was, nevertheless, too young, in spite of his premature experiences and his misfortunes, for life not to offer him new attractions, and the greatest of these attractions he found in Antea, Timon's only child. The popularity of this young girl was not less than that of her father. Every one offered her homage; the grave Romans who frequented Timon's house, the Greeks, the philosophers of the Serapeum, even the common people. A supernatural charm surrounded her and she hardly seemed of this earth. She had prophetical dreams, revelations that transported her above this world. Her father loved her with a tenderness all the greater for fear that he might lose her. Sometimes, in fact, she owned to him that her sleep was haunted by warning visions; that before her shone an extraordinary light, and she could not say if it predicted life or death. Up to now, however, no shadow had crossed her young life. When Cinna saw and heard her for the first time, he was so deeply impressed that he would like to have raised an altar in the atrium of his house, and to have offered white doves in sacrifice to her. And soon he came to love her with an intense and overwhelming love, which as little resembled what he had hitherto felt, as Antea resembled other girls. And Antea returned his love. "Thou art happy, Cinna," said his friends. "Yes, thou art happy, Cinna," he repeated to himself. And, when at last he married her he loved, when her divine lips had pronounced the sacred words, "Where thou art, Caius, there I, too, will be," it seemed to him that his happiness was, like the sea, inexhaustible and without limits. A year passed, and the husband gave to his young wife the worship one renders to a divinity. But Cinna, when he compared his happiness to the sea, forgot that the sea has its ebb. At the end of a year, Antea was seized with a cruel and mysterious illness. Her dreams changed into terrifying visions which weakened her strength. The rosy tint of health faded from her sweet face, leaving only a waxen pallor. The visions became more frequent; they soon became daily, and followed the invalid wherever she hid herself. By the doctor's advice, Cinna surrounded her with strolling musicians, with Bedouins playing on their earthen pipes, whose loud music should still the murmurs of these invisible spirits, but all was in vain. Antea heard them all the same, and when the sun was high enough in the heavens that a man could see his shadow at his feet, like a garment which he had cast from him, then, in the burning atmosphere, the apparition would show itself and, fastening on Antea its evil gaze, retire slowly before her, as if inviting her to follow. A Greek doctor was of opinion that it was Hecate who appeared to Antea, and that the procession that so terrified the poor girl was that of the illomened gods. In his opinion, there was no possible remedy, for whoever has beheld Hecate is fatally condemned to dissolution. And Cinna, who up to now had only a smile of disdain for the worship of Hecate, prostrated himself before her altar, and offered to her "hecatombs," but the goddess remained inflexible, and the following day the phantom with the hollow eyes would reappear to Antea. They tried bandaging the eyes, but the vision could be seen through the thickest veils; in a place from where all light was excluded it came from behind the walls, and the blue lights which emanated from it dispersed the shadows. In the evening the invalid felt better; she then fell into a sleep so deep that sometimes Cinna and Timon feared she would never awake. Little by little she became so weak that she was unable to walk. They carried ner on a litter. About this time a celebrated Jewish doctor, son of Khusa, arrived at Alex andria, coming from Cesarea. Cinna this country there is arisen a philosopher who cures the sick?" at once consulted him, and in a moment hope revived in his heart. Joseph, who believed neither in Greek nor Roman gods, rejected Hecate's intervention with scorn. He assured them that the invalid was possessed by devils, and that it was necessary that she should quit Egypt at once, where, besides the devils, the air was impregnated with the effluvia from the Delta, which was hurtful to her health. He advised, probably because he was an Israelite, to transport Antea to Jerusalem, a town where the infernal powers had no access, and where the air was healthy and strengthening. Cinna was the more inclined to follow this advice as, in the first case, no other suggested itself to him, and secondly, he knew the judge at Jerusalem, whose ancestors had been clients of his family. over The the far In the atrium, in spite of the freshness of the fountains and the shadow of the porticoes, the heat was whelming after early morning. marbles became burning under rays of the spring sun, but, not from the house, an old pistachio tree with its thick leaves spread out its protecting branches. It was there that Cinna had the couch brought, strewn with hyacinths and apple blossoms, where Antea reposed. And sitting by her, he caressed her hands, white as alabaster, and inquired softly: "Thou art well here, Carissima?" "Yes, well," she answered in a low voice. After a minute, Antea spoke again. "Caius," she said, "is it true that in "Here they call them prophets," answered Cinna. "I have heard speak of this one, and I would have taken thee to him, but I have been told he is only an impostor. He blasphemes against the Temple, and the established religion. This is why the judge has condemned him to death, and to-day, in fact, he is to be crucified." Antea looked down. "It is time that will cure thee," said Cinna tenderly, observing the shadow that crossed her face. ""Time is at the service of the dead, not of the living," she answered sadly. And again silence reigned. In the distance the sound of steps was heard. Antea became very pale. Her heart beat tumultuously. But Cinna calmed her, taking her hand in his. "Antea, fear nothing; the steps you hear, I hear them myself." And he added, after a moment,- In fact, a turn in the road showed them the judge, who was approaching, followed by his slaves. He was a man advanced in,years with a round face carefully shaven, whose expression was at the same time solemn and anxious. "I salute thee, noble Cinna, and thee, divine Antea," he said, advancing. "Solitude conduces to grief and sickness; groundless fears assail one rarely in the centre of a crowd; therefore I will give thee counsel. Unfortunately we are neither in Antioch nor in Cæsarea; we have neither races nor public games, and if one attempted to establish circuses, the people would immediately destroy them. The fanatics, have but one word in their mouths The law and the prophets.' One is ceaselessly coming across this invariable refrain. In truth, I should prefer to live amongst the Scythians rather than at Jerusalem." "What advice wouldst thou give us?" demanded Cinna. "Thou art right. I stray from my "The sun does not shine only for Rome," murmured Antea. "Divine Antea," replied the judge, "I might answer that the Roman power stretches into the far distant horizon, and that therefore it is expedient to sacrifice all to its interests, and disputes shake this power. This is why I beseech thee not to ask me to recall my decree. Cinna will tell thee that it would be impossible, and that once a judgment given, the emperor alone could annul it. I, even if I wished it, could not do so. Is not this true, Caius?" subject; the reason is, I am so much unfortunate for him that he is not a preoccupied. I said then, in the midst Roman." of a crowd one is not haunted by groundless fears. Well, then, in a few moments you may see a sight. Here one must be content with but little; the chief point is that Antea should be surrounded during the hours of the afternoon. To-day three men must die on the cross; it will at any rate be a distraction. In addition, on account of the Easter feasts, a strange gathering of beggars and country people have arrived in the town from all the provinces. They are curious to see. I will give orders that they reserve for you the best places near the crosses. I have every reason to believe that the condemned will put a good face on the matter. One of them is an extraordinary man; he proclaims himself 'Son of God.' In fact, harmless as a dove, he has done nothing to merit death." "And thou hast condemned him to be crucified?" "It is thus!" But these words visibly affected Antea. She murmured in a low voice, speaking perhaps to herself:"Then one can suffer and die innocent?" "No one is innocent," answered Pilate. "Without doubt, the Nazarene "What was I to do? I wished to has committed no crime; also, as avoid complications, in order not to judge, have I washed my hands of his exasperate the swarm of wasps which condemnation; but as a man I disavow hover round the Temple. They would his teachings. I questioned him long be capable of denouncing me at Rome. enough, wishing to penetrate to the Moreover, it does not concern a Roman root, and I am convinced that he citizen." preaches things unprecedented, inad"But will the unfortunate man suf- missible. Before everything, the world fer less because of that?" ought to be guided by reason. Let every one think as his own conscience pleases, so long as he does not annoy others. If I do not believe in the gods, that is my affair; but I recognize the necessity of a religion because it is a restraint on the people. Horses must be bridled, and strongly bridled. After all, death ought not to be terrible to this adventurer, for he affirms that he will rise again." Cinna and Antea exchanged looks of stupefaction. "That he will rise again?" "Neither more nor less-the third day this is what sustains his disciples. As for himself, I have forgotten to question him about it. But that is of small importance. Even if he does not rise again he will lose nothing, as, by his account, true happiness, eternal life, only begin after death. The depths of his Hades are more brilliant than our world, lighted by the luminous star, and he who streaks of blue still divided them, but it was easy to predict that soon they cover suffers most would reunite and the entire heavens. Upon the platform called Golgotha were seen groups of people who had preceded the procession before it left the town. here below will the more surely enjoy spiritual happiness; but, for that, one must love, love, always love!" "What a singular doctrine!" sighed Antea. The sun rose in the heavens and "And the Jews force thee to crucify lighted the part of the sky which the him?" repeated Cinna. "Ah, there is nothing surprising in that; the spirit of the nation is hate. Is it not hate alone that could wish to crucify love?" clouds had not yet covered. The hour was approaching when, as a rule, no sound is heard upon the heights, when every living thing seeks shelter under the shadow of the ramparts or in the Antea raised her emaciated hands to hollows of the rocks; and, in spite of her forehead. "And he is convinced that one can live and be happy beyond the tomb?" "Yes, and it is owing to this belief that the greatest torture has no terror for him." the unaccustomed animation, a kind of sadness fell upon this place, where the sun never shines upon the green earth and lightens but a desolate waste of whilst the grey stone, murmur of voices, coming from over the walls, re"How sweet it would be to think that, sembled the sound of the waves Cinna!" breaking on a silent shore. After a pause she asked again:"And from whence does he get this revelation?" The groups which, since sunrise, had been waiting upon Golgotha, had their eyes turned in the direction of the town whence, at any moment, the procession might start. Antea's litter advanced, preceded by some soldiers who guarded her, and whose mission it was to repress the insolence of the people, always hostile strangers. Cinna to "He pretends," said the judge, "that he comes from his Father, the Father of all mankind, who is to the Jews what Jupiter is to us, with this difference, that the God of the Nazarene is one alone and merciful." "How good it would be to believe walked at the side of the litter, accomthat!" repeated the sufferer. panied by the centurion Rufus. Antea did not appear agitated, although the hour for the apparitions approached. The account given by the judge on the subject of the young prophet had greatly touched her and turned her mind from her own miseries. It had for her something fascinating and incomprehensible. Doubtless the world which she knew showed her examples of men who had not rebelled against death. But with them it was the courage of the sage submitting to the law of nature, to the cruel but inevitable necessity of exchanging light for darkness, the realities of life for a state of indefinable annihilation. Cinna opened his mouth as if wishing to speak, but he remained silent, and the conversation ceased. Meanwhile Pontius Pilate continued his reflections to himself upon the incomprehensible doctrines that he had been describing, for he shook his head from time to time and shrugged his shoulders. At last he rose to take leave. Suddenly Antea raised herself. "Caius, let us go to see this Nazarene." "Thou must nasten, then," said Cinna; "the procession will be starting." The sky, which since the morning had been clear and brilliant, became covered towards midday. From the north-west heavy clouds suddenly appeared, threatening and stormy; But no one cherished the conviction that beyond the tomb a new existence awaited them, unending happiness, which alone can be given us by a God all-powerful and eternal. And he who was to be crucified proclaimed this doctrine as unquestionable truth. It seemed to Antea that she had suddenly discovered the only source of hope and consolation. She did not ignore that her days were numbered, and a great sadness came over her. To die-was it to abandon all she loved, her husband, her father, her friends, to renounce all the joys and all the affections of life, to be lost in the icy realms where one exists unconsciously? And now she, who had given up all hope, was told that death contained every happiness. And who taught that? An extraordinary man, prophet, philosopher, who proclaimed that love was the highest virtue, who bent under punishment, blessing the hands that struck him, and on whom was about to be inflicted the punishment of crimlnals. for Antea abandoned herself to her thoughts, and, for the first time several days, Cinna did not perceive upon her face the sighs preceding the daily crisis. The procession at last approached Golgotha, and, from the elevation where Antea was placed, she could see it in all its parts. The multitude was great, and, nevertheless, she seemed lost in a vast desert of stones. The clamor in the distance approached, and at length the first part of the cortège appeared upon the ascent. From all sides the people hustled each other to obtain the best places. The detachment of soldiers escorting the Nazarene alone remained in the rear. In front ran slender young boys, half naked, wearing, as their only costume, rags round their waists, with shaven heads, tufts of hair on the temples, and eyes of deepest blue. They shouted aloud and tore off fragments from the rock to throw at the condemned. Following them came a motley crowd. Great excitement was written on their faces, eagerness for the coming spectacle; but not one showed the slightest sign of pity. The centurion Rufus, approaching Antea, talked with her in a deferential tone; and, meanwhile, the crowd increased every moment. The rich inhabitants of Jerusalem were present in their striped robes seeking to avoid the low rabble of the suburbs; peasants carrying their bundles; the country people bringing their families in consequence of the Easter feasts; shepherds dressed in goatskin, gazing about them with honest wonder and astonishment. Many women mixed with the crowd. None belonged to the higher classes, who rarely leave their homes. The women who were seen there were peasants or girls in showy tinsel garments, with dyed hair and eyebrows, with fingers reddened with henna, smelling of spikenard, and wearing large hanging earrings and necklaces composed of silver coins. Then came the Sanhedrim, in the midst of whom was noticeable old Annas, with his face like a bird of prey, and bloodshot eyes; the solemn Caiaphas, with his heavy step, carrying the tables of the law upon his breast. Divers sects of the Pharisees surrounded them; in front those who boasted to crush every obstacle under their feet; then those called "the bleeding foreheads." Cinna observed this attendance with the disdain of a man belonging to a superior class. Antea regarded it with timid apprehension; the Jews she had seen at Alexandria did not differ sensibly from the Greeks whose customs they had imitated. Here she saw them in their true character, and as the judge had described them. She herself, with her frail appearance, her young face, upon which death had already set its seal, attracted general attention. They approached her as near as the soldiers who guarded her permitted, but such was the aversion which strangers inspired, that no sympathy mixed with their curiosity; all, on the contrary, seemed to feel an evil satisfaction in deciding that the young Roman lady would not escape her fate. Seeing so many cruel faces, Antea understood the savage obstinacy of the people against the prophet who had preached of love. A strong impulse |