The Life Everlasting: A Reality of Romance

Santoris, I was for a moment faint and giddy. The dark mountain summits seemed to swirl round me,-and the glittering water, shining like ste

foolish throbbing of my heart, while my companion gave a few orders to hi

Gaelic?" I asked

hing very like

and his eyes, darkly blue and brilliant, e

that! The Gaelic tongue is the genuine dialect of the ancient Phoenician Celtic, and when I speak

alking slowly side by side. Presently I pause

are not Hi

are fro

ome hesitation-"Phoenician i

t of those who serve me. You have heard it before, only you do not quite remember." I

n the declining sunshine,-the hollow sound of the falling stream made a perpetual crooning music in our ears, and the warm, stirless air seemed breathless, as though hung in suspense above us waiting for the echo of some word or whisper that should betray a life's secret. Such a silence held us that it was almost unbearable,-every nerve in my body seemed like a strained harp-string ready to snap at a touch,-and yet I could not speak. I tried to get the mastery over the rising tide of thought, memory and emotion that surged in my soul like a te

d-"What is it I must know?

my hands i

trembling a little-"You cannot say t

looked up into his face, and every line of it became suddenly, startlingly familiar. The deep-set blue eyes,-the broad brows and intellectual features were

me-"Only since we last met we have travelled far asunder. Have yet a li

tartled recollecti

ady tones-"I have seen you often-often! But

emotion could hardly be keener than ours,-and yet-there was an invisible barrier between us-a barrier erected either by him or by myself,-something that held us apart. The sudden and overpowering demand made upon our strength by the swift and subtle attraction

ember all by gradual degrees. We are never permitted to entirely forget. But it is quite natural that now-at this immediate hour-we should find it strange-you, perhaps, more than I-that somethi

exquisite delight I dared not pause to

y too much-and you will be frightened,-perhaps offended. I have been guilty of so many errors in the past,-you must

attering insistence as though it sought to match itself against the surging of my own quick blood in an endeavour to drown my thoughts. On we went and still onward,-the path seemed interminable, though

f golden light pouring aslant down one of the highest of the hills, brightening to vivid crimson stray clumps of heather, touching into pale green some patches of moss and lichen, and giving the dazzling flash of silver to the white wings of a sea-gull which soared above our heads uttering wild cries like a creature in pain. Pale blue mists were rising from the surface of the lake, and the fitful gusts of air that rushed over the rocky summits played with these impalpable vapours borne inland from the Atlantic, and tossed them to and fro in

t?" he asked, very gently-"And may I s

hat threatened to overwhelm my small remaining stock of self-control and make of me nothing but a

that we must be careful now as in the past we were careless,-but pe

e made me sit down, placing himself beside me. From this point we commanded a view of the head of the lake and the great mountain which closes and dominates it,-and which now began to be illumined wi

en, nothing-I repeat this with emphasis-nothing can keep them apart. Soul rushes to soul,-heart leaps to heart,-and all form and ceremony, custom and usage crumble into dust before the power that overwhelms them. These sudden storms of etheric vibration occur every day among the most ordinary surroundings and with the most unlikely persons, and Society as at present constituted frowns and shakes its head, or jeers at what it cannot understand, calling such impetuosity folly, or worse, while remaining wilful

then went

can intervene-not because it is either romance or rea

y head s

ut hours in the eternal countings. Yet in those thousands of years what lives must be lived!-what lessons must

gain he took my hand and

d deeply-you have worked hard at problems which puzzle the strongest man's brain, and you have succeeded in many things because you have kept what most men manage to lose when gr

us that the warm hand holding mine had strengthened its close grasp,-when suddenly something sharp and brilliant, like the glitter of a sword or a forked flash of lightning, passed before my eyes with a dizzying sensation, and the lake, the mountains, the whole landscape, vanished like a fleeting mirage, and in all the visible air only the heavy curtain of mist remained. I made an effort to move-to speak-in vain! I thought some sudden illness must have seized me-yet no!-for the half-swooning feeling that had for a moment unsteadied my nerves had already passed-and I was calm enough. Yet I sa

ogether with a decided movement of haughty rejection. I could not see her face,-but her attire was regal and splendid, and on her head there shone a jewelled diadem. Her lover stood apart for a moment with bent head-then he threw himself on his knees before her and caught her hand in an evident outburst of passionate entreaty. And while they stood thus together, I saw the phantom-like figure of another woman moving towards them-she came directly into the foreground of the picture, her white garments clinging round her, her fair hair flung lo

sat a woman crowned and veiled,-her right hand held a sceptre blazing with gold and gems. Slaves clad in costumes of the richest workmanship and design abased themselves on either side of her, and I heard the clash of brazen cymbals and war-like music, as the crowd of people surged and swayed, and murmured and shouted, all apparently moved by some special excitement or interest. Suddenly I perceived the object on which the general attention was fixed-the swooning body of a man, heavily bound in chains and lying at the foot of the throne. Beside him stood a tall black slave, clad in vivid scarlet and masked,-this sinister-looking creature held a gleaming dagger uplifted ready to strike,-and as I saw this, a wild yearning arose in me to save the threatened life of the bound and helpless victim. If I could only rush to defend and drag him away from impending peril, I thought!-but no!-I was forced to stand helplessly watching the scene, with every fibre of my brain burning with pent-up anguish. At this moment, the crowned and veiled woman on the throne sud

a life! There is nothing taken which shall not be returned a

lence and ut

ty, wisdom and power. And as I looked, more people gathered together-I heard strains of solemn music pealing from the temple close by-and I saw the solitary woman draw herself farther apart and almost disappear among the shadows. The light grew brighter in the east,-the sun shot a few advancing rays upward,-suddenly the door of the temple was thrown open, and a long procession of priests carrying flaming tapers and attended by boys in white garments and crowned with flowers made their slow and stately way towards the column with the god-like Head upon it and began to circle round it, chanting as they walked, while the flower-crowned boys swung golden censers to and fro, impregnating the air with

the Su

joy priests and

e the S

authority, raising his arms inv

is but part of Thy Light,-that Sorrow is but the passing humour of Joy-and

igh priest remained,-and he stood alone, waiting, as it were, for something eagerly expected and desired. And presently the woman who had till now remained hidden among the shadows of the surrounding trees, came swiftly forwar

ated or imagined can be compared to the joy of thee?-to the sweetness of thy lips, the softness of thy bosom-the love that trembles into confession with thy smile! Imprison me but in thine arms

-a look in which I thankfully saw there was no

n for so poor a thing as I am? Knowest thou not, and wilt thou not remember that, to a priest of thy great Order, the love of woman is forbidden

e is as the ever-flowing torrent of eternity in my veins-the pulse of everlasting youth and victory! What are the foolish creeds of man compared with this one Truth of Nature-Love! Is not the Deity Himself the Suprem

look of rapture. Some thought had evidently,

ive thee all myself from

w her closer, till her head rested on his breast and

, this passionate heart!-mine this exquisite life to do with as

at once witho

e,-this sacred grove where Memnon hears thy vows to him broken, and my vows consecr

Elated and flushed with joy, he obeyed her sign, and left her, disappearing in the same phantom-like way in which all the other figures in this weird dream-drama had made their exi

t of flesh! Help me to quell the tempest in my soul, and let me be even as thou art-inflexible, immovable,-save when the sun strikes music from thy dreaming brows and tells thee it is day! Forgive, O great God, forgive the f

law-yet-surely God was above all strange and unnatural systems built up by man for his own immediate convenience, vanity or advantage, and was not Love the nearest thing to God? And if those two souls were destined lovers, COULD they be divided, even by their own rashness? These questions were curiously urged upon my inward consciousness as I looked again upon the poor fragile corpse among the reeds and palms of the sluggishly flowing river, and heard the clamorous despair of the man to whom she might have been joy, inspiration and victory had not the world been then as it is not now-the man, who as the light of the moonbeams fell upon him, showed me in his haggard and miserable features the spectral likeness of Santoris. Was it right, I asked myself, that the two perfect lines of a mutual love should be swept asunder?-or if it was, as some might conceive it, right according to certain temporary and conventional views of 'rightness.' was it POSSIBLE to so sever them?

uddenly furious, and a fierce cry arose:-"Ad leones! Ad leones!" The great Emperor stirred from his indolent, half-reclining position and leaned forward with a sudden look of interest on his lowering features,-and as he did so a man attired in the costume of a gladiator entered the arena from one of its side doors and with a calm step and assured demeanour walked up to the front of the royal dais and there dropped on one knee. Then quickly rising he drew himself erect and waited, his eyes fixed on the woman who stood as immovably as a statue, apparently resigned to some untoward fate. And again the vast crowd shouted "Ad leones! Ad leones!" There came a heavy grating noise of drawn bolts and bars-the sound of falling chains-then a savage animal roar-and two lean and ferocious lions sprang into the arena, lashing their tails, their manes bristling and their eyes aglare. Quick as thought, the gladiator stood in their path-and I swiftly recognised the nature of the 'sport' that had brought the Emperor and all this brave and glittering show of humanity out to watch what to them was merely a 'sensation'-the life of a Christian dashed out by the claws and fangs of wild beasts-a common pastime, all unchecked by either the mercy of man or the intervention of God! I understood as clearly as if the explanation had been volunteered to me in so many words, that the woman who awaited her death so immovably had only one chance of rescue, and that chance was through the gladiator, who, to please the humour of the Emperor, had been brought hither to combat and frighten them off their intended victim,-the reward for him, if he succeeded, being the woman herself. I gazed with aching, straining eyes on the wonderful dream-spectacle, and my heart thrilled as I saw one of the lions stealthily approach the solitary martyr and prepare to spring. Like lightning, the gladiator was upon the famished brute, fighting it back in a fierce and horrible contest, while the second lion, pouncing forward and bent on a similar attack, was similarly repulsed. The

ed of thee a living l

the crowd. The Emperor leaned f

!" he said-"Our pagan deities are

f despair and turned his face upwar

beloved eyes!-cold is the generous heart!-the fight has been in

r of the populace

st thou also be a Christian? Take heed! Our lions are still hungry! Thy love is dead, 'tis true, but WE have not killed her! She trusted in he

rely a pearl-grey haze floating before my eyes. Yet I was hardly allowed a moment's respite before another scene presented itself like a painting

reat easel, working assiduously, was one who seemed to be the artist himself, his face turned from me towards his canvas. Posed before him, in an attitude of indolent grace, was a woman, arrayed in clinging diaphanous drapery, a few priceless jewels gleaming here and there like stars upon her bosom and arms-her hair, falling in loose waves from a band of pale blue velvet fastened across it, was of a warm bro

,"-he said-"I think all would be w

ue scene before me seemed to glo

ever given to woman than mine for you! Yet I would not say I give it to you-for I have striven again

are a joy forbidden to me-and yet I feel, rightly speaking, that you are already mine-that you belong to me as the other half of myself, and that this has been so from

rred her bosom under its folded lace and made

nd loved you," he went on-"I lose

trembled o

eat deal"-she said, s

of value to me where you are not-I am nerveless, senseless, hop

ce was turned slightly away

lves in a life's renown-but all this is perhaps nothing to you. What, after all, can I offer you? Nothing but love! And here in Florence you

y and laid down his bru

t, but simply and entirely with all of myself-all th

sworn they were spoken close beside

g-if you had the courage of love to break down all barriers between yourself a

ink it

A look of sudden amazement lighten

ho can blame them! You have much to lose by such a sacrifice as I should ask of you-I have all to g

a modern poet's rhyme be

nd clung to the ch

perfume and

one day in hea

you wholly, the

your eyes between

see where the

turn and be chan

trait; I shal

well; were you o

od's beat, mine

me as hon

t sayeth and

things had se

gods nor wi

gs earthly n

orrow, nor li

woman who sat there so quietly, seeming all unmoved by the knowledge that she held a man's life and future fame in

e world to me-the glory of the sun and the moon! All my art is in your smile-all

ow crept upon the scene, to

his fair ward!-one whom he intends to honour with his own alliance. I am here by his order to paint the

, like a smothered cry of

es, has made me risk telling you all, so that you may at least choose

a magic mirror, I saw MY OWN REFLECTED PERSONALITY. There

said-and then pa

RECOGNISED THE NOW FAMILIAR FEATURES OF SANTORIS! Very gently he laid down his

en?-do you not know? O my genius!-my angel!

made an uncertain step forwar

-"Let the whole world forsake me, if only you r

s embrace-their lips met-and for a brief space they were lost in that sudden and divine rapture t

de Me

ry richly attired, who gazed fixedly at the lovers with round, suspicious eyes and a sneering smile. The artist turned and saw her-his fac

and perfidy!-better death than the constant sight of you! What! Have you not wa

two other men, who, by their dress, were, or seemed to be, of inferior rank. Without a word, these three threw themselves upon the unarmed and defenceless painter with the fury of wild animals pouncing on prey. There was a brief and breathless struggle-three daggers gleamed in air

ler life than your own!-may Heaven curse you for it! But you have not parted my lo

plate the ghastly deed they had committed. And then-noting as in some old blurred picture the features of the man who wore the collar of jewels, I felt that I knew him-yet I could not place him in any corner of my immediate recognition. Gradually this strange scene of cool white marble vastnes

most vehement flame! Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drow

motion possessed me with a force so overpowering that I could hardly breathe under the weight and pain of it, but I could give it no name. I could not think at all-and I had ceased even to wonder at the strangeness and variety of these visions or dream-epi

she staggered and plunged, her bowsprit dipping into deep chasms from which she was tossed shudderingly upward again as in light contempt, and as she came nearer and nearer into my view I could discern some of the human beings on board-the man at the wheel, with keen eyes peering into the gathering gloom of the storm, his hair and face dashed with spray,-the sailors, fighting hard to save the rigging from being torn to pieces and flung into the sea,-then-a sudden huge wave swept her directly in front of me, and I saw the two distinct personalities that had been so constantly presented to me during thi

d the beginning of jo

r voice had no t

kissed her not once but many times in

th, my belov

th tender certainty. "No!-no

which dispersed gradually into mist again-and almost I found my voice-almost my lips opened to ask: "What means this vision of the sea?" when a sound of music checked me on the verge of utterance-the music of delicate strings as of a thousand harps in heaven. I listened with every sense caught and entranced-my gaze still fixed half unseeingly upon the heavy grey film which hung before me-that mystic sky-canvas upon which some Divine painter had depicted in life-like form and colour scenes which I, in a sort of dim strangeness, recognised yet could not understand-and as I looked a rainbow, with every hue intensified to such a burning depth of brilliancy that its light was almost intolerably da

o pale very slowly, and almost imperceptibly they grew fainter and fainter till at last all was misty grey as before, save in one place where there were long rays of light like the falling of silvery rain. And then came strange rapidly passing scenes as of cloud forms constan

gainst the closed barrier with hands clasped and uplifted in pitiful beseeching. So strangely desolate and solitary was her aspect in all that heavenly brilliancy that I could almost have wept for her, shut out as she seemed from some mystic unknown glory. Round her swept the great circle of the heavens

exiled and alone!" I m

he gate and let her in!

The kneeling woman's figure remained plainly discernible, but seemed to be gradually melting into the light which surrounded it. And then-something-I know not what-shook me down from the pinnacle of vision,-hardly aware of my own action, I withdrew my hand from my companion's, and saw-just the solemn grandeur of Loch Coruisk,

is the best moment of the sunset,-when