather grim sternness of his bearing was instantly 
 lightened. She had long since passed the sentimental 
 stage of life, but even her battered, calloused heart 
 experienced a slight thrill of admiration as she looked 
 up at the tall, haughty young patrician who bent 
 over her. 
 
 " Thou hast been treated with gross disrespect," 
 he said. " I shall deal with that slave woman later," he 
 added mendaciously. 
 
 " Have her flogged for me, dear Caius Attilius," said 
 the woman softly. " I marvel what thou seest in such 
 washed-out, pale-faced humanity." 
 
 " Let us talk no longer of her," said the tribune 
 shortly. 
 
 He did not intend for one moment to have Gwenna 
 flogged, and his promised dealing committed him to 
 nothing. For the matter of that she ought to be 
 punished for not falling into his arms, for having per- 
 mitted Paulus to interfere, and some of his anger found 
 vent in these words. 
 
 "Art thou glad to return to me?" asked Lollia, 
 coming closer. 
 
 There were slaves in the garden, but to the Romans 
 slaves counted no more than blocks of wood or stone. 
 The obvious was expected, and Attilius did not dis-
 
 HE DEALS WITH TWO WOMEN 197 
 
 appoint the woman. His arm went around her waist. 
 He bent his head and kissed her. This was compara- 
 tively a new experience to Attilius, an old one to Lollia. 
 It was the man who blushed and not the woman. This 
 was not a common woman in his eyes, and it never oc- 
 curred to Attilius that many others had made free 
 with her lips without rebuke. 
 
 " And didst thou dream of me in the camp and in the 
 field ? " she whispered, returning his caress. 
 
 Attilius was an honourable man ; he was not fond of 
 deceit ; evasion even, much more plain lying, appalled 
 him, but in the circumstances in which he found himself 
 there was no alternative. He lied like a gentleman. 
 Lollia would have mocked at what she would have called 
 his squeamishness if she had known it. But the tribune 
 was too new to Rome and the court to have learned 
 to be a ready liar. Truth to tell, he had scarcely given 
 Lollia a thought, but what was he to say? He nodded 
 his head, and, taking advantage of her willingness, 
 for she made not the slightest motion to release her- 
 self indeed she nestled closer to him he kissed her 
 again, entirely ignorant of the fact that, through the 
 hangings behind which she had retired, poor Gwenna, 
 eavesdropping, with no compunctions of conscience at 
 all under the circumstances, was a spectator to the 
 whole performance. What were her feelings at the 
 sight it is not difficult to imagine. She had hated 
 Lollia before and she hated her more, if possible, now. 
 
 " I have done an unmaidenly thing," said Lollia 
 at last demurely, drawing away from him and drop- 
 ping her eyes, wishing at the same time that she could
 
 198 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 blush like her lover, " in coming here to thy house. 
 Thou shouldst have sought me first." 
 
 " I have but this morning returned from Gaul," said 
 Attilius honestly. " It was my fixed purpose to see 
 thee after midday. I knew thy delicate habit did not 
 admit of disturbance by callers before the noon hour." 
 
 " Yes," said Lollia gently, " that is my practice, 
 but when my freedman learned from one who was 
 present at thine audience with Caesar this morning that 
 thou hadst returned, and communicated the news to 
 me, I was so anxious to see thee that I threw prudence 
 and propriety to the winds. It was unmaidenly. What 
 must thou think of me?" 
 
 This was a hard question to answer, for Attilius was 
 not thinking of Lollia at all. He had made up his mind 
 to marry her as she stood there, but he wanted to get 
 away from her now. He was distrait, preoccupied, and 
 the woman who was wise in her way and experienced 
 in her dealings with men at last detected it. 
 
 " Thou art weary from thy journey," she said softly ; 
 " I will leave thee. Wilt thou dine with my father 
 to-night?" 
 
 "Gladly," said Attilius, and his desire to get rid of 
 her lent emphasis to his tone so that even she was 
 deceived by it. 
 
 " There will be but few guests," continued the woman, 
 " and thou canst imagine with what anxiety I shall wait 
 for thine arrival." 
 
 " An anxiety that cannot possibly match mine own," 
 returned the tribune gallantly. 
 
 " Wilt thou conduct me to my litter, then? " returned
 
 HE DEALS WITH TWO WOMEN 199 
 
 Lollia, slipping her hand into his own, and thus he led 
 her through the garden and into the passageway 
 whence the flying Gwenna had barely escaped before 
 them then through the atrium, seeing her at last safely 
 bestowed within the litter. He pressed a kiss upon her 
 hands, and left her with promises of meeting in the 
 evening. 
 
 Scarcely had her cortege turned the corner and he 
 had ceased to be under her observation than he turned 
 and walked rapidly into the house. Gwenna met him 
 in the atrium. Her fair face was flushed, her hands 
 were clenched, her blue eyes filled with indignant tears. 
 Her foot tapped uneasily upon the pavement. She was 
 beautiful as always, more beautiful in her indignation, 
 perhaps, than ordinarily, but Attilius had no eyes for 
 her beauty. He had been irritated beyond measure 
 by the assumption which had been forced upon him by 
 the advances of Lollia. The sight of Gwenna increased 
 his agitation. He did not intend to be cross-questioned 
 by a slave. There was no such reason for dissimulation 
 in this case as had been in the other. For the first time 
 he spoke to her harshly. 
 
 " What doest thou in the atrium? " he demanded. 
 
 " Master ! " exclaimed the woman, surprised almost 
 out of her resentment, for her slavery had sat but 
 lightly upon her shoulders heretofore. 
 
 " Get thee gone," said Attilius harshly, " into thy 
 quarters where thou belongest. When I have need of 
 thee I shall send for thee." 
 
 But Gwenna, unable to comprehend this strange 
 change, stood as if rooted to the floor.
 
 200 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 Her apparent noncompliance with his wishes aroused 
 Attilius to fury. He stamped his foot upon the pave- 
 ment. 
 
 "Dost thou hesitate when I command?" he cried. 
 " Wouldst thou have the lash laid upon thy naked 
 shoulders? Dost thou not hear me? Go, and be thank- 
 ful that thou art not whipped for thine insolence to 
 Lollia Claudia a moment since." 
 
 For a second the amazed woman confronted him, 
 unsubdued and unawed, but when he raised his hand and 
 started toward her passionately she shot a swift look 
 at him and turned and fled before the threat of physical 
 menace in his air and bearing. And Caius Attilius was 
 very sorry, as the hangings fell behind the blue tunic, 
 that she was gone. He was as miserable as a wealthy 
 young man in good health, distinguished by the favour 
 of the Emperor, beloved apparently by a noble and high- 
 born lady, and possessed of the most beautiful slave in 
 Rome could well be. And she? In her own cubicle she 
 threw herself upon her couch and sobbed as if her 
 heart were broken.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE FORGOTTEN PROMISE 
 
 CAIUS ATTIUUS had spent a very miserable morning. 
 He thought bitterly of all the disturbing events of the 
 day before ; the startling disappearance of Gwenna, her 
 speedy recovery, the sudden gust of passion which had 
 swept him from his feet as he sought to take her in 
 his arms, the extraordinary interference of Paulus, the 
 ill-timed visit of Lollia, his brutal treatment of Gwenna. 
 The favour of Nero, his promised preferment to a 
 legateship, and his prospective appointment to a com- 
 mand under Corbulo made no difference to him. His 
 meditations were shot through with deep anxiety cen- 
 tring on Nero and the possible interest he might take in 
 Gwenna. How closely had the drunken Emperor and 
 his satellites, playing their mad pranks in the streets 
 of Rome, observed the maiden? Would they recognise 
 her again? Had she impressed him sufficiently to cause 
 Caesar to seek for her? What should the tribune do 
 if Nero learned that Gwenna belonged to him and 
 made a demand upon him for her? Paulus had exacted 
 a promise that he would respect and protect her. Was 
 he to preserve her purity simply to turn her over to 
 the infamous, bestial, brutal, degraded Csesar at his 
 command in the end? Perish the thought! Attilius 
 would kill her rather, and the maiden would thank him 
 for the act when she knew. 
 
 201
 
 202 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 And then the prospective dinner to which he was 
 bidden by Lollia for that night did not add to his 
 satisfaction. Such a dinner under such circumstances 
 would almost amount to a formal betrothal. Though 
 he felt constrained to marry her because of her evident 
 desire and because of her fitness, as he believed, and 
 because he had in a measure committed himself to that 
 course, he was not blind to the fact that his heart cher- 
 ished not one spark of affection for the woman. He 
 had thought that he loved her, but since Gwenna had 
 come into his life he realised what love truly was. 
 
 He had told Lollia that he had often thought of her 
 over the campfire. In truth she had scarcely ever 
 crossed his imagination. But Gwenna he had dwelt 
 upon her, dreamed of her, communed with his soul about 
 her, idealised her, of course. And unconsciously he 
 had grown to love her. It was for her, not Nero, that 
 he had made such breakneck speed through Italy on 
 his return journey. And when he did not find her to 
 greet him as he stepped across his threshold that fact 
 was the precipitation of his passion. He knew then 
 that he loved her. 
 
 Loving her under ordinary circumstances, he had but 
 to take her as he, like his kind, took anything he fan- 
 cied; but now that stern old Hebrew had interfered. 
 Well, Attilius passionately resolved upon his course: 
 he would marry Lollia and take Gwenna in some way. 
 The one thing was easy, the other hard, but he would 
 wrest from old Paulus release from his proudly given 
 promise in one way or another; meanwhile he was hot, 
 uncomfortable, and very tired.
 
 THE FORGOTTEN PROMISE 203 
 
 He clapped his hands and bade some one prepare a 
 bath for him. A bath then was a luxury, and it was a 
 serious and protracted process as indulged in by the 
 Romans. It was the more agreeable to Attilius because 
 he found it a novelty since the camp and the field did 
 not provide facilities for enjoying the practice. He 
 lingered long. It was high noon before, vested in a 
 new tunic of spotless white, with its broad senatorial 
 stripe, he partook of his midday meal. 
 
 He had bid the porter deny him that day to all comers 
 on the plea of desiring to recover from the fatigues 
 of his journey. His clients had got wind of his arrival, 
 but they had been received with scant ceremony by 
 Syfax, who dismissed them curtly and bade them pre- 
 sent themselves on the morrow. Attilius dined alone 
 therefore. He much wished for the company of old 
 Regulus, but the worthy knight could not possibly re- 
 turn from Brundisium before the end of the week. 
 After dining the tribune repaired to his library, threw 
 himself upon a couch, and bade some one summon Euro- 
 tas to read to him. In answer to this summons Phei- 
 dippides presented himself in the library. 
 
 " Lord," he said, " thou hast forgot in the happen- 
 ings of the day that Eurotas is ill and unable to leave 
 his bed. I did not allow thy summons to be brought 
 to him. Knowing his loyalty I feared he would make 
 the effort to attend upon thine order even to his hurt." 
 
 " Thou hast done well," said Attilius, " although it 
 is unfortunate that Eurotas is ill when I need him 
 most." 
 
 "Hast thou also forgot British Gwenna, lord?"
 
 04 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 "And what of her?" asked Attilius, who had by 
 no means forgot British Gwenna and who knew per- 
 fectly well the purport of Pheidippides' question. 
 
 " She hath studied faithfully with thy philosopher, 
 and I make no doubt could read to thee acceptably if 
 thou shouldst say the word." 
 
 " Send her to me," said the tribune, growling, but 
 delighted beyond measure at the turn of events. 
 
 In a few moments Gwenna appeared before him, where 
 he half reclined upon the couch, his hands clasped behind 
 his head. She stood erect after a gentle salutation. 
 Attilius regarded her with all the insolence of his race 
 and station, and if there was anything in the way of 
 insolence that these things could beget and which 
 even the rudest could infuse in his look, Attilius did not 
 know what they were. As usual, it was she who broke 
 the silence. 
 
 " Thou hast sent for me, lord," she said, her voice 
 trembling a little in spite of herself. 
 
 " Thine eyes are red," began the tribune irrelevantly. 
 "Hast thou wept?" 
 
 " I have." 
 
 " See that it doth not occur again. I like about me 
 smiling faces, not frowning brows. Smile upon me, 
 woman. Laugh." 
 
 " How can I smile when my lord is wroth with his 
 slave?" 
 
 " Is it the old story that thou repines t because thou 
 art a slave? " 
 
 " No, but thine anger I could better bear the lash, 
 with which thou hast threatened me, than "
 
 THE FORGOTTEN PROMISE 205 
 
 " Enough of that," said Attilius with a brutal manner 
 he did not feel. " I have no interest in thy feelings, 
 but I like not sadness. There is enough of it abroad 
 without bringing it into my domus. Thou hast studied 
 with Eurotas? " 
 
 " I have sought in every way to bow to thy will," 
 said the woman. 
 
 " Ah, most meek of women, I have not observed it ! " 
 mocked the Roman sarcastically. " But let me try thee. 
 Take one of the rolls." 
 
 "Which one, lord?" 
 
 " Any that thou dost fancy. Then sit thou here, by 
 my side, and read." 
 
 Poor heart-bruised Gwenna turned and walked un- 
 steadily to the bookcase, opened the, door, and selected 
 from one of the many pigeonholes a roll of parchment 
 whose ivory tablet depending from its carved staff in- 
 dicated one of the books of Homer; which book the 
 woman was too nervous and excited to apprehend. It 
 did not matter. They were all great, and she loved 
 the thunderous and sonorous roll of the majestic Greek 
 of the master poet. Closing the door she drew a low 
 stool to within a short distance of the couch and pre- 
 pared to sit down. 
 
 " Nearer," said Attilius, watching her closely. 
 
 She drew a little nearer. 
 
 " Closer still, where I can touch thee if I am so 
 minded." 
 
 " Lord," whispered the woman, " I am afraid." 
 
 But in obedience to an imperious gesture of the 
 tribune she drew the stool close beside the couch and
 
 206 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 sat down, hastily opened the roll, and began to read. 
 She read falteringly and stumblingly at first. If she 
 had glanced up from the manuscript and had seen the 
 mocking smile on the face of Attilius her confusion 
 would have been complete, but she fixed her attention 
 steadily upon the manuscript and forced herself to do 
 better. 
 
 Presently the noble numbers overcame her timidity. 
 She straightened herself, lifted her head, and poured 
 forth in ringing tones the great verses, many of which 
 she knew by heart. Attilius had found it impossible 
 to concentrate his mind upon the reading because of his 
 interest in the reader by his side, but the splendid 
 poetry, as interpreted by the maiden, took possession 
 of him also presently. He rose upon one elbow and lis- 
 tened, his eyes gleaming. She read for a long time, and 
 coming to the end of the book she stopped and looked 
 at him. 
 
 The hand of Attilius went out to her and fell upon 
 her shoulders. She shrank beneath his touch, but did 
 not withdraw. 
 
 " Lord, lord," she whispered piteously, but Attilius 
 did not heed. 
 
 " Closer, closer," he whispered, " thy lips to mine, 
 maiden." 
 
 " Master," she begged in fright. 
 
 "Nay, not as master but as lover." 
 
 He rose to a sitting position, his face close to hers, 
 his arm about her shoulders. She threw her hands up 
 against his breast. 
 
 " Thy word," she cried, " thy promise to Paulus ! "
 
 THE FORGOTTEN PROMISE 207 
 
 " As I am a man," answered Attilius passionately, 
 " I cannot keep it. How dost thou expect me to deny 
 myself in the face of beauty like thine? " 
 
 He swept her to him and in another moment pressed 
 his lips full and fair upon her own. It would be false 
 to say that Gwenna did not thrill to the fervid pressure 
 of those masterful lips, and it would not be without the 
 truth to add that for a moment she returned their pres- 
 sure. But the woman recovered herself before the man. 
 She thrust him from her violently and sprang to her 
 feet. The neglected roll fell between them. 
 
 " Shame ! " she said. 
 
 " Thou didst return my kisses, I swear," cried At- 
 tilius, rising in turn. 
 
 " Shame, thou word breaker." 
 
 "What meanest thou? " 
 
 " Thou wert to treat me as a sister, to preserve mine 
 honour and my good name. Didst thou think that I was 
 a Roman woman like that Lollia of thine, whom I saw 
 kiss thee shamelessly in the garden? " 
 
 If Attilius had been wise in the ways of women, this 
 would have shown him her true state of feelings. He 
 started to speak, but Gwenna ran on: 
 
 " I am alone, helpless, thy slave. I have no will but 
 thine. Were I not a Christian I would kill myself rather 
 than submit to thee, and yet Paulus sayeth but no, 
 God would bid me choose death rather than dishonour." 
 
 " Is there dishonour in my kiss, in my love, for I 
 love thee, British Gwenna, with the red gold in thy 
 hair, with thy fair skin, thine eyes of blue, I love thee. 
 Dost hear? I loved thee from the moment I saw thee
 
 208 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 in the courtyard of Phryx, the slave dealer; I loved 
 thee when I bought thee; I loved thee when I talked 
 with thee in the atrium; I loved thee when I bade thee 
 farewell; that kiss of thine upon my rough soldier's 
 hand hath kept it sweet and clean. No other woman 
 hath been aught to me since I saw thee. I love thee. 
 Dost understand? I loved thee in all the weary hours 
 of the far journey. As I rode along the roads I sought 
 speech with no one that I might think of thee. At 
 night I dreamed of thee. For thy sake I spared thy 
 people in that far-off isle of thine. I came back to 
 discharge Nero's command, but really to take thee in 
 my arms. Dost know what love is, what it means? 
 Canst thou not feel it, maiden? Thou art mine, the 
 law hath given thee to me. I bought thee, thou art 
 my slave, mine, praised be the gods, and now this He- 
 brew interfereth. It is he that hath spoilt thee with 
 that wretched religion that he preacheth. No god shall 
 take thee from me, much less one that is so weak that 
 he can be crucified by a Roman, and a base-born Roman 
 at that. No, not even Caesar himself or the whole 
 world shall have thee, for thou art mine and I love thee. 
 Hearest thou that? " He came closer to her and seized 
 her again. " Answerest thou nothing? Dost thou not 
 
 love me? Speak, or by the gods " 
 
 " Caius Attilius," said the woman unsteadily, her 
 bosom heaving with the violence of her emotions, for 
 every passionate word found its echo in her throbbing 
 heart, " had I retained the freedom of my youth, hadst 
 thou met me in lovely Massilia, hadst thou sought me 
 under the mighty oaks of Britain, I would have loved
 
 THE FORGOTTEN PROMISE 209 
 
 thee. I would have been thy slave for love of thee, and 
 in honourable wedlock I would have denied thee noth- 
 ing- 
 
 " Wedlock, marriage ! " exclaimed Attilius, starting 
 back in surprise. " Dost thou think, beautiful bar- 
 barian, to wed a Roman ? " 
 
 " Nay, I think nothing," said Gwenna, but by her 
 manner she showed how bitterly she was affronted. 
 "What right have I to mate with thee? " 
 
 " None." 
 
 " What right have I to object to whatever thou 
 mayst do ? " 
 
 " None again ; thou speakest wisely at last, and 
 
 " But I do object," blazed out the woman in fierce- 
 ness which matched his own passion. " Thou hast not 
 enslaved my soul, Caius Attilius, my master and lord. 
 Although I am alone here and in thy power, if thou 
 layest hands upon me without my permission, I shall die 
 with the first weapon that cometh to my hand." 
 
 " And thou dost hate me so much as that? " he said 
 with reproach. 
 
 " Hate thee, Caius Attilius ! " said Gwenna, looking 
 at him, her mood changing with its wonted swiftness. 
 She laid her hand upon her heart. "If thou couldst 
 know how I have thought of thee, how I have worked 
 for thee by day, dreamed of thee by night, longed for 
 thee every hour, if thou couldst understand what is in 
 my sad heart, thou couldst not reproach me thus." 
 
 " And thou dost love me?" 
 
 " As much as heaven itself, as I love the freedom that 
 is denied me."
 
 210 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " And loving me thus," said Attilius, " thou wilt re- 
 fuse my arms, withdraw from my kisses?" 
 
 " I must." 
 
 " And wherefore? " 
 
 " Because, were I otherwise, I should be unworthy of 
 thine affections." 
 
 "Unworthy?" 
 
 "In everything," returned Gwenna stubbornly, 
 " save in my slavery, I am a fit match for thee, for any 
 Roman. In learning? Who among thy acquaintance 
 can compare with me that Lollia? " 
 
 Attilius shook his head. 
 
 " In beauty ? " she flashed out. " What one of 
 these sun-browned Romans of thine can match me? " 
 she threw her head up and looked at him, every inch 
 a princess, fully conscious of her beauty and charm, 
 "that Lollia?" 
 
 " By the gods, no." 
 
 " In purity and cleanliness of soul, in freedom from 
 the brutal and frightful abominations that have made 
 this place the most corrupt in the world that Lollia? " 
 
 " Thou hast that Lollia on thy brain," said Attilius. 
 
 "And thou hast her on thy heart." 
 
 " Nay, not for a moment." 
 
 " And could I return to Britain, tribes of men would 
 come to my call, broad acres are held at my word, 
 riches, barbaric if thou wilt, are mine. I should have 
 then aspired to be thy wife." 
 
 " By the gods " 
 
 " There are no gods of the kind thou dost invoke," 
 said Gwenna.
 
 THE FORGOTTEN PROMISE 211 
 
 "What then?" 
 
 " There is but one God and Jesus Christ is His Son." 
 
 " Aye, we Romans crucified Him ; we must be greater 
 than that God of thine." 
 
 " Thou shalt see." 
 
 "And if I take thee? " 
 
 " Thou canst ruin my body, but thou canst not defile 
 my soul," answered the woman slowly. " The dagger 
 thrust that lets the life run when thou hast worked thy 
 will upon me sends it clean into the presence of its 
 Redeemer." 
 
 " Thou hast spoken like a Roman, and yet I am 
 drunk with love of thee." 
 
 " I appeal," said Gwenna quickly, " from Attilius 
 drunk to Attilius sober ; I appeal from the cruel, pleas- 
 ure-loving Roman to the soldier, to the man, whose 
 word is even as his bond." 
 
 " Thou dost remind me of my promise? " 
 
 " Nay, thy conscience doth remind thee." 
 
 Attilius turned away and paced the narrow room with 
 nervous steps. 
 
 " Let thy conscience plead for mine," he said at last. 
 
 " Lord," said Gwenna gently, " let my love second 
 my plea, for thou hast been good to me, thou and old 
 Paulus ; I have but you two to depend upon." 
 
 " Enough," said the tribune, having fought a harder 
 battle than any he had ever attempted upon the field. 
 " Thou hast conquered. I am ashamed that I forgot 
 myself, but thou art temptation enough to excuse a 
 stronger man than I." 
 
 " There are none stronger, none greater, than thou,"
 
 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 said Gwenna, coming nearer to him and laying her 
 hand upon his arm. 
 
 " Have a care, maiden," said Attilius hoarsely, 
 " tempt me not beyond my strength again." 
 
 " I trust thee absolutely," returned the woman, " I 
 trust thee as I love thee. I ask nothing for myself. 
 Marriage, as thou sayest, is impossible between master 
 and slave, but I will serve thee with my life." 
 
 "And the lady Lollia? Wilt serve her as well?" 
 asked Attilius cruelly. 
 
 " My lord," said Gwenna piteously, " impose not 
 that task upon me." 
 
 " Since thou wilt have none of me, Gwenna, I go to 
 her house to-night. The betrothal will be on the mor- 
 row and the marriage as soon as she willeth. Thou wilt 
 not find her so kind a mistress as thou hast found me 
 a master," he went on mercilessly. 
 
 " Let me go," said the poor woman, white-lipped with 
 pain, at the idea and the thrust. 
 
 " Nay," said Attilius, " it is not yet time for my 
 departure. Sit thou down, where thou wilt; thou art 
 not for me, yet read on." 
 
 " Yes, lord," whispered Gwenna. 
 
 She drew her stool farther away from the couch, 
 upon which Attilius sulkily threw himself again, and 
 reached gropingly for the roll of Homer on the floor. 
 
 " Not that," said Attilius, " I have had enough of 
 war and conflict for to-day." 
 
 "What, then?" 
 
 " Have we no copy of the poems of the divine Sappho 
 in the library ? "
 
 THE FORGOTTEN PROMISE 213 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Read them," said the Roman. 
 
 It was a long time before Gwenna could command 
 herself sufficiently to read the beautiful love verses in 
 the beautiful Greek with any effect, but the passion 
 therein was accentuated by the emotions in her own 
 soul and she read on and on and on with a breaking 
 heart. Indeed the thrill and feeling found its echo 
 in her own breast and in the breast of the bitter-hearted, 
 disappointed Roman. Finally she stopped. 
 
 " I can bear it no longer," she whispered, rising. 
 She threw the roll from her. " Send me to the lash," 
 she said, looking down upon him where he lay smiling 
 evilly at her. " Kill me outright, it would be kinder 
 in the end." 
 
 Without another glance she fled from the room, the 
 miserable Attilius making no effort whatever to detain 
 her.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE TRIBUNE SEEKS RELEASE 
 
 THE banquet at the home of the senator Publius 
 Claudius, the father of the fair and frail Lollia, was 
 a sumptuous affair, characterised by all the luxury, 
 extravagance, and indecency of the period. In any 
 other state of mind, Attilius might have found in it 
 much to condemn, including the conduct of the lady 
 herself, who exhibited a freedom of speech and bearing 
 not at all in consonance with the rather strait-laced 
 and perhaps unsophisticated ideas of the tribune. But 
 he was in such a mood as to pass over without com- 
 ment what he would have resented bitterly a few days 
 before. Life did not hold much that was worth living 
 for him as he viewed it then. Nothing greatly mat- 
 tered after all, he cynically and bitterly concluded, 
 as he went to his house that night. 
 
 He more than suspected that the society into which 
 he would be expected to marry was fairly enough repre- 
 sented by Lollia, the full depths of whose moral turpi- 
 tude he had not yet discovered, although he had begun 
 to suspect a little. Yet he had to marry somebody. 
 Gwenna was out of the question, why not Lollia? If 
 she was no better probably she was no worse than the 
 rest. The decision brought him no comfort. Indeed, 
 he was fairly maddened by it, and in consequence there- 
 fore he plunged into reckless dissipations; not such, 
 
 214
 
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 however, as had woman for their object; but other 
 vicious pursuits in which he fancied or hoped he could 
 drown his growing melancholy and forget Gwenna. 
 
 Even the worldly-wise and experienced Lollia, who 
 had imagined him unsophisticated and innocent to a 
 degree unsurpassed among the young Romans, con- 
 fessed that she had deceived herself and that Attilius 
 was like the rest after all. There had been a formal 
 betrothal between the two a few days after the dinner, 
 and in this new light in which her lover showed him- 
 self, and perhaps because she fancied that the betrothal 
 was binding, she allowed herself a freer rein. Attilius' 
 eyes were gradually opened to her character, and just in 
 proportion as she disclosed herself in her true colours, 
 so did British Gwenna shine brightly in hers. 
 
 Meanwhile Attilius saw but little of his slave and his 
 intercourse with her was of the most formal character 
 indeed. He was not often at home and rarely required 
 her services as a reader. When she had put on his toga 
 as he fared forth at night or in the afternoon, her 
 duties were over so far as he was concerned. It was 
 but a simple service which she could perform for him, 
 but how she loved it. It was her one contact with him. 
 There was no one in Rome who could put on a toga 
 better, or more gracefully drape its somewhat com- 
 plicated and awkward folds, than she. Her white hands 
 lingered caressingly over the vestment, and when At- 
 tilius did not observe, her eyes lingered as caressingly 
 upon his face as her fingers upon the toga. 
 
 She was very unhappy. She had heard, of course, of 
 the betrothal to Lollia, which was a matter of public
 
 216 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 interest, and she had learned a good deal about the 
 mad dissipation into which Attilius plunged. Such 
 matters were common property in the household and 
 were widely discussed by the slaves and freed people. 
 The tribune became a constant frequenter of the Circus, 
 where he laid enormous wagers on the chariots of the 
 faction which he had elected to advocate in the races 
 which took place. He recklessly staked thousands of 
 sesterces upon the turn of the die. Admitted into the 
 closer circle of Nero's intimates, he participated in the 
 drunken orgies which distinguished the feasts of that 
 brute and monster. 
 
 But there was a line which Attilius yet drew and 
 which no one had succeeded in inducing him to pass. 
 When the feasters reached the point where every de- 
 cency was forgotten, Attilius separated from them. 
 Although they mocked him and derided him and some 
 wondered why he was so squeamish and stern, and al- 
 though in one or two instances he had almost forfeited 
 the regard of the Emperor because he had refused to 
 participate in the ineffable degradations of the rest, he 
 persisted in his course. 
 
 And that he did so showed his strength of character. 
 He lost more money than he could by any possibility 
 afford, and he drank more wine than could by any argu- 
 ment be thought good for him, but there were other 
 things he could not do yet. Memory, the ever-present 
 image of a woman, kept him so far clean golden 
 Gwenna, not dark Lollia. Yet he knew that it was only 
 a question of time and he would fall as low as the 
 lowest.
 
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 Gwenna, as she marked the ravages of dissipation, 
 late hours, nervous exhaustion, did not realise that it 
 was thought of her which restrained him from plumbing 
 the very bottom . of the abyss. The heart of that 
 maiden yearned toward him. Deprived of other con- 
 fidant, for she regarded herself as immeasurably above 
 the other slaves of the household, she often had recourse 
 to Paulus, who had made a deep impression upon her. 
 He received her confession in kindly appreciation and 
 sympathy. The old Hebrew had not forgot the wife 
 of his youth, long since dead. He could understand 
 and sympathise with love and youth still. Gwenna also 
 faithfully recounted all that had passed between At- 
 tilius and herself, and before Paulus she laid all that 
 she knew about the devastating career into which the 
 young man was so recklessly plunging. 
 
 It was cause of great grief to Paulus and Lucas that 
 Attilius should so demean himself. They had a wide 
 and accurate knowledge, through long observation, of 
 the enormities and wickednesses into which the rich and 
 vicious of Rome and the world descended, and they had 
 hoped and prayed many times that the clean, upright, 
 splendid young soldier might be saved from such a 
 course. It must be that they had prayed in vain. 
 There could be but one end to a career such as Attilius 
 had embarked upon the complete, total, and absolute 
 breakdown of the moral nature of the man. And that 
 appeared imminent indeed. What could be done? 
 
 Paulus knew the Roman mind thoroughly, he knew 
 the Roman pride and temper. He knew Gwenna, too, 
 and her pride and temper as well. She had not spent
 
 218 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 long hours in converse with him without revealing the 
 character of her soul. Both woman and man were un- 
 yielding. He had hoped by the prohibition which he 
 had imposed upon the young tribune to make him 
 truly appreciate the pearl of price that lay to his hand 
 in the person of the British maiden. He had hoped 
 that, denied the privileges of his rank and station, 
 he might learn to love the girl and perhaps in time 
 make her his wife. Such a union between the best of 
 Rome and the best of the wild, free nation of the far-off 
 isle of Britain would be ideal from any but the conven- 
 tional Roman viewpoint. 
 
 Paulus, mourning for that wife of his at rest in her 
 sepulchre long before he entered upon the arduous work 
 of his stormy life, appreciated what happiness might 
 come to Attilius and Gwenna if Attilius could be made 
 to see in what direction his real, true happiness lay. 
 Paulus finally concluded that what the tribune needed 
 was a little misfortune ; his way had been too easy, 
 difficulties had avoided him, he knew not how to school 
 himself to disappointment. Sometimes one rises higher 
 from a downfall. He little knew whaf was being pre- 
 pared for the Roman. 
 
 One afternoon the door of his apartment was thrown 
 suddenly open and into the room stalked the tribune. 
 The Hebrew's eyes lighted as he recognised him. He 
 went forward to the length of his chain with out- 
 stretched hand. 
 
 " Greeting," he cried in Greek as usual ; " thou art 
 welcome, indeed." 
 
 But Attilius was in no mood for courtesy.
 
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 " I came to thee," he began abruptly, " for the re- 
 lease of my word, for the discharge of my promise." 
 
 "And what promise?" asked Paulus, who very well 
 knew but wished his visitor to state it. 
 
 " To hold inviolate British Gwenna. I can no longer 
 keep it." 
 
 " And art thou a Roman ? " 
 
 "Yes, as thou knowest, but thou hast imposed upon 
 me more than flesh and blood could bear." 
 
 " I have heard," said the old man slowly, " that thou 
 hast forgot Gwenna and all good women. Since thy 
 betrothal to the daughter of Claudius, I am told that 
 thou hast given thyself up to the practices and indul- 
 gences of the imperial court." 
 
 " And thou hast been truly told," admitted Attilius 
 boldly, " save in one instance." 
 
 "And what is that?" 
 
 " I could still look my mother in her face were she 
 alive." 
 
 " Yes, but for how long canst thou say that? " 
 
 " For no time at all, Paulus, unless " 
 
 "Unless what?" 
 
 "Unless I have the release for which I ask." 
 
 "And art thou a man?" asked Paulus contemptu- 
 ously, " that thou wilt damn thy soul unless " 
 
 It was Attilius' turn to complete the sentence. 
 
 " Unless what? " he said to Paulus. 
 
 " Unless I consent to the damnation of that of the 
 maiden ? " 
 
 " Why, she is mine," cried Attilius. " By every law 
 of the gods and man she is mine. Whatever happens
 
 220 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 she cannot be held responsible. Knowest thou not the 
 relation between master and slave? " 
 
 "That I know well," said Paulus, "for I myself 
 have experienced it." 
 
 " I thought thou wert f reeborn and a Roman citizen." 
 
 " And so I am, but I am a slave of my Lord and 
 Master," he bowed, " Jesus Christ." 
 
 " The slave of the Crucified? " 
 
 " Even so." 
 
 " Thou speakest witlessly." 
 
 " Nay, I speak forth words of truth and soberness. 
 I am a man, a man with human passions, one that hath 
 loved and lost. Thinkest thou that I cannot understand 
 thy feelings? Thou lovest this maiden and in that 
 thou doest well, for she is meet for thine affection. 
 Make her thy wife " 
 
 " My wife ! " laughed Attilius scornfully ; " thou 
 knowest not what thou dost propose, old man. The law 
 forbiddeth." 
 
 " I have been in bondage to the law myself, but now 
 I know that glorious liberty wherewith I am made 
 free," answered Paulus. 
 
 "What liberty?" 
 
 " In Christ." 
 
 " How thou flingest thy cursed God into my face ! " 
 
 " Blaspheme not, Roman," said Paulus sternly. 
 
 "Why, thine own race have told me that He was 
 cursed because He hung upon a tree." 
 
 " In their blindness they ha^ve said so, as I did once 
 myself in like case," answered the Hebrew, " but above 
 all men, He is blessed and the Cause of blessings."
 
 THE TRIBUNE SEEKS RELEASE 
 
 " I did not come here," said Attilius desperately, 
 " to speak about thy God, but about this woman. Thou 
 knowest something of my course. I have plunged into 
 every dissipation, I have striven to feel the madness of 
 those who stake fortunes upon the cast of the die, I 
 have drunk and drunk and drunk until I was stupid 
 and senseless. I have stood on the brink of the pit of 
 every wickedness and looked into the gulf. Unless thou 
 wilt revoke my word, I will plunge to the very bottom. 
 I can no other." 
 
 " My son," said Paulus, " there be philosophers who 
 say that we should do evil that good may come. I am 
 not such a one. British Gwenna is a slave, I know her 
 position in thine eyes." 
 
 " I love her, old man, I love her as I love liberty, the 
 light of the sun," cried Attilius ; " as I love youth and 
 strength and joy." 
 
 " And yet thou wouldst drag her down into the 
 abyss." 
 
 " Would my love do that? " 
 
 " Aye, unless it have the blessing of God." 
 
 " That Crucified again ! " 
 
 " Nay, any righteous god that man may worship." 
 
 " Why Jupiter, himself, loved everywhere." 
 
 " And that is why," said Paulus quickly, " that my 
 Cnristus who loved everything, but not in the way in 
 which thou speakest, shall some day erect His cross 
 above the temple of thy Jupiter on yonder Capitol." 
 
 " It may be," answered Attilius ; " and for my part I 
 care not. I want the maiden. Wilt thou give me back 
 my word ? "
 
 82S THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " No." 
 
 " And why should I keep it ? " 
 
 " Why, indeed ? " asked Paulus sternly. *' Time was 
 when a Roman and a Roman's word were things that 
 could not be broken. But we have fallen upon evil 
 days. There is little virtue extant. Methinks, in 
 Christ alone and in His cross are salvation to be 
 found." 
 
 "And do ye Christians always keep your words?" 
 
 " There are some of us who but poorly follow the 
 teachings of the Master, I grant thee," admitted 
 Paulus, "but He, at least, kept His word, and we who 
 come after can but try." 
 
 " On thy head and upon the maiden's head be it. 
 You have some strange influence over her, she is be- 
 witched by this criminal God of thine. I will keep my 
 word, at least now, just to show thee that I can match 
 the followers of thy Christ in fidelity, but what I 
 shall become is on thine own head." 
 
 "What meanest thou?" 
 
 " I have stopped heretofore on the brink, now I shall 
 go down into Avernus, and the fault is thine and the 
 maiden's, as I said." 
 
 " Roman," said Paulus fearlessly, stepping closer to 
 him and straightening up, " I had thought better of 
 thee. When men are ill they expose their character. 
 I have seen thee many times in the cabin of the ship. 
 I heard how thou hadst borne thyself in many wars. 
 I saw how thou didst carry thyself in the scenes of 
 peril through which we passed together. Thine eyes 
 were clear, thy soul clean. I had thought perhaps the
 
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 God I serve had marked thee out for some great service 
 for Him, but now I see that I was mistaken. I see that 
 thou art but a common coward after all." 
 
 " By Hercules ! " exclaimed Attilius, infuriated be- 
 yond measure, " no man hath ever thus accused me and 
 lived to tell the tale." 
 
 " My time," said Paulus calmly, " is in God's hands." 
 He did not shrink or falter, although the tribune 
 crowded closer to him with threatening mien and ges- 
 ture. If Caius Attilius had been armed he might have 
 struck the Hebrew, he was so furiously angry. 
 
 " I know not why I should not take thee in my hands 
 and strangle thee as thou standest there," he hissed 
 out. 
 
 " So far as I am concerned, thou canst work thy 
 pleasure upon me. I am in God's hands, and if He ap- 
 pointeth me to die by thine in defence of this woman, 
 His will be done. Dost thou hesitate ? " said the 
 apostle, stepping back a little and throwing out his 
 hands. " See I am old and unarmed, fettered, too ! I 
 think not that this soldier " he glanced toward the 
 pretorian, who stared at the two with deep interest, al- 
 though he could make nothing of the Greek in which 
 they talked " would interfere. Strike. Why dost 
 thou delay?" 
 
 " By the gods, I know not," muttered Attilius, " save 
 
 that I am in thy debt, and " 
 
 " I release thee from any further obligation." 
 "Thou meanest my word about the maiden?" 
 " Nay, to that living I hold thee and dead I shall 
 hold thee."
 
 224 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Coward, slave, Jew ! " cried Attilius, almost be- 
 side himself. 
 
 "But," said Paulus calmly, "is it not true? Hold 
 thee I shall and whether I live or die, if that be so, to 
 what end wilt thou threaten or smite me? " 
 
 "What meanest thou?" 
 
 " Thou layest thine evil life and vicious course and 
 that which thou intendest to do upon me, an old man, 
 who appealeth to thy manhood, and upon her, an inno- 
 cent girl, whose soul thou wouldst damn though thou 
 sayest that thou lovest her." 
 
 "And is there damnation in my love?" cried the 
 desperate and angry Attilius. 
 
 " Yes," said the apostle, " unless thou takest the 
 maiden with the blessing of God for thy wife." 
 
 " I spare thee," said the Roman, " but we are quits. 
 Thine insults have absolved me. I am released from 
 further obligation to thee." 
 
 " But not from thy word." 
 
 " We shall see," said Attilius meaningly. " Mean- 
 while, farewell. Thou hast blighted my happiness, thou 
 hast crossed my purpose, I would fain not see thee 
 again." 
 
 " My son," said Paulus, closing his eyes, " I some- 
 times dream dreams and see visions. Thou goest hence 
 with thy heart hot and full of anger and fell purpose, 
 but thou canst not do it. Thy fate and mine are linked 
 together. I shall see thee again whatever thy desire. 
 
 Meanwhile, remember thy word I shall pray for 
 
 thee. Farewell."
 
 THE TRIBUNE SEEKS RELEASE 225 
 
 Without a word Attilius turned and plunged through 
 the door as abruptly as he had come. 
 
 " Soldier," said Paulus in Latin to the curious and 
 astonished pretorian, who had watched all, not under- 
 standing, " I would fain worship my God in private 
 for a moment. Suffer me thus far." 
 
 He turned, and followed by the soldier with the chain 
 dragging between them, he stepped to one side of the 
 apartment where a little recess was curtained off. He 
 parted the curtains, passed within, and drew them 
 behind him. The soldier standing on guard outside, 
 linked to him still by the long chain, could hear the 
 old. man fall on his knees. Words in a tongue which 
 was neither Greek nor Latin, but which was, as the 
 soldier did not know, the Aramaic speech that Paulus 
 had learned at his mother's knees, broke from the lips 
 of the old man kneeling there behind the curtain at 
 the other end of the chain. He prayed for the tribune, 
 for the maiden, for all the members of the little Roman 
 church, for all the churches in all the world, for all 
 mankind, and for himself as chief of sinners. 
 
 Caius Attilius hastened home through the streets like 
 a man mad, bereft of reason. He passed into the 
 atrium and summoned Gwenna, bidding the others leave 
 him alone, and made the same appeal to the woman that 
 he had made to Paulus. 
 
 " I am bound and fettered, hand and foot," he said, 
 " delivered to the enemy. I go the way of destruction. 
 Not Nero himself shall be more mad or more loathsome 
 than I if thou wilt not give thyself to me."
 
 226 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Lord," said Gwenna, " wouldst thou have me damn 
 mine own soul for thine? " 
 
 And a year before, when she had not heard of 
 Christus, Gwenna might not have hesitated, even at 
 that, for love of this man. 
 
 " Lovest thou me?" cried Attilius, catching her by 
 the hand. 
 
 " Master," she returned, " I have not held it from 
 thee. Thou knowest that I would die for thee." 
 
 " And is death preferable to my embrace? " 
 
 " A thousand times, so it be unsanctioned by God 
 and unblessed by man." 
 
 " Thou wouldst not have said this before Paulus 
 came." 
 
 " In truth I might not, but now mine eyes have been 
 opened." 
 
 "And wouldst thou see me damned that thou might- 
 est save thine own soul?" 
 
 "God help me, what shall I do?" cried the woman. 
 " Last night, with Paulus standing by, while thou wert 
 with Nero, the waters of baptism were poured upon 
 me. I love thee, I would do anything for thee, any- 
 thing but this." 
 
 " Gwenna ! " 
 
 " Tempt me no further," pleaded the girl pite- 
 ously. 
 
 Upon a tripod table near by lay a little steel stylus 
 used for writing letters upon wax tablets. It was a 
 trifling thing as a weapon, yet an arm like that of At- 
 tilius could easily drive it home through the tender 
 flesh of Gwenna. It stood close at hand. She seized
 
 THE TRIBUNE SEEKS RELEASE 227 
 
 it and presented it to the tribune with one hand while 
 she tore open the neck of her tunic with the other. 
 
 " Strike home, master," she said, " and I will die 
 clean, at least." 
 
 Attilius seized the weapon and threw it across the 
 atrium. He caught her by the arm and drew her close 
 to him. 
 
 " Gwenna, golden Gwenna," he whispered, " I love 
 thee. Thou hast the spirit of a Roman maiden. Upon 
 what terms may I have thee ? Wilt thou be my wife ? " 
 
 "Thou art mad," exclaimed the woman, struggling 
 away from him, " I am a slave. I know the law. Thou 
 canst not marry me." 
 
 " Do thou and Paulus and that God of thine and 
 the Roman law conspire against me to drive me mad?" 
 cried Attilius, stepping closer to her again., " Is there 
 no way in which thou canst be mine ? " 
 
 " Hereafter." 
 
 " No, I want thee now," cried the Roman. " What 
 plighted word shall come between us now, Gwenna, I 
 have " 
 
 What he would have said further she did not know, 
 for at that moment Pheidippides entered the atrium. 
 Caius Attilius turned upon him like a fury. 
 
 " Did I not say that I would be private? " he thun- 
 dered. 
 
 " My lord," said the major-domo quickly, " there is 
 one whose commands cannot be disregarded that sum- 
 moneth thee." 
 
 "Who is that?" 
 
 " A messenger from Caesar."
 
 228 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 "Admit him," said Attilius in bitter disappointment, 
 after a moment's reflection ; indeed no other course was 
 open to him, to deny the messenger of Caesar was im- 
 possible. 
 
 " Noble Attilius," said the f reedman who brought 
 the Emperor's message, " Caesar will dine with thee to- 
 night. He will bring with him Tigellinus, prefect of 
 the pretorians, and his friends, Petronius, Senecio, and 
 Pollio. He leaveth to thee the naming of thine other 
 guests." 
 
 " Say to the Caesar," said Attilius, in the face of this 
 declaration which was in effect a command, " that my 
 poor house is at his disposal and that such entertain- 
 ment as I may compass by the expenditure of all that 
 I have, if necessary, shall be set before him." 
 
 " He will be with thee at the sixth hour. Farewell." 
 
 When he was alone Attilius turned once more to 
 Gwenna. 
 
 " The Emperor here," he said, " and if he should see 
 thee, we are undone. The Fates make sport of me. 
 Nay," he added, as Gwenna came a step nearer him, 
 " approach not nearer unto me now. I cannot com- 
 mand myself. To-morrow "
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE DRUNKEN GOD AND THE SLAVE 
 
 THE hastily improvised but not unworthy feast which 
 Attilius had set before his guests that night was draw- 
 ing to a close. To say that it had approached the 
 standard established by Lucullus would be far from 
 the truth, and it certainly did not approximate the 
 lavish and extravagant arrangements which had made 
 Otho famous as a dinner giver. But everything had 
 been of the very best and if the repast were somewhat 
 modest from the viewpoint of the satiated appetites and 
 degenerate desires of Nero and his satellites, there was, 
 nevertheless, little to be faulted. 
 
 Attilius in his dilemma had summoned the experienced 
 Senecio to his aid and had given him carte blanche as 
 to the entertainment that followed the meal. It was 
 well that he did so, for his own lack of knowledge would 
 have served him badly. As it was, Nero was quite 
 pleased and so expressed himself stammeringly between 
 drunken hiccoughs. 
 
 The best wine that the knowledge and taste of 
 Senecio could select and the money of Attilius procure 
 was poured out unstintedly. Everybody had drunk too 
 much, most of them much too much. The conversation 
 had at first been pitched on a high and artificial level 
 of vapid philosophy and pseudo culture, but as the 
 wine went in the wit went out, and the table talk had 
 
 229
 
 230 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 presently degenerated into a vulgarity unspeakable, 
 even unimaginable, other than by Caesar and his friends. 
 
 In such conversation the debased Tigellinus naturally 
 took a leading part, while the more refined Petronius 
 became more and more silent. Indeed, he and Attilius 
 and old Regulus, who had returned unexpectedly from 
 Brundisium that afternoon and had been included in 
 the guests, although the humblest of them, were mainly 
 silent. The silence of the rough soldier did not attract 
 much attention. Also Nero was used to the peculiari- 
 ties of Petronius, of whose caustic wit he stood in not 
 a little awe, and Attilius escaped more particular no- 
 tice, because, as host, he was busy pressing his enter- 
 tainment upon his guests. 
 
 At one time during the feast a mad desire seized 
 upon the tribune to drink with the rest, but he checked 
 it, not because of any scruples, but for Gwenna's sake. 
 He had an uneasy premonition that she might be in 
 danger before the night was over. He resolved to keep 
 his head clear for any emergency in which she might be 
 involved. As it was, the room in which they dined was 
 alive with her presence. Attilius had not before given 
 such a feast as this, and he could not but contrast in 
 his mind the shamelessness of the scene for which he 
 was in some degree responsible with the stainless purity 
 of the maiden. Why could not Gwenna have been 
 Lollia and Lollia, Gwenna? In that case Lollia could 
 have served him forever without awakening a desire 
 or creating a thrill in his heart. And if Gwenna had 
 only been a Roman of long descent, how gladly would 
 he have married her. Indeed as he reclined on the
 
 THE DRUNKEN GOD AND THE SLAVE 231 
 
 couch in his place as host before the table placed upon 
 a dais, looking with veiled contempt at what would 
 popularly be described as the best society that Rome 
 could present, he was almost in a mind to fling pride, 
 family, future preferment, everything, to the winds 
 and make the maiden his in the only way in which he 
 could by marrying her as he had madly proposed to 
 her that very day. 
 
 Why not? What had he to hope for or desire with- 
 out her? He saw himself descending to the wallowing 
 level of the imperial swine before him. He could not 
 afford to show a gloomy brow at his own feast, but the 
 chaplet of roses he wore on his dark hair comported 
 ill indeed with his desperate, tempestuous heart and 
 with the gaiety he forced himself to assume. 
 
 He gazed upon Nero with loathing in his soul. He 
 hated himself for being the subject of such a ruler. If 
 the legionaries on the far-flung frontiers, if the soldiers 
 of Otho, or Julius Vindex, or Suetonius Paullus, could 
 see this horribly incestuous monster who had murdered 
 his mother and wife, and who let the best Roman blood 
 flow like water, they would turn their energies from the 
 protection of these frontiers to the supplanting of this 
 vile beast by some one more worthy to bear the name 
 of Caesar, and better able to rule the world. 
 
 And so the hours sped until, after the last juggler, 
 the last poseur, the last indecent Gaditanian dancer, 
 engaged by Senecio for the revel, had disappeared and 
 the guests had eaten and drunk until they could no 
 more, Nero gave the signal for breaking up of the feast. 
 He got to his feet from his couch with great difficulty,
 
 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 assisted grotesquely by Tigellinus and Senecio, scarcely 
 less drunk than he. As Attilius looked at his flushed 
 face, gorged with blood, the chaplet awry on his red- 
 bronze head, his unsteady gait, his filmy eyes, his thick 
 voice, he thought of the divinity that was claimed for 
 this beast and laughed mockingly in his soul that there 
 should be any god anywhere. 
 
 *' B-by my divinity ' hiccoughed the stuttering 
 Nero, " a a noble f-fe-feast, not but that thou hast 
 somewhat to to learn, Attilius, b-but for a stranger 
 and a newcomer and for the f-first time, thou hast 
 done well and C-C-Csesar is p-pleased with thee. To- 
 morrow, or the next day T-Tigellinus shall show thee 
 what is lacking in thy entertainment. Ye are all 
 bidden to dine with me and so farewell. B-bring me 
 m-my toga --slaves." 
 
 The slaves who, during the long hours, had stood 
 in the background in dreary attendance upon their sev- 
 eral masters, hastened forward to supply the guests 
 with their outer garments. As they sought to cover 
 the loose effeminate silken synthesis of purple which 
 Nero wore with his white toga a thought struck him 
 
 " I h-have heard," stuttered the Emperor, turn- 
 ing around and leaning drunkenly upon the table and 
 staring with wagging head and shaking hand at At- 
 tilius, " I h-have heard " He stopped as if to 
 
 think it over. " Yes it was L-Lollia told me wh-when 
 last I I h-held her in these arms " 
 
 Attilius started forward in furious indignation at 
 this foul statement, but Regulus caught him by the 
 arm and Nero, too drunk and too absorbed in the effort
 
 THE DRUNKEN GOD AND THE SLAVE 233 
 
 to fix his attention upon what he was saying, did not 
 notice him. 
 
 " L-Lollia, a p-pretty p-piece of damaged b-bag- 
 gage," hiccoughed the Emperor, " still she will make 
 thee a n-noble wife and I will m-make thy future 
 and hers my b-business. Where was I? Back, ye 
 slaves," cried the Emperor, throwing out his hand 
 wildly and catching one of the attendants a blow upon 
 the cheek, " I will be served by thy g-girl. It was 
 L-Lollia yes L-Lollia that told me thou hadst a 
 r-rare slave as v-v-vestiplica. Bring her out and let 
 me see how she can cloak a C-Caesar." 
 
 " It is late," said Attilius rashly, his heart growing 
 cold at the thought of what might occur if Nero pur- 
 sued his design ; " the women are long since asleep. If 
 Nero will allow me, I myself " 
 
 " Thou th-thick-headed, s-stiff -fingered s-soldier," 
 stammered Nero contemptuously, " what dost thou 
 know about d-draping a toga? It is ne-never late 
 when Caesar commands. I have h-heard th-there 
 was a Jew once who commanded th-the sun to stand 
 st-still and it obeyed him. Is the Jew greater than 
 I? Answer me that, T-Tigellinus ? " 
 
 " There is no one greater than thou, divinity," an- 
 swered the prefect promptly. 
 
 " T-true, and I say it is m-morning. What sayest 
 thou, P-Petronius?" 
 
 " It is always morning when the sun arises," an- 
 swered Petronius gravely. 
 
 " W-what dost thou mean? " 
 
 " Thou art on thy feet, divinity."
 
 234 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " T-that is well said ; T-Tigellinus, m-make a n-note 
 of that. Some day p-perhaps thou shalt rival the 
 arbiter in w-wit." 
 
 " As I already surpass him in devotion to you, 
 divinity," said Tigellinus quickly. 
 
 He was very drunk himself, but none the less per- 
 sistent. 
 
 " T-that, t-too, is well said," commented Nero with 
 drunken gravity ; " but where was I ? " 
 
 " Attilius, our host," said Pallas, the rich freedman 
 and minister of state, who had made one of the com- 
 pany, " sees now that it is indeed day and will produce 
 the maiden." 
 
 He spoke with emphasis, for he rather liked Attilius, 
 and he realised that if Nero were thwarted in his desires 
 the consequences might be worse than if they were 
 granted. Attilius had no choice. He either had to 
 break into open rebellion against Csesar then and 
 there or he had to summon Gwenna and trust to the 
 issue. 
 
 " The will of Cassar must be obeyed," he said, and 
 he could not keep the bitterness out of his voice and 
 again fortunately Nero's wit was too clouded with wine 
 to take notice, although both Petronius and Regulus 
 observed it and even to the mind of Senecio the idea 
 came. " Bid British Gwenna to come hither," said 
 Attilius to one of his slaves, " to vest the Emperor." 
 
 " And b-bid her m-make haste," said Nero ; " the 
 Emperor liketh not to be k-kept waiting even for a 
 woman as b-beautiful as rumour hath it this slave is. 
 At-Attilius, thou shouldest have kept thy p-people
 
 THE DRUNKEN GOD AND THE SLAVE 235 
 
 awake when t-thine Emperor is here. T-time enough 
 for them to s-sleep when he is gone." 
 
 The toilet of a slave girl in those days was not elab- 
 orate, and the messenger had enjoined haste upon the 
 British woman, so that in no short time she entered the 
 room. If there had been any way on earth for her 
 to have refused obedience she would have done so. In 
 the first place she was afraid to submit herself to the 
 inspection of Nero. He might recognise her as the 
 woman who had escaped from his clutches in the street 
 some weeks ago. But another, a better, reason would 
 have restrained her. No woman touched Nero without 
 contamination, and it was not to submit to this horror 
 that Gwenna had resisted the pleadings of Attilius. 
 
 She had heard of Roman feasts and knew in what 
 condition the guests left them when they broke up. She 
 had an idea of what she might expect, and as she loved 
 Attilius and fancied that he might be in the same state 
 as his guests, a desire not to see him so degraded would 
 also have operated to keep her away. But there was 
 no help for it. She was commanded by her master at 
 the summons of his, and so she came. She could do no 
 other. 
 
 She stood in the doorway backed by the curtain, in 
 her tunic of soft blue with her sandals strapped upon 
 her white feet. Her face was rosy from sleep, her eyes 
 indeed were heavy still, but what she saw opened them 
 immediately and widely. Nero still stood supported 
 by Tigellinus and Senecio and the table. The rest stood 
 or sat or lay, in accordance with their various degrees 
 of helplessness. They were all drunk except Regulus,
 
 236 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 whose seasoned head could survive longer and deeper 
 potations than any man in the army, and Petronius and 
 Attilius. 
 
 Her first glance was for her master. He was frown- 
 ing deeply, and yet there was an air of great anxiety 
 about him. He shot an almost beseeching look at 
 Gwenna, which she found herself returning in kind, and 
 yet there was a thrill of pride which pervaded her being 
 as she realised that he at least was sober and master 
 of himself. It gave her reassurance, some comfort. Her 
 mute appeal for protection was instantly answered, for 
 Attilius nodded, imperceptibly to all but to her, as if 
 to say that he would take care of her in any event. 
 
 The dancers had gone. British Gwenna was the only 
 woman in the large room. To be a woman in such an 
 assemblage would be almost sufficient to damn the repu- 
 tation of a woman otherwise as far above suspicion as 
 the first Caesar would have had his wife, but a slave 
 had no reputation anyway and no one needed to con- 
 sider that phase of the situation. 
 
 " W-well," said Nero, blinking around in his short- 
 sighted way, "where is t-this p-paragon of thine? 
 D-do I have to w-wait forever? " 
 
 " She is here," said Attilius harshly, " to do thy 
 bidding." He turned to Gwenna. " Woman," he said, 
 and although his voice rang stern the maiden knew 
 that the sternness was not for her, " the Emperor hath 
 heard of thy skill as my vestiplica. Do thou drape his 
 toga about him at his command," 
 
 Although she would rather have dabbled in pitch 
 and played with fire, Gwenna stepped rapidly down the
 
 THE DRUNKEN GOD AND THE SLAVE 237 
 
 room, received the toga from the hands of Nero's slaves, 
 mounted the steps to the dais, and without a word 
 carefully threw it about him, drew it over his shoulder, 
 and arranged it in accordance with her skill and taste. 
 Her heart throbbed terrifically the while her bosom 
 rose and fell wildly, but she clenched her teeth and 
 held herself together as she busied herself with the 
 hateful task. 
 
 Nero stood quietly and stupidly while she did it. 
 Then with a little bow, having completed her duty, she 
 made to withdraw. Attilius breathed a long sigh of 
 relief that the ordeal was over and that nothing had 
 as yet happened. He counted without his guest, how- 
 ever, for Nero suddenly straightened himself up and 
 peered into the face of the woman. 
 
 " S-stop," he said, staring at her and fumbling for 
 his emerald, which Tigellinus finally put into his hand. 
 He raised it to his eye, bent his head, and gazed at her. 
 "Where have I seen t-thee before? Answer me, 
 g-girl," he bellowed as Gwenna stared fascinated and 
 in terror at him. " D-doth no one know ? " 
 
 The hand of Caius Attilius fumbled where his sword 
 usually hung when he was in armour. Regulus caught 
 that hand and dragged it down. Tigellinus, black fiend 
 that he was, standing close by Nero, and indeed sup- 
 porting him, whispered something into the Emperor's 
 ear. 
 
 "Aye, s-so it was we were g-going to t-toss thee 
 in a blanket, b-but some one struck me the 1-lights 
 went out, and when we were rescued, thou wert g-gone. 
 Am I not right, T-Tigellinus ? "
 
 238 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " The Emperor is always right," said Tigellinus. 
 
 " There is more wit and wisdom," interposed Pe- 
 tronius, " in a drunken Emperor than in a sober philos- 
 opher." 
 
 " Thou art s-sober, thyself, P-Petronius," said 
 Nero suspiciously. 
 
 " And that is what enableth me to make the com- 
 parison, divinity," answered the courtier smoothly, so 
 smoothly indeed that the sarcasm of his words passed 
 unnoticed and Nero seized upon his subtle statement as 
 a great compliment. 
 
 "Dost thou hear, T-Tigellinus ? T-take notice- 
 some day we may be without the p-presence of our dear 
 friend P-Petronius, and thou wilt have to take his 
 p-place." 
 
 " In devotion to Caesar " 
 
 " Yes, I know all about that," interrupted Nero, 
 "but but wh-where was I? Oh, this m-maiden I 
 was going to have a k-kiss from her. I will b-buy her 
 from thee now, Attilius, and at thine own p-price." 
 
 " My lord," said Attilius, gritting his teeth and 
 speaking through them, " the maiden is not for sale." 
 
 " F-five hundred thousand ses-sesterces," said Nero, 
 wagging his head drunkenly ; " everything is f-for sale 
 that C-Ca?sar wants to buy. P-Pallas, g-give him an 
 order on the imperial treasury for that amount and 
 t-take the girl to my apartment to-night." 
 
 " There is not enough money in thy treasury or in 
 the world to buy that woman from me," said Attilius 
 with reckless boldness, stepping forward defiantly, at 
 last completely out of hand.
 
 But Nero did not heed him. He lurched in the direc- 
 tion of Gwenna, threw his hairy, hideous hands upon 
 her shoulders and drew her to him, his lips protruding, 
 his eyes leering. 
 
 " W-we w-will have a p-pretty time, together," he 
 blurted out. " Thou shalt displace Acte and be my 
 freedwoman, but let not P-Poppasa see thee or thy 
 shrift will be short indeed, and now a k-kiss and we 
 shall go. Noble entertainment many thanks to the 
 worthy t-tribune the best part is the last." 
 
 As he finished his speech he leaned forward. Al- 
 though she died for it the next moment, the maiden 
 who had been struggling in the grasp of the great ape, 
 broke away with one final, violent effort. She thrust 
 out with her hands as she did so and Nero fell back- 
 ward, only being saved from a plunge to the floor by 
 the aid of those who hastened to catch him, and Gwenna, 
 turning to flee, found herself by the side of Attilius at 
 the foot of the steps. The tribune put his left arm 
 about her, drew her to him, and confronted the Em- 
 peror. 
 
 Nero shook off those who held him, squared himself, 
 leaned against the table in order to maintain his bal- 
 ance, lifted his head, and glared down at Attilius. They 
 were close together. The Emperor needed no emerald 
 to see the tribune now. 
 
 " T-thou shalt p-pay for this insult," he hissed out. 
 " Am I a m-man m-merely, that I should be m-mocked 
 by every m-military stripling that comes to Rome? I 
 shall determine thy f-fate in the morning m-mean- 
 while, bide thou here in thy domus until thou dost hear
 
 240 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 from m-me. Thou hast the m-maiden now, but when 
 thou art dead, w-whose shall she be and the Emperor 
 thine heir? After she hath s-served my purpose she 
 shall be whipped until she is flayed of her p-pretty skin, 
 for twice she hath raised her hand against the Emperor, 
 and he is a g-god. Now, w-we w-will go. C-come, all 
 of you." 
 
 He turned, and followed by the company staggered 
 down the steps, crossed the room unsteadily, and 
 lurched out through the doorway and into the atrium, 
 where his litter was called. Attilius, still holding 
 Gwenna, with proud, stern, haughty face, looked with 
 contempt at the wavering figure of his emperor. 
 
 " Said I not well," muttered Senecio mockingly as 
 he passed, " when I w-warned thee not to let Caesar 
 catch sight of thy slave? " 
 
 " Open thy veins quickly," whispered Petronius not 
 unkindly from the other side, " and do the same with 
 thy slave, lest worse befall thee in the morning. Nero 
 himself might be too drunk to remember it, but there 
 are those who will remind him. Woman," he added 
 not unkindly, as his eye swept the face and figure of 
 the girl, " by Venus, thou art worth any sacrifice, and 
 for thy love a man might count even life itself a cheap 
 price. Farewell." 
 
 " Do thyself no harm, on the contrary," said Regulus, 
 remaining behind the others. " Tigellinus is much in 
 debt to me. I will follow him forthwith and will bring 
 thee word in the morning. I have thy promise? " 
 
 " Thou hast it," said Attilius firmly ; " I am na
 
 ''T-tliou shait p-pay for this insult," lie hissed out

 
 THE DRUNKEN GOD AND THE SLAVE 
 
 vein opener, to die at the tyrant's nod. He may kill 
 me if he will. Farewell." 
 
 " Hope on. Farewell," said the old centurion, fol- 
 lowing the rest into the street. 
 
 Only the slaves of the house had remained. 
 
 " Get you gone," said Attilius, as they looked from 
 him to one another in fearful terror, for they loved their 
 master. 
 
 Gwenna had made no effort to withdraw from the 
 clasp of the tribune's arms. She felt safe there and 
 there alone, although she realised that he could do 
 little in such a case. And now as the last slave dis- 
 appeared he drew her to him. 
 
 " Methinks," he whispered, " the hour striketh for 
 us, dear maiden. I face death, and thou shame " 
 
 " My lord, that shall not be." 
 
 " Nay," said Attilius, " with mine own hand will I 
 take thy life rather than give thee over to the Em- 
 peror." 
 
 " I know not whether it would be right that thou 
 shouldst incur the guilt of murder " 
 
 " Peace," said Attilius, " leave that to me. In the 
 face of death all distinctions are wiped away. I love 
 thee. If we escape wilt thou be my wife? " 
 
 "Thy wife, lord?" 
 
 " See," said Attilius, releasing her and kneeling be- 
 fore her. He caught her knees in his arms. " See, 
 I sue for thee as I never sued for Lollia. Rome is at 
 thy feet, Barbarian," he smiled. 
 
 " Nay, nay," said the girl softly, stooping over him
 
 242 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 and lifting him up, " not at my feet, master and lord, 
 but in my heart." 
 
 And as they stood face to face his arms sought her 
 again, he crushed her against his breast, his lips met 
 hers, and this time she did not draw them away, but 
 gave him kiss for kiss, clasp for clasp, heart beat for 
 heart beat. 
 
 " I would that Paulus were here now," the tribune said 
 at last, " that he might bless the marriage with what- 
 soever rites his gods may dictate, that I might thus 
 have the heaven of thy love before I meet the poison or 
 the steel."
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE CRAFT OF THE VETERAN CENTURION 
 
 NOT long after the arrival of Nero, accompanied of 
 course by Tigellinus, at the Transitory House on the 
 Palatine, Regulus appeared at the doorway, deter- 
 mined to see the pretorian prefect. Although he was 
 met by a curt refusal on the part of the officer on guard 
 to carry such a message to his terrible superior at 
 that hour of the night, or of the morning rather, the 
 determination and persistence of the old soldier at last 
 overbore the resistance of the centurion in command. 
 
 " Take thou my message," he insisted in spite of the 
 opposition of the veteran, " to the pretorian prefect. 
 Say that I come on the urgent business of the tribune 
 Caius Attilius. Be particular to announce me as the 
 knight Regulus, who was once comrade to the prefect 
 in Spain when we were both younger, and pray him to 
 see me. It is a matter of life and death." 
 
 " It would be a matter of life and death to me," re- 
 turned the centurion, not yet convinced, " to disturb 
 the prefect now, and my life is of more value to me 
 than thine." 
 
 " But this," said Regulus, sinking his voice to an 
 impressive whisper and playing his last card; " con- 
 cerneth the life of the Emperor." 
 
 " Ah," said the centurion, wavering a little, " a 
 plot?" 
 
 243
 
 244 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 Regulus nodded. 
 
 " Thou seest, therefore," he added, " why I must 
 have instant speech with the noble Sophonius Tigel- 
 linus. Take the message, officer. The prefect will be 
 glad to see me and his anger will fall heavily upon 
 thee shouldst thou persist in denying me." 
 
 The manner of the old soldier was so emphatic, his 
 character was so high, his worth so well known, that 
 the pretorian made no further objection. As the matter 
 seemed of great importance and concerned the Em- 
 peror, he carried the message himself and in a short 
 time returned with the news that the prefect would 
 see his visitor at once. Greatly impressed by the ap- 
 parent influence of the man who could thus easily get 
 admittance to the most hated and feared official in 
 Rome, who was Nero's evil genius so far as the base 
 mind of the Emperor needed an evil genius of any sort, 
 the pretorian's manner was now filled with immense re- 
 spect, and instead of sending a soldier to usher him 
 into the chamber whither Tigellinus had repaired, he 
 obsequiously conducted him there himself. 
 
 Regulus found the prefect in one of the bedchambers 
 of the palace, in the quarters assigned to him, where 
 he proposed to pass the night, not intending to return 
 to his own home until the next morning. Tigellinus 
 had already thrown aside his outer garments and sat 
 upon his bed clad only in his tunic. He was a strong- 
 headed man, and the walk from the Aventine to the 
 Palatine through the cool night air, together with 
 some copious ablutions in which he had promptly in- 
 dulged, had quite sobered the prefect, from whom the
 
 CRAFT OF THE VETERAN CENTURION 245 
 
 effects of his deep potations earlier in the night were 
 already passing. He was almost as hard-headed as 
 old Regulus and could drink deeply and carry much 
 liquor without showing it. 
 
 " The worthy knight Regulus," said the centurion, 
 as the two entered the room. 
 
 " Thou mayest withdraw," said Tigellinus with a 
 wave of his hand toward the pretorian. 
 
 " But, excellency " began the centurion. 
 
 " If Regulus," interrupted Tigellinus, " had any de- 
 signs upon me he could have carried them out twenty 
 years ago in Lusitania when he was the youngest cen- 
 turion of the Thundering Legion and I was a boy in 
 the cavalry. Art thou armed, old friend?" asked the 
 prefect. 
 
 " I buckled on my sword," said Regulus, lifting his 
 cloak, " lest I should be stopped by thieves in the 
 
 street, but " his hands went to the belt as if to 
 
 unbuckle the weapon. 
 
 " Keep thy blade," said Tigellinus ; " it hath been 
 too often drawn in the service of Caesar for any one who 
 loveth him as I do to fear it." 
 
 " Thou hast well said," answered Regulus. 
 
 " And now," said Tigellinus, looking at the cen- 
 turion, " as I am in no danger, thou mayest withdraw 
 into the atrium and await my call." 
 
 The soldier bowed, saluted, and withdrew. 
 
 " I suppose," said Tigellinus, " that thou art come to 
 me about that young fool, Caius Attilius." 
 
 " I am." 
 
 " It is a bad business."
 
 246 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " It is indeed." 
 
 " Doth the hot head care enough for a British slave 
 to brave the wrath of Nero ? " 
 
 " It seemeth so." 
 
 " Why, there are women by the thousands to be 
 bought in Rome as fair as she, as 
 
 " He loveth her." 
 
 " Love ! " said Tigellinus, mocking. " What sort of 
 a feeling is that to stand between the Imperator and 
 his desires? " 
 
 " I, personally," answered Regulus, " have long since 
 passed any such feelings by ; age hath taught me wis- 
 dom." 
 
 " Experience with Caesar and his women has given 
 me the same mind as thine," said Tigellinus, smiling 
 darkly. 
 
 " But Caius Attilius is young and this maiden is 
 indeed charming enough even to have won the liking 
 of a tough old soldier like myself." 
 
 " Is he not plighted to Lollia Claudia? " 
 
 " I believe so," admitted Regulus. 
 
 " It would be better for his slave's comfort that he 
 submit her to Nero rather than that she fall to the 
 hand of that woman of the Claudii, that " 
 
 Tigellinus used unprintable words and epithets when 
 he spoke of Lollia. 
 
 " As between her and Poppaea," said Regulus, " there 
 would be little choice." 
 
 " Ah," exclaimed Tigellinus, " Poppaea ! It would 
 not be a bad idea to play off another woman against her. 
 Nero's passion groweth cold and Acte attracteth him no
 
 CRAFT OF THE VETERAN CENTURION 247 
 
 more. There is a rumour that she is inclined to the 
 worship of Judea. An inconvenient thing which may 
 tend I know not whither." 
 
 " Quite so," answered Regulus, who was not at all 
 interested in Poppsea or Acte. " Hast thou thought 
 what it would be to have Nero under the influence of 
 a woman like the slave of Attilius ? " 
 
 " I have thought," answered the prefect, whose quick 
 fertile mind needed but a suggestion, " I have thought. 
 Know, O worthy knight and ancient friend, that 
 whatever man or woman the Emperor looketh favoura- 
 bly upon, even for a moment, I take an immediate ac- 
 count of." 
 
 The wine he had taken caused Tigellinus to be frank 
 to a degree which he would never have permitted him- 
 self had he been in his complete senses. Regulus 
 answered : 
 
 " I suppose so, and I suppose also that thou hast 
 thought what would happen if Nero became infatuated 
 with this slave girl." 
 
 " Is there a slave in Rome I cannot control? " 
 
 " One." 
 
 "And who is she?" 
 
 " That woman." 
 
 " Thou art mad ; the woman hath betwitched thee as 
 well." 
 
 " I have not lived sixty years, in service forty, with- 
 out knowing whereof I speak. This is no ordinary slave. 
 She was a daughter of one of the head chiefs of the 
 Iceni. She is a woman of great force of character, 
 of much ability, gracious in manner and beautiful in
 
 248 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 person. She is a slave in name only. She has won 
 the love of Attilius. He respecteth her and she pre- 
 serveth her purity." 
 
 " Well, then, if I cannot coerce her," said Tigellinus, 
 " we can work together." 
 
 " Not she and thou," answered Regulus. 
 
 " Why not? " 
 
 " She is a Christian." 
 
 " Another of that cursed brood ! Some of these days 
 they shall be made to pay for their superstition." 
 
 " Very likely," answered Regulus indifferently ; 
 " meanwhile, do you want to introduce such a person to 
 Nero? " 
 
 " On the whole," said Tigellinus reflectively, " per- 
 haps it would be better not to do so." 
 
 " Good," answered the centurion, " thy wisdom 
 agreeth with my humble opinion in the premises." 
 
 " Fortunately, it will be easy to get rid of her. Nero, 
 who hath just been put to bed, hath directed me to 
 send a message from him to Attilius in the morning tell- 
 ing him to open his veins ; the girl is to be brought 
 here. I can easily add her name to that of the tribune 
 in the death order." 
 
 " And how wilt thou explain the addition to the 
 Emperor? " 
 
 " He went to bed too drunk to know what he com- 
 manded, and if he question I will simply say it was his 
 order." 
 
 " I should not care thus to tamper with Caesar's 
 orders," said Regulus softly.
 
 CRAFT OF THE VETERAN CENTURION 
 
 "How else then?" 
 
 " The maiden must disappear." 
 
 " But where, and how ? " 
 
 " Leave that to me. I am thy friend in this," said 
 Regulus. 
 
 " What dost thou mean? " 
 
 " Before break of day, Attilius will go to the praetor 
 and have this maiden freed. I know of several places 
 of concealment, provided the search and pursuit of 
 her be not too thorough. Thou canst report to the 
 Emperor that she hath gone, that thou art having her 
 searched for, and that when she is found thou wilt pro- 
 duce her." 
 
 " That is well thought on provided she be not 
 found." 
 
 " Well, that of course is in thy hands." 
 
 " Aye," said Tigellinus, " and if thou canst keep her 
 hid for a week or a month, Caesar will forget her, some 
 other woman will attract his attention, and ' 
 
 " I will see that she be kept out of sight for that 
 time. Poppasa, whom thou canst control doubtless, will 
 have no rival and thou canst choose Nero's loves where 
 thou wilt." 
 
 " Thou hast done me a service," said Tigellinus, " and 
 I am grateful. Call upon me for further reward and 
 thou shalt see. Meanwhile it is very late, and I " 
 
 " I have only discharged the first part of my er- 
 rand," said Regulus quietly. 
 
 "What more?" 
 
 " The rest concerneth Caius Attilius." 
 
 " And there even my power is halted."
 
 250 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Not so." 
 
 " Man, man, thou dost overrate me. There is no 
 power of gods or man which can save Attilius from the 
 wrath of Nero." 
 
 " None but thine," persisted Regulus stoutly. 
 
 " Thou speakest in paradoxes ; explain thyself." 
 
 " The order must be changed." 
 
 " Aye, it can be changed," said Tigellinus grimly. 
 " Attilius could be thrown into the Mamertine Prison, 
 or he could be starved, or tortured." 
 
 " But he is a Roman citizen of senatorial family." 
 
 " When Nero is hot against a man what differ- 
 ence doth that make?" asked Tigellinus contemptu- 
 ously. 
 
 " But public opinion? " 
 
 " Who would know if Attilius were spirited away, 
 and who would have the right to ask? No, Nero is 
 merciful. He lets the tribune go to his death by his 
 own hands in the easiest way. To tell the truth, I 
 was for severer methods, but the clemency of the Em- 
 peror dictated the message." 
 
 " He must write another message and give another 
 sentence." 
 
 " Regulus," laughed Tigellinus, " methinks there are 
 few in the Empire who stand as high as I and who 
 are as close to Caesar, but I would not dare suggest it. 
 I would find mine own name upon another tablet, 
 and " 
 
 " Attilius is a man of great wealth," interposed 
 Regulus irrelevantly.
 
 CRAFT OF THE VETERAN CENTURION 251 
 
 " And dost thou suppose that Caesar hath forgot 
 that? All that he hath will come to Nero, and I will 
 admit to thee that Caesar is hard pressed for money in 
 spite of all that I can do to ah persuade the citizens 
 to give him freely of their treasure." 
 
 " Exactly," said Regulus. " Much of Attilius' for- 
 tune is in bills of exchange scattered throughout the 
 Empire, invested in the hands of faithful bankers in 
 Syria, Egypt, Little Asia, and some of it even in the 
 Far West." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 " Well, it will be easy to destroy the records." 
 
 " In that case the bankers who hold the securities 
 will get all." 
 
 " Quite so." 
 
 " And Nero will be disappointed," said the prefect 
 thoughtfully. 
 
 " He will." 
 
 " But the tribune hath much property here in Rome 
 and Italy." 
 
 " That is true, also." 
 
 " Well, we shall get that." 
 
 " I am not so sure," answered Regulus, smiling, " for 
 Attilius hath made his will and bequeathed what he 
 owneth in Italy to the people of Rome." 
 
 " Impossible ! " 
 
 " Even so." 
 
 "Where is this will? " 
 
 " In safe hands, and I think that even Nero will 
 scarce defraud these heirs." 
 
 Tigellinus mused a moment. The imperial despot
 
 252 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 must stand well with the plebs. It were a far easier 
 matter to confiscate the property of a senator than to 
 rob the greedy people. 
 
 " Thou art resourceful, old friend ; what dost thou 
 suggest ? " 
 
 " First, every bill of exchange and account shall be 
 placed in thy hands. The will leaving his Italian es- 
 tates to the people shall be destroyed ; indeed, this testa- 
 ment will not be in force so long as the tribune lives, 
 and he shall live, shall he not, worthy prefect? " 
 
 " We shall see what can be done," growled the min- 
 ister. " Proceed further." 
 
 " Well, then, I have this to suggest. Attilius must, 
 of course, be punished." 
 
 " There is no escape from that." 
 
 " But the punishment must not take away his life 
 or deprive him of his members." 
 
 "Prison?" asked Tigellinus. "I should think he 
 had rather die." 
 
 " Not prison, but the army." 
 
 " Send him back to his command? " 
 
 " Certainly not. Degrade him from his rank, force 
 him to enlist as a common soldier." 
 
 " In the Fourteenth Legion ? " 
 
 " In the Pretorian Guard." 
 
 " Ah," said Tigellinus, his facile mind comprehend- 
 ing all the possibilities of the situation, " there is some- 
 thing in that." 
 
 " Thou canst convince Nero that the disgrace of 
 being a common pretorian, a legionary soldier, when
 
 CRAFT OF THE VETERAN CENTURION 253 
 
 he hath been a tribune, a legate, hath even been prom- 
 ised command of an army, will be infinitely worse pun- 
 ishment than death itself. Command him to live in- 
 stead of to die. Thou canst persuade Nero that there 
 is a refinement of cruelty in that." 
 
 " But how make him obey? " 
 
 " He hath friends near and dear to him, myself for 
 instance, and others. The legion in which he served 
 loveth him. Threaten to kill those friends and to deci- 
 mate the legion if he dieth by his own hand." 
 
 " That is most ingenious," said Tigellinus, licking 
 his lips with enjoyment, " but full of danger neverthe- 
 less." 
 
 " Sophonius Tigellinus," said the old man gravely, 
 " dost thou remember that day in Lusitania when thou 
 wert unhorsed by the fierce Iberians and left wounded 
 upon the field, and how the enemy's cavalry advanced 
 to take thee as thou fell and one man broke from the 
 legion and ran to where thou didst lie helpless, stood 
 across thy body, and with pilum and sword defied the 
 host and kept them back until a cohort, inspired by his 
 example, advanced and carried thee, a mere boy, and 
 that same centurion, a young man, back into the hard- 
 pressed ranks to safety? " 
 
 " I remember," said Tigellinus. 
 
 " Well, by the memory of that deed and I should 
 blush to plead it for any other cause wilt thou accom- 
 plish this my request ? " 
 
 " And I am to have the records and bills of ex- 
 change? "
 
 254 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 ' Thou art. I pledge thee mine honour to place 
 them in thy hands in the morning." 
 
 "And Nero will take all that he owneth here in 
 Roman Italy?" 
 
 " All save the maiden." 
 
 " Yes, of course. I will accept these bills of ex- 
 change," said the prefect with specious magnanimity, 
 " in the service of the Emperor." 
 
 " That goeth without thy saying it," said Reg- 
 ulus, who on occasion could match craft with politi- 
 cians. 
 
 " I will do it," said Tigellinus, at last. " I think it 
 may tickle the fancy and please the jaded palate of 
 Caesar to see this cockerel parading in the ranks. My 
 hand upon it." 
 
 Regulus was a plain, blunt soldier, and not overly 
 squeamish, but he lived according to his lights and he 
 had no fancy to take the blood-stained hand of Tigel- 
 linus. He realised the force of the two arguments by 
 which he had secured the release of Gwenna and the 
 life of Attilius ; lest some one should undermine the 
 prefect's influence with Caesar in one case, and a greedy 
 desire for the bills of exchange in the other. He did 
 not care to take his hand, but now there was no choice, 
 and the knight was not one to do things by halves. 
 The two therefore shook hands heartily. 
 
 " Hark ye, worthy knight," said Tigellinus, " having 
 in this way discharged my debt to thee for that day 
 in Lusitania, plead it no more." 
 
 " I shall forget it utterly in the morning," said 
 Regulus, " and I shall be glad to exchange the will of
 
 CRAFT OF THE VETERAN CENTURION 255 
 
 Attilius and the drafts upon his bankers for the order 
 assigning him to the Pretorian Guard." 
 
 "Thou shalt have it," said Tigellinus, "if I can 
 prevail upon the Emperor." 
 
 " A good night's rest to thee, noble prefect, and 
 farewell," said Regulus, saluting and turning away.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE DEGRADATION OF THE TRIBUNE 
 
 DAY was just beginning to break when Regulus found 
 himself in the street again, retracing his steps to the 
 domus of Attilius on the Aventine. The place was quiet 
 when he arrived. The night porter stood guard sleep- 
 ily at the doorway. When the old soldier entered the 
 atrium it was empty save for Attilius and Gwenna. 
 Hand in hand they sat on a couch at the further end, 
 and although death stared them in the face, a look 
 of such happiness radiated from them as brought a 
 warm glow to the heart of the old soldier. 
 
 " Regulus ! " exclaimed Attilius, rising and drawing 
 Gwenna with him. " According to our promise, we 
 have waited for thee." 
 
 " Ye have done well." 
 
 " Where hast thou been and what hast thou done? " 
 
 " I have just come from Csesar's palace on the 
 Palatine." 
 
 " And what hast thou learned? " 
 
 " The order for thy death hath been delivered. 
 Caesar biddeth thee open thy veins in the morning." 
 
 " I expected no less ; and what of Gwenna? " 
 
 " She is to be brought to the palace by those who 
 deliver to thee the Emperor's command." 
 
 " The same lancet that openeth my lord's veins, 
 openeth mine," interposed the maiden decisively. 
 
 256
 
 THE DEGRADATION OF THE TRIBUNE 257 
 
 " How doth that comport with thy new religion, 
 maiden? " asked old Regulus curiously. 
 
 " I know not. I can get no speech with Paulus now, 
 but my heart telleth me that it is better to die than 
 submit to the Emperor." 
 
 " Thou speakest like a Roman ! " cried Attilius. 
 
 " Nay, lord, like a woman." 
 
 " But as few women do, nowadays," commented 
 Regulus drily. 
 
 " Thou hast done what thou couldst, worthy friend," 
 said Attilius. " The message of Caesar will be here 
 soon, I take it. Wilt thou leave us alone for a space? 
 I will call thee to bid thee farewell when it comes." 
 
 " Not so fast, Caius Attilius," said Regulus ; " the 
 messenger may bring a different order." 
 
 " That may be worse than death." 
 
 " Nay, the Emperor will give thee life, or I am 
 greatly mistaken." 
 
 "On what terms?" 
 
 " That thou dost enter the Pretorian Guard, as " 
 
 " As tribune, as legate? " 
 
 " As soldier." 
 
 " And dost thou think," cried Attilius hotly, " that 
 I shall survive such degradation, accept life on such 
 terms ? " 
 
 " And is it degradation to enter again the service 
 of the state? " asked the old veteran quickly. 
 
 " But to be broken in rank, to obey when I have com- 
 manded, to be a common " 
 
 " Stay," interrupted Regulus with proud sternness. 
 " I myself began as a common soldier, in the legion.
 
 258 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 The proudest citizen should be glad to bear arms even 
 in the ranks for Rome." 
 
 " But he thinketh to mock me " 
 
 " Caius Attilius," whispered Regulus suddenly, 
 " dost thou think that Nero will live forever ? " 
 
 " By the gods ! " exclaimed the tribune. " I did in- 
 deed hear mutterings from Otho's veterans in Lusi- 
 tania." 
 
 " What of the legions of Gaul? " 
 
 " I could see that the men of Julius Vindex were as 
 uncertain as their brothers of Spain." 
 
 " And in Britain? " 
 
 " The same spirit of dissatisfaction prevails." 
 
 " Bide the time, then." 
 
 "Thou meanest?" 
 
 " How soon shall the measure of iniquity be filled by 
 this adulterous, incestuous matricide and a new Im- 
 perator set thee free? " 
 
 " No, no," said Attilius, " it cannot be, to put me 
 to open shame, to point at me the finger of scorn, to 
 laugh with his chosen friends over my action, to make 
 sport of me. I had rather die now." 
 
 " And this maiden ? " 
 
 " She, too, shall die." 
 
 " But how if she live to become the plaything of 
 Nero?" 
 
 " Perish the thought," cried Gwenna. 
 
 " Nay, but thou shalt be free. Go thou to the 
 praetor with her, Attilius," the old centurion said to the 
 tribune, " at break of day and manumit her, and leave 
 the rest to me. Ye shall both live."
 
 THE DEGRADATION OF THE TRIBUNE 259 
 
 "What meanest thou? " 
 
 " I have seen Tigellinus." 
 
 " Ah ! " 
 
 " And by our ancient friendship and such arguments 
 as I could command, it hath been arranged that when 
 she hath been made free and disappeareth no search 
 worthy of the name shall be made for her. In a week 
 Nero will have forgot her and the maid shall live." 
 
 " While I must die," said Attilius bitterly. 
 
 " Not so, if thou hast but wit enough to take thy 
 chance and wait until " Regulus lowered his voice and 
 peered about the atrium, for what he was to say would 
 bring instant death upon him if it were overheard and 
 reported, " until another Caesar ruleth in Rome." 
 
 " I cannot do it," cried Attilius, whose proud soul 
 revolted from the indignity. " Urge me no further." 
 
 " I have one last argument," said Regulus gravely. 
 
 "And what is that?" 
 
 " One that I fain would not use. Nero and Tigel- 
 linus are determined that thou shalt live. They think 
 that to cause thee to live will punish thee more than 
 death itself." 
 
 " They are right," said Attilius. 
 
 " Therefore, lest thou shouldst disobey the imperial 
 command and open thy veins at the point of the sword 
 in spite of Cassar's wish, they have condemned to accom- 
 pany thee, shouldst thou die, many friends: Pheidip- 
 pides " 
 
 " He is old and will not care." 
 
 " And I am old too and I will not mind," said Regulus 
 simply.
 
 260 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 "Thou!" 
 
 " Even so. And the soldiers of thy legion are accus- 
 tomed to look death in the face and they will not 
 mind." 
 
 "What meanest thou? " 
 
 " Thy cohort will be decimated. Caesar hath said 
 thou shalt not lack ample following to attend thee in 
 the Elysian Fields for which thou art destined if thou 
 dost disobey him." 
 
 " Monster ! " cried Attilius. " To punish the inno- 
 cent for the guilty." 
 
 " And what else dost thou expect of Nero and Tigel- 
 linus?" 
 
 " My lord," said Gwenna, " I have listened and I 
 have not interrupted, but now I must speak. As thou 
 lovest this old man " 
 
 " Speak not of me, lady," said Regulus. 
 
 " As thou lovest thy friend, thy soldiers, as thou 
 lovest me, obey the will of the Emperor. The worthy 
 Regulus hath devised this plan ; is it not so ? " 
 
 " Even so." 
 
 " Thou hast done me sorry service." 
 
 " Thou shalt live to bless me for it." 
 
 " He speaketh truly," said Gwenna. " Indeed, my 
 lord, it bringeth us closer to each other. Even a freed- 
 woman may wed a soldier, a pretorian of the guard. 
 I entreat thee " she sank to her knees before Attilius 
 and stretched out her hand " live and live for me." 
 
 "My honour?" 
 
 " It is not involved," said Regulus. 
 
 "My dignity?"
 
 THE DEGRADATION OF THE TRIBUNE 261 
 
 " Thou canst afford to lay it by." 
 
 " My love," said Gwenna, stretching out her hands 
 and smiling through her tears. 
 
 " Have it your own way," said the tribune at last ; 
 " on your heads be it, but put me not on guard over 
 Csesar." 
 
 To secure the consent of Attilius had been the hard- 
 est part of the task of Regulus, but once that had been 
 given the other requirements were easy. Although it 
 was not an hour at which such business was usually 
 transacted, Caius Attilius and Regulus took Gwenna to 
 one of the city praetors, the nearest one, whom they 
 routed out of bed for the purpose, and in accordance 
 with the ancient rites and ceremonies provided in such 
 case, the maiden was formally and absolutely made free 
 forever. 
 
 " Now where shall I place thee that thou mayest be 
 safely concealed? " asked Regulus doubtfully. 
 
 He had as yet no house of his own, having lived in 
 the domus of Caius Attilius when not in the apartment 
 he had rented temporarily. 
 
 " The good Paulus will take me in and no one will 
 think of looking for me there," said the maiden 
 promptly. 
 
 " But there," Caius Attilius pointed out, " thou wilt 
 be seen by the soldier on guard." 
 
 " He will commit me to some other friend then," 
 urged Gwenna. 
 
 " Thou must disguise thyself," said Regulus, " by 
 putting stain on thy body and darkening thy golden 
 hair. Thou canst then pass for a maiden from Galatia,
 
 262 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 a slave in attendance upon the good old man until he 
 can dispose of thee safely elsewhere." 
 
 " Wilt thou take her there at once? " asked Attilius. 
 " Explain all to the worthy Paulus. She is a Christian 
 and he will receive her to save her from Nero, and 
 perhaps for my sake. British Gwenna," continued the 
 young tribune, turning to her, " I know not when or 
 where we shall meet again. I know not what fortune 
 may hold for me or thee, but I am sure of one thing 
 and that is that I love thee. Whether I be placed high 
 or low, I shall make thee my true and honourable wife 
 when I can, shouldst thou be like-minded still." 
 
 " I shall never be other-minded in this world," said 
 the maiden, looking at him, her heart in her eyes. 
 " May Christus have thee in His keeping." 
 
 " And if there be a God," said Attilius, " may He 
 watch over thee. Farewell." 
 
 It did not take Regulus very much time to escort 
 the maiden to the insula and leave her with Paulus. She 
 drew her cloak over her head as she passed unnoticed 
 through the outer room whither Paulus and his guard 
 had been summoned by the old soldier. The pretorian 
 would not recognise her when he saw her again. She 
 would be a changed woman, not to be distinguished from 
 the many others who came and went as guests of the 
 Hebrew. Paulus received her willingly, although at 
 the peril of his life. He did not hesitate to do anything 
 to save this woman, or indeed any woman, from associa- 
 tion with Caesar, and he bade Regulus carry a mes- 
 sage of good cheer to the tribune, for whom he said he
 
 THE DEGRADATION OF THE TRIBUNE 263 
 
 foresaw ultimate happiness, and that with him and 
 Gwenna all would be well in the end. 
 
 It was full morning when Regulus got back to At- 
 tilius, whom he found walking moodily up and down 
 the atrium. The records of his investments and bills 
 of exchange were soon prepared and given to Regulus 
 at his request. 
 
 " What is to be done with my people ? " asked the 
 tribune. 
 
 " Those who are free can go their ways, the rest fall 
 to Nero." 
 
 " I will free Lais if thou wilt provide for her." 
 
 " Gladly." 
 
 " It is a hard fate to be meted out to some of the 
 others after so many years of service. Cannot 
 thou " 
 
 " Nay," said Regulus, " I have done all that I can. 
 And I do not know even now whether I have succeeded 
 in my purpose." 
 
 " Way for the prefect of the Pretorian Guard," 
 cried the porter, suddenly opening the door. 
 
 Into the room strode the lordly, magnificently armed 
 Tigellinus, followed by several centurions and a number 
 of soldiers. 
 
 " Greeting, Tribune," said the prefect tersely to 
 Caius Attilius. 
 
 " Greeting, Prefect," answered Attilius, drawing 
 himself up and for the last time confronting the prefect 
 on terms of equality. " To what doth my poor house 
 owe the honour of this visit? " he asked with elaborate 
 courtesy.
 
 264 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " A command of the Imperator," answered Tigel- 
 linus briefly, " which I have brought in person." 
 
 " I am overwhelmed at thy condescension," said At- 
 tilius. " And what doth the Imperator desire of me? " 
 
 " Read," said the prefect, presenting the order. 
 
 Attilius slowly broke the seal. Regulus stepped closer 
 to the prefect and whispered : 
 
 "Is all well?" 
 
 " All is well." 
 
 "Good; I have the deeds and bills of exchange for 
 thee in a safe place." 
 
 " Thou art prudent." 
 
 " Thou hast taught me that necessity by example," 
 answered Regulus grimly. 
 
 Meanwhile Attilius had read the Emperor's message. 
 
 " Stripped of all," he exclaimed, lifting his hands 
 and letting the tablet fall to the ground. 
 
 " But there is more," said old Regulus, stooping and 
 picking it up. " See, thy life is spared." 
 
 " But on conditions," added Tigellinus. 
 
 " Aye, that I should enlist in thy pretorians, Pre- 
 fect." 
 
 " It is even so," said Tigellinus. " Well," he added, 
 turning to Attilius, "what sayest thou? " 
 
 " I am ready," was the bitter answer. 
 
 " Administer the oath," said Tigellinus to one of the 
 centurions. 
 
 The next moment the few words were spoken which 
 utterly changed the condition of the haughty young 
 patrician, the former tribune and prospective legate, 
 the future commander of armies, by enrolling him as
 
 THE DEGRADATION OF THE TRIBUNE 265 
 
 a private in the Pretorian Guard, the personal guard 
 of the Cassars. 
 
 " Take him to the camp," said Tigellinus sternly, 
 and yet with evident relish, his mean soul exulting at 
 this unparalleled degradation of the young tribune ; 
 " provide him with uniforms and instruct him as to his 
 duties. Thou, Attilius, see that thou dost conduct thy- 
 self as a soldier, and remember that anything but im- 
 plicit, absolute, unquestioned obedience is punishable 
 with death." 
 
 " I have been a soldier long enough, excellency, 
 to know the duties of the position and how they must 
 be fulfilled," returned Caius Attilius with a haughty 
 respect which galled the prefect, although he found 
 nothing particular to fault in it. 
 
 " And forget not to invoke the gods for the Emperor 
 by whose clemency thou art alive this day," he added 
 sneeringly. 
 
 " I shall never forget the clemency of the Emperor," 
 responded Attilius meaningly, turning away, falling 
 into the ranks of the pretorians, and marching with 
 the others from the room at a signal from the pre- 
 fect. 
 
 " The bills of exchange, the will," said Tigellinus 
 quickly to Regulus, so soon as he was alone with his 
 former comrade. 
 
 From the breast of his tunic, Regulus drew forth the 
 precious papers and placed them in the hands of his 
 greedy friend. 
 
 " Thou hadst them there after all ! " laughed Tigel- 
 linus.
 
 266 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " I did not serve with thee, even in my youth," an- 
 swered Regulus quickly, " without learning something." 
 
 " Which was " asked the prefect. 
 
 " To trust nobody but myself," answered the soldier 
 bluntly, much to the delight of the prefect, who could 
 thoroughly appreciate the significance of such a remark.
 
 BOOK IV 
 THE CHAINED HANDS
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 LOLLIA CLAUDIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 
 
 PAULUS was intently poring over a roll of manuscript. 
 An important letter had been received by the little 
 church in Rome from Peter. After it had been read 
 publicly at the service on the preceding Lord's Day, 
 it had been brought to Paulus by Linus, one of the 
 chief presbyters of the church. The Christians had 
 free access to Paulus, even though he was a prisoner 
 and could not go out to meet with them, nor could they 
 assemble with him save in very small groups because 
 of the limited accommodation of his apartment. He 
 was deeply interested in the epistle, especially as it 
 contained a kindly personal reference to him, which 
 was the more precious to him because there had been 
 in times past rather sharp contentions and grave dif- 
 ferences about important matters between the two 
 apostles. 
 
 The day was warm, and Paulus sat by the side of 
 an open window. The pretorian of the guard to whom 
 he was chained lounged lazily against the wall near 
 another window. His tour of duty lasted a day, and he 
 was now waiting expectantly for his much desired re- 
 lease. Paulus did not feel well. Some weighty prob- 
 lems connected with the administration of the Church 
 pressed upon him. His face was pale, his brow fur- 
 rowed, and although he never had a warning of those 
 
 269
 
 270 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 seizures to which he was liable, he was indefinably ap- 
 prehensive nevertheless of something untoward. He 
 laid the roll of manuscript down on his knees and cov- 
 ered his eyes with his hand. He had read it several 
 times already, and he wanted to consider it prayerfully 
 and undisturbed. 
 
 The pretorian, attracted by the light clink of the 
 chain as the prisoner lifted his arm, glanced at Paulus, 
 observed his lips moving, and thought that the old man 
 was praying to his gods, as was often his custom. This 
 particular soldier was a stupid man, upon whom all 
 that happened during his tour of duty made little or 
 no impression. He was bored rather than anything 
 else with the long day of dull guarding in which noth- 
 ing of any importance ever seemed to occur, and he 
 was accordingly glad when he heard the steady tramp of 
 a number of men mounting the stairs outside. They 
 presently came to a halt on the platform beyond the 
 door. 
 
 Paulus was not able to enjoy the luxury of a door- 
 keeper, and thus no one without had the least hesita- 
 tion in entering unceremoniously. The huge wooden door 
 revolved and an under officer appeared in the opening. 
 The decurion, bidding the rest of the maniple, or squad 
 of ten men, remain outside, after directing one of them 
 to come with him, without a word of greeting strode 
 abruptly into the room, followed by the designated 
 soldier. At his belt hung a bunch of keys. The process 
 of relieving guard was a common one to Paulus ; for 
 over a year and a half he had witnessed it daily and 
 it had ceased to interest him. A certain regular number
 
 LOLLIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 271 
 
 of soldiers was detailed for his particular guard and the 
 personnel of the guard was not often changed. There 
 was no novelty about the process or the men. 
 
 Nevertheless, the apostle usually greeted the new- 
 comers with a gentle word and a pleasant smile which 
 sometimes won for him a grudging respect and on occa- 
 sion a certain shamefaced regard, but in this instance 
 he was so deeply plunged in thought over Peter's epistle 
 that he did not lift his head or even drop his hand and 
 raise his eyes. 
 
 The pretorian about to be relieved saluted, stood at 
 attention, and extended his arm. The pretorian who 
 was to relieve him stepped forward and extended his 
 arm also. From the bunch of keys at his belt the 
 decurion selected a small one. With it he unlocked the 
 fetter on the arm of the pretorian, who heaved a long 
 sigh of relief as he was thus freed, and watched with 
 interest while the fetter was clasped about the left arm 
 of the newcomer and locked as before. 
 
 The newcomer was such in every sense of the word. 
 The legionary who was relieved was a veteran and 
 knew most of the men of the cohort whence the guard 
 of Paulus had been selected, but he had never seen this 
 man before ; yet he was apparently a soldier of experi- 
 ence from his bearing. He wore his brilliant armour 
 embossed with silver easily, as if he were accustomed 
 even to things more splendid, and his carriage and 
 manner were begot of long service evidently. His face 
 was in marked contrast to those of the other soldiers of 
 the cohort, or of the corps even. It was youthful, 
 handsome, striking, and imperious. As the piercing
 
 272 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 glance of the newcomer fell upon the man about to 
 be relieved, the latter stifled a yawn, dropped to his 
 side hands which he had already extended in relaxation, 
 came involuntarily to attention, and made a motion as 
 if to salute, as if in the presence of a superior. He 
 only checked himself just in time from rendering this 
 unconscious tribute when he realised that he had to do 
 merely with a fellow-soldier. The decurion, another 
 veteran, saw the salute begun and stopped, and smiled 
 grimly. 
 
 " Fall in with the maniple outside," he said to the 
 man he had just relieved. " Hath anything untoward 
 chanced during the term of thy guard? Hast thou 
 aught to report? " 
 
 " Nothing." 
 
 " The prefect hath issued an order that we are to 
 search for a fair-haired, blue-eyed Gaulish or British 
 woman who hath escaped from the domus of one Caius 
 Attilius on the Aventine and hath disappeared in the 
 city. Hast thou seen her? " 
 
 " There are no women here except the old Jewess 
 who keeps house for the prisoner and a handmaid re- 
 cently come." 
 
 " That handmaid, what of her? " 
 
 " She is as brown-faced and as black-haired as any 
 Egyptian," returned the soldier carelessly. 
 
 " That is well. We seek not such." The decurion 
 turned to the newcomer. " Thou knowest thine orders. 
 The prisoner is not to be let out of thy sight, he is 
 not permitted to leave this apartment, otherwise he is 
 to do as he pleaseth and his confinement and bondage
 
 LOLLIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 273 
 
 are to be made as little irksome as possible. His 
 friends have liberty to visit him and they must be 
 treated courteously." 
 
 The new guard nodded. 
 
 " Thou art to report to me anything unusual or 
 extraordinary which thou mayest observe which appear- 
 eth to menace the Emperor and thou art to keep a 
 watch for that fair-haired maiden. Thou wilt be re- 
 lieved at this hour to-morrow. The prisoner is to pro- 
 vide thee with food, drink, and whatever else thou 
 needest, and on no account must the chain be slipped, 
 although as I have the key that is scarcely possible. 
 Keep good watch. Farewell." 
 
 The newcomer saluted, the decurion returned the sa- 
 lute, turned on his heel, and followed the relieved sentry 
 out on to the platform, swinging the door on its pivot 
 behind him. He spoke a few words to the command 
 and the men tramped down the stairs as they had come. 
 
 The newcomer stood as if rooted to the spot. Chance 
 had given him the very opportunity he would have 
 craved. His personal appearance, his bearing, his mili- 
 tary knowledge, his known courage, would have fitted 
 him for one of the pretorians in immediate attendance 
 upon the Emperor, but Tigellinus deemed it best that 
 the new recruit should not be brought into close touch 
 with Cassar just yet. For one thing, he was not quite 
 sure of Caius Attilius. For another thing, Tigellinus 
 was too deeply involved financially in the transaction 
 to desire to make it possible for Nero to question his 
 former friend. And lastly, this being chained to the 
 Hebrew was looked upon by most of the soldiers as the
 
 274 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 most unpleasant and degrading of the duties of the 
 Pretorian Guard. The prefect had no wish to make 
 things easy for his new recruit; indeed, there had en- 
 tered into his crafty mind the possibility that he could 
 force him, or goad him, into open rebellion, in which 
 case it would be a simple matter to sentence him to 
 death, and no witness to the shady financial transaction 
 by which Regulus had secured even this much for his 
 friend and former commander would be left. Tigel- 
 linus felt that he could deal easily with the unsupported 
 word of the veteran centurion. He did not intend that 
 the newcomer should fall into a bed of roses, by any 
 means. 
 
 The young man standing there staring at Paulus was 
 in two minds. He knew that what was considered a 
 disagreeable and degrading duty had been devolved 
 upon him and he was resentful accordingly. At the 
 same time Paulus exercised a strange fascination over 
 him, their lives had been linked together by a chain of 
 events even more binding than was the steel that ran 
 from hand to hand. 
 
 In some degree his punishment was due to Paulus, 
 although he was too fair a man to lay that completely 
 to his charge ; yet the fact that he had promised Paulus 
 to protect Gwenna and the fact that Paulus' prohibi- 
 tion had prevented his passionate desire from running 
 its course and had thereby whetted his love for the 
 maiden, had made him more ready to brave even Nero 
 in her behalf. Again, he might not have bought the 
 British woman if it had not been for that sign of the 
 fish which Lucas had given him as they parted on the
 
 LOLLIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 275 
 
 island of Malta. But he was too just a man at heart 
 not to admit that he would probably have purchased 
 Gwenna when he saw her on the block of Phryx, and 
 that he probably would have loved her, and even if he 
 had possessed her he would probably have fought with 
 Nero for her, whether Paulus had ever come to Rome 
 or not. So his resentment was not very keen, not nearly 
 so lively indeed as his interest. 
 
 That interest was in Paulus himself, who did not 
 fail to impress all who came in contact with him most 
 profoundly, be they high or low in station, Roman, 
 Greek, Hebrew, or what not. There was a strange, 
 mysterious power about the man which affected every 
 one greatly. But the interest of the tribune was greater 
 because through Paulus he hoped to find Gwenna. The 
 conversation between the decurion and his predecessor 
 convinced him that Gwenna had not as yet been cap- 
 tured and Paulus had bestowed her in some place of 
 safety. He did not suspect that the black-haired serv- 
 ing woman to whom the soldier had referred was she. 
 
 He wished now that he could see again the worthy 
 centurion, his former subordinate, for since Caius At- 
 tilius had been closely questioned and had honestly af- 
 firmed that he had no knowledge of the whereabouts of 
 the maiden, it would now be safe to trust him with 
 the secret of her hiding place. The discipline of the 
 pretorians was rigid, but they were allowed a free day in 
 Rome on occasion, and he did not doubt that with the 
 connivance and help of Regulus he could manage to 
 spend some time in comparative safety with golden 
 Gwenna again. He could make a guess that Paulus had
 
 276 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 committed her to the care of some of the other Chris- 
 tians, and he was burning with anxiety and desire to 
 question the Hebrew about her, to learn where she was 
 and where he could see her. 
 
 There was something in the attitude of the man, and 
 the deep preoccupation and melancholy which were sug- 
 gested by his posture, however, that kept Attilius for 
 the moment from disturbing him. He stood in silence, 
 hoping and expecting that Paulus would presently 
 change his position and give him an opportunity to 
 speak, and that silence was a tribute of respect from 
 the Roman to the personality of the Hebrew. 
 
 When he could bear it no longer, he gathered up the 
 chain in his hand and stepped toward the silent figure in 
 the chair. The movement of course attracted the at- 
 tention of the Hebrew. He dropped his hand, his lips 
 closed, his murmurings ceased, he raised his head and 
 turned it in the direction of his keeper, beginning his 
 customary gentle and courteous salutation to the new- 
 comer. 
 
 " Greeting, soldier," he said, and then beneath the 
 plumed and glittering helmet he recognised the face of 
 the man. " Caius Attilius ! " he exclaimed, " the 
 tribune ! " 
 
 He rose to his feet and stared in surprise. 
 
 " The same, worthy Paulus." 
 
 " And what dost thou here ? Is it play on thy part ? 
 Hast thou entered upon this duty " 
 
 " I am a soldier of the guard, as thou seest." 
 
 " I remember," said Paulus, passing his hand over 
 his brow. " I do not feel very well this morning. I
 
 LOLLIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 277 
 
 have been told of thy brave defence of the woman, of 
 the trouble in which thou hast been involved by crossing 
 the will of the Emperor, and of the punishment which 
 hath been meted out to thee. But I did not dream that 
 thou shouldst be allotted the duty of guarding me. 
 Didst thou apply for that position? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 "How then?" 
 
 " The pretorians are a rough sort ; they do not fancy 
 the long confinement at the end of this chain. The new- 
 comer gets the unpleasant detail." 
 
 "And is it unpleasant to thee?" 
 
 " Since I am degraded to the ranks, it mattereth little 
 to what further pass I am reduced, or to what duty 
 I am assigned." 
 
 " My son," said Paulus gravely, " thou and thy com- 
 rades who are bound to me have opportunities unfor- 
 tunately denied to the others, for which perhaps some 
 day thou and they may thank God." 
 
 " What opportunities ? " 
 
 " To hear from one who hath seen Him, and believed 
 therefore, about the Christus." 
 
 " That God of thine," laughed Attilius, half in scorn, 
 half in amazement. 
 
 " As the world seeth and believeth in that God of 
 mine, as thou sayest, its fate shall be determined." 
 
 " The proposition doth little interest me," answered 
 the Roman ; " my fate is already determined. I have 
 lost fortune, liberty, the woman I love. I am a soldier, 
 a legionary; and as thou art my prisoner so this chain
 
 278 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 also makes me thine. But enough of that. The maiden 
 Gwenna, what of her? " 
 
 " I have seen her." 
 
 " What said she? Was she well? " 
 
 " Well, and she hath told me many things." 
 
 " Where is she now? What hast thou done with her? 
 How can I see her? When can I have speech with 
 her?" 
 
 " Patience, good youth," answered Paulus, smiling ; 
 " she is well. Thou canst both see her and have speech 
 with her presently." 
 
 " Speed the hour when I shall be released and can 
 search for her." 
 
 " You would not jeopard her life, her honour, by any 
 rash action ? " 
 
 " I am not likely to, good Paulus, since to pre- 
 serve them I have forfeited everything but my own 
 life." 
 
 " The maiden told me of thine action. It was bravely 
 done, Roman ; thou art a man indeed. God shall 
 requite thee here or hereafter. That thou hast perilled 
 everything for a slave " 
 
 "A slave no longer; I took her before the praetor 
 and she is now free as she was born." 
 
 "And is a woman ever free who loveth? " asked 
 Paulus shrewdly. 
 
 " May the gods bless thee for those words," cried 
 Attilius. " Indeed, all that makes me support the 
 disgrace of my position is that it was for her and that 
 I have been of service to her." 
 
 "And wouldst thou marry this maiden? "
 
 LOLLIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 279 
 
 " Would I? Let me throw aside this armour and be 
 a free man once more " 
 
 " But I have heard that thou art still in bonds." 
 
 " Thou meanest " 
 
 " To the lady Lollia Claudia." 
 
 " The disfavour of the Emperor will snap those 
 bonds," answered Caius Attilius grimly. " I sent her 
 a message of the strait to which I was reduced and of- 
 fered to release her. She said that I might expect her 
 at the camp this day. I looked for her, not knowing 
 that I was to be allotted this service." 
 
 " I do indeed hear footsteps upon the stairs," said 
 Paulus, whose defective vision was compensated for by 
 an unusually acute sense of hearing. " Who cometh, 
 I wonder ? " 
 
 " Some of thy Christian friends belike," answered 
 Attilius. 
 
 " Nay, these are the hours in which they work as 
 slaves, or humble freedmen, or modest citizens, earning 
 their bread in the sweat of their brows. It is some 
 stranger." 
 
 " We shall soon see." 
 
 As he spoke the door opened again and half a score 
 of slaves in a rich uniform entered without saying so 
 much as by your leave. They separated and disclosed 
 in their midst the little figure of Lollia Claudia. 
 
 At the sight of her Attilius started violently. 
 
 " So," she cried, in a voice of anger and contempt, 
 " I find thee chained like a beast to this dog of a 
 Jew." 
 
 " Chained am I, it were useless to deny it, but he
 
 280 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 whom thou dost term a dog of a Jew is a Roman citi- 
 zen." 
 
 " How came the covetousness of the Jew to give way 
 to the temptations of citizenship, since he must have 
 parted with many sesterces for the privilege? " 
 
 " I was freeborn," said Paulus gently, " and my 
 father before me." 
 
 " And doth the wretch presume to speak to me. 
 Smite him on the mouth," cried Lollia furiously to one 
 of her attendants. 
 
 The man addressed raised the whip that he used to 
 clear the way through the crowded streets for the litter 
 of his mistress and stepped forward, but Attilius was 
 before him. 
 
 " This is a prisoner who hath appealed to Caesar. 
 He is under my charge. Lay but the weight of thy 
 finger upon him, slave, and thou diest." 
 
 He whipped out the short-bladed Roman sword that 
 he wore as he spoke. He did not raise his voice above 
 its conversational tone, but there was that in his quiet 
 bearing which convinced that particular slave and all 
 the rest. The man fell back in discomfiture and con- 
 fusion. 
 
 " If it be God's will," said Paulus, " that for my sins 
 I be smitten at a woman's command, His will be done." 
 
 The bearing of the Hebrew was as meek as his words, 
 but his eyes flashed, his colour came and went, his body 
 trembled under the strong constraint he put upon him- 
 self. 
 
 " It is not my will," said Attilius proudly, " and 
 that settleth it."
 
 LOLLIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 281 
 
 " I might have expected it," sneered the woman ; 
 ** any man who would throw away life, riches, honour 
 for a wretched slave might even be expected to protect 
 a vile Jew from merited chastisement." 
 
 "Thou hast heard?" 
 
 " I have heard everything. Thou wert betrothed to 
 me to me," she struck her breast as she spoke, " and 
 yet for the sake of a common woman from the block, 
 whom I would have given to the basest of my people, 
 thou hast lost the favour of thine Emperor and art 
 brought so low." 
 
 Attilius bowed before her. He said nothing, there 
 was nothing to say. No defence that he could enter into 
 would have been of the least use, the woman before him 
 would not have comprehended. She was incapable of 
 fine actions herself and it was impossible for her to 
 understand them in another. 
 
 " Thou canst speak fluently in defence of thy 
 leman before Nero, but thou standest dumb before me," 
 she continued. 
 
 " I know what is due to a woman," said Attilius, 
 goaded into speech at last, " but I warn thee not to 
 try my patience too far. Thou canst heap thy con- 
 tempt upon me, perhaps I merit it, but when thou dost 
 asperse the character of that British maiden thy re- 
 marks cannot pass unchallenged." 
 
 " And who art thou now," cried Lollia insolently, 
 " to question what I say or what I do? " 
 
 " I am of a family as old and as honourable as thine 
 own," cried Attilius, forgetful for the moment of his 
 present station ; " I am "
 
 282 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Thou art a pretorian of the guard, a common sol- 
 dier ! Come no nearer," cried the woman ; " touch me 
 not at thy peril." 
 
 In his anger Attilius had advanced threateningly 
 close to Lollia. She was brave as her race. She did 
 not give back an inch. She looked at him sneeringly, 
 mockingly, and then lifted her little hand and struck 
 him fair upon the cheek. It was a light blow, but heavy 
 indeed in the bearing. Attilius stood appalled. No 
 chastising hand had ever been laid upon him since his 
 childhood days. He stared into the glittering eyes and 
 flaming face of the Roman woman, his hand clenching 
 and unclenching. Paulus instantly gathered the chain 
 in his hand and with difficulty resisted the impulse to 
 draw it tight so as to hold back the man. He was 
 fearful what the tribune might do, but when he saw 
 that he had not lost his self-control he dropped the 
 gathered links of the chain and watched him anxiously. 
 
 " Thou hast struck a soldier of Caesar," said Attilius, 
 with that same deadly calm with which he had menaced 
 the slave. " The dishonour is to him whose uniform 
 I wear, not to myself. Should it be reported it would 
 go hard with thee." 
 
 " And dost thou think they would weigh the word 
 of a pretorian of the guard against the denial of a 
 daughter of the Claudii? " laughed the angry woman. 
 
 " I shall give them no opportunity," answered Caius 
 Attilius, " for I remember that thou wert my promised 
 wife and I would not put the shame and danger upon 
 thee." 
 
 " Thou fool, one moment in Nero's arms, one whisper
 
 LOLLIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 283 
 
 through the lips I might press upon the Emperor's 
 cheek, and thou mightest talk thyself dumb." 
 
 " Standeth the matter thus ? " asked the tribune. 
 
 " Thus." 
 
 " There are some compensations even in the direst 
 of misfortunes then," he answered meaningly. 
 
 " Yes," said the woman, " if thou hadst died rather 
 than submit to this degradation, I should not have 
 been mocked for the quality of my betrothed." 
 
 " Had I lived," said Attilius, " I should have been 
 mocked for the quality of mine." 
 
 " Thou dost insult me," cried Lollia. 
 
 " I would not so fail in my duty toward a woman," 
 answered the tribune ; " if thou art insulted, the insult 
 lieth in Nero's arms and that kiss upon his cheek of 
 which thou hast spoken." 
 
 " And thou wouldst be honoured by what the Em- 
 peror left." 
 
 " That I am not so honoured," said the tribune 
 gravely, " is the compensation that I find." 
 
 " Enough," said Lollia, endeavouring to carry off 
 her discomfiture by greater arrogance. " They laugh 
 at me in the streets, they ask me when I am going to 
 wed my legionary. Thou hast made an enemy of me. 
 When I get the ear of the Emperor thou shalt be made 
 to feel what it is to have incurred my wrath. I have 
 not done with thee yet." 
 
 " The longer thou stayest and the more I hear, the 
 more I congratulate myself upon my escape." 
 
 " Dog," cried the woman in fury,' " let me go that I 
 may get to work upon my vengeance."
 
 284 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " I pray of thee, lady, of thy kindness stay a mo- 
 ment," interposed the old Hebrew. 
 
 "Dost thou address me again, Jew?" cried Lollia 
 in surprise. 
 
 " For the second time I presume." 
 
 " What wouldst thou? " 
 
 " A word with thee. Nay," continued Paulus ear- 
 nestly, " deny me not. It is for thine own interest." 
 
 There was something in his voice and bearing which 
 affected Lollia strangely. 
 
 " Well, then," she said, coming to a sudden decision. 
 She threw her hand out toward Attilius, " Stand aside." 
 
 " If thou wilt," said Paulus courteously to the young 
 Roman. 
 
 " At thy request," returned Attilius, walking to the 
 limit of his tether and turning his back. 
 
 Paulus and Lollia conversed for a few moments. 
 
 "It is false," cried the woman suddenly; "I will 
 have thee beaten." 
 
 But Paulus only shook his head. 
 
 " Remember, I pray thee. As for beating me, it 
 would profit thee little, and indeed I am under Caesar's 
 protection and will some day have a hearing." 
 
 " That for thy protection," she said in fury. 
 
 She seized from the nearest slave the whip and with 
 it struck the apostle viciously. The lash curled across 
 his shoulders and left a red line on his cheek. His face 
 was suddenly transformed. White with anger, break- 
 ing all bounds, he straightened himself and extended 
 his hand. 
 
 " God shall smite thee, thou whited-wall, thou Jeze-
 
 LOLLIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 285 
 
 bel," he cried loudly. " How darest thou raise thy 
 soiled hand against the Lord's anointed? Go and be 
 silent ! " 
 
 " I go," said Lollia, turning away and striving des- 
 perately to conceal her sudden terr6r at the strange 
 wrath of this old man who towered above her like an' 
 ancient prophet. " I have left my mark on the Jew's 
 face and on thine, soldier, and I trust I may never see 
 his countenance again or thine," she continued, striving 
 to regain her lost ascendancy. 
 
 " I forgot myself. I was wrong to be angry. The 
 God whom I serve bless thee, woman," said Paulus most 
 contritely and gently, " and grow within thee a clean 
 heart and a right spirit. Thou knowest not what thou 
 hast done. Forgive my bitter words, and go in peace." 
 
 But without a word the shaken Lollia turned away 
 and rushed angrily down the room and out of the door, 
 followed by her slaves. There had been something so 
 terrible in the sudden fierce blaze of the Hebrew's anger 
 that she could scarcely sustain it. Attilius lifted his 
 hand, drew off his helmet, and brushed the cold sweat 
 from his brow as he looked wonderingly at his com- 
 panion. 
 
 " I forgot myself. I have sinned. How often doth 
 this evil spirit in me get the mastery of me," began 
 Paulus in deep contrition. " O wretched man that I 
 am ! Who shall deliver me from the body of this 
 death?" 
 
 " It was nobly done," answered Attilius. 
 
 "Dost thou fear that woman?" asked the apostle, 
 shaking his head in disclaim of his keeper's praise.
 
 286 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " I fear her not. She may tell the Emperor^ what 
 she will. I am alive by his command and at Gwenna's 
 entreaty to me and because I would not cause innocent 
 blood to follow mine. If he condemn me to die, I 
 shall " 
 
 " She will not speak to Caesar." 
 
 " You know her not, worthy Paulus," said Caius At- 
 tilius ; " she fancieth herself scorned, and she is not far 
 wrong in her imagining. You know it hath been said, 
 hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." 
 
 " Nevertheless, she will not speak to Caesar ; I am old, 
 in humble circumstances, a prisoner, but Aliturus " 
 
 "The Jewish dancer?" 
 
 " The same. Well, he hath often consulted with me. 
 He hath told me of this Lollia, among other things that 
 happen at court." 
 
 "And didst thou threaten her? " 
 
 " Nay," said Paulus, " I simply told her what I 
 knew and begged that she would leave thee to thy fate. 
 There was punishment enough in that." 
 
 " Aye, and degradation. Let her speak and let Nero 
 kill me. I suppose I should thank thee for that release 
 if he shall do so, for to what but death have I to look 
 forward now ? " 
 
 " To Gwenna," said Paulus, smiling at him. 
 
 " Ah, tell me of her ! " cried Attilius. 
 
 But Paulus was not looking at him. A sudden change 
 came over his white face, his jaw fell, his eyes dilated, 
 his fingers expanded for a moment, a low, awful cry 
 broke from his lips, then his jaws snapped like a trap 
 and ground together, his hands clenched, his eyes rolled
 
 LOLLIA SPEAKETH HER MIND 287 
 
 upwards. A fleck of white foam fell from his lips upon 
 his grey beard. His face became engorged with blood. 
 He collapsed suddenly, crashing down upon the floor, 
 where he lay convulsed, thrusting and wallowing ; sense, 
 sensibility, intellect gone, rolling like a beast at the 
 feet of the tribune.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 THE STROKE AND THE SPURNING 
 
 ATTILIUS stared at Paulus in horror, the sound of that 
 awful crying almost freezing the blood in his veins. It 
 chanced that he had never before seen a man so stricken 
 and yet he recognised the nature of the attack at once. 
 He was as brave a man as ever faced an enemy. He 
 was as sceptical about the existence of the gods as any 
 Roman of his time, yet in his heart, as in the hearts 
 of all, lingered a belief in omens, malign spells cast by 
 evil spirits, indicated by appalling visitations a final 
 residuum of a once blind faith in mysterious divinities. 
 The comitial disease, for so the Romans characterised 
 the falling sickness, or epilepsy, because it stopped even 
 the business of the state whenever it was manifested, 
 was looked upon as a direct manifestation of the wrath 
 of the gods, as indicative that the sufferer from it 
 was under the ban of their displeasure, and that some 
 evil fate pursued him and marked him out in the fright- 
 ful way as an object of superhuman animosity. 
 
 There was little pity or tenderness in a Roman heart 
 at best, especially for a Hebrew. Attilius had got over 
 the well-nigh universal prejudice against the Jew as 
 such, so far at least as Paulus was concerned, because 
 he admired him and respected him; he even loved him 
 in a way, in spite of his nationality, because of his
 
 THE STROKE AND THE SPURNING 289 
 
 qualities of mind and soul, but when these; were 
 in abeyance the ancient antagonism rose to the sur- 
 face. 
 
 His feelings toward the convulsed man at his feet 
 were of horror and loathing, even of contempt. He 
 made not the slightest effort to succour him or to control 
 his writhing although his movements were frightful; 
 but he stepped nearer to him, however, as if fascinated, 
 and bent over him, staring into that face usually so 
 benign, so composed, even majestic. And that face 
 which was normally the index of the man's soul was now 
 twisted awry, hideous, inexpressible. 
 
 " And I am chained to this ! " said Attilius under 
 his breath, all his contempt finding vent in his 
 words. 
 
 As he spoke he thrust the apostle with his foot, spurn- 
 ing him as evidence of his loathing and his shame. 
 There was a swish of drapery in the air, and a woman 
 thrust herself between the tribune and the prostrate 
 figure. So violent were her movements and so unpre- 
 pared for her onslaught was Attilius that he was almost 
 thrown off his balance as he staggered back. 
 
 Drawing from her head a cloth, a piece of silk with 
 which her hair had been covered, she spread it over the 
 face of Paulus, lifted his head and shoulders in her 
 arms, and strove to steady him. She was the better 
 able to do this last as the fierceness of the attack had 
 about spent itself when she came in. 
 
 Attilius had not seen her face, and she had as yet 
 spoken no word, but as he stood removed a little way, 
 there was something strangely familiar about her figure.
 
 290 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 Her heavy hair was black, her arms, neck, and cheek, 
 what he could see of them, were brown. Had it not 
 been for that he would have sworn 
 
 When the tortured, writhing body of Paulus had 
 finally relaxed so that he lay quiet in her arms, the 
 woman turned her face up toward the tribune. 
 
 " I saw thee spurn him with thy foot, Roman cow- 
 ard," she said bitterly. 
 
 Her face was a revelation which her voice, never 
 to be forgot, confirmed. 
 
 " Gwenna ! " exclaimed the amazed tribune, utterly 
 forgetful of Paulus. 
 
 " Attilius ! " she cried in equal surprise, as she recog- 
 nised him ; surprise succeeded by horror at what she 
 had seen him do. 
 
 " The gods be thanked I have found thee." 
 
 " If the world had told me that thou wouldst put 
 that indignity upon a stricken man and one to whom 
 thou art so indebted, I would not have believed it. 
 Nothing but the sight of mine own eyes hath convinced 
 me. I hate thee." 
 
 " The Jew is cursed of the gods," said the tribune. 
 
 " He hath therefore the more need to be befriended 
 of man." 
 
 " I care not to argue with thee about that," said 
 Attilius. Indeed, he did not think that he had done 
 anything amiss and he believed that the maiden's dis- 
 pleasure woulti be no more than a passing whim. 
 " Thou art here, thou art unharmed, I have found 
 thee. Leave the old Jew to himself, he is quiet now, 
 his fit hath passed, and come to my arms."
 
 THE STROKE AND THE SPURNING 
 
 " Hand me yonder cushion," said the girl, pointing 
 toward a seat and utterly ignoring his plea. 
 
 " Must I fetch and carry for a 
 
 " Wilt thou obey me? " she cried, as if she had been 
 Caesar himself, and, marvelling at her fire, Attilius did 
 her bidding. 
 
 She placed the cushion carefully under the head of 
 the prostrate apostle, composed his limbs, arranged his 
 disordered dress, and with the cloth she had taken from 
 her head wiped his lips. When she had done all that 
 she rose to her feet. 
 
 " Now," said the eager tribune, stepping toward 
 her with open arms. 
 
 But she in turn stepped quickly away from him and 
 stopped just beyond the limit of the chain which ran 
 from the soldier's arm to that of the stupefied, prostrate 
 figure, and there she faced him, a look of scorn and 
 contempt upon her face. 
 
 " Last night," she said, " I loved thee." 
 
 " And to-day? " burst out Attilius. 
 
 " I cannot tell. I loved a Roman, strong, brave, 
 true " 
 
 " And hath the night taken away my strength, or 
 diminished my bravery, or made me a liar? " 
 
 " The man to whom I gave my heart was gentle, 
 honourable " 
 
 " Thou hast a wondrous imagination," said Attilius 
 bitterly, " to ascribe these qualities to a Roman." 
 
 " And yet thou hadst been all these things to me." 
 
 " And have I changed? " 
 
 " So it seemeth."
 
 292 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 "And why?" 
 
 " Perhaps with the uniform of the legionary thou 
 hast put on the manners thereof. Many soldiers have 
 been charged with guarding Paulus, but they have all 
 learned, sooner or later, at least to respect the man. 
 I marvelled, when I saw thy sandalled foot thrust at 
 the body of the helpless, unconscious sufferer, which 
 one could put upon him such an indignity, and my 
 heart broke when I learned who had done it." 
 
 " And dost thou care so much for this old, almost 
 dead, stricken Hebrew, that because I touched him with 
 my foot thou canst throw over a love like mine? " 
 
 Attilius would not say he was sorry. Indeed, he was 
 not, save so far as it affected Gwenna. 
 
 " I am afraid to trust myself to love like thine," 
 answered Gwenna coldly. 
 
 " And yet in the past I did not use thee so ill." 
 
 " Thou wert kind to me according to thy lights, more 
 than kind perhaps, and I am grateful 
 
 " But thou carest more for him yonder than for 
 me?" 
 
 " Think a moment," said Gwenna. " Had it not 
 been for thine obligation to him, which he used in my 
 behalf rather than in his own, what had been my for- 
 tune? " 
 
 " I had loved thee ! " 
 
 " Yes, for a brief space, but now belike I should be 
 a discarded slave, the plaything of my newest master. 
 He saved me, but not alone for that do I love him as 
 my father. He hath told me the truth and he hath 
 given me back my faith in God."
 
 THE STROKE AND THE SPURNING 293 
 
 " Dost thou believe in the gods ? " 
 
 " Nay, but in One and His Son Christus ; Paulus 
 hath taught me; he hath been prophet, priest, and 
 father to me." 
 
 "And yet the punishment of the stroke? " 
 
 " It may be ; I cannot tell. I am unlearned in these 
 things. In his youth he persecuted those in whom he 
 now believeth. He was stricken down by a vision in 
 the way, and ever since that time when deeply troubled, 
 or agitated, or concerned, the falling sickness seizeth 
 him. So Lucas told me. Paulus thinks it may be a 
 punishment for his sins in the past. He hopes it may 
 be considered in some degree as expiation for what he 
 was and what he did. I have not known him for the 
 year or more which hath passed since thou didst take me 
 from the block of Phryx, without understanding as 
 much as a simple maiden can of his character. This 
 that seizeth him he calleth his thorn in the flesh. He will 
 be weak and sick hereafter for some days, and when he 
 realiseth what hath befallen him, shame and humiliation, 
 such as thou thyself mightest feel, will fill his heart. 
 Yet he will bear it, counting suffering as honour for 
 Christus' sake. And that he is so punished for what he 
 did so long since is evidence to him that God deemeth 
 him worthy of this affliction. For he saith, ' Whom the 
 Lord loveth, He chasteneth.' Yes, I love the good old 
 man." 
 
 " And I am as nothing? " 
 
 " I will not say that," answered Gwenna more softly, 
 the quickness of her resentment and anger beginning to 
 die down ; " thou wert much to me yesterday."
 
 294 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 "And to-day?" 
 
 " Less." 
 
 " And to-morrow ? " 
 
 " I cannot tell." 
 
 " And to win thee what must I do? Love this Jew? " 
 
 " He would spurn, as I, love that was assumed for a 
 purpose. But if thou couldst honour what he honour- 
 eth, if thou couldst learn what he teacheth, and believe 
 in Him he doth proclaim " 
 
 " I believe in nothing," said the tribune, " but in thy 
 beauty. Come hither." 
 
 He spoke with the imperiousness of bygone days, for- 
 getful of the change in conditions. 
 
 " Thou speakest as if it were yesterday," said the 
 woman. 
 
 " Yesterday? " 
 
 " Yesterday I was slave, to-day free." 
 
 The tribune made a step toward her. She did not 
 give way an inch. She was as courageous as Lollia, it 
 seemed. 
 
 " Caius Attilius," she said firmly, as she saw him 
 gather the chain into his hand to drag the prostrate 
 figure of the senseless Hebrew toward him to give him 
 further freedom of movement, " if thou dost disturb 
 the sleep of that good man by dragging upon that 
 chain thou wilt lose me forever." 
 
 " And was it for this," said the young man, standing 
 very erect and speaking very quietly, although his heart 
 was throbbing furiously,-" was it for this that I braved 
 the wrath of Caesar and saved thee from his drunken 
 caresses and kept thee from his polluting arms? Was
 
 THE STROKE AND THE SPURNING 295 
 
 it for this that I gave up fortune and home? Was it 
 for this that I accepted the degradation of this service ? 
 Was it for this that I am chained to this wretched old 
 man while Rome out yonder mocks and laughs? Yes, as 
 thou sayest, thou wert a slave and with a slave's art and 
 with a slave's cajoleries thou didst cling to my neck, 
 thou didst press thy lips upon mine, thou didst whisper 
 love words in my ear, thou wert ready to die at the point 
 of my sword with me, rather than be handed over to 
 Nero. But now that thou art free, thou hast naught 
 for me but scorn. Thou dost seize upon the foolish 
 pretext of an impulsive movement of a disgusted, broken 
 man as an excuse. Ye are all alike. Lollia Claudia was 
 here before thee. The same heart beats under every 
 woman's vesture. She came to mock me and insult me. 
 She struck me on the cheek, but the blow of her hand, 
 although it burned and burneth still, was nothing to 
 the blow to my heart and soul that thou hast given me. 
 Thou didst love me as a slave to escape from thy servi- 
 tude, but now that thou art free, I am nought to thee 
 but a thing to mock at. By the gods, were it not for 
 those brave men whose lives hang upon mine, I would 
 this instant unsheathe this sword," he stuck it a fierce 
 blow, " and with this right hand run it through my 
 sad heart. But I must live a life deserted, a life shamed, 
 a life abandoned, a life mocked, a life denied of love, 
 and thou mayest look on free ! " 
 
 " Lord," said the woman, stepping toward him, the 
 angry colour faded out of her cheek, her bosom heav- 
 ing; she had made several efforts to interrupt him as 
 he had spoken, but he would not permit it.
 
 296 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Back," said Attilius, thrusting her away ; " as thou 
 saidst a moment since, I am at the limit of my tether, 
 both of this chain and my temper. Why shouldst 
 thou care for me now that I am broken in fame and 
 fortune? There are other men, there is even Nero. 
 Shall I whisper to him where thou art hidden? " 
 
 " Forgive me," said Gwenna, quailing before the fierce 
 passion of his face and bearing. 
 
 " Forgiveness ? I am a Roman ; that is for thyself 
 and the Jew yonder." 
 
 " Nay." 
 
 " Trouble me no longer. I am on duty and would 
 fain not speak with one who changeth her heart as 
 easily as she changeth her complexion. If there are 
 women within or if Lucas can be found, he is a physician, 
 bid him be summoned. The man needeth care. It is not 
 my place to give it to him. I am here to guard him 
 and do thou go." 
 
 " Where wouldst thou that I should go, lord? " 
 
 " Anywhere, so it be out of my sight. Perhaps to the 
 lady Lollia. Thou mayest find her in a congenial mood 
 f reedwoman ! " 
 
 Without another word poor Gwenna turned on her 
 heel and left the chamber. Attilius stepped back to 
 the prostrate body of Paulus, which happened to be 
 lying near the wall, walked to the window, threw open 
 the casement, leaned his head on his hand, and stared 
 out over the city which he had entered so short a time 
 before, filled with so much joy of life; the city where 
 he had hoped, dreamed, loved, and lost. 
 
 Rebekah came presently, and after a little space, the
 
 THE STROKE AND THE SPURNING 297 
 
 boy Isaac having been despatched for Lucas, he came 
 also. They did what they could for Paulus, Attilius 
 never heeding. When they had all withdrawn save 
 Lucas, who watched by the couch upon which they had 
 laid his master and friend, the Greek physician and 
 the tribune had some converse together. Lucas told 
 the Roman how dreadful was the affliction under which 
 Paulus suffered, how it came upon him without warning 
 at the most inopportune times. On occasion he might 
 be preaching the Gospel to incredulous and unfriendly 
 audiences, only to be stricken down amid mocking 
 laughter and contempt, and how in spite of that which 
 would have sent a less heroic man into retirement he 
 toiled on and on. 
 
 " It seemeth to me," said the Greek, " that God hath 
 chosen the weak things of this world to confound the 
 mighty, for never hath Paulus faltered. To-morrow, 
 weak, nervous, sick, thou wilt yet see him, so far as his 
 tether permits, working about the mighty business of 
 his Father. Thou art a young man and a strong. 
 Thou wouldst be amazed if thou couldst know what this 
 man hath undergone. There is scarcely a city of the 
 East in which he hath preached his Gospel whose most 
 loathsome prison is not familiar to him. The stripes 
 that have been laid upon that poor, frail body are 
 beyond number. To look death in the face is a habit 
 with him. Five times to my knowledge did he receive 
 from his own nation forty stripes save one, and three 
 times hath he sunk under the fearful flagellum of thine. 
 Once he was stoned. To that shipwreck which we under- 
 went together, two more must be added, and in one of
 
 298 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 them he was a night and a day in the deep, sustained by 
 pieces of wreckage. But in it all he hath preached the 
 Gospel. I tell thee, Roman, when I think of his jour- 
 neys, some of which I have been humbly permitted to 
 share, of his perils of rivers and robbers, from his own 
 countrymen, from the heathen ; the dangers of both the 
 city and the wilderness, his watchings, his hunger and 
 thirst and cold, and beside all these things his anxiety 
 for the churches founded of peoples whom he hath led 
 to Christ who among you hath done better for his 
 king, and who is more worthy to bear the high honour 
 of Roman citizenship ? " 
 
 The Greek was eloquent in the story of Paulus, as 
 he outlined it, and his adventures in Galatia, Asia, 
 Macedonia, and Achaia, to say nothing of Jerusalem. 
 He told of Philippi, of Thessalonica, of Athens, of 
 Corinth, of Ephesus, and the account of all that Paulus 
 had suffered and all that he had undergone moved the 
 tribune profoundly. A sense of shame stole over him 
 at the thought of that half-inadvertent thrust of the 
 foot. 
 
 " He hath suffered much," said Attilius, seated op- 
 posite Lucas on a chair by the side of the couch. 
 
 He rose as he spoke and looked into the face of the 
 apostle. It had become composed, his breathing was 
 natural and easy, the dignity and power of the man's 
 soul had come back to him. It was the Paulus whom 
 he had known, who lay there now ; but weak, old, inef- 
 fably weary, the burden of years, cares, and experi- 
 ences heavy upon him. The tribune bent over him,
 
 THE STROKE AND THE SPURNING 299 
 
 holding the chain in his hand so that it might not clink 
 and awaken the sleeper. 
 
 " So," said Lucas gently, " I have often seen him 
 bend over thee in the cabin of the ship when thou wert 
 nearly dead, nearer death than he is now." 
 
 " Will he die in one of these strange seizures, thinkest 
 thou?" 
 
 " He hopeth not. He would fain wear a martyr's 
 crown, and indeed I think it will so come to pass, but 
 not until he hath finished his course, until he hath fought 
 his fight, the fight of one who keepeth the faith." 
 
 " It seemeth strange to me," said Attilius, " that one 
 could be so brave, that one could endure so much, that 
 one could survive such humiliation, for a mere dream, 
 for an ideal founded upon a vision." 
 
 " And if that were so, it would be strange," answered 
 wise old Lucas ; " men do not spend themselves nor are 
 they spent so gloriously for dreams and visions. That 
 Paulus hath done and will do all these things is evidence 
 of the truth that is in him. Men have believed before 
 and died for their beliefs, I grant thee," continued the 
 evangelist. 
 
 " Aye, and when both belief and believer have been 
 in error," said Attilius. 
 
 " But where are such beliefs and believers now? " 
 meaningly asked the physician. 
 
 " Gone," admitted the tribune. 
 
 " Even so, for that which is not founded upon truth 
 cannot prevail, no matter how magnificently it be pro- 
 claimed or how gloriously men give themselves to attest 
 it. It is thirty-eight years since Paulus was stricken
 
 300 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 down, and now the whole East is dotted with temples 
 where he hath preached his God and where that God 
 is now worshipped. Thou dost not know, thou dost 
 not realise, thou dost not understand this. Those who 
 follow Christ are poor and humble mainly, only here 
 and there is one rich or noble or powerful. But there 
 are thousands of them. They come from all sorts and 
 conditions of men, and some day at the name of Jesus 
 every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess 
 that Christ is Lord ! " 
 
 " Not my tongue and not my knee," said Attilius ; " I 
 mean no disrespect to Paulus or to thee, good Lucas, 
 but I cannot see and I cannot believe." 
 
 "Some day, something says to me, O Roman, thou 
 wilt both see and believe."
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 MOCKED IN THE GARDEN 
 
 CAIUS ATTILIUS saw no more of Gwenna during the re- 
 mainder of that day's service. Paulus slept long, and 
 when he awakened Lucas would allow none to question 
 him. Usually men seized as he have no remembrance of 
 their seizure when consciousness returns, but Paulus 
 had been too often the victim of such attacks not to 
 realise presently what had happened to him when he 
 finally awoke to reason and life again. 
 
 He was a proud man, this Hebrew, of the proudest 
 and most ancient lineage of his tribe and race, and 
 although in the service of his Master he exhibited that 
 humility which was so characteristic of the Christ he 
 followed, he was only human; and that he should be 
 so afflicted in the presence of friend and enemy was 
 worse than death itself to him. Indeed, Paulus was 
 a man of fierce and haughty temper naturally, not 
 always controlled, as Lollia Claudia could bear witness. 
 His pride comported not ill with his Roman citizenship, 
 yet so extraordinary was his self-repression and the 
 high command he exercised over himself that it was 
 on rare occasions indeed that he broke forth as he had 
 upon the lady Lollia with such startling results. 
 
 With returning consciousness, a look of shame, suc- 
 ceeding the first struggle for recollection, covered the 
 apostle's face. There was something so pitiful and 
 
 301
 
 302 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 pitiable in his humiliation that Attilius forbore to con- 
 verse with him or even to look upon him, and when 
 the old man lying helpless and broken upon the couch 
 covered his face with his hands and murmured that he 
 was crucified with Christ, although Attilius did not 
 apprehend, he did not question. Silence was best for 
 Paulus then. And a feeling of shame began to steal 
 over the iron-hearted Roman for that spurning foot 
 of his. Yet that growing repentance did not modify 
 his resentment, his bitter anger against Gwenna, who 
 had been, according to her lover's ideas, so ungrateful. 
 
 Something in the tender consideration shown to one 
 another by the inhabitants and visitors in the apart- 
 ment was communicated to the tribune. Some sort of 
 leaven was working in his mind. A year before he would 
 have hesitated, not at all before Jew or Roman, but now, 
 although he had provocation enough for speech, both in 
 what Lucas had told him and in the explanation of the 
 presence of Gwenna and their future relations, he kept 
 silent. Yea, like the Psalmist of whom he had never 
 heard, he refrained even from good words, although it 
 was pain and grief to him. So the afternoon and night 
 wore away at last. 
 
 When the day broke Paulus aroused himself and per- 
 formed his ablutions. Like the high-class Hebrew of 
 his time, he was scrupulously clean about his person, not 
 to say dainty, and although his vesture was old and 
 worn and plain, it was spotless. Not even Attilius him- 
 self was more careful. Restored to something of his 
 usual self, Paulus greeted the young tribune pleasantly, 
 but engaged in no conversation, and when the hour of
 
 MOCKED IN THE GARDEN 303 
 
 relief arrived the Roman bade him farewell and went off 
 with the decurion and his soldiers. 
 
 The Fates, as he would have phrased it, were cer- 
 tainly against him. He had been brought very low ; 
 he fancied that the worst to which he could be exposed 
 had befallen him. He was yet to experience the further 
 malice of Nero. The Emperor had not forgot him. 
 By his personal order he was that night made one of 
 the guards on duty at a fete in the palace gardens, 
 where but a few days before he had been a guest with 
 all the privileges and liberties accorded to the others ; 
 while Nero laid aside the purple and simply became 
 the chief blackguard among his emulators, who, at his 
 own command, treated him exactly, on such occasions, 
 as they treated one another. 
 
 He was now a soldier, and although to bear arms had 
 been of old counted the highest privilege of Roman 
 citizenship, Attilius was made to feel that he was little 
 better than a menial. A deliberate effort was made to 
 call attention to his disgrace and increase his humilia- 
 tion and shame, for Nero with Lollia upon his arm 
 Poppaea being similarly occupied elsewhere with one of 
 her own favourites both of them drunk and half naked, 
 paraded up and down before the guard, whom they dis- 
 cussed as if he had been a block of wood, or perhaps 
 better, one of the unfortunate slaves stood up for auc- 
 tion. 
 
 Taking their cue from their master, the brutal Tigel- 
 linus, the effeminate Senecio, the caustic Vestinus, with 
 the whole profligate and abandoned crew, heaped insult 
 \nd mockery upon him by insinuation, innuendo, and, as
 
 304 
 
 they became more drunk, by open and reviling accusa- 
 tion. The proud soul and fierce temper of the Roman 
 revolted. He stood quietly to outward seeming, but 
 within was on fire with suppressed pasion. Although 
 the gardens were lighted, the means of illumination were 
 not sufficient to make faces clear in the dimness of the 
 shaded park, else had the leering, lurching Nero caught 
 sight of the blazing eyes of the tribune he might well 
 have been afraid. 
 
 Attilius resolutely determined upon his course. In 
 fact, so soon as he saw what they would be at, he decided 
 that silence was not only the safest, truth to tell he 
 cared little about safety! but the best course, and if 
 he could endure without a word their insults, if he 
 could let them pass him by like the idle wind which 
 he respected not, the very fact of his indifference would 
 give him the mastery in the end and even up the score. 
 But it was not an easy task to which he applied himself. 
 He could not estimate the power of exacerbation ex- 
 hibited by his former friends nor his own power of 
 resistance. He had fought in many battles, he had 
 struggled on stricken fields, huddled together with his 
 comrades, desperately striking at hordes of barbarians 
 when it seemed that no valour, no resolution, could evef 
 keep them back ; yet he had never fought such a battle 
 as he fought that night. 
 
 He felt the need of more than mortal help for his 
 more than mortal task. When he could he cast his eyes 
 upward. Although he believed in no god, his heart 
 spoke voicelessly, perhaps from some ancient inheritance 
 of simpler worship. Finally, at the climax of his tor-
 
 MOCKED IN THE GARDEN 305 
 
 ture, when the roisterers ringed about him, made their 
 comments upon him, and at last actually cast pieces of 
 gold at his feet, as at the feet of a player who had 
 amused them, and he let them lie in disdain until the 
 voice of Nero hiccoughed a command that he pick them 
 up, the thought of Paulus and what he had whispered 
 that morning came to him. What had been the apostle's 
 words ? "I am crucified with Christ ! " Who was that 
 Christus to whom he prayed? The old gods in whom he 
 did not believe had done nothing for Attilius, perhaps 
 that Christus 
 
 He made no prayer, he did not know how to make 
 a prayer, that Roman, but the thought of that Christus 
 and who He might be came into his mind ; for surely 
 no crucifixion could be more terrible than that mental 
 punishment the tribune was undergoing. Even the 
 vague thought gave him some comfort. Paulus was 
 a man, what would he have done? Attilius, now that 
 he had entered upon his part as a soldier, determined 
 to play it to the end. He saluted Nero, therefore, and 
 stooped and gathered up the coin. 
 
 " I thank thee, Cassar, for thy generosity," he said, 
 " and thy noble friends for the worthiness with which 
 they sustain the Roman character and the Roman 
 fame." 
 
 "And hast thou no word for me, legionary?" cried 
 Lollia, and she had never loved Attilius more than as 
 he stood now an iron statue, towering over even the 
 Emperor, masterful beyond expression, amid these 
 drunken Romans. " Hast thou no word for me? " 
 
 " Thou hast thy reward, lady, with him whose arm
 
 306 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 encircleth thy waist. Mayest thou prove worthy of thy 
 position and get out of it all that thy beauty and thy 
 character may merit." 
 
 " Let him be killed," hissed the woman, upon whom 
 the meaning of the speech was not lost in spite of the 
 dulling of her wit by the wine she had indulged in so 
 freely. 
 
 " No," said Cassar, " it was a p-proper speech. I 
 have none too many s-soldiers as p-patient as he. I 
 cannot spare him yet. Say I not well? " 
 
 He looked around the circle. 
 
 " Well, as thou dost always speak," said Tigellinus. 
 
 " Silence, b-blockhead," said Nero, " I want the opin- 
 ion of my arbiter, P-Pe-tronius." 
 
 " Divinity," answered that senator, who had taken no^ 
 part in the torment of Attilius save to watch it with 
 keen interest and to long for some one with whom he 
 could wager that the tribune he admired would not lose 
 his self-control, " Divinity," began Petronius, " in thy 
 speech and in thy bearing thou art worthy of the occa- 
 sion and worthy of the beautiful Lollia as she is worthy 
 of thee." 
 
 The Emperor and his companions were too deeply 
 besotted to catch the irony in the arbiter's voice and 
 manner, but Caius Attilius observed it and was glad. 
 
 " Tigellinus, take notice," stammered Nero. 
 " Shouldst thou b-be able to t-turn c-compliments like 
 that thou m-mightest aspire to the p-purple but when 
 I am g-gone," he added with sudden cold menace. 
 " Come, let us away ; I am t-tired of this virtuous s-sol- 
 dier. Bid him begone."
 
 MOCKED IN THE GARDEN 307 
 
 It was late indeed when Attilius got back to the 
 barracks, and when one of his fellow-soldiers questioned 
 him about the night, with a soldier's desire to hear some 
 vile detail of what had happened, he turned on him 
 with such fury that the man, although one of the boldest 
 of the cohort, subsided into silence at once. 
 
 Attilius was not popular with his comrades. Al- 
 though his rank was equal to theirs, even below that 
 of the veterans and under officers, they could not forget 
 that he was a noble and a patrician and had been a 
 tribune ; nor could he forget it. Indeed, they presently 
 conspired to make life miserable for him, thinking they 
 could safely do so as he was under the disfavour of 
 their Emperor and their commander, the prefect ; but 
 Attilius had not lost his prowess, his strength of mind 
 and body, because he had been reduced to the ranks, 
 and he found means with a ready sword to enforce 
 respect, or at least undisturbed solitude. He was a 
 man, they soon found, who was best left alone. 
 
 The next day being free, he went into the city as 
 soon as the morning drill and routine of the camp was 
 over. Of all his whilom friends, there was but one whose 
 door would now be open to him, and that was Regulus ; 
 but when he inquired at the lodging the worthy knight 
 had chosen, he was told that Regulus was gone from the 
 city upon a journey and would not be back for several 
 weeks perhaps ; but he had left a message for Attilius, 
 saying that he would apprise the tribune of his return 
 immediately he reached the city again. 
 
 The absence of Regulus was the last straw. The 
 public places of Rome had no attraction for Attilius
 
 308 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 now. He walked aimlessly through the meaner quarters 
 of the town, which in happier days he had never visited. 
 He had nowhere to go but to the camp, nothing to 
 do there unless he participated in the ribald talk, the 
 rough pleasures, and the deep drinking of the soldiers, 
 so he wandered on. The pretorians were favoured 
 visitors in that quarter of the city, but there was some- 
 thing so stern and so grim in his face that not even 
 the bold, shameless women of the town accosted him 
 as he passed. 
 
 The long afternoon dragged on without incident, but 
 as night fell something happened. Turning a corner, 
 he saw a group of beggars and outcasts setting upon 
 a single man, scarcely more than a boy. They had 
 backed their prey up against a wall and were striking 
 at him savagely. His forehead was cut and blood 
 streamed down his face. His white tunic was spotted 
 with filth that had been thrown upon him. The mob 
 surrounded him, mocking and jeering. 
 
 There was something familiar to the tribune about 
 the boy. Attilius unceremoniously burst through the 
 wretched crowd, flinging them aside until he reached 
 the lad and confronted him. He recognised him at once 
 upon a nearer view. The sufferer was the Hebrew 
 boy who had brought the message from Paulus which 
 had resulted in the finding of Gwenna. 
 
 " What hath happened? " he asked sternly. 
 
 " Sir, I know not," answered the youth, " save that 
 these set upon me." 
 
 " And wherefore," demanded Attilius, facing the 
 crowd whose rage began to subside at the sight of the
 
 MOCKED IN THE GARDEN 309 
 
 stark soldier of the guard whose well-known uniform 
 was easily recognised even in the growing dusk. 
 
 " He is a Jew," answered one voice, as if that were 
 sufficient. 
 
 " Ye have done enough ; begone," said the tribune, 
 and then as the crowd made no movement to give way, 
 he whipped out his sword. " Shall I cut a path for 
 myself and the lad who is now under my protection? " 
 he asked imperiously, making a step forward, whereat 
 they broke and fled like the cowards they were. 
 
 " What is thy name? " asked Attilius when the way 
 was clear. 
 
 " Isaac, son of Levi and Rebekah, master," answered 
 the boy, wiping away the blood, " and art thou 
 
 not " he hesitated, looking from the uniform to the 
 
 face of the man, " thou wert " 
 
 " I was Caius Attilius, the tribune, to whom thou 
 didst once bring a gracious message " 
 
 "But now?" 
 
 " I am a soldier," returned the other briefly. 
 "Whither goest thou?" 
 
 The boy hesitated. 
 
 "Thou art a friend of Paulus?" he asked as he 
 made a quick movement in the air with his hand. 
 
 " I know that sign," answered Attilius, " and I am 
 a friend of that worthy Hebrew." 
 
 " I go to a meeting of the Christians, noble sir," 
 answered the boy, reassured that it was safe to make 
 such a revelation. 
 
 The idea struck Attilius. Why should not he go 
 with the boy? He was interested in these Christians.
 
 310 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 Gwenna was a Christian. Time hung heavy upon his 
 hands. He had no place else to go, nothing to do. 
 Why not? 
 
 " I will accompany thee on thy way, lest these should 
 assail thee again," he said, making up his mind 
 promptly. 
 
 The boy hesitated again. He was still somewhat 
 doubtful. 
 
 " None know the meeting place but those who be- 
 lieve," he said at last. 
 
 Attilius nodded. 
 
 " I believe not," he said, " but I will not betray thee 
 or thy friends. Lead on." 
 
 There was something in the bearing of the man which 
 added emphasis to his words. Isaac, son of Levi and 
 Rebekah, was not without a large share of the shrewd- 
 ness of his race. He decided in favour of the tribune. 
 
 " Thou hast befriended me," said the young Hebrew 
 at last, " and I trust thee. There lieth our way."
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 HUSKS OF THE SWINE 
 
 IN the rapidly darkening night the two walked along 
 the streets side by side. Isaac, the son of Levi and 
 Rebekah, knew his way perfectly, and although he 
 plunged from one alley and by-street into another, and 
 finally struck boldly across the fields, he presently ar- 
 rived at an ancient sand pit without the walls. The 
 spot was deserted. It was removed from the highway 
 and trees on one side and the ruins of an ancient build- 
 ing on the other concealed it from the possible observa- 
 tion of a belated traveller on the distant road. The 
 moon just rising cast a faint light into the little 
 amphitheatre. 
 
 There were perhaps four score persons assembled 
 there, all of them of the meaner sort apparently. They 
 were grouped in a little circle, some sitting, some 
 standing, about an old man who was talking to them. 
 The faint rays of the moon gave light enough and no 
 torches or lanterns were visible. 
 
 "And who are these?" asked Attilius. 
 
 They had stopped in the shadow of the trees and 
 were yet unseen and unheard. 
 
 " This is the end of my journey," whispered the boy, 
 " and these are Christians. We meet here for worship 
 and instruction. He in the midst is the priest." 
 
 " And how is he called ? " 
 311
 
 312 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Linus." 
 
 " And who are those around him? " 
 
 " Slaves, freedmen, women, and children." 
 
 " And of what race? " 
 
 " Of all, Romans, Greeks, Hebrews, Barbarians." 
 
 " And are they all followers of that Christus ? " 
 
 " All ; none come here except those who love Him." 
 
 " But I am here," answered Attilius. 
 
 " Of thy mercy," returned the boy gratefully, " and 
 for my safety. I thank thee. I trust thee. Farewell." 
 
 " Farewell," said Attilius, turning away, not espe- 
 cially attracted by what he saw to a closer acquaintance 
 with the assemblage. 
 
 But something stopped him. Why not? he asked of 
 himself again. The Romans had abandoned him, the 
 Emperor had degraded him, the world had mocked him, 
 Gwenna had failed him. He did not see what end there 
 was to all this shame. They were all slaves and poor 
 people there, doubtless ; Barbarians and Jews and 
 Greeks and but Paulus was a man. Caius Attilius 
 remembered what Lucas had told him ; Paulus believed 
 and Gwenna. There was nothing else before him. 
 In despair, in weariness, in humiliation, he turned 
 back. 
 
 " I will go with thee," he said to the lad who had 
 watched him. 
 
 But the proposition affrighted the boy. 
 
 "Art thoua Christian?" 
 
 " Nay." 
 
 " Dost them seek " 
 
 " I seek nothing, but I will go with thee. Come."
 
 HUSKS OF THE SWINE 313 
 
 He seized the unwilling boy by the arm and stepped 
 forward. 
 
 But the lad struggled. 
 
 " Thou wouldst affright them," he whispered hur- 
 riedly and in terror. " They do not know thee ; they 
 will think thou art a spy of the Emperor; they will 
 flee. Thou must not go." 
 
 "And do even these reject me!" thought Attilius 
 bitterly, as he faced the boy; but the thought only 
 increased his determination. 
 
 " Go thou, then, and tell them that a poor soldier of 
 the guard would fain join them. Thou knowest what 
 I was. Pledge them mine honour that I will not betray 
 them ; I mean them well. If Paulus were here he would 
 vouch for me. Thou knowest he is my friend." 
 
 " I will go," said the boy, " and do what I can." 
 
 " Farewell. I will await thee." 
 
 Attilius from the shadows closely observed all that 
 happened. The lad made his way through the group 
 of people and stopped before the man who stood in the 
 midst of them. He spoke and the others listened. The 
 tribune saw the man bend to the lad, and after a little 
 conversation he spoke to the assemblage in turn. What 
 he said was not audible at that distance, but the tribune 
 could catch indistinctly what he recognised as a murmur 
 of surprise not unmixed with alarm. In the dim light 
 he saw two persons rise from the circle and approach 
 the centre. The three conversed together earnestly for 
 a moment while all the rest got to their feet and stared 
 in the direction whence Isaac had come. The circle 
 opened presently and the three who had spoken came
 
 314 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 toward him. Attilius stepped out of the shadow into 
 the moonlight, and the leader of the three, a venerable 
 old man with a long white beard, stopped in front of 
 him and made the sign of a cross with his hand. 
 
 " Greeting, soldier ! Whether thou comest in peace 
 or to betray, the followers of Christ bid thee welcome," 
 he said softly. 
 
 " I come in peace, venerable father," returned the 
 tribune ; " my word upon it." 
 
 " The simple statement of the noble Caius Attilius 
 sufficeth," said the second of the newcomers ; " I vouch 
 for him with my life." 
 
 " Master," exclaimed the third, a woman, " dost thou 
 not recognise us ? " 
 
 " Eurotas, my philosopher, and Lais, my foster- 
 mother ! " exclaimed the newcomer. " Are ye also 
 among the followers of Christ? " 
 
 " Led by British Gwenna, we have so become, praised 
 be God," answered the philosopher. 
 
 " Come, then," said Linus, the first speaker, extend- 
 ing his hand simply, and the four turned and walked 
 down into the little amphitheatre. " The soldier 
 cometh in peace, dearly beloved friends and brethren," 
 continued Linus as he passed through the others. " He 
 is vouched for by Eurotas and Lais and young Isaac 
 here." 
 
 " Thou art welcome in Christ's name, friend," said 
 some of the elders among the congregation. 
 
 " Let us continue our worship," said Linus, stand- 
 ing in the centre as before, while the others disposed 
 themselves, reclining, standing, or sitting, in accordance
 
 HUSKS OF THE SWINE 315 
 
 with their fancy. As became his position, the tribune 
 remained on his feet on the outer edge of the circle. 
 The moonlight sparkled softly on the silver bosses of 
 his armour, making him an utterly alien figure in that 
 shrouded, grey, silent multitude. 
 
 " Dearly beloved," resumed Linus, " a moment since 
 I began to tell you a story told by the Master which 
 I had from the lips of Lucas. Dost thou know the 
 learned Lucas, soldier? " he asked suddenly of the 
 tribune. 
 
 " I know him," answered Attilius. " A physician, a 
 friend of Paulus, who is a prisoner." 
 
 " He told it to me not only by word of mouth, but 
 he hath written it down as part of that life of the 
 Blessed Jesus who was crucified and rose again from the 
 dead, which he is preparing for the use of us all. I 
 copied it a few days since for this meeting. Mine eyes 
 are dim. If one would hold the lantern, thou Cletus, 
 I will read it to you all." 
 
 There were lighted lanterns in the crowd, but cov- 
 ered mostly with cloaks and other garments. Cletus, 
 one of the elders of the little church, though a younger 
 man than the leader, took a lantern that was proffered 
 and stood by the side of Linus, holding it so that the 
 light fell upon the scroll. 
 
 Never would Attilius forget that scene. The little 
 circle of worshippers on the grey slopes of the sand pit, 
 the old ruin, a deserted temple of other gods he 
 thought, in the background, the soft mellow light of 
 the rising moon, the long, dark shadows, the faint 
 gleam from the lantern falling upon the parchment
 
 316 
 
 which trembled in the hands of Linus ; the face of the 
 reader, the accompaniment of the night wind through 
 the trees on the further side, the deep breathing of 
 the spectators, crowding close, listening for the first 
 time to an immortal story as it fell from the lips of 
 Linus, who read it tenderly and with deep feeling. 
 
 " A certain man had two sons, and the younger of 
 them said to his father, * Father, give me the portion 
 of goods that falleth to me.' And he divided unto them 
 his living. And not many days after the younger son 
 gathered all together and took his journey into a far 
 country, and there wasted his substance with riotous 
 living. 
 
 " And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty 
 famine in that land, and he began to be in want. And 
 he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country ; 
 and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he 
 would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the 
 swine did eat ; and no man gave unto him. And when 
 he came to himself he said, ' How many hired servants 
 of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and 
 I perish with hunger ! I will arise and go to my father, 
 and will say unto him, " Father, I have sinned against 
 heaven and before thee, and I am no more worthy to be 
 called thy son; make me as one of thy hired 
 servants." ' And he arose and came to his father. 
 
 " But when he was yet a great way off, his father 
 saw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his 
 neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, 
 1 Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy 
 sight, -and am no more worthy to be called thy son.'
 
 HUSKS OF THE SWINE 317 
 
 And the father said to his servants, * Bring forth the 
 best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his 
 hand and shoes on his feet ; and bring hither the fatted 
 calf, and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. For this 
 my son was dead and is alive again ; he was lost and is 
 found.' " 
 
 The voice of the reader ceased amid the deep silence 
 of the people, a silence no one cared to break, it seemed. 
 
 "Is that all?" finally questioned one of the older 
 women. 
 
 " There is more to the story," answered Linus. " I 
 will copy it and read it to you another time; but it 
 groweth late, the slaves must return to their masters." 
 
 " What meaneth the Master by this story? Tell us, 
 I pray thee, before we part," asked another of the 
 humbler sort among the congregation. 
 
 " I am unworthy to interpret the mind of Christ," 
 said Linus humbly, " but the meaning of this is so 
 plain that I shall even try. It maketh no difference 
 how far we wander from our Father's house, what we 
 have done, how deep we have drained the cup of shame, 
 into what sins we may have plunged, what husks of 
 the swine we have eaten, the Father waiteth for us. 
 Christ Jesus, Who lived here among us, Who was poor 
 as we are poor, Who was humble as we are humble, 
 Who suffered more than any of us have suffered, hath 
 told Him about us. When we turn and repent and 
 come back we shall find our Father waiting for us at 
 the end of the road. In one of the many mansions 
 our room is always ready. If we will only turn back 
 our welcome is certain."
 
 318 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " The Lord herein speaks of mercy and lovingkind- 
 ness and pity and forgiveness?" added Cletus. 
 
 "What saith the ancient prophet of my people?" 
 exclaimed Levi, a venerable Hebrew, the husband of 
 Rebekah whose boy Isaac had brought the tribune there, 
 " ' Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as 
 white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they 
 shall be as wool.' ' 
 
 " Washed in the blood of the Lamb that was slain," 
 cried a woman's voice. 
 
 After another pause the whole assemblage spontane- 
 ously broke into a hymn of praise. They sang softly 
 and in unison. Attilius listened like one in a dream. 
 He had heard the chants of worshippers of strange 
 gods all over the world, but never a hymn like that. 
 It moved him strangely. And the story too. Had it 
 really happened? Was there truth in this worship? 
 Could there be such a God? If he could judge, these 
 people themselves believed it, and yet 
 
 The hymn died away and in the silence Linus spread 
 out his arms and bowed his head. Some of those who 
 were present rose to their feet, most fell upon their 
 knees. With those standing the tribune bowed his head 
 he who was accustomed to carry it so high while the 
 old man prayed. Attilius had heard many prayers, 
 but never petition like this for clean hearts, for pure 
 lives, for high courage, for endurance, for love, for 
 the forgiveness of sins, for mercy to enemies and to 
 themselves ; for their brethren, for the other Christians 
 in the world, for Rome itself and that world! 
 
 A musical Hebrew word, the meaning of which At-
 
 HUSKS OF THE SWINE 319 
 
 tilius did not know, was breathed from lip to lip as 
 the voice of the priest died away. 
 
 In the silence the tribune lifted his head. He saw 
 in the moonlight the hand of the priest was raised high. 
 His fingers cut the air in the sign of the cross not 
 a fish this time. The tribune watched in wonderment. 
 That brand of shame was evidently their badge of 
 honour. He heard these mysterious words also: 
 
 " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love 
 of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with 
 us all evermore." 
 
 That was evidently the end of the ceremony. The 
 others waited in silence, but Attilius could stand no 
 more. He threw his cloak about him and vanished in 
 the darkness. After a space one who had been near 
 the tribune looked to another. 
 
 " The soldier," he exclaimed, " where is he? " 
 
 " He stood by my side," answered another. " After 
 the blessing, he wrapped his cloak about him and dis- 
 appeared." 
 
 " Will he betray us ? " asked a third nervously. 
 
 " I will stake my life upon his honour," answered 
 Eurotas. 
 
 " He is a true man," said old Lais confidently. 
 
 " Go in peace, brethren, severally and on your sep- 
 arate ways, and may God be with you," said Linus, 
 himself turning away. " That soldier will not betray 
 us," he added in serene confidence. 
 
 Attilius desired speech with no man. He plunged 
 across the sand until he found the road, and then 
 shaking out his cloak he walked silently down the way.
 
 320 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 That was a strange story that Christus had told, that 
 Lucas had written down, that Linus had copied and 
 read. A young man plunged into the depths of 
 humiliation and shame eating the husks of the 
 swine? The Roman took off his helmet and bared 
 his head to the night breeze. There was something 
 in his own case that brought the story home to him. 
 The money that had been thrown at his feet by the 
 Emperor and his companions still hung in a little pouch 
 at his waist. Husks that the swine had given him ! He 
 reached down into his pouch and flung the coins far 
 into the fields. 
 
 No man had aught for him, he had lost everything; 
 even Gwenna mocked him. What was that Christus 
 who had told that tale? Could He hear? That was 
 a fond and foolish dream. There was no Father at 
 the end of the only road he had left to travel. Resent- 
 ment swept over him as he thought of all that had 
 happened. He shook with passion like the trees along 
 the roadside in the night wind. He cursed the old gods, 
 he mocked the new, praying that he might die out there 
 on the lonely road.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE U2TTEE TO PHILIPPI 
 
 CAIUS ATTILIUS was glad when the fetter was locked 
 upon his arm and he found himself once more chained 
 to the Hebrew. His tour of duty as the guard of 
 Paulus came around every third day. He had slept 
 sound and well' the night before, the first sleep he had 
 had since his disgrace. When he had awakened he had 
 sought to laugh away the things which had come into 
 his mind as he walked home from the little Christian 
 assemblage; but the scene, the words of the preacher, 
 the music of the hymn, and above all the story that 
 he had heard lingered in his memory. And again he 
 was ashamed of his subsequent passionate outburst upon 
 the road, though no one had seen it or heard it. He 
 finally gave himself up, as he mechanically performed 
 the morning duties, to a consideration of these things 
 that he had heard. He resolved that he would speak to 
 Paulus when he had an opportunity about all that had 
 come under his observation and the thoughts to which 
 his experience had given rise. Also he would find out 
 what was signified by the sign of the fish. 
 
 There was something in the story of the prodigal 
 which especially touched the tribune. Although the 
 causes of his own downfall were radically different from 
 those set forth in the parable, although his fate by 
 any construction was not so bad as that of the spend- 
 
 821
 
 322 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 thrift in the story, yet the parallel was close enough 
 for him to consider the account with sympathetic ap- 
 preciation. 
 
 It was not so easy for him, however, to speak pri- 
 vately with Paulus that morning, for the old Hebrew 
 was very busy and the changing of his guard inter- 
 rupted him in the dictation of a long letter or rather 
 the completion of it. The young man Attilius had seen 
 on his first visit to the apartment when he had sought 
 Gwenna was again at the table, and Paulus had been 
 walking up and down so far as his tether would permit, 
 slowly speaking the words which the young man tran- 
 scribed on the white parchment. 
 
 He greeted Attilius kindly, but when the under 
 officer had withdrawn and they were alone he thus ad- 
 dressed him: 
 
 " Knowing thine honesty and thine integrity and thy 
 kindly feeling for me, noble Attilius, I have taken ad- 
 vantage of it by appointing this day as one in which 
 I receive the brethren, for I am sure thy consideration 
 for me will make bearable my bonds. Can I depend 
 upon thy discretion? " 
 
 " Thou canst," answered the tribune promptly ; " I 
 have waited anxiously for this day." 
 
 "That thou mightest see Gwenna?" commented the 
 apostle, smiling. " I am old, but I have not forgot the 
 wife of my youth and how the blood burns in the young 
 heart." 
 
 " No," answered Attilius proudly ; " I am nought to 
 British Gwenna. Since she hath been freed she hath 
 forgot me."
 
 THE LETTER TO PHILIPPI 
 
 " Oh youth, youth ! " smiled Paulus. 
 
 " She hath forgot me like all the rest," persisted 
 Attilius, with well-assumed indifference. 
 
 At this the apostle laughed outright, not boisterously, 
 but with gentleness that robbed the merriment of any 
 sting. 
 
 " We shall see," he said ; " meanwhile I am anxious 
 to finish this letter. Epaphroditus, here, hath been 
 very ill in this thy Rome and pineth for his Greek land. 
 Dost thou know Philippi, Caius Attilius? " 
 
 " I have been there. It is where Caesar won the 
 world away from Brutus and Cassius. There the Re- 
 public fell." 
 
 " Even so," answered Paulus, " and there I first 
 preached the Gospel in Europe. There is a little church 
 there " 
 
 " Not so little now, beloved teacher," protested 
 Epaphroditus respectfully. 
 
 " Great with love, at any rate, for they are mindful 
 of their friend in his adversity, and out of their pov- 
 erty they have made offerings to relieve my need and 
 have sent me words of cheer, and although since my 
 father's death and the receipt of my share of the patri- 
 mony I am not compelled to manual labour as I 
 once " 
 
 " Is it possible," interrupted Attilius, " that so 
 learned and venerable a man hath laboured with his 
 hands like a slave? " 
 
 " Every Hebrew must know how to support himself 
 with his hands in case of an emergency," answered 
 Paulus ; " it is the ancient law, and although I was
 
 324 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 born and reared in affluence with no expectation that 
 I should be compelled to work for my daily bread, I 
 was nevertheless taught a trade." 
 
 " And that was " 
 
 " Tent-making." 
 
 " Aye," said the tribune, " thou art from Tarsus 
 in Cilicia. And canst thou weave goat's hair? " 
 
 " Thou shouldst have a specimen of my work for 
 thyself if I were free. Seest thou that old cloak 
 yonder? " 
 
 He pointed to an old garment upon the wall. 
 
 " I see it." 
 
 " I made that myself with mine own hands, and it 
 hath served me many years." 
 
 " It is old and worn but it is good still," said the 
 tribune, examining it carefully. 
 
 " It will last my time," said the Hebrew, smiling. 
 " Well, although my need was not great, I accepted the 
 offerings of these my children in the faith. I have 
 many who come to me here in Rome and I am glad to 
 be able to help them. But to the letter again. Take up 
 thy pen, my son. We will talk further when I have a 
 convenient season during thy charge, Caius Attilius ; 
 meanwhile keep thine ears open or closed to what I 
 have to say, in accordance with thy pleasure. Art 
 ready, Epaphroditus ? " 
 
 " Ready, master." 
 
 "And what said Hast?" 
 
 " ' And the peace of God, which passeth all under- 
 standing, shall keep your hearts and minds through 
 Christ Jesus.' "
 
 THE LETTER TO PHILIPPI 325 
 
 " Ah, yes," said the apostle, " that is a good place 
 at which to close and a good word with which to end." 
 
 " Wilt thou sign it now ? " 
 
 " Nay, it cometh over me that I have yet more to say. 
 Write thou as I speak the words. 
 
 " Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, 
 whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are 
 just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are 
 lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there 
 be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on 
 these things. Those things, which ye have both learned 
 and received, and heard and seen in me, do: and the 
 God of peace shall be with you. 
 
 " But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the 
 last your care of me hath flourished again ; wherein ye 
 were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that 
 I speak in respect of want ; for I have learned, in what- 
 soever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both 
 how to be abased, and I know how to abound : everywhere 
 and in all things I am instructed both to be full and 
 to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can 
 do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. 
 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did com- 
 municate with my affliction. 
 
 " Now ye Philippians know also, that in the begin- 
 ning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, 
 no church communicated with me as concerning giving 
 and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica 
 ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not be- 
 cause I desire a gift ; but I desire fruit that may abound 
 to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am
 
 326 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which 
 were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacri- 
 fice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. But my God shall 
 supply all your need according to his riches in glory 
 by Christ Jesus. 
 
 " Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever 
 and ever. Amen. Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. 
 The brethren which are with me greet you. All the 
 saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's house- 
 hold. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you 
 all. Amen." 
 
 Paulus had told Attilius that he could listen if he 
 desired and indeed the permission was supereroga- 
 tory, since the shortness of the chain rendered it 
 impossible for the guard not to hear everything that 
 was said unless the speakers addressed each other in 
 whispers. But Attilius had no wish not to hear; what 
 he had heard the night before and what he constantly 
 saw while on duty moved him to listen. Whenever he 
 was with Paulus the personality of the man influenced 
 him profoundly, and it was with strained attention that 
 he stood silent, never disturbing the apostle as he walked 
 up and down between the tribune and the secretary, 
 his thoughts and vision turned inward apparently, as he 
 slowly and deliberately dictated the great words. 
 
 What kind of a religion was it that Paulus so con- 
 fidently wrote about? Truth, contentment, purity, love- 
 liness, virtue! these did not agree with what Attilius 
 had heard of the religion of Christ ! How could a man 
 who spoke like that be gujlty of the dark practices, the 
 Thyestean banquets, where they feasted upon flesh and
 
 THE LETTER TO PHILIPPI 327 
 
 blood, the repellent unsociability, the gloomy charms 
 and superstitions, of which popular rumour was already 
 beginning to accuse them? 
 
 As the Hebrew dictated slowly Attilius had time to 
 think on these things. One word after another struck 
 him. Paulus, the poor prisoner, was actually proclaim- 
 ing himself contented with his lot. He was glad to 
 suffer! Attilius was very discontented with his and 
 not at all induced to rejoicing. Whence did the Hebrew 
 draw that power which was denied the Roman? Was it 
 from that Father of the story last night or was it from 
 that Man who let Himself be crucified without striking 
 a blow? 
 
 And so the disciple and the soldier listened while the 
 voice of the apostle went on until he closed the dictation 
 with a prayer that the grace of that Lord Jesus Christ 
 might be with all those to whom he wrote in Philippi. 
 And Attilius, looking into the face of the venerable man 
 as he spoke, saw strange lights within it. He was still 
 pale, still haggard, still worn. The imprint of the last 
 stroke that he had sustained a few days before was yet 
 upon him, although he looked much better than when 
 the tribune had seen him last; but this was forgot in 
 the mysterious power which seemed to emanate from 
 his person. 
 
 Attilius was a highly educated young Roman and 
 knew Greek as well as he knew Latin. That word 
 " grace " he understood in full. It meant strength ; 
 Paulus was invoking strength. He was asking for the 
 strength of the Man who had been so weak that He 
 had let Himself be crucified without resistance. The
 
 328 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 mind of Attilius came back to that fact again and again. 
 It was passing strange. 
 
 " Master," said Epaphroditus presently, " it is fin- 
 ished." 
 
 " Thou hast well done," said the Hebrew ; " give me 
 thy place and pen." 
 
 He sat down in the chair before the writing table, 
 quite unlike the tripod tables used by the Romans it 
 was one which some of his Jewish friends among the 
 Christians had made for him bent low over it, because 
 in spite of the brightness of his eyes his sight was 
 bad, and traced his own name in large heavy letters 
 across the foot of the parchment. Then he rested his 
 head in his hands in wordless prayer. Doubtless, 
 thought Attilius, that his gods might bless the message. 
 And when the ink was dry he handed the roll to the 
 young Greek and bade him start forthwith on his 
 journey. 
 
 " Hast thou made every preparation ? " he asked 
 anxiously. 
 
 " Master, I have," answered Epaphroditus ; " I go 
 by land with a company of travellers from Rome to 
 Brundisium, thence across the Adriatic to Amphipolis, 
 and then by the Egnatian Road home." 
 
 " And thou hast money for thy journey? " 
 
 " I shall work my way." 
 
 " Nay," said Paulus, going to a chest in one corner 
 of the room. " Thou seest I fear not," he smiled up 
 at Attilius, as he unlocked and opened it, " to show 
 thee where I keep my moneys." 
 
 " I would that I were as I was that I could fill thy
 
 THE LETTER TO PHILIPPI 329 
 
 chest with treasure for thy needs, Paulus," said the 
 tribune earnestly. 
 
 " I have enough for myself and somewhat to help 
 my friends, but I thank thee," returned the Hebrew. 
 
 He took several pieces of gold from a bag and pressed 
 them upon unwilling Epaphroditus, who had meanwhile 
 assumed his cloak and taken in his hand the broad hat 
 which, being a Greek, he wore when travelling. 
 
 " Re-enforce my letter by carrying every message of 
 loving greeting to my children that thine heart can dic- 
 tate or thy lips frame." 
 
 The young man dropped on his knees before the 
 apostle. He laid his hands, and from one of them the 
 chain fell over the young man's shoulder, upon the head 
 of the kneeling messenger and invoked upon him the 
 blessing of God and the companionship of the Holy 
 Spirit from that Christus, whom he loved, that the 
 young man might go safe and unharmed upon his 
 journey. 
 
 Epaphroditus had scarcely left the apartment when 
 visitors came in. At the head of them was old Linus. 
 He was accompanied by three men, and started with sur- 
 prise on beholding Caius Attilius. 
 
 " Give me leave, beloved Paulus," he said, turning 
 to the soldier. " Did I not see thee last night beyond 
 the walls?" 
 
 " I was there. Have no fear. I did not betray thee." 
 
 " Nor will he," answered Paulus ; and then, looking 
 with some surprise at Attilius, he added, " Thou didst 
 not tell me of thine attendance upon that meeting ! " 
 
 " Bethink thee, Paulus," returned the tribune ; " the
 
 330 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 hours so far have been filled with thine own concerns ; 
 when the convenient season cometh of which thou 
 spakest " 
 
 " Aye, I remember ; of that presently. Meanwhile, 
 beloved Linus, worthy yoke-fellow in the Gospel, what 
 wouldst thou of me? " 
 
 " Here are three men, one of them a tax gatherer, 
 the other of the people, the third ' 
 
 " A fellow-soldier," said Attilius ; " I recognise the 
 marks of his trade." 
 
 " Even so," assented Linus. " They have professed 
 Christ. I baptised them in the grey dawn this morning 
 at my house. I have brought them hither to be con- 
 firmed in the faith by the laying on of hands, and that 
 they might receive thy blessing and words of counsel." 
 
 " Thou hast well done." 
 
 " The citizen is named Robulus, the tax gatherer 
 Orontis, and the soldier Quartus." 
 
 " These names shall be entered in the Lamb's Book 
 of Life," answered Paulus, " if they remain faithful 
 unto death. Suffer me a moment." 
 
 He clapped his hands and from within the apartment 
 Gwenna appeared. Attilius stared at her now as he 
 saw her. Neither her dyed hair nor her darkened skin 
 could much diminish her beauty in the eyes of the 
 tribune. He made an involuntary step in her direction, 
 but although she smiled gently upon him, he stopped, 
 drew himself up, and turned his back. She was not for 
 him. She came at the summons of Paulus to do the 
 Hebrew service. As for himself, he did not care. 
 
 " Lucas is doubtless busy with his writing within,"
 
 THE LETTER TO PHILIPPI 331 
 
 Paulus said to Gwenna ; " of thy courtesy, maiden, I 
 pray thee ask him to come to me and bring with him 
 the roll he hath writ about our Lord, the first portion 
 of it only." 
 
 " I am glad to do thy bidding," answered Gwenna, 
 her heart thrilling equally with that of the tribune 
 when she faced him. 
 
 Yet she resented the look full of haughty indifference 
 and his turned back, and she was woman enough to 
 emphasise the pronoun and Attilius was man enough to 
 feel the emphasis. Presently Lucas, roll in one hand, 
 pen in the other, presented himself. 
 
 " My friend and fellow-servant," said Paulus, " here 
 be Linus with three who have been made children of 
 Christ by baptism this morning. They seek words of 
 advice from me and I have sent for thee and thy book 
 that thou mayest read to them the words of our Master, 
 to the people, to the publican, and to the soldier which 
 these represent. Thou knowest the portion to which I 
 refer? " 
 
 " Well. Give thee good-morning, Attilius ; I am al- 
 ways glad when thou art in attendance." 
 
 " Shall I go or stay? " asked Gwenna. 
 
 " Stay," returned Paulus ; " the more who hear the 
 words of Christ the better." 
 
 " I have the place," continued Lucas. 
 
 " Read." 
 
 " ' And the people asked him, saying, What shall we 
 do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that 
 hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none ; 
 and he that hath meat let him do likewise. Then came
 
 332 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 also publicans to be baptised, and said unto him, Mas- 
 ter, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact 
 no more than that which is appointed you. And the 
 soldiers likewise demanded of him saying, And what 
 shall we do? and he said unto them, Do violence to no 
 man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with 
 your wages.' ' 
 
 Attilius listened as before. The charge to the soldier 
 interested him the most and yet the order was content- 
 ment! Why was the Man always preaching content- 
 ment to the discontented, peace to the warrior, calm- 
 ness to the turbulent, kindness, love to everybody 
 
 What sort of a gospel was that for a Roman ! 
 
 " And now, friends," said Paulus after the clear voice 
 of Lucas died away, " draw near and fall upon your 
 knees. Closer, if thou wilt, good Caius Attilius," said 
 the apostle, looking toward him, " that I may use my 
 hands despite our chain." 
 
 Indeed, the tribune was nothing loath to step for- 
 ward. In doing so he had to pass close to Gwenna. 
 She caught him by the arm for a moment. She was 
 determined to punish him for his indifference. 
 
 " Thou wilt not spurn him with thy foot to-day? " 
 she whispered. 
 
 The blood flamed in the face of Attilius. He shook 
 himself free impatiently and stepped to the side of 
 the apostle. Gwenna was not yet altogether a Christian 
 in accordance with the standards of Paulus, it would 
 seem. 
 
 And thus the two stood together, the Roman and the 
 Hebrew, at the several ends of the chain. And which
 
 THE LETTER TO PHILIPPI 333 
 
 was the greater? Which was the master? Which was 
 the prisoner and which was the guard? 
 
 Successively the hands of Paulus were laid in con- 
 firmation and blessing upon the heads of the kneeling 
 figures and the chain dragged from one to another, 
 clinking not unmusically in harmony with his prayers 
 as he moved before them. 
 
 When the three had withdrawn a little space, the 
 service being ended, and Paulus stepped away with 
 Linus, Attilius divined that he would prefer to be pri- 
 vate and withdrew to the extreme length of the chain. 
 As Paulus and Linus spoke in low whispers he could 
 not hear what they said. He found himself face to face 
 with Gwenna. As usual, it was she who broke the 
 silence. 
 
 " I am sorry," she said in a low voice, " that I spoke 
 to thee as I did. It was unwomanly and not like the 
 teachings of Christus." 
 
 " Thou hast rejected me in my humiliation, cast me 
 off in my degradation," returned the Roman. " I am 
 too poor a thing now for the Princess Gwenna. What 
 she cared for as a slave is nought to her since she is 
 free. But it is all one to me," went on the tribune 
 haughtily ; " I have drained the cup of disloyalty to the 
 dregs, the Fates have done their worst for me in life. 
 I await the stroke that ends it. Nay, let there be no 
 more speech between us," he continued as Gwenna 
 started to interrupt him ; and to give due emphasis to 
 his words he turned deliberately away and walked to- 
 ward the window. 
 
 He did not see the maiden bury her face in her hands
 
 334- THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 and turn half blindly toward the curtain and then 
 vanish from the room, and he did not know that his cruel 
 words more than repaid her for everything that in her 
 haste and temper she had ever done or said to him. 
 
 " On the first day of the week then," Attilius heard 
 Paulus say, " which happily will be three days from 
 to-day, we will celebrate the Holy Mysteries and break 
 the bread for these new-made children of Christ, and 
 for such others as thou mayest select, remembering 
 that the room is but small and scarce will hold more 
 than a score." 
 
 " At what hour, beloved teacher? " asked Linus. 
 
 " At break of day," answered the Hebrew. " And 
 so farewell." 
 
 Presently the prisoner and the guard were left alone. 
 
 " Paulus," began Attilius at last. 
 
 " My son " 
 
 " Tell me about that Christus of thine if it be a 
 convenient season." 
 
 " Willingly," answered the apostle. " Let us sit here 
 on this couch by the window." 
 
 Suiting action to suggestion, the old man and the 
 young tribune walked over to the couch and sat down, 
 Paulus leaning easily back on the cushions, while At- 
 tilius sat more straight, as became a soldier. The 
 chain fell to the floor in a little heap between them. 
 
 And there the Roman listened for the first time to 
 the story of the Cross. As Paulus told it it seemed 
 new even to him. Many times the apostle had related 
 it to listening people, but he never told it better than 
 now. He had not been there himself, he admitted, but
 
 THE LETTER TO PHILIPPI 335 
 
 he knew every detail from the lips of those who had, and 
 when he finished it seemed to Attilius that perhaps there 
 had been more courage and fortitude in resigning Him- 
 self to the Cross than if, which would have been the 
 Roman method, this Christus had taken one of Peter's 
 swords and died fighting in the garden. 
 
 "What thinkest thou of Christus now?" asked 
 Paulus when he had completed the account. 
 
 " He seemeth to me like one of the immortal gods," 
 answered the Roman soberly. 
 
 A less able man than Paulus would have caught at 
 that proposition for further discussion. He laid his 
 hand gently upon the other's knee. 
 
 " Thou art on the way," he said, " thy feet are on 
 the road." 
 
 " Tell me more," asked Attilius, " after this Christus 
 died on the Cross and was buried, what then? " 
 
 Paulus resisted the temptation. Whenever he talked 
 to them he was exquisite in his tactful handling of men. 
 It was better that Attilius should think of what he had 
 heard; the more he thought the better he would be 
 prepared for further teaching, so Paulus shook his 
 head. 
 
 " Nay," he said, " we have had enough for one day 
 and the noon hour approacheth. We will break bread 
 together, and in the afternoon we will discuss " 
 
 " Discuss what? " asked the tribune. 
 
 " Thy future and that of British Gwenna," he an- 
 swered, smiling, forcing himself to give the conversation 
 another turn. 
 
 But Attilius would not be denied.
 
 336 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " I am no longer interested in that scornful maiden," 
 he asserted ; " tell me more of thy religion." 
 
 " Not now," was the answer ; " think on what thou 
 hast heard already." 
 
 "But that sign?" 
 
 "Of the Cross?" 
 
 " Nay, of the fish." 
 
 " Knowest thou the Greek word ? " 
 
 " 
 
 " Exactly. It signifieth Jesus Christ, Son of God, 
 Saviour. In Greek the words are 'Irjffov? Xpiffro?, 
 
 TioZ, 2&)Tj?p. Take the beginning letter of each 
 word and combine them. Dost understand? " 
 
 " I understand," answered the tribune, a little look 
 of awe in his mobile face.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 BREAKING THE BREAD 
 
 THE next tour of duty at the apartment in the insula 
 for Caius Attilius began on the last day of the week 
 as the Hebrew counted it. In the three days inter- 
 vening he had once more got in touch with old Regulus. 
 The latter had rented a small but comfortable apart- 
 ment in an exclusive and well-located insula patronised 
 by bachelors of rank and substance. The return of the 
 worthy knight had been a godsend to Attilius. Among 
 all his acquaintances in Rome there was not one save 
 Regulus who treated him with halfway decent consid- 
 eration, except perhaps Petronius, who knew him but 
 slightly and came in contact with him rarely. The 
 rest took their cue from Nero and Tigellinus, and 
 Attilius found if he was to preserve his peace of mind 
 he must avoid them like a pestilence, so as not to give 
 way to the temptation of wholesale murder upon these 
 degenerate and disloyal followers of his sometime friend 
 and benefactor, the Emperor. 
 
 The home of Regulus, therefore, was a refuge. The 
 centurion was surprised to find Attilius in a better 
 mood. He had thought, as he hastened back to Rome 
 on purpose to be with his beloved young friend, that 
 the tribune would by this time have been goaded into 
 madness by the insults and mockeries that Regulus 
 foresaw would inevitably be heaped upon him. It was 
 
 337
 
 338 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 plainly the intention of Nero and Tigellinus to drive 
 him either into open rebellion or suicide, and Regulus 
 would not have been surprised to hear of either 
 of these things. He was at a loss to account for the 
 philosophical calm, almost equanimity of the tribune. 
 It was incomprehensible, nor could Attilius very well 
 explain it. It was part of the influence which had been 
 exerted upon him by Paulus, and the tribune could not 
 at that time discuss it even with his friend. He did, 
 however, tell the old soldier with great bitterness of the 
 complete severance of all his relations with Gwenna, 
 whereat Regulus was very sorry ; but believing that it 
 would only be temporary, did not bother his head much 
 with the matter. 
 
 Regulus, of course, was busy a good deal of the 
 time. He was a man of some property, and Attilius 
 was often left alone in the pleasant little apartment 
 which he frequented every moment he was off duty and 
 free. The young man, however, had plenty with which 
 to occupy his thoughts. He was in good condition for 
 high thinking, also, for except for thought there was 
 little in which he could indulge himself in that crisis in 
 his fortunes. Of course, all his cogitations were not 
 upon the subject of Paulus and his religion. A good 
 many of them, perhaps more than half, were upon 
 British Gwenna, who typified for him all that was selfish, 
 forgetful, and ungrateful in womankind. 
 
 If the relative positions of these two had remained 
 unchanged and Attilius had not been bound by class 
 ideas and prejudices, or his promise to Paulus, he might 
 have taken her, even by marrying her, and have become
 
 BREAKING THE BREAD 339 
 
 tired of her. But since she was now free and had ap- 
 parently definitely rejected him, her mere unattain- 
 ability made her the more desirable. The tribune was 
 a just man. He estimated himself not at his old value 
 but at his new. Everything he possessed had been 
 given up either to the prefect or to the Emperor, and 
 Attilius had nothing but his meagre pay as a soldier. 
 There were ways by which the pretorians increased 
 their stipends, but to these petty and vicious prac- 
 tices Attilius could not stoop. Furthermore, the 
 tribune had been compelled to enlist for a term of ten 
 years, and for that period he was not free to take a 
 wife even if he could acquire means to support her. 
 
 And the status of Gwenna had changed as greatly as 
 his own. In her own country and among her own 
 people she was as well born as he. Now that she was 
 free opportunity might arise for her return to Britain, 
 and as the war there was practically over and the 
 country pacified, she could undoubtedly obtain some of 
 her patrimony again. The Romans themselves, upon 
 proper representation, would put her in possession of 
 whatever could be secured. She was therefore in very 
 different circumstances. She could go and come where 
 she would presently. He did not doubt that the hunt 
 for her would soon cease and that Nero would forget 
 her. It would be safe after a time for her to leave 
 Rome and go back to Britain. Paulus, who seemed 
 to have a certain command of money and some influ- 
 ence, would provide the means, doubtless. Meanwhile 
 he, Attilius, would have to stay where he was in his 
 galling military servitude.
 
 340 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 Of course, Gwenna had no proprietary rights in 
 Caius Attilius, but aside from that there had been a 
 complete reversal in the positions of the two. She was, 
 in effect, mistress ; he, slave. 
 
 And Gwenna's treatment of him had been most un- 
 kind, he felt ; not at all what his treatment of her had 
 been! Well, he determined to look at things philo- 
 sophically and to dismiss the woman from his thoughts. 
 He was not for marrying or giving in marriage, any- 
 way. But that was easier said than done. And despite 
 his resolution, he was most unhappy. 
 
 In these his troubles he found a strange consolation 
 in that new religion. As a preliminary to a complete 
 understanding of it, he conceived a vast respect for that 
 Christus as he learned more of Him. In general, to 
 submit to wrong or injustice without even a protest 
 or semblance of resistance appeared cowardly to that 
 Roman, but there was, nevertheless, something in the 
 method of that submission which moved him profoundly. 
 The man who could say the things that Paulus re- 
 peated to the tribune while He was being nailed to the 
 cross and on the cross itself was certainly not a coward. 
 Attilius had not yet heard the completion of the story 
 of the Passion. He used to wonder how this man so 
 degraded had become so exalted. He had heard whispers 
 of the Resurrection, but this he dismissed as of little 
 moment. 
 
 Finally he tried to tell Regulus something of what 
 he had heard from Paulus. The old centurion listened 
 attentively, but lacking the finer feelings of the younger 
 man, he could see nothing praiseworthy or especially
 
 BREAKING THE BREAD 341 
 
 commendable in that unresisting death. To fight al- 
 ways, and to die fighting if need be, was the creed of 
 the centurion, and he could not easily in his mind enter 
 into any battle in which the issues were merely moral 
 and in which the courage displayed was of that order 
 only. Regulus could not see much beyond the length 
 of his sword, though he could see that far with great 
 clarity and comprehension. The only impression that 
 this new religion made upon him was that it did in some 
 strange way seem to encourage and comfort the young 
 tribune to whom he was so devoted, and for that he was 
 thankful, although he passed the rest of it by, deeming 
 Paulus a philosopher and a dreamer, and in neither 
 capacity esteeming him greatly. 
 
 Regulus was often at court, and he used every rea- 
 sonable means to commend himself to Nero and to 
 ingratiate himself further with the prefect. He had 
 a deep purpose in view. There was no one on earth for 
 whom he greatly cared except Caius Attilius. He knew 
 of the love of the tribune for the maiden, and as he 
 was not born to the purple himself, the possible social 
 objection to a union between them did not worry him 
 greatly. And the difference that had arisen between 
 these two who loved each other would soon be settled, 
 he was sure. He wanted to make it possible that At- 
 tilius should eventually be discharged from the Pre- 
 torian Guard, be permitted to marry Gwenna, and go 
 where he would. And to that end he left no stone 
 unturned which his blunt diplomacy could compass. 
 Nero liked him in a way and so did Tigellinus. For one 
 thing, Regulus never asked any favours or gifts of any
 
 342 
 
 sort, and that endeared him to the brutal prefect and 
 no less to the greedy Emperor. 
 
 Whenever Caius Attilius was mentioned at court the 
 centurion either said nothing or disguised his feelings, 
 allowing the general censure and mockery to pass un- 
 challenged, although often his blood burned and his 
 hand unconsciously fell to his right side, where his short 
 sword had hung for so many years. He realised that 
 it would be fatal to his hopes and plans if any one 
 suspected that he still cherished the tribune, and for 
 that reason Caius Attilius was very circumspect in his 
 visits to Regulus, coming and going before daybreak, or 
 after nightfall, or otherwise shrouded in his military 
 cloak, to escape recognition. 
 
 Caius Attilius was very glad for the next tour of 
 duty. Paulus was very busy that Saturday. He was 
 writing another epistle and he had a constant succes- 
 sion of visitors. The tribune felt that part of this 
 present letter, which was addressed to the Christians 
 at Ephesus and to the churches of Asia, was suggested 
 by his presence when he heard Paulus, after looking 
 hard at him in his war panoply, say near the close of 
 the epistle: 
 
 " Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, 
 that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and 
 having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your 
 loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast- 
 plate of righteousness ; and your feet shod with the 
 preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking 
 the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench 
 all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet
 
 BREAKING THE BREAD 343 
 
 of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the 
 word of God : 
 
 " Praying always with all prayer and supplication in 
 the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance 
 and supplication for all saints. And for me, that ut- 
 terance may be given unto me, that I may open my 
 mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 
 for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein 
 I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." 
 
 A strange use for the arms and equipment of a 
 Roman soldier, a pretorian of the guard, thought the 
 highly interested and somehow strangely pleased young 
 patrician. 
 
 The soldier had very few opportunities to converse 
 privately with Paulus, but he was an attentive ob- 
 server of all that happened, and as the visitors came 
 on business connected with the infant church and as 
 the discussion was invariably upon the new religion, 
 the day was not ill spent. And as the sunshine some- 
 times breaks through the clouds on a dark, lowering 
 morning, the tribune caught several passing glimpses 
 of Gwenna. The girl had smiled pleasantly with just 
 a touch of deprecation at his frowning face, and the 
 action had brought him strange comfort, though he 
 stubbornly made no return in kind. 
 
 He saw her in a new role that busy day, for her 
 kindness and consideration to the women and children 
 who made up part of the infant church and who came 
 with the men to visit Paulus, amazed Attilius. He 
 had known her haughty, fiery, impulsive, with a high 
 temper not under very good control and disdaining
 
 344 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 work. He now saw her gentle, tender, considerate, 
 thoughtful, busy all the time in helping some one. 
 What had transformed her? Was it Paulus? Or 
 Christus? Sometimes she took the little children from 
 their mothers into the inner apartment, whither he 
 had no access, and he caught the ring of her laughter 
 within, and the sound was sweet to him. 
 
 Why could she not have treated him with some of 
 this pleasant courtesy and gentle humour? Why could 
 she not have displayed some consideration for him? It 
 was cruel and ruthless for him to have spurned the 
 prostrate apostle in his weakness and misery. The 
 tribune had manfully confessed his action to Paulus and 
 had been freely forgiven. Why could not Gwenna have 
 made some allowances for him? Well, she reserved all 
 her sweetness for Paulus and his friends. Attilius could 
 get along without it. And so he surveyed her with 
 haughty indifference, and to her rather piteous looks, 
 when she caught his eye again, he paid no attention. 
 
 Late in the afternoon, Cletus, one of the ministers, 
 or elders, of the congregation brought to Paulus a 
 young woman and her child. 
 
 " This is my daughter Julia," said Cletus, " this her 
 babe, my grandchild. I know that thou dost not usually 
 baptise, leaving that to us, but wilt thou in this in- 
 stance ? " 
 
 " Gladly," answered Paulus, smiling at the mother 
 and the child she extended toward him. " When he 
 groweth up to be a good man and a true like his grand- 
 father, he may perhaps think with pleasure of this 
 humble minister who made him a member of Christ, a
 
 BREAKING THE BREAD 345 
 
 child of God, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of 
 Heaven. Gwenna," he continued as the British girl 
 made her appearance in the doorway with one of the 
 women who was about to leave for her own poor house, 
 " wilt thou and Cletus witness this sacrament and stand 
 sponsors for this child? " 
 
 " Gladly," was the prompt answer. 
 
 " Fetch hither, then, the bowl of silver from the chest 
 yonder. Fill it with water and place it upon the tripod. 
 Draw near, I pray thee, Attilius, and stand there, lest 
 the chain strike the babe; and thou here, Gwenna, and 
 thou, Cletus, yonder. Now, my daughter, give me thy 
 son." 
 
 Attilius was profoundly interested in the ceremony 
 which followed. He heard the words of the prayer, he 
 noted the blessing of the water, he marked the cry of 
 the child when Paulus, naming the boy, lifted the bowl 
 and poured a part of its contents over the head of the 
 little soldier and servant of Christ with the mystic 
 words of the service and the accompanying ever-clink- 
 ing chain. When all was over, Paulus returned the 
 child to its grateful mother and handed the bowl to 
 Gwenna, bidding her pour the remaining water upon 
 some plants which grew in boxes on ledges outside of 
 the windows. 
 
 " Some day," whispered Gwenna to Attilius, sum- 
 moning her courage to address him despite the rebuffs 
 she had sustained, " I shall see Paulus baptise thee as 
 he hath baptised me." 
 
 And as usual, being taken by surprise by the sudden- 
 ness of this whisper, Attilius could only stare in silence.
 
 346 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 Indeed, he had no time to answer, for she had scarcely 
 spoken the words before she was out of reach and 
 hearing. But the thought sank in, the suggestion was 
 not without weight. To be perfectly just it flashed into 
 the mind of Attilius that such a ceremony might bring 
 him nearer to Gwenna; he would not have been human 
 had he not thought of that ; and yet as he knew himself 
 to be an honourable man, as he realised the earnestness 
 and sincerity of Paulus, and as he had begun to get 
 some idea of the religion, he knew that he could not be 
 guilty of seeking the sacrament for such a motive. He 
 must be convinced, or not even to win Gwenna could he 
 offer himself in that way. And this was a great ad- 
 vance. Caius Attilius three months before, on the prin- 
 ciple that anything was fair in love and war, which 
 was truly a Roman maxim, would not have hesitated 
 to profess anything for the woman. 
 
 Paulus and the tribune sat together late into the 
 night, talking not of Gwenna, but once more of that 
 Christus, and for the first time the Roman heard the 
 great facts of the Resurrection. The Hebrew stopped 
 short again of his own vision. There must be some- 
 thing left for future occasion. 
 
 The next morning the apostle rose just as day was 
 breaking. Attilius' duty did not permit him to sleep, 
 and he had kept his charge over the Hebrew immersed 
 in thought. Paulus immediately summoned his house- 
 hold. There were several persons beside Gwenna in his 
 service and the large room was readily arranged for 
 the worship that was to take place at dawn of day. A 
 table, larger and higher than that at which Paulus
 
 BREAKING THE BREAD 347 
 
 wrote, was moved to one end of the apartment and cov- 
 ered with a spotless white linen cloth^ Upon it two 
 lighted candles were placed and between them a plain 
 wooden cross upon a pedestal. A cup and plate of 
 silver, a flagon of wine, a little pitcher of water, and 
 bread in sufficiency, all covered by a smaller, finer cloth 
 of sheer white linen, were made ready. 
 
 While this was being done and after Paulus had 
 taken his morning bath, Attilius considerately remain- 
 ing without the curtain drawn around the bronze bath 
 tub until the ablutions of the Hebrew had been com- 
 pleted, the room rapidly filled with men and women and 
 larger children. There were perhaps forty of them, 
 and as they had been selected from the most worthy of 
 the Christians for this great honour by Linus, Cletus, 
 and the other elders, Attilius surveyed them with much 
 interest. 
 
 They were plain people, as a whole, and yet he recog- 
 nised hjs Greek philosopher Eurotas, a military tribune 
 whom he had known but slightly, a knight, and one or 
 two clients of great families whom he thought he had 
 seen in the Forum in attendance upon their patrons. 
 The rest of them were freedmen, or slaves, easily dis- 
 tinguished by their dress. There were a sobriety, a 
 dignity, and a sweetness in all their faces which it would 
 not be easy to find on the faces of any similar number 
 of people gathered at random from Roman society, high 
 or low. 
 
 Paulus presently came forth from behind the cur- 
 tain, this time arrayed in tunic and girdle and a sleeve- 
 less overgarment like a Roman paenula, all of spotless
 
 348 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 white. Never had the holiness of the man been so ap- 
 parent as it was then. Attilius, who usually laid aside 
 most of his armour during his tour of duty, with some 
 feeling that in this case he should do honour to what- 
 ever was toward by appearing in full dress, had donned 
 his crested helmet, thrust his arm through his shield, 
 buckled on his sword, and draped his cloak of purple, 
 which he wore because he was of the imperial guard, 
 across his broad shoulders. 
 
 As the two stood together they made a striking 
 and impressive picture. Paulus was much the shorter 
 man and his dress was simplicity itself, yet he presented 
 quite as tremendous a figure as did the pretorian in 
 purple and bronze and silver, the flickering candle- 
 light reflected from every boss upon his cuirass or 
 shield, and upon the shining hemisphere of his polished 
 helm. 
 
 " I would," whispered the soldier to the saint, " that 
 I could free thee from this chain for this hour." 
 
 " It mattereth not," said Paulus ; " I am glad that 
 thou art chained to me." 
 
 This was a new version of the connection and At- 
 tilius was sufficiently startled to hear it. 
 
 " What must I do to save thee from all possible 
 trouble and annoyance ? " he asked. 
 
 " Nothing. Stand thou there on that side of the 
 table ; the chain is long enough to give me freedom." 
 
 The two walked up to the table; Attilius took his 
 designated position close by Paulus, so that the apostle 
 would have freedom to move about the table and turn 
 and administer the bread and wine to the kneeling
 
 BREAKING THE BREAD 349 
 
 people. And the service began. The solemn prayer of 
 access, the grave exhortations, th,e triumphant uplift, 
 the tremendous words of consecration, the breaking of 
 the bread and the passing of it and the cup to the kneel- 
 ing figures, all made a deep impression upon the tribune. 
 He saw the religion of Christ at its earliest, at its 
 humblest, at its purest, and at its best. And the sight 
 was good to him. 
 
 When all had communicated, Paulus was moved to 
 preach to them. Attilius did not know, nor did any 
 of those present except perhaps Linus and Lucas, who 
 had assisted Paulus at the service, that what the apostle 
 said he had before written in a letter to the Corinthians 
 about the rising from the dead. There was a widow in 
 the little group, a man who had lost his wife, another 
 was an aged slave one of whose children had died under 
 the lash. To them Paulus especially addressed himself, 
 and Attilius also was in the mind of the great preacher 
 as he talked to them of Jesus and the Resurrection. 
 The silence was broken only by the stifled sobbing of the 
 woman. 
 
 Paulus had seated himself while he spoke, and the 
 congregation remained standing. As he sat down, At- 
 tilius moved and stood behind him, a glorious and 
 splendid figure. The rising sun sent beams through 
 the windows, which fell upon the white-vested apostle 
 and the gorgeous soldier. The juxtaposition gave rise 
 to strange reflections in the minds of the thoughtful 
 who looked and listened. 
 
 When Paulus had concluded he rose to his feet and 
 lifted his hands.
 
 350 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Ye will kneel, beloved brethren," he said softly, 
 " and receive my blessing? " 
 
 Every gesture that he had made, when he broke the 
 bread, when he blessed the cup, when he had admin- 
 istered them, had been made to the clink of steel. The 
 same chain clinked softly and wavered to and fro as 
 he held up his chained hand. But a sharper sound was 
 now heard above the rustling of garments as men and 
 women and children knelt before the preacher. It was 
 the clink and clatter of armour upon the floor of the 
 room, the clash of shield against breastplate; for how 
 or why he could not tell, yielding to an uncontrollable 
 impulse, the soldier knelt with the rest for the benedic- 
 tion ! Every one marked his action, most of all Gwenna, 
 who, with wildly beating heart, knelt nearest of all 
 others to the tribune and the saint.
 
 BOOK V 
 THE APPEAL UNTO CffiSAR
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 HOW PAULUS SPOKE FOR HIMSELF 
 
 PAULUS, as he had said, had long since had his primary 
 hearing and then his formal trial before Sophonius 
 Tigellinus and his colleague Fenius Rufus, a very dif- 
 ferent man, by the way, from the other pretorian pre- 
 fect. Tigellinus would fain have put off his final 
 hearing longer in the hope of making some financial gain 
 out of the delay, but Paulus had insisted on his rights 
 and his accusers had been forced to make out such a 
 case against him as they could. The accusations had 
 broken down and the prosecution had failed lamentably, 
 as was a foregone conclusion. 
 
 In fact, Paulus had done nothing against the laws 
 of the Empire. The weak case, as presented by the 
 Jews, which taken in conjunction with the exonerat- 
 ing report of Claudius Lysias, military tribune at Jeru- 
 salem, in which report Antonius Felix, the former pro- 
 curator, concurred ; and the document of Porcius 
 Festus, the present procurator, with a corresponding 
 endorsement from Herod Agrippa, the King of Chalcis, 
 left the pretorian prefects no option but to declare 
 Paulus innocent of any crime and set him free. 
 
 Orders to that effect had been already made out, 
 but their issue was delayed because Nero had heard 
 about this Paulus from Lucius Annseus Gallic, brother 
 of Seneca, who had come in contact with him in much 
 
 353
 
 354 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 the same way as the other Romans when he was pro- 
 consul of Achaia, and also from an aged senator, one 
 Sergius Paulus, who, while he was governor of Cyprus 
 many years before, had also met the famous Hebrew. 
 On this account the Emperor greatly desired to see 
 and hear this somewhat notable prisoner, who, although 
 a Hebrew, had with his case occupied the highest courts 
 of the Empire for a long time and had more than once 
 nearly precipitated riots in the ever-turbulent province 
 of Jerusalem. Therefore, when the order of liberation 
 was brought to the Emperor for his approval, he with- 
 held his signature until he could see and examine Paulus 
 himself. 
 
 Accordingly, about the kalends of March, some two 
 years from the date of Paulus' arrival in Rome, the 
 Emperor arranged a public hearing for the Hebrew. 
 By public, it is not to be understood that the hearing 
 took place in the Forum, where such matters were 
 usually decided, but in Nero's palace, admittance to 
 which was restricted to the friends of Caesar, the of- 
 ficials of the Empire, and the women of the court. The 
 previous trial had been public and had been held in 
 the Forum, but as this was more in the nature of a 
 hearing to gratify the curiosity of the Emperor, no 
 attempt was made to admit any of those who did not 
 have the right of entrance, or who were not especially 
 selected by the Emperor. 
 
 Paulus was allowed to bring with him such of his 
 friends as he chose, and although the risk was great, 
 Gwenna had insisted upon accompanying him, together 
 with Lucas, Linus, Cletus, and others of the Christian
 
 HOW PAULUS SPOKE FOR HIMSELF 355 
 
 church. As Paulus had not been technically freed he 
 was still chained to the arm of his guard. It hap- 
 pened, by chance or providence, that the day for the 
 hearing was the day on which Caius Attilius had charge 
 of the prisoner. 
 
 Early in the morning a centurion with a company of 
 pretorians arrived to escort the prisoner. No appre- 
 hension of the escape of Paulus was felt, but he was 
 ordered to present himself before the Emperor, and it 
 was well that he should go in state, the pretorian prefect 
 had decided. The presence of the century did not, 
 however, relieve Attilius of his guard duty. 
 
 Carrying the slack chain in his hands, he walked 
 along by the side of the apostle in the centre of the 
 square formed by the soldiers. Close at hand was 
 Gwenna and with her Rebekah, together with Lucas, 
 Linus, Cletus, and the others. The women had their 
 heads covered and their faces veiled, a seemly use ac- 
 cording to Paulus, and in the case of Gwenna a very 
 desirable precaution. 
 
 Paulus knew that he was practically free and all that 
 was required of him now was to present his case to the 
 Emperor and secure a confirmation of the decree. But 
 Paulus was not thinking of himself at that moment ; he 
 did not greatly care whether he was freed or not. He 
 did not intend to justify himself to any great extent. 
 He was firmly purposed to take advantage of what 
 seemed the direct intervention of Divine Providence, to 
 preach his Christ before Nero and the great nobles and 
 people of the Empire. He had preached that Gospel 
 before high Roman officials from proconsuls downwards,
 
 356 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 before the learned philosophers of Athens, before the 
 pleasure-loving sybarites of Ephesus, before kings of 
 his own ancient people, but now he was to declare the 
 Gospel of the Lord of the Universe to the lord of the 
 world. 
 
 What he anticipated, what he expected, what he 
 hoped from such a presentation mattered little. The 
 business of Paulus was to preach that Gospel, and 
 when he had done that the results were not in his hands. 
 He had seen the power of that Gospel in the course of 
 his thirty years of declaring it and knew there was no 
 heart so stubborn, no soul so crime-stained but 
 could be touched by it. It was such power as the world 
 had never known. It was founded upon truth ; he knew 
 that the truth was mighty and would ultimately prevail. 
 
 With his thoughts turned inward, pondering the best 
 method of presentation, the old apostle trudged along 
 the narrow Roman streets. He was in a mood high and 
 exalted, naturally resulting in great nervous excitement 
 which rendered him insensible to everything else. Once 
 Caius Attilius would have felt the degradation and hu- 
 miliation of his position, stalking through the streets by 
 the side of the man to whom he was chained, more keenly 
 than words could have expressed, but now he was as 
 indifferent to the jeering laughter and mockery of the 
 rabble to whom his downfall was well known, as if it 
 had had no existence whatever. 
 
 Attilius was not yet a Christian. He found it dif- 
 ficult to give way to his inclinations, to his desires. He 
 had fought with his convictions like a Roman and had 
 fought hard, but he had become profoundly interested in
 
 HOW PAULUS SPOKE FOR HIMSELF 357 
 
 that strange religion and that splendid figure of 
 Christus bulked larger and larger before his vision. 
 Paulus himself, as he knew him better and better, dis- 
 closed such high qualities of splendid manhood in the 
 following of the Crucified, that the young tribune had 
 almost reached the point of taking what he felt would 
 be the last step which would cut him off from his past. 
 
 Conscious of his own integrity and conscious of the 
 greatness of his prisoner, Caius Attilius was so far 
 weaned away from that past as to be actually proud of 
 the chain that bound him to the apostle. And the fact 
 that he walked by the side of one who, although he was 
 a poor, persecuted Hebrew in spite of his Roman 
 citizenship, a prisoner of Rome, and an outcast from his 
 own nation, unwelcome by any other, was indeed the 
 greatest man that ever set foot within the narrow streets 
 of the city fatuously called eternal, filled him with 
 something of the elation of a conqueror ; and this prog- 
 ress was to him not unlike the formal triumph of a 
 victorious general on his way to the Capital. 
 
 Indeed, although Caius Attilius did not know it, 
 Paulus was a conqueror, and this was the greatest of all 
 the triumphs Rome had ever witnessed. The city might 
 pass away, some day would pass away, but the words 
 of that Christus as recorded by Lucas and as explained 
 by Paulus would never pass. When even heaven and 
 earth had gone, these would abide! 
 
 And Attilius was the more happy in that Gwenna 
 was close by his side. Their last sweet hour of converse 
 upon that Sunday afternoon after the Breaking of 
 Bread had brought balm to his soul. He had been fear-
 
 358 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 ful that her presence at the trial would be discovered 
 and that she would fall into the clutches of Nero. He 
 had urged that she change her design, but he had long 
 ago discovered the persistence and determination of the 
 girl. She was confident that her disguise would prove 
 effectual, she promised to keep in the background. Nero 
 was very near-sighted, Tigellinus would not recognise 
 her with her dyed hair and skin and her strange Jewish 
 dress, even if he saw her. Whatever the risk, she was 
 determined to take it. The shifting movement of the 
 little group of marchers brought her upon the other 
 side of the tribune from Paulus. Those within the 
 square were forced to walk close together by the nar- 
 rowness of the streets and the number of soldiers. The 
 soft draperies that enshrouded Gwenna's graceful figure 
 brushed lightly against the sturdy person of the soldier 
 and every touch brought him a thrill of joy. 
 
 He had loved her before, but something new, some- 
 thing higher, something nobler had come into his soul ; 
 his passion was not less, on the contrary greater, but it 
 was finer. No one could be long in the presence of 
 Paulus without feeling happier and better. Attilius 
 noticed that even the rough soldiers, who like him were 
 detailed in attendance upon the prisoner, were in some 
 measure changed by the daily contact. One of them, 
 at least, had become secretly an avowed Christian. 
 With him, in their hours off duty in the camp, Attilius 
 had often discussed the matter. The man was a plain, 
 blunt soldier, but a man of character and worth, as the 
 tribune soon discovered. 
 
 The journey from the insula in which Paulus had
 
 HOW PAULUS SPOKE FOR HIMSELF 359 
 
 lived to the palace on the Palatine was not a very long 
 one; the distance was soon traversed. They were ex- 
 pected. The great gates in the outer walls were thrown 
 open, the sentries on duty presented arms while the 
 prisoner and his escort marched steadily across the 
 courtyard through the garden and into the great hall of 
 the palace. 
 
 Save for a few soldiers posted at convenient places, 
 this great hall was empty. A low dais rose at the back- 
 ground on which were placed two chairs of carved ivory. 
 Above these chairs a canopy of royal purple silk was 
 draped. In the middle of the apartment a fountain 
 played. The water shot almost as high as the ceiling 
 and fell back with a musical plash into the marble basin. 
 There was a large square aperture in the roof, and as 
 the season was the spring of the year and as it was 
 early in the morning, it was left open; the purple 
 awning which usually covered it was not drawn, so that 
 the great room was filled with bright sunlight. The 
 walls were wainscoted with rare marbles and divided 
 above into panels by pillars and columns sunk into the 
 plaster. Between these panels the blank spaces were 
 filled with mural paintings by the most famous artists of 
 the time. Here and there in the niches of the wall 
 were placed statues by the great masters of antiquity 
 set on exquisitely proportioned pedestals. On either 
 side of the dais, which was placed close against the 
 further wall of the room, a number of chairs and 
 couches were arranged for the use of the highest and 
 oldest among the guests. The room was otherwise de- 
 void of furniture.
 
 360 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 The trampling feet of the prisoner and his attendants 
 and the soldiers upon the tessellated pavement filled the 
 empty place with sound. The centurion led his com- 
 mand to the centre of the room and stopped before the 
 fountain. A few sharp words of command and the 
 ranks opened and the soldiers fell into a double line 
 which extended across the hall. The prisoner and his 
 friends, with Attilius and the centurion, were left stand- 
 ing in front of the centre of the line. 
 
 This arrangement had scarcely been completed when 
 the doors were opened at the further end of the hall, 
 the heavy hangings of purple were drawn aside, and 
 through them streamed a multitude of people. There 
 were the two prefects in full armour of silver and gold, 
 blazing with jewels. No conqueror returning home 
 after the greatest victory shone like these two, whose 
 soldiering of late had consisted merely in commanding 
 the turbulent pretorians who formed the bodyguard of 
 the Emperor. After them followed a number of dig- 
 nified and venerable men whose senatorial rank was 
 indicated by the broad purple stripe down the front of 
 their tunics showing beneath their spotless togas. 
 Among them were Seneca, Gallic, and Sergius Paulus. 
 With these senators were a number of proud Roman 
 matrons. After these came the equites, or knights, dis- 
 tinguished by their narrower double purple stripes, and 
 with these, having edged his way to the front of the 
 ranks, was Regulus. 
 
 A look of great anxiety was on his face for Attilius, 
 not for Paulus. Attilius was somewhat amused at the 
 awkward way in which Regulus wore his toga. The
 
 HOW PAULUS SPOKE FOR HIMSELF 361 
 
 man was evidently much more used to the breastplate 
 and helm and other accoutrements of war than with 
 the garments of peace. 
 
 After the knights, who were also accompanied by 
 the women of their station, came the Emperor's freed- 
 men, led by Pallas, the richest man in Rome. They 
 were mostly habited in tunics of the rarest and most 
 costly materials, although some few of them, whom 
 Nero had thrust into the Senate, wore togas. The back- 
 ground was filled with attendants and slaves. 
 
 A buzz of conversation rose as the various parties 
 took their places, the senators and women, many of the 
 knights, and some few of the freedmen being seated, the 
 others standing. At the same time the doors through 
 which the prisoner had entered were opened and the 
 space back of the soldiers was also filled with minor 
 officials, favoured slaves, soldiers of the guard, off duty 
 temporarily, and other habitues of the palace who en- 
 joyed the privilege. 
 
 When all had secured their places as indicated by the 
 ushers who were charged with the duty of regulating 
 the order of precedence, a fanfare of trumpets was 
 blown and the nomenclator in his stentorian voice bade 
 the company make way for the Chief of the State, the 
 high, the mighty, the most excellent, Lucius Domitius 
 Nero Claudius Caesar, Imperator, Pontifex Maximus, 
 with the noble and beautiful Augusta, the lady Poppsea, 
 his wife. Those who had been seated rose and those 
 who had been standing came to attention. All eyes were 
 turned toward the doorway. Those on that side parted,
 
 conversation ceased. The soldiers brought their 
 weapons to the fore in salute. 
 
 As Nero was again consul he was preceded by his 
 twelve lictors. They in turn were followed by a squad 
 of pretorians. These opened ranks, and through the 
 passageway came the Emperor. He was clad as usual 
 in his favourite purple tunic, although in honour of the 
 company he had the grace this time to cincture it 
 tightly around his waist. He wore no toga, but his 
 head was encircled by a fillet or diadem set with 
 precious stones. He led by his hand on his left side the 
 Augusta, the Empress Poppaea, who was reputed with 
 desert to be the most beautiful woman in Rome. She 
 was also one of the wickedest and most dissolute of 
 Roman women, but from her baby face and innocent air 
 no one would have suspected that. Her tunic and stola 
 were of thin tissue of silver and gold, exquisitely em- 
 broidered, made in Coan, and scarcely veiling the figure 
 they draped. She wore her diaphanous garments with 
 shameless indifference. Her neck, arms, and ankles 
 were blazing with jewels and on her head she wore a 
 tiara of diamonds that sparkled like stars in the glory 
 of her blond hair, unusual for a Roman woman. 
 
 A murmur of admiration broke from the multitude in- 
 voluntarily, whereat Nero shot a swift glance around. 
 He did not choose to be rivalled even by Poppaea, his 
 consort. He lifted his emerald, but before he could 
 place it to his eye the whole assemblage, recalling the 
 proprieties, broke into a shout of greeting: 
 
 " Hail Caesar ! Hail divine Imperator ! Hail lord of
 
 HOW PAULUS SPOKE FOR HIMSELF 363 
 
 the earth ! Hail son of the gods ! Hail Pontifex 
 Maximus ! " 
 
 Gwenna shot a swift glance at Caius Attilius as Pop- 
 paea entered. Like those of every one else, the tribune's 
 eyes were fixed upon the royal pair, and a pang of 
 jealousy went through the heart of the British maiden 
 as she saw her lover stare at this other woman. If 
 she had possessed the power of reading the mind of 
 the tribune she would have had no cause for uneasiness, 
 for Attilius saw that half the beauty of Poppaea was 
 in her magnificent apparel and her jewels. He was 
 saying to himself that Gwenna was doubly fair and 
 more beautifully formed than the Empress, and the 
 colour upon the cheek of his beloved barbarian was put 
 there by nature and not by art. On every account 
 Attilius was more than satisfied in the comparison. 
 
 Amid all these shouts and exclamations, Nero led 
 Poppasa up the steps of the dais and motioned her to 
 the lower seat, taking the higher one himself. He 
 waited while the lictors arranged themselves about him 
 and then turned to Tigellinus, who as senior pretorian 
 prefect had approached and stood at the foot of the 
 dais, facing the throne. 
 
 After Nero and Poppaea had come a few of the Em- 
 peror's choicest friends, Petronius, Senecio, Terpnos 
 carrying the inevitable harp, Paris the dancer, Aliturus 
 the actor, and one or two women in immediate attend- 
 ance upon Poppaea, including, so the quick eye of At- 
 tilius soon discovered, Lollia Claudia, dark as midnight 
 but radiant in a magnificent robe of crimson embroid- 
 ered in gold and studded with diamonds. Her dress was
 
 36* THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 also of the thin sheer Coan weave and in its revelation 
 and suggestion was even more daring than that of 
 Poppaea, if possible. Around her neck was clasped a 
 string of wondrous pearls. With a start Attilius 
 recognised them as an heirloom in his family. He had 
 purposed to give them to Lollia Claudia when he mar- 
 ried her, but in the seizure of his household goods they 
 had fallen to Nero and by him had been bestowed upon 
 this beautiful but dissolute woman. 
 
 These few favoured of fortune arranged themselves 
 on the dais back of Nero and Poppaea. The soldiers 
 who brought up the rear also took their stand on the 
 dais, so that save directly in front of him Nero was 
 ringed about with steel. There was nothing to be 
 apprehended from Paulus, but on an occasion of this 
 kind, even though entrance was restricted to the chosen 
 friends of the Emperor, Nero, who was a coward, a rare 
 thing among the Romans, left nothing to chance. 
 
 Silence having been secured, Nero at last lifted his 
 hand. Upon this signal, Tigellinus bowed low before 
 him. 
 
 " Divinity," he began, " the prisoner Paulus, the 
 Roman citizen of Tarsus in Cilicia, having been tried 
 before the prefects of thy Pretorian Guard, Fenius 
 Rufus and thy devoted slave, by thine order, hath been 
 found guiltless of any offence against Caesar, the 
 Roman Senate, the Roman people, or the Roman 
 State." 
 
 The prefect stopped and nodded to a secretary, who 
 with many bows came forward and handed him a paper. 
 Receiving it, Tigellinus waved the man aside and
 
 HOW PAULUS SPOKE FOR HIMSELF 365 
 
 extended toward the Emperor an official parchment, 
 heavy with seals. 
 
 " In accordance," he continued, " with the testimony 
 of the tribune, Claudius Lysias, then stationed at Jeru- 
 salem, and of Antonius Felix, procurator, brother of 
 Pallas, thy freedman, and of Porcius Festus, who suc- 
 ceeded Felix as thy representative in Judea, and that 
 descendant of the Herods whom thou didst make of 
 thy grace and clemency King of Chalcis, all declaring 
 the innocence of this old man, we have made out a 
 decree in thy name setting him free. It lacketh but 
 thy signature, thy royal approval. Thou hast been 
 pleased to grant the accused a public hearing. In ac- 
 cordance with thine order and direction it hath been 
 arranged this morning. The prisoner is present." 
 
 " Hath he been searched," asked Nero, " to see that 
 he carrieth no weapons ? " 
 
 " Yes," answered Tigellinus, " he is an old man and is 
 still in the custody of thy pretorians." 
 
 " Thou hast done well," said Nero. " We would fain 
 hear this prisoner. Bid him approach our presence." 
 
 Tigellinus turned to the nomenclator. He would not 
 demean himself by speech with such a man as Paulus, 
 therefore he said to him : 
 
 " Summon the prisoner." 
 
 " Paulus of Tarsus in Cilicia, citizen of Rome, stand 
 forth and answer to thine Emperor," cried the official 
 in his great voice. 
 
 Now Paulus had been standing with closed eyes com- 
 muning with God in prayer during the whole time. So 
 rapt was he that first Gwenna and then the tribune
 
 366 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 had to call his attention to the summons. When he per- 
 ceived what they desired, he raised his head, straight- 
 ened himself, squared his bent shoulders, and accom- 
 panied by Attilius, to whom he was still chained, and 
 guided by one of the officers of the guard, who had 
 stepped forward for the purpose, he walked around 
 the fountain, advanced to the foot of the dais, and 
 stopped before Nero. 
 
 " Divinity," said Tigellinus, waving his hand, " be- 
 hold thy prisoner." 
 
 Nero lifted his emerald and peered through it at the 
 apostle. As was proper, Caius Attilius stood a little 
 in the rear and to one side of Paulus. The Emperor's 
 eyeglass was turned after a while in his direction. He 
 stared at him a moment, and then turned to Tigellinus, 
 who had not removed from his place at the foot of the 
 dais. 
 
 " Is not that " 
 
 " A soldier of thine," interposed the prefect, 
 " named Caius Attilius, in guard of the prisoner." 
 
 A light silvery laugh rose from the lips of one of 
 those upon the dais back of Poppaea. It was Lollia 
 who laughed. Nero frowned, looked around, observed 
 who it was who had had the audacity to laugh, and 
 then, appreciating what the laughter meant because 
 he saw the colour flame into the face of the tribune, 
 laughed himself, and the whole company, taking its cue 
 from Caesar, laughed loudly also. 
 
 The heart of Gwenna stood still. Beneath the stain 
 upon her cheek the colour came. She wished in her 
 soul that she had there a thousand of the sturdy bar-
 
 HOW PAULUS SPOKE FOR HIMSELF 367 
 
 barians who owed allegiance to her now that her father 
 was dead. How she would have swept away that rabble 
 from the Emperor down. 
 
 Attilius stood immovable like a statue of bronze. He 
 marvelled that he was not more humiliated, but some- 
 thing sustained him before that degenerate audience 
 and their mad jesting before a man who was being tried 
 in one sense for his life. He glanced at the face of 
 Paulus, who stood calm and unmoved, the pallor of his 
 cheeks somewhat belied by the sparkle of those bright 
 though near-sighted eyes. Paulus was sustained too. 
 He was calm outwardly, easy, composed, bearing him- 
 self like the gentleman he was. It seemed that the same 
 power that uplifted Paulus helped Attilius also, but 
 the tribune did not know, he could not tell. 
 
 Presently the laughter died away." Nero beckoned 
 to Tigellinus. The latter stepped forward and took 
 his place on the dais. 
 
 " Stand thou here by my side," whispered the Em- 
 peror, " with thy sword out. I like not that Attilius." 
 
 " The gods will protect their favourite child," said 
 
 Tigellinus softly, "but if not " He lifted his 
 
 shining blade as he spoke and then came to attention. 
 
 There was a bond of spirit and interest between 
 Nero and Tigellinus. They had together sounded the 
 depths of absolute depravity, and for that reason Nero, 
 and with right, trusted everything to his dark minion. 
 
 Silence having again fallen over the audience, Nero 
 stretched forth his hand toward the prisoner. 
 
 " Paulus of Tarsus," he said in his not unpleasant 
 voice, " Roman citizen of Cilicia, we desire to hear thee
 
 368 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 in thine own justification. I have been informed that 
 thou art an advocate of those who worship that 
 Christus who was crucified in thy country before I was 
 born. I have here," he lifted the paper which Tigel- 
 linus had handed to him, " an order for thy release. 
 If thou speakest well and dost please me, it shall be 
 signed forthwith and thou shalt go free." 
 
 " Royal clemency," bellowed one of the lusty 
 senators. 
 
 " Divine mercy," shouted a knight from the other 
 side. 
 
 And then the crowd broke into an acclaim at which 
 the Emperor was greatly gratified. He lifted his hand 
 to still the tumult. 
 
 " Paulus, thou art permitted," he said at last, " to 
 speak for thyself."
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD 
 
 IN all that great assemblage none looked with more 
 interest at the prisoner than Petronius. The arbiter 
 was a singular mixture of refinement and vice, the 
 noble and base, and his character was pervaded by 
 a certain philosophy sometimes cynical, often profound, 
 always in evidence. If he had listened to his good 
 impulses Petronius might have written his name on the 
 roll of the world's great, but a certain indifference, 
 amounting almost to laziness, a laissez faire spirit which 
 enjoyed the sweetness of doing nothing, at the same 
 time reserving the right to mock, ridicule, and comment 
 bitterly upon all that transpired, prevented him from 
 being or doing anything. He was a Laodicean, a man 
 who saw the evil of his time, despised it, yet tolerated 
 it, even fell into it. He was the only man for whom 
 Nero had the least respect, although that respect was 
 mingled with fear which finally brought about the un- 
 doing of the Arbiter Elegantiarum. 
 
 Petronius was the friend of profound Seneca and 
 sweet Gallio. The high-flown sentiment and mag- 
 nificent philosophy of Nero's former tutor had often 
 been discussed between the three. They agreed per- 
 fectly upon the beauty and propriety of Seneca's doc- 
 trines, but they had no impulse whatever to put them 
 into play. Petronius saw the steady degeneration of 
 
 369
 
 370 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 Rome going on, but like that " well-beloved " French 
 monarch who came centuries later, he knew that his 
 time was short and that he would outlast the Empire 
 for the rest and for what came after, that was no 
 concern of his ! 
 
 He had heard from Gallio, with whom Paulus had 
 been thrown in contact at Corinth, something about the 
 man. He looked at him standing at the foot of Nero's 
 throne with intense interest. Somehow into the ques- 
 tioning mind of the arbiter came the thought that he 
 on the throne and he at the foot of the throne repre- 
 sented two different systems, antagonistic, even anti- 
 thetic, in character. One or the other could not per- 
 sist on earth. That for which Nero stood, although it 
 had the backing of the world the Roman Empire! 
 and that for which Paulus stood, although he seemed 
 now to have no backing at all, to the cynical pagan 
 were at absolute odds. 
 
 Petronius was a mind reader. He was accustomed 
 to estimate men, both at their surface value and other- 
 wise, but primarily from what he saw without and then 
 secondarily from his ability to look within. He 
 thought Nero would have little chance with Paulus, 
 either outwardly or inwardly considered. If Paulus 
 had any backing at all Petronius was fain to confess 
 that Nero and that for which he stood would be 
 doomed. What, who, was behind Paulus? And that 
 was something Petronius could not divine, could not sus- 
 pect even. 
 
 There was no comparison between the two men. We 
 have seen Nero. The splendour of his attire, the ad-
 
 THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD 371 
 
 vantage of the position he enjoyed upon the dais, his 
 beautiful hair with its bronze light encircled by the 
 bediamonded fillet, did not in the least disguise the 
 character that was stamped upon the face of the man. 
 Pride of birth, pride of power, arrogance, insolence, 
 encouraged by the thousand servile flatterers who sur- 
 rounded him; moral evil, sexual vice, all were plainly 
 written there. The man had no conscience, no soul, no 
 affection. Poppaea, the beautiful if shameless wife, was 
 to die hereafter from a brutal kick administered to 
 her just as she was about to become a mother. 
 
 The Emperor had gained his crown through the mur- 
 der of his step-father. He had shaken off the sway of 
 his incestuous mother by matricide. He had poisoned 
 the Prince Britannicus, his brother-in-law, the rival 
 claimant for the throne. He had seduced and then mar- 
 ried Poppaea, the wife of his dearest friend, whom he 
 had sent into banishment, after the murder of his step- 
 sister and first wife Octavia. Not one of the syco- 
 phantic, grovelling senators or knights, not even the in- 
 timate friends of Caesar, not even Petronius himself had 
 a certain tenure of life or property. Indeed, before his 
 freedmen forced the dagger held in his own reluctant 
 hands into the Emperor's throat, most of those who were 
 present that morning had fallen victims of his resent- 
 ment, his greed, and his fear. The bleary eyes, the 
 pallid face, the pouting, sensual lips, the frowning brow, 
 tlje ruthlessness and cruelty of his glance, would have 
 marked the man as a criminal of the worst type, a de- 
 generate of the lowest grade, in any society and at any 
 time.
 
 372 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 From that face with whose looks he was so familiar, 
 the eyes of Petronius ranged to the prisoner. He saw 
 a man small of stature but broad of shoulders and 
 sturdily built, his back bent a little, as if by a burden 
 too heavy to be sustained by a mere mortal. The man's 
 face was pale, too, but there was a look of lofty 
 purity in his countenance, a majesty in his face that 
 might better have become a Caesar; and such ineffable 
 dignity, none the less evident from a certain humility 
 in his bearing, that there was no comparison between 
 the two. One, the man of the throne, was pale be- 
 cause of men and women and their vices ; the other, he 
 of the chain, was pale because of service for God. In 
 but one particular, the two were alike. They were 
 both near-sighted; but whereas Nero's eyes were dull 
 and lifeless, those of Paulus were exceedingly brilliant. 
 
 The Hebrew lacked the glorious crown of hair of the 
 Emperor ; his massive head was bald except for a fringe 
 of hair now almost white, his meeting eyebrows were 
 iron-grey. Intellectual force and power were stamped 
 upon that head as well as disinterested dignity and 
 calm. The Emperor was clean-shaven ; a short, care- 
 fully trimmed beard of " sable-silver " fell upon the 
 prisoner's breast. Nero was vainly clad in the softest 
 silk, Paulus wore the plain brown tunic of his habit. 
 It was new, scrupulously clean, exquisitely simple. 
 
 Attilius towered over the apostle. In the open space 
 left between the ordered ranks of the century which 
 had brought the prisoner there and the crowded court 
 on either side and back of Nero, the two striking figures 
 were alone. The eyes of all were fastened upon Paulus,
 
 373 
 
 some with interest, real or assumed, since Paulus was 
 the object of Nero's attention; others with covert indif- 
 ference, and some with open mockery and scorn. Back 
 of the apostle, Lucas, Linus, Cletus, Gwenna, and the 
 others prayed for him in that hour of trial. As Nero 
 gave the Hebrew permission to speak, Paulus heard a 
 whisper from his guard : 
 
 " Now may thy Christus be with thee ! " 
 
 The words came to him softly, and although they 
 came from the lips of a heathen, a man who had pro- 
 fessed no belief, they gave Paulus wondrous encourage- 
 ment. He was accustomed to being alone, so far as men 
 were concerned, to standing solitary, sustained by the 
 power of God only, before the world's courts; yet he 
 was human and his heart thrilled to those words. He 
 nodded imperceptibly to Attilius to show him that he 
 understood and began his speech. 
 
 His voice was low. His words came slowly; he fal- 
 tered from time to time. Those present thought that 
 the greatness of his auditory oppressed him. But it 
 was not that. Paulus was ever slow of speech and timid 
 until he had entered fully into his argument, when his 
 hesitation and timidity left him and he swung along 
 like a tempest. 
 
 The Romans were great orators. To be taught to 
 speak was part of the education of every patrician. At- 
 tilius had been charmed by Paulus' persuasive eloquence 
 in conversation and he felt at once greatly disappointed. 
 And there was a sense of personal regret, for without 
 being conscious of it, he had, as it were, constituted 
 himself the champion of Paulus, and he was very eager
 
 374 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 that the Hebrew should set forth his case so as to 
 move and appeal to Csesar and the rest. He was dis- 
 appointed, too, with the line of argument which Paulus 
 seemed to be entering upon, after a few preliminary 
 words. Instead of defending himself, he was actually 
 preaching the Gospel of Christus to Nero! 
 
 But as the apostle progressed, as the words began 
 to come quicker, as his voice steadied, as his hand 
 uplifted, as his arms were thrown out in splendid ges- 
 ture, the clink of the chain seeming to add emphasis 
 to every movement, Attilius, like the rest, was carried 
 away by the force and fire of his torrential elo- 
 quence. 
 
 " I count myself happy," he began, after a glance 
 at Nero, but bending his eyes downward as he spoke, 
 " at being permitted in this imperial presence to plead 
 my cause. I have heard from the lips of his excellency, 
 thy pretorian prefect, O Caesar, that I have been 
 adjudged innocent of any offence against Rome or its 
 laws. The testimony of Claudius Lysias, of Antonius 
 Felix, of Porcius Festus, and even of royal Agrippa 
 of mine own nation, hath acquitted me. And perhaps 
 it is not necessary for me further to discuss that where- 
 with I am charged save to confirm with mine own mouth 
 the testimony that these have witnessed for me. I have 
 committed nothing, not only against the laws of Rome 
 but not even against the peoples or customs of my 
 fathers. I have not shared in the tumults which raged 
 about me. After successive trials before thine officers 
 and after waiting two years in prison at Caesarea, I 
 appealed unto thee, confident that through the majesty
 
 THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD 375 
 
 of Rome I should have that justice which I ask and 
 which is my birthright as a Roman citizen." 
 
 " The man speaketh well," whispered Petronius from 
 his place on the dais, which was raised only a step 
 or two above the floor, to Regulus, who had edged close 
 beside him. 
 
 A certain sympathy for Attilius had made these two 
 friends who otherwise were so different in rank and 
 station and culture that common interest between them 
 was impossible. 
 
 " Well indeed," answered Regulus ; " I know him ; he 
 is a man." 
 
 " That thou mayest have a proper understanding 
 of all these things, O Caesar," continued Paulus more 
 easily and confidently, " know that I am a citizen of 
 Rome, a Jewish man, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, no 
 mean city, as thou hast heard. My family had earned 
 Roman citizenship by service to the state. Into that 
 citizenship, therefore, freely was I born. My father's 
 labours brought him plenty for our needs. I was 
 given the best education afforded by my native place, 
 and as we Hebrews must all be taught a trade, I 
 learned to be a tent-maker, and with these hands have 
 I laboured to get mine own living and to be beholden 
 to no one in after days. In my young manhood I was 
 sent to Jerusalem and placed at the feet of Gamaliel, 
 a great teacher of the Mosaic Law, where I was trained 
 in the strictest way in the law of our fathers. It may 
 ill beseem me to speak of myself, yet that thou mayest 
 understand from the beginning, with thy gracious per- 
 mission, I will speak on."
 
 376 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Continue," said Nero. 
 
 His voice was not unpleasant, but how different did 
 it sound from that of Paulus, which was gathering 
 strength and sweetness and power with every passing 
 moment. 
 
 " I thank thee. I served the gods of my fathers 
 with a pure conscience as I had a right, for I was a 
 Hebrew of the Hebrews, circumcised the eighth day, 
 of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, as 
 touching the law a Pharisee. Thou hast heard of 
 Christus, whom we call Jesus? " 
 
 " Aye," answered Nero. " He was crucified for sedi- 
 tion in the reign of my divine precursor Tiberius 
 Claudius Cassar, by one Pontius Pilate, who was then 
 the imperial procurator of Judea." 
 
 " That is He," continued Paulus. " Men of my 
 people worshipped him as God. These I persecuted 
 even unto death, being exceedingly mad at them. The 
 men were stoned, the women and the children delivered 
 into prison, for I hated His Holy Name. My manner 
 of life from my youth, which was at first among mine 
 own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews, and they 
 could testify, if they would, that after the most straitest 
 sect of their religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I 
 stand and am judged by them for the hope of the 
 promise of God made unto our fathers. The promise 
 of a Messiah who would restore to God's chosen people 
 their ancient rights and privileges, their ancient lib- 
 erties." 
 
 "Is this treason?" interposed Nero harshly. 
 " Have a care, Paulus ; thy decree is not yet signed."
 
 THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD 377 
 
 " Nay, Imperator," answered the apostle, " the king- 
 dom of the Messiah is a spiritual kingdom. One day 
 His enemies sought to entrap Him upon the question 
 of paying tribute to the Emperor. He called for a 
 piece of silver of the imperial coinage. He showed 
 it to them, it bore the head of Tiberius, and asked 
 them whose was its image and superscription. They 
 answered Caesar's. He handed it back to them with the 
 injunction that they should render unto Caesar the 
 things that were Caesar's and unto God the things that 
 were God's." 
 
 " This Christus was a philosopher," said Petronius 
 softly into the ear of Nero. " Into His teachings we 
 might profitably inquire, divinity." 
 
 Nero nodded, glad to have this word of approval 
 from the arbiter. 
 
 " He was right," he said to Paulus. " Proceed." 
 
 " Our prophets foretold that our Christus would 
 be rejected by His people, that they would crucify Him, 
 that He would suffer for their sins, and that on the 
 third day He would arise from the dead." 
 
 " And did He? " queried Nero. 
 
 " Thou sayest," answered Paulus solemnly, the bold 
 confirmation ringing through the hall as he stood erect 
 and looked straight into the face of the Emperor. 
 
 " And hast thou proof of this ? " asked Nero care- 
 lessly, amid an excited buzz of incredulous exclamation 
 and comment. 
 
 " I have." 
 
 " Thou dost interest me greatly," said the Emperor ; 
 " speak on."
 
 378 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " I did not read aright the ancient prophets. Cruci- 
 fixion was of old to us the sign of the wrath of God. 
 I believed the Man condemned by His own sins rather 
 than by mine. I verily thought with myself that I 
 ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus 
 of Nazareth. Which things I also did in Jerusalem ; 
 and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having 
 received authority from the chief priests ; and when 
 they were put to death I gave my voice against them. 
 And I punished them oft in every synagogue and com- 
 pelled them to blaspheme, .and being exceedingly mad 
 against them, I persecuted them even unto strange 
 cities. 
 
 " Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority 
 and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O 
 Csesar, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above 
 the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and 
 them that journeyed with me. And when we were all 
 fallen to the earth I heard a voice speaking unto me 
 and saying in the Hebrew tongue, ' Saul, Saul, why 
 persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against 
 the pricks.' And I said, ' Who art thou, Lord? ' And 
 He said, ' I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. But 
 arise and stand upon thy feet ; for I have appeared 
 unto thee for this purpose to make thee a minister and 
 a witness both of these things which thou hast seen 
 and of those things in the which I will appear unto 
 thee. Delivering thee from the people and from the 
 Gentiles unto whom now I send thee, to open their 
 eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and 
 from the power of Satan unto God, that they may
 
 THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD 379 
 
 receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them 
 which are sanctified by faith that is in me.' 
 
 " Whereupon, O Caesar, I was not disobedient unto 
 the heavenly vision. But showed first unto them of 
 Damascus and at Jerusalem and throughout all the 
 coasts of Judea and then to the Gentiles, that they 
 should repent and turn to God and do works meet for 
 repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in 
 the temple and went about to kill me. 
 
 " Having therefore obtained help of God I continue 
 unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, say- 
 ing none other things than those which the prophets 
 and Moses did say should come. That Christ should 
 suffer and that He should be the First that should 
 rise from the dead and should show light unto the 
 people and to the Gentiles, for so in our speech we 
 style all those who are not of our nation, meaning no 
 disrespect thereby." 
 
 The voice of the great preacher coming into his 
 own rang through the lofty hall, which had grown 
 strangely silent. As he spoke of the beauty and the 
 power of the radiant vision which had met him in the 
 way, he threw his hand upward and stepped back a 
 little, full into the sunlight which poured through the 
 great opening in the ceiling. And following that up- 
 ward gesture it almost seemed for the moment as if 
 the Christ he preached were there. 
 
 As he paused after that great climax to begin again 
 in a lower key, a sudden murmur broke out again. 
 How would these words be received? It was soon de- 
 termined. Nero, of all present the least moved, smiled.
 
 380 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 There was mockery in that smile. Tigellinus, quick 
 to interpret his master's moods, burst into loud, vulgar, 
 jeering laughter. 
 
 " Paulus," cried the prefect, recovering himself with 
 difficulty, " thou art beside thyself. Much learning 
 hath made thee mad." 
 
 Tigellinus laughed loudly again and the whole hall 
 was swept by a gale of merriment. Did Nero and his 
 think they could laugh down the wind Paulus and his 
 Christ? Who shall say? Such a reception would have 
 daunted the boldest man. He was truly alone before 
 the mocking world and its rulers, but the fire had en- 
 tered the soul of that Hebrew. Their laughter moved 
 him to pity, to pity for them. He raised his hand 
 once more and opened his lips. 
 
 The tumult died away. This was a rare meeting. 
 They were getting much amusement out of it. Nero 
 had been well advised to provide this spectacle for his 
 court. What further folly at which they might jest 
 would this strange Hebrew speak? Would he be indif- 
 ferent or resentful ? Some of the sharper eyes had seen 
 Attilius clench his sword at their mockery and that 
 added much to their pleasure. What would Paulus do? 
 Gently, sweetly he began: 
 
 " I am not mad, most noble prefect, but speak forth 
 words of truth and soberness. If thou wilt but hear 
 me further, O Caesar." 
 
 " And dost thou think," laughed Nero sneeringly, 
 " to persuade me in a little to be a follower of thy 
 crucified God a Christian? "
 
 381 
 
 " I would to God," cried Paulus, lifting up his 
 chained hand and shaking it in the face of them all, 
 " that not only thou, O Caesar, but also all that hear 
 me this day were, both in little and in great, such as I 
 am, save for these bonds." 
 
 " Insolence ! " cried Tigellinus, stepping forward. 
 
 " Nay," said Nero, " it amuseth me, and yet there is 
 some method in his speech. What saidst thou of thy 
 Christ, Paulus? Whose Son was He?" 
 
 " The Son of God, born of His Holy Spirit of a 
 virgin mother." 
 
 " Impossible," exclaimed Pollio scornfully. " In the 
 fables of our discarded religion there were many gods 
 born of women scarcely virgin ! and of Jupiter ; but 
 none believe in that religion now, save the -common 
 people." 
 
 " ' All religions,' " quoted Petronius, " * are regarded 
 by the common people as equally true, by the philos- 
 ophers as equally false, and by the statesmen as equally 
 useful.' " 
 
 " I do not find that statement of a man being fathered 
 by a divinity so impossible of belief," said Nero, touched 
 in his self-esteem, " for I myself am born of a god." 
 
 " But not by a virgin if Agrippina be his mother," 
 Petronius could not resist the temptation to whisper 
 to Regulus, taking his life in his hands as he did so, 
 for had Nero heard him or any one else save so faith- 
 ful a man as the centurion that hour had been his 
 last. 
 
 " True, O divinity," cried Pollio, alarmed at the
 
 382 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 tangle into which he had thrust himself in his im- 
 petuosity. 
 
 " Blasphemer ! " cried Paulus furiously, his pale face 
 reddening ; " Antichrist ! " 
 
 Nero turned and looked at the prisoner, his own coun- 
 tenance flushing in turn with anger at the interruption, 
 and Paulus sustained that look, which caused even the 
 great among the Romans to cower, without blenching. 
 
 " Thou seest, Pollio," loudly exclaimed Petronius, 
 quick to intervene to save the Hebrew, who had inter- 
 ested him and whose courage he admired, " even Paulus 
 hath found thee at fault because thou hast forgotten 
 the divinity of Caesar." 
 
 " As ever thou art right, my Petronius," said Nero, 
 his face clearing at the explanation ; " and now tell me, 
 Paulus, am I not a greater god than this Christus, since 
 I have not been crucified? " 
 
 He rose as he spoke and looked around him with 
 insolent pride. The whole assemblage rose with him 
 and shouted and cheered him, while above the tumult 
 rose the steady cry from hundreds of throats: 
 
 " Divinity ! divinity ! divinity ! " 
 
 " And this," whispered Petronius to Regulus, with 
 biting irony, " is the way we make our gods." 
 
 Horror-stricken, Paulus stood rooted to the spot, 
 his eyes fixed on Nero, his hands outstretched, his 
 body bent backward, his head turned sideways as if 
 he expected a shock. So the Philistines might have 
 stood that moment when they saw the temple begin to 
 fall under Samson's mighty out-thrust arms. There 
 was something so tremendous, so terrific in his figure
 
 "That divinity that thou hast claimed, oh Nero"

 
 THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD 383 
 
 that as one after another saw him the shouts died 
 away and silence prevailed as suddenly as the tumult 
 had arisen. This was the Hebrew's opportunity. 
 
 " For Christ's sake, in Whom I now believe," whis- 
 pered Attilius to him, catching him by the arm, and 
 the apostle had time to note that confession, " say no 
 more." 
 
 The Roman divined that Paulus would not permit 
 such blasphemy as had fallen from the lips of Nero to 
 pass unrebuked. 
 
 Attilius had seized him with a grasp of iron, but 
 Paulus shook him off as if he had been nothing. He 
 stepped forward. 
 
 " That divinity that thou hast claimed, O Nero," 
 he thundered, raising his hand 
 
 And then something happened. The voice of the 
 speaker died away, his mouth opened, a strained, awful 
 look came into his face, his arm fell. A horrible, 
 guttural sound broke from his lips that had a moment 
 since framed such magnificent words. His jaw locked, 
 a fleck of foam fell upon his beard. He swayed and 
 staggered, and before Attilius could catch him he 
 crashed down upon the pavement, writhing and strug- 
 gling in the grasp of a frightful convulsion. 
 
 It seemed to Attilius, as he fell to his. knees and 
 seized the apostle, that God had indeed avenged the 
 blasphemy, but upon the wrong man! Yet, as always, 
 had he but known it, God was right. 
 
 There was a rush of feet across the pavement. Nero, 
 seeing the figures approaching him and shocked beyond 
 measure by the dreadful spectacle presented, shouted
 
 384 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 in great alarm for Tigellinus and the guard. They 
 placed themselves in front of him with drawn swords, 
 but there was no need. The approaching figures were 
 those of Gwenna and the other women and Lucas, 
 followed by the rest of the Christians. 
 
 Gwenna took the head of the apostle in her arms, 
 Lucas knelt by his side. Linus and Cletus aided the 
 soldier to control the fearful convulsive movements of 
 his limbs. 
 
 " It seemeth to me," whispered old Regulus to Pe- 
 tronius, voicing the thought of Attilius, " that the gods, 
 if such there be, have made a mistake in launching their 
 wrath upon Paulus rather than upon Nero." 
 
 " Forget that thou hast uttered those words," said 
 Petronius. 
 
 Meanwhile over the assemblage broke a shout of 
 horror. Women screamed, some covered their faces 
 with their hands, others leaned forward fascinated. 
 
 " He hath the comitial disease," cried Senecio, and 
 the cry was taken up. " The wrath of the gods is 
 upon him." 
 
 "Will he die?" asked Nero, trembling. 
 
 "Is there a physician here?" cried Tigellinus. 
 
 " I," said Lucas, rising to his feet, " am a physician 
 and a friend of Paulus. He will not die. Since his 
 conversion these attacks have come upon him in great 
 moments like these, and ' 
 
 " Let him be taken away," said Nero. 
 
 "As a prisoner?" asked Tigellinus. 
 
 " Nay, let him go free. Stay," he continued as 
 Tigellinus presented the parchment for the Emperor's
 
 THE INTERPOSITION OF GOD 385 
 
 signature, " what said he before he was stricken down? " 
 
 " The last words that fell from his lips were ad- 
 dressed to thee," interposed Petronius swiftly, giving 
 the slower Tigellinus no time to reply ; " he spoke of 
 thy divinity." 
 
 " And for that did he incur the wrath of the gods ? " 
 asked Nero dubiously. 
 
 " Nay, but because he had sought to make his own 
 god greater than thou wert," answered Petronius, who 
 had no scruples whatever and was determined to secure 
 the enlargement of Paulus at any cost. 
 
 The arbiter was no Christian and had no intention of 
 becoming one. What he had in mind was the helping 
 of the prisoner whom in some way he found to be mixed 
 up in the fortunes of Caius Attilius, for whose disgrace 
 and misfortunes Petronius was profoundly sorry. 
 
 " Again thou art right," said Nero, greatly relieved 
 apparently. " The man shall be released. He is mad 
 but harmless. Give me the order and a pen." 
 
 Tigellinus nodded to the secretary, who came for- 
 ward again. Nero sat down, rested the parchment on 
 his knee, dipped the reed in the ink, and scrawled his 
 name at the bottom of it. 
 
 " If he liveth," he said, " he shall be free." 
 
 He handed the parchment to Tigellinus, who in turn 
 passed it to Lucas. But the venerable Greek felt that 
 he could not pass by Nero's blasphemous words any 
 more than Paulus, nor was he willing to allow the sug- 
 gestion of Petronius to pass unchallenged. He stepped 
 forward and lifted his hand toward Caesar. 
 
 "What wouldst thou?"
 
 386 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Speech with thee," cried Lucas bravely. 
 
 " And I, and I," cried Linus and Cletus in turn. 
 
 " I have heard enough this morning," said Nero 
 indifferently ; " if ye have a petition to present, Or 
 other matter to bring before me, let it follow in due 
 course. Take the old man away. The audience is 
 over." 
 
 He rose again as he spoke, and the room resounded 
 with the calls of the soldiers on guard to attention 
 and the clamorous hails of the assemblage, and al- 
 though Lucas arfd the rest spoke now without permis- 
 sion, Nero had turned away, and Tigellinus, fiercely 
 resentful, bade his soldiers clear the hall. Petronius 
 lingered after the rest with Regulus. He stepped to 
 the side of Attilius. 
 
 " My litter is outside," he said ; " thou canst have it 
 for the morning to take the old man to his home. Say 
 to him that one Roman disbelieveth his story but ad- 
 mireth his courage. Farewell." 
 
 " I will go with you," said Regulus. " Tigellinus hath 
 promised me an escort of pretorians." 
 
 " Let us go then," said Att'ilius ; " the audience is 
 over and Paulus is free."
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 CAIUS ET CAIA VALE 
 
 PAULUS being at last laid upon his bed in his apart- 
 ment continued in that merciful oblivion which invari- 
 ably succeeded his attacks. Lucas, who watched him 
 assiduously, gave him a soothing, quieting draught 
 when he stirred and was able to take it, and under its 
 influence the tired old man slept soundly throughout 
 the afternoon and night until the next morning. None 
 had sought to disturb him throughout the long after- 
 noon of the day of the trial. Lucas had begged that 
 all save the inmates of the apartment withdraw, and 
 among those who had gone away had been Caius At- 
 tilius, his mind a tumult of feelings and emotions too 
 great for words. 
 
 The first thing that came to Paulus when he awak- 
 ened was a sense of something missing. He could not 
 at first make out what it was. Finally he lifted his 
 left arm and stared at it. There was a broad white 
 mark around the wrist, outward and visible sign of the 
 fetter which had been clasped about it for the two 
 long and weary years, but the black bracelet of steel 
 over the woolen wristlet was gone. No clinking of 
 the chain followed the movement of his arm ; there was 
 no drag, no weight upon it. What did it mean? Who 
 had released him, and why? 
 
 Paulus sat up in bed and stared at the spot which 
 387
 
 388 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 had been covered by that fetter. He -studied over the 
 problem for a long time. Finally he clapped his hands 
 softly, and Lucas and Gwenna and Rebekah and the 
 other inmates of the household came running. 
 
 "What hath chanced?" asked the apostle, stretch- 
 ing forth his arm for all to see. " The chain is gone ! 
 Where is my guard? " 
 
 " Thou art free," said Lucas. 
 
 "Free!" 
 
 " Aye, by Nero's order. Dost thou not recall the 
 hearing and thy proclamation of the Gospel? " 
 
 " When was it and where ? " 
 
 " Yesterday morning in the palace of the Cassar." 
 
 Paulus bent his head into his hands, thinking 
 deeply, and finally groaned aloud. 
 
 " I remember," he said slowly at last ; " the blas- 
 phemer, the antichrist, whom I would fain have re- 
 buked but what stopped me ? " 
 
 To this question none made answer, only Lucas his 
 old friend looked at the apostle meaningly, his face 
 working with love and tenderness. 
 
 " Was I stricken down? " asked Paulus in agony. 
 
 " The hand of God," answered Lucas softly. 
 
 " Yes, yes," admitted Paulus, " but " 
 
 " In thy behalf and for the furtherance of the Gos- 
 pel," urged the Greek earnestly. 
 
 " What meanest thou, beloved friend? " 
 
 " God hath still work for thee to do. Thy time in 
 His hands is not yet. If thou hadst been permitted to 
 speak on, thy headless body would even now be lying 
 without the walls."
 
 CAIUS ET CAIA VALE 389 
 
 " His will be done," said Paulus humbly, striving for 
 his wonted composure ; " but, beloved Lucas, even thou 
 dost not know how I have prayed I am weary of my 
 course. I have fought a good fight, I have kept the 
 faith " 
 
 " But thou must go on until the end." 
 
 " And now I am free ? " 
 
 " Here is the edict," said Lucas, taking the roll from 
 the writing table, " signed by Cassar's own hand." 
 
 " The man of sin hath power over the servants of 
 God ! " said Paulus. " Well, we may not inquire too 
 closely into God's ways." 
 
 " Beloved master," said Lucas, " never since I have 
 been with thee hast thou borne such a splendid testi- 
 mony to Christ, our Lord, as on yesterday morning 
 before Caesar and his court." 
 
 " Only to be stricken down in the end," said Paulus. 
 " But thou, thou wert free " 
 
 " Reproach me not," interrupted Lucas quickly ; 
 " with Cletus and Linus I stepped to the foot of 
 Caesar's throne, demanding to be heard, intending to 
 say what thou wouldst have said, but he would not 
 listen to us. He dismissed us with a wave of his hand, 
 and although we shouted at him, the tumult in the hall 
 drowned our words. Tigellinus drove us forth at the 
 sword point." 
 
 " I knew that thou wert a true man and worthy fol- 
 lower of our Master, Lucas, and Linus and Cletus as 
 well. Now we must get away from Rome at once." 
 
 " Thou wilt tarry a few days to recover thy 
 strength? " asked Lucas.
 
 390 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Nay, I go at once. I have tarried too long here in 
 idleness." 
 
 " Whither goest thou? " asked Lucas. "Not that 
 it mattereth, for I shall go with thee wherever it may 
 be." 
 
 " Where we have often planned. To Lusitania, to 
 the utmost bounds of the west, and perhaps " his eye 
 fell upon the form of Gwenna " perhaps some day, 
 who knoweth, to that far-off island of thine." He 
 looked at her fixedly. "Wilt thou go with us?" he 
 asked suddenly. 
 
 And Gwenna faltered. 
 
 " I I do not know, beloved teacher," she said at 
 last, " I " 
 
 " Where is the young tribune? " asked Paulus. " He 
 said something to me before I was stricken that glad- 
 dened my heart and I would fain hear it again." 
 
 " He left with the decurion when the chain was 
 stricken off yesterday. He would have been back in 
 the afternoon but that Lucas forbade him," answered 
 Gwenna. 
 
 " Lucas," said Paulus, smiling, " thou shouldst have 
 been more thoughtful of youth and love. Let him be 
 sent for. This Caius Attilius " 
 
 " Dost thou desire to see me, venerable Paulus ? " said 
 the deep voice of the tribune from the front of the 
 room near the door which he had just entered un- 
 observed. 
 
 " Wilt thou draw the curtain, beloved Lucas, and 
 help me to the bath yonder? I must arise. I have 
 much to do," said Paulus. " And thou, Caius Attilius,
 
 CAIUS ET CAIA VALE 391 
 
 wilt remain with Gwenna until I have speech with 
 thee?" 
 
 " I am free for the day," answered the soldier, " and 
 my pleasure is thine." 
 
 " And, Rebekah, wilt thou make ready that with 
 which we may break our fast speedily? " said the 
 apostle, waving his hand in dismissal. 
 
 All the others accordingly retired except Attilius and 
 Gwenna, who walked away to the window. Lucas drew 
 the concealing curtain and helped the apostle toward 
 the bathroom containing the bronze bathtub, into which 
 the pure water from the hills was soon running through 
 the taps. 
 
 " What was it," asked Gwenna, " that Paulus 
 heard thee say? " 
 
 " I am a Christian," answered Attilius firmly ; " what 
 the Hebrew said at the audience convinced me at last." 
 
 " God be praised; and thou wilt be baptised? " cried 
 Gwenna, her face alight. 
 
 " If Paulus thinketh me worthy," answered Attilius, 
 smiling, yet in sadness, at her. 
 
 And here the maiden did a strange thing. She fell 
 on her knees before him. 
 
 " Lord," she said, clasping his hand and kissing it. 
 
 " What is it ? " asked Attilius wonderingly. 
 
 " I was thy slave before and I am thy slave still." 
 
 " Not at my feet, dearest maiden, but in my arms," 
 said the Roman, lifting her up. 
 
 He had often clasped her in his arms before, always 
 against her will and by force, save on the night of the 
 feast, and he had even ravished her lips of kisses ; but
 
 392 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 this time it was different. She gave herself up to his 
 embrace gladly, not turning away when his lips sought 
 her own. Her arm stole around his neck and between 
 kisses they whispered to each other words that can be but 
 once uttered and when once heard can never be forgot. 
 
 "And thou wilt marry me now, my lord?" asked 
 the woman; " I shall be thy true and honoured wife? " 
 
 " Thou dost forget," answered the tribune bitterly, 
 " that I am a soldier bound for ten years, that I am 
 penniless, that thou art free rich a princess of 
 Britain." 
 
 " I forget everything," answered Gwenna simply, 
 " except that I am thine, and be the years long or 
 short I shall wait for thee." 
 
 " Whither goeth Paulus ? " asked the tribune sud- 
 denly, still holding her close. 
 
 " To Lusitania by sea and perhaps to mine own dear 
 island of Britain." 
 
 "And when?" 
 
 " To-day, if he can get a ship." 
 
 "And thou wilt go with him?" 
 
 " Not without thee." 
 
 " But what canst thou do here in Rome alone? " 
 
 " I know not, but I cannot leave thee." 
 
 "Where wilt thou stay?" 
 
 " Not even that do I know, but I shall stay, for 
 thou art here." 
 
 " There is no one to whom I can entrust thee save 
 
 perhaps Regulus, and he " began Attilius thought- 
 
 fully. 
 
 There came the sound of heavy footsteps outside.
 
 CAIUS ET CAIA VALE 395 
 
 The door turned on its pivot and the broad, sturdily 
 built veteran appeared in the entrance. 
 
 " How opportune is thine arrival, old friend," said 
 the tribune, delighted, stepping forward, half leading, 
 half carrying Gwenna with him in his arms. 
 
 He had been separated from her so long and fate 
 bade fair to separate them so soon again that he would 
 fain hold her close while he could, no matter who might 
 see. 
 
 " And in what way can I serve thee, I who live to 
 serve thee? " asked Regulus quickly. 
 
 And in their joy they did not notice a certain grim 
 melancholy which overspread the features of the worthy 
 centurion. He looked old and lonely, careworn and 
 tired. But love and youth were blind to the world, 
 and neither of the young people observed the sadness 
 and quiet of the veteran. 
 
 " I am a Christian " began Attilius. 
 
 Regulus nodded gravely ; it was no news to him ; he 
 had expected the announcement. 
 
 " I had supposed so," he commented. " It is easy 
 to understand. Go on." 
 
 " I have plighted my troth to Gwenna ; she loveth 
 me." 
 
 " Wilt thou marry her? " 
 
 " If she will do me so much honour." 
 
 " Thou art indeed changed," returned the centurion 
 curiously. " Well, what preventeth thy nuptials ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 " My term of service as a pretorian of the guard. 
 I am bound for ten years by my oath."
 
 394 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 " Let that trouble thee no longer," said Regulus 
 calmly. 
 
 " What meanest thou? " 
 
 The centurion took from his tunic an order. 
 
 " Here is thy discharge." 
 
 " And how didst thou secure it? " asked Attilius 
 wonderingly. 
 
 " With with the remainder of thy fortune. Fore- 
 seeing such a chance as this, I held back enough to 
 bribe Tigellinus." 
 
 "And Nero?" 
 
 " Thou shalt be reported killed in a brawl in the 
 city. Thou must leave Rome and disappear, of 
 course." 
 
 " With me and Paulus, in the ship and to my island," 
 cried Gwenna, radiant with joy. 
 
 " It is well thought on," said Regulus. 
 
 " Suffer me, worthy friend," said the maiden. 
 
 She disengaged herself from the close clasp of the 
 tribune. She stepped over to the old centurion, slipped 
 her arm about him. 
 
 " Thou hast been as a father to my lord and to 
 me." 
 
 She bent his grizzled head and pressed her lips upon 
 his brow. Regulus looked at her strangely. 
 
 " That is the first kiss I have had from lips like 
 thine since I left my mother's knee," he said. 
 
 " And my blessing go with it, Regulus, worthy 
 friend," said Attilius, seizing his hand. " I will not 
 desecrate with my lips the face that Gwenna's lips 
 have touched. Thou hast been more than a father to
 
 CAIUS ET CAIA VALE 395 
 
 me. Life, honour, the woman I love thou hast given to 
 me. How can I requite thee? " 
 
 " In this recognition I find reward enough," answered 
 the soldier, greatly embarrassed apparently. 
 
 " Come thou with us and old Paulus. I am a rich 
 woman in mine own land," said Gwenna ; " thou shalt 
 have ease, comfort, a command in Britain." 
 
 " No," answered the veteran. 
 
 " And we will make thee a Christian," urged At- 
 tilius with all the zeal of a new convert. 
 
 But Regulus shook his head. 
 
 " I was born in Rome, I have fought always under 
 her standard. I have worshipped always, in my rough 
 old way, her gods. I can live nowhere else. I can 
 fight in no other cause. I can learn no new religion 
 in mine old age." 
 
 " What, Regulus ! " exclaimed Paulus, entering the 
 room, refreshed from his bath and dressed in his usual 
 habit, although the keen eye of the centurion noticed 
 the ravages of the recent attack, the results of which 
 would be apparent for some days. " Thou art set in 
 thy ways, old friend." 
 
 " It is even so, worthy Paulus. But I have a mes- 
 sage for thee from the noble Petronius, whose ready 
 wit diverted suspicion from thee when thou didst so 
 boldly challenge Caesar." 
 
 " I suppose that I should be grateful," said Paulus, 
 " but I would to God that He had permitted me to 
 finish my testimony." 
 
 " It seemeth to me that thy God struck down the
 
 396 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 wrong man yesterday, and I said so to the arbiter, who 
 agreed with me." 
 
 " Nay, nay," interposed the Hebrew ; " whatever He 
 doeth is right." 
 
 "I suppose He hath more work for thee to do?" 
 shrewdly surmised the old soldier. 
 
 " That is the explanation of it, doubtless," admitted 
 the apostle. " But what said the noble Petronius ? " 
 
 " That one Roman disbelieveth thy story but ad- 
 mireth thy courage." 
 
 " My courage is not mine but His that sent me," 
 returned Paulus. " Wilt thou thank the Roman for 
 me? I shall pray for him that light may enlighten his 
 darkness." 
 
 " I shall give him thy message ; and now hail and 
 farewell." 
 
 " Stay," said Paulus ; " break bread with thy 
 friends, if thou wilt so far honour my poor abode." 
 
 " Nay," said Regulus, " I must go. Wilt thou tell 
 me of thy plans? " 
 
 " Thou hast well said that God when He struck me 
 spared me for a purpose. I am for Lusitania by ship 
 to-night, from Ostia to Puteoli, and thence across the 
 seas aboard the first vessel that is ready. I would fain 
 take Gwenna with me, but if she should elect to bide 
 here longer on account of Attilius yonder, perhaps thou 
 wilt take care of her." 
 
 " Attilius goeth with us, beloved Paulus," cried 
 Gwenna eagerly. " Regulus hath secured his release 
 from service. My lord is a Christian and seeketh bap- 
 tism at thine hand, and after "
 
 CAIUS ET CAIA VALE 397 
 
 " Afterward the blessing of God by thy lips upon 
 our union," said Attilius. 
 
 " Thou saidst something to me that was burned upon 
 my memory as I advanced to hurl his blasphemy into 
 the face of Caesar." 
 
 " That I was a Christian, and if I am found worthy 
 I would be baptised into the Name." 
 
 " Praised be God for His mercy," said Paulus. 
 " Regulus, wilt thou not come with us and know more 
 of this our holy religion? " 
 
 " I have answered the invitation which the noble 
 Attilius and the lady Gwenna have already extended. 
 I am a Roman, born in the City of Rome ; I have fought 
 for her throughout my long life, worshipped her 
 gods, false though they may be, I know not as to 
 that. In that faith and service I must die as I have 
 lived." 
 
 " Thou art a man at all events," admiringly said 
 Paulus, ungrudgingly giving him his hand ; " I shall 
 pray for thee." 
 
 " Here then again is thy discharge, beloved Attilius," 
 said Regulus, lifting up the order and then drawing 
 from out of his tunic a full purse, " and here is some- 
 what for thy present needs," he added. " Thou wilt 
 not forget the old man alone, in thy joy together? The 
 gods or thine own God have you both in keeping. 
 Again farewell." 
 
 He turned away and without another word disap- 
 peared through the doorway, not even seeing Paulus' 
 hand uplifted in blessing, or Gwenna's outstretched 
 arms. Nor did the centurion imagine that the eyes
 
 398 THE FETTERS OF FREEDOM 
 
 of Attilius were moist with what, had he not been a 
 Roman, might have been called tears. 
 
 And so he went out of their lives. So, too, later 
 he gave up his own life. He had deceived the tribune. 
 Nothing had been saved from the wreck of the fortunes 
 of Attilius. It was by the complete sacrifice of all 
 that he had amassed in his long years of service that 
 Regulus had purchased the discharge of his friend. At 
 the end of his life he found himself penniless, alone 
 in the city that he had loved. He had nothing to 
 expect from Nero, or the State that he had served, 
 or the gods to whom he had sacrificed. He had been 
 away too long to have acquired friends to whom in his 
 extremity he could turn. The men sent by Tigellinus 
 to take possession of his goods found him on the floor 
 of his atrium before his lares and penates, the sword 
 which he had drawn so often in the battles of the 
 Empire buried in his own brave heart. He had nothing 
 to live for, nothing to hope for. Those whom he had 
 loved and served were gone. Death alone was his only 
 portion. And yet his death was not unworthy of his 
 Roman name and fame. Certainly he had loved much, 
 and in that love he had surrendered all things without 
 repining. Ave atque vale! Hail and farewell, soldier, 
 as thou passest on. 
 
 Blissfully unconscious of this, Attilius and Gwenna 
 stood in the after part of the little ship drifting down 
 the Tiber with the current from Ostia and looked back 
 upon the myriad lights of the city gleaming in the 
 deepening twilight. Near by Paulus leaned against the 
 bulwarks and stared at the outlines of the great build-
 
 CAIUS ET CAIA VALE 399 
 
 ings grouped on the seven hills fading fast away in 
 the darkness. 
 
 There was a sadness in the hearts of the two men. 
 Paulus because he thought he had accomplished so 
 little, Attilius because he was an exile from his native 
 land. Attilius was to see Rome no more. Paulus was 
 to come back again to testify with his life to the truth 
 that was in him and before Nero a second time ! The 
 woman alone was happy, and yet after a while some- 
 thing of the sadness in the hearts of the two men she 
 loved was communicated to her. 
 
 From where she nestled in Attilius' arms she reached 
 out her hand toward Paulus, speaking not, yet ten- 
 derly sympathetic, in a way not to be misunderstood. 
 The old man took the woman's hand and patted it 
 softly. Presently he raised his hands over their heads 
 and over the city beyond, his lips murmuring. He 
 made the sign of the cross with his hand and turned 
 away. 
 
 In the growing darkness Gwenna lifted her head and 
 whispered something in her husband's ear. They were 
 Christians, both, but it was an ancient heathen phrase, 
 a marriage vow, hallowed by years of usage in Rome, 
 which she had somehow learned, that Attilius heard: 
 
 " Where thou, Cams, art,'' she said in glorious devo- 
 tion and submission, " there will I, Caia, be! " 
 
 THE END
 
 A 000046363