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diff --git a/44939-8.txt b/44939-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e9b6566..0000000 --- a/44939-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,29994 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Children of the Soil, by Henryk Sienkiewicz - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Children of the Soil - -Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz - -Translator: Jeremiah Curtin - -Release Date: February 17, 2014 [EBook #44939] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHILDREN OF THE SOIL *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, Charlene Taylor, Bryan Ness and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - -Transcriber's Note - -Certain typographical features such as italics and small capital letters -cannot be reproduced in this version. Italics are denoted using the -underscore character as a delimiter (e.g., _italic_). Any words printed -in small capitals have been simply shifted to all upper case. The 'oe' -ligature is rendered here as separate characters. - -Quoted text was printed in a smaller font. These passages are indented -here to indicate this. - -The few footnotes, which appeared at the bottom of the page containing -their references, have been moved to the end of each chapter. - -Please consult the notes at the end of this text for more detail about -the text and the resolution on any printing anomalies. - - - - - CHILDREN OF THE SOIL - - - - - WORKS OF - - Henryk Sienkiewicz - - - IN DESERT AND WILDERNESS - WITH FIRE AND SWORD - THE DELUGE. _2 Vols._ - PAN MICHAEL - CHILDREN OF THE SOIL - "QUO VADIS" - SIELANKA, A FOREST PICTURE - THE KNIGHTS OF THE CROSS - WITHOUT DOGMA - WHIRLPOOLS - ON THE FIELD OF GLORY - LET US FOLLOW HIM - - - - - CHILDREN OF THE SOIL. - - BY - - HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ, - - AUTHOR OF - - "WITH FIRE AND SWORD," "THE DELUGE," "PAN MICHAEL," - "WITHOUT DOGMA," "YANKO THE MUSICIAN," - "LILLIAN MORRIS," ETC. - - _AUTHORIZED AND UNABRIDGED TRANSLATION FROM - THE POLISH BY_ - - JEREMIAH CURTIN. - - BOSTON - LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY - 1917 - - - - - _Copyright, 1895_, - - BY JEREMIAH CURTIN. - - _All rights reserved._ - - Printers - S. J. PARKHILL & CO., BOSTON, U.S.A. - - - - - TO HIS EXCELLENCY, - - HON. FREDERIC T. GREENHALGE, - - Governor of Massachusetts. - - -SIR,--You are at the head of a Commonwealth renowned for -mental culture; you esteem the Slav Race and delight in good -literature;--to you I beg to dedicate this volume, in the hope -that it will give pleasure to you and to others in that State which -you govern so acceptably. - - JEREMIAH CURTIN - - WARREN, VERMONT, - April 19, 1895. - - - - -INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT. - - -The title of this book in the original is Rodzina Polanieckich -(The Family of the Polanyetskis); "Children of the Soil" has been -substituted, because of the difficulty of the Polish title for American -and English readers, because the Polanyetskis are called children -of the soil in the text of the volume, and because all the other -characters are children of the soil in the same sense. - -For most readers this book will have a double interest,--the interest -attaching to a picture of Polish life, and the general human interest -inseparable from characters like those presented in the narrative of -Pan Stanislav's fortunes. - -The Poles form a part of the great Slav race, which has played so -important a rôle in the world's history already, and which is destined -to play a far more important one yet in the future. - -The argument involved in the career and meditations of Pan Stanislav -is of interest to every person in civilized society; it is an argument -presented so clearly, and reinforced with such pointed examples, that -neither comment nor explanation is needed. - -Were it not for the change of title, I might escape even this brief -statement; but now I may add that the following translation was made -in many places, in different countries, at various intervals, and at -moments snatched from other work. I began "Children of the Soil" in -Cahirciveen, Ireland, and continued it in London, Edinburgh, Fort -William near the foot of Ben Nevis, Rome, Naples, and Florence, -Tsarskoe Selo, Russia, and South Uist, an island of the Outer Hebrides. -From the Outer Hebrides I was called home before I wished to come, and -left that little granite kingdom in the Atlantic with sincere regret. - -The translation was finished in Warren, Vermont, and revised carefully. -To new readers of Sienkiewicz I may state that Pan, Pani, and Panna, -when prefixed to names, mean Mr., Mrs., and Miss respectively. - - JEREMIAH CURTIN. - - - - - CHILDREN OF THE SOIL. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -It was the first hour after midnight when Pan Stanislav Polanyetski -was approaching the residence in Kremen. During years of childhood he -had been twice in that village, when his mother, a distant relative -of the present owner of Kremen, was taking him home for vacation. Pan -Stanislav tried to remember the place, but to do so was difficult. At -night, by the light of the moon, everything took on an uncertain form. -Over the bushes, fields, and meadows, a white mist was lying low, -changing the whole region about into a shoreless lake, as it were,--an -illusion increased by choruses of frogs in the mist. - -It was a July night, very calm and perfectly bright. At moments, when -the frogs became silent, landrails were heard playing in the dew; and -at times, from afar, from muddy ponds, hidden behind reeds, the call of -the bittern sounded as if coming from under the earth. - -Pan Stanislav could not resist the charm of that night. It seemed to -him familiar in some way; and that familiarity he felt all the more, -since he had returned only the previous year from abroad, where he had -spent his first youth and had become engaged afterward in mercantile -matters. Now, while entering that sleeping village, he recalled his -childhood, memorable through his mother, now five years dead, and -because the bitterness and cares of that childhood, compared with the -present, seemed perfect bliss to him. - -At last the brichka rolled up toward the village, which began with a -cross standing on a sand mound. The cross, inclining greatly, seemed -ready to fall. Pan Stanislav remembered it because in his time under -that mound had been buried a man found hanging from a limb in the -neighboring forest, and afterward people were afraid to pass by that -spot in the night-time. - -Beyond the cross were the first cottages, but the people were sleeping; -there was no light in any window. As far as the eye could reach, only -roofs of cottages were gleaming on the night background of the sky, -lighted up by the moon, and the roofs appeared silvery and blue. Some -cottages were washed with lime and seemed bright green; others, hidden -in plum orchards, in thickets of sunflowers or pole beans, barely came -out of the shadow. In the yards, dogs barked, but in their sleep, as it -were, accompanying the croaking of frogs, the calling of landrails and -bitterns, and all those sounds with which a summer night speaks, and -which strengthen the impression of silence still more. - -The brichka, moving slowly along the soft sandy road, entered at last a -dark alley, spotted only here and there by the moonlight, which pushed -in between the leaves. Beyond the alley, night watches whistled; and in -the open was seen a white dwelling, in which some windows were lighted. -When the brichka rattled up to the entrance, a serving-man hurried -out of the house and began to assist Pan Stanislav to alight; but in -addition the night watch appeared and two white dogs, evidently very -young and friendly, for, instead of barking, they began to fawn and to -spring on the guest, showing such delight at his coming that the watch -had to moderate their effusiveness with a stick. - -The man took Pan Stanislav's things from the brichka, and after a -moment the guest found himself in a dining-room where tea was waiting. -Nothing had changed from the time of his childhood. At one wall was -a sideboard in walnut; at one end of this a clock with heavy weights -and a cuckoo; at the other were two badly painted portraits of women -in robes of the eighteenth century; in the centre of the room stood a -table with a white cloth, and surrounded by chairs with high arms. That -room, lighted brightly, full of steam rising from a samovar, seemed -rather hospitable and gladsome. - -Pan Stanislav began to walk along the side of the table; but the -squeaking of his boots struck him in that silence, therefore he went -to the window and looked through the panes at the yard filled with -moonlight. Over this yard the two white dogs, which had greeted him so -effusively, were chasing each other. - -After a time the door of the next room opened, and a young lady entered -in whom Pan Stanislav divined the daughter of the master of Kremen by -his second wife; at sight of her he stepped from the window curtains, -and, approaching the table in his squeaking boots, bowed, and announced -his name. The young lady extended her hand, and said,-- - -"We learned of your arrival from the despatch. Father is a trifle ill, -and was obliged to lie down; but he will be glad to see you in the -morning." - -"I am not to blame for coming so late," answered Pan Stanislav; "the -train reaches Chernyov only at eleven." - -"And from Chernyov it is ten miles to Kremen. Father tells me that this -is not your first visit." - -"I came here with my mother when you were not in the world yet." - -"I know. You are a relative of my father." - -"I am a relative of Pan Plavitski's first wife." - -"Father esteems family connections very highly, even the most distant," -said the young lady; and she began to pour out tea, pushing aside from -time to time the steam, which, rising from the samovar, veiled her -eyes. When conversation halted, only the tick of the clock was heard. -Pan Stanislav, who was interested by young ladies, looked at Panna -Plavitski carefully. She was a person of medium height, rather slender; -she had dark hair, a face calm, but subdued, as it were, a complexion -sunburnt somewhat, blue eyes, and a most shapely mouth. Altogether it -was the face of a self-possessed and delicate woman. Pan Stanislav, -to whom she seemed not ill-looking, but also not beautiful, thought -that she was rather attractive; that she might be good; and that under -that exterior, not too brilliant, she might have many of those various -qualities which young ladies in the country have usually. Though he -was young, life had taught him one truth,--that in general women gain -on near acquaintance, while in general men lose. He had heard also -touching Panna Plavitski, that the whole management in Kremen--a place, -by the way, almost ruined--lay on her mind, and that she was one of the -most overworked persons on earth. With reference to those cares, which -must weigh on her, she seemed calm and unmoved; still he thought that -surely she must wish to sleep. This was evident, indeed, by her eyes, -which blinked in spite of her, under the light of the hanging lamp. - -The examination would have come out on the whole in her favor, were -it not that conversation dragged somewhat. This was explained by the -fact that they saw each other for the first time in life; besides, she -received him alone, which might be awkward for a young lady. Finally, -she knew that Pan Stanislav had not come to make a visit, but to ask -for money. Such was the case in reality. His mother had given, a very -long time before, twelve thousand and some rubles for a mortgage on -Kremen, which Pan Stanislav wished to have redeemed,--first, because -there were enormous arrears of interest, and second, since he was a -partner in a mercantile house in Warsaw, he had entered into various -transactions and needed capital. He had promised himself beforehand to -make no compromise, and to exact his own absolutely. In affairs of that -sort, it was a point with him always to appear unyielding. He was not -such by nature, perhaps; but he had made inflexibility a principle, and -therewith a question of self-love. In consequence of this, he overshot -the mark frequently, as people do who argue something into themselves. -Hence, while looking at that agreeable, but evidently drowsy young -lady, he repeated to himself, in spite of the sympathy which was roused -in him,-- - -"That is all well, but you must pay." - -After a while he said, "I have heard that you busy yourself with -everything; do you like land management?" - -"I love Kremen greatly," answered she. - -"I too loved Kremen when I was a boy; but I should not like to manage -the place,--the conditions are so difficult." - -"Difficult, difficult. We do what we can." - -"That is it,--you do what you can." - -"I assist father, who is often in poor health." - -"I am not skilled in those matters, but, from what I see and hear, -I infer that the greater number of agriculturists cannot count on a -future." - -"We count on Providence." - -"Of course, but people cannot send creditors to Providence." - -Panna Plavitski's face was covered with a blush; a moment of awkward -silence followed; and Pan Stanislav said to himself,-- - -"Since thou hast begun, proceed farther;" and he said,-- - -"You will permit me to explain the object of my coming." - -The young lady looked at him with a glance in which he might read, -"Thou hast come just now; the hour is late. I am barely alive from -fatigue: even the slightest delicacy might have restrained thee from -beginning such a conversation." She answered aloud,-- - -"I know why you have come; but it may be better if you will speak about -that with my father." - -"I beg your pardon." - -"But I beg pardon of you. People have a right to mention what belongs -to them, and I am accustomed to that; but to-day is Saturday, and on -Saturday there is so much work. Moreover, in affairs of this sort, you -will understand--sometimes, when Jews come, I bargain with them; but -this time I should prefer if you would speak with my father. It would -be easier for both." - -"Then till to-morrow," said Pan Stanislav, who lacked the boldness to -say that in questions of money he preferred to be treated like a Jew. - -"Perhaps you would permit me to pour you more tea?" - -"No, I thank you. Good-night." And, rising, he extended his hand; but -the young lady gave hers far less cordially than at the greeting, so -that he touched barely the ends of her fingers. In going, she said,-- - -"The servant will show you the chamber." - -And Pan Stanislav was left alone. He felt a certain discontent, and -was dissatisfied with himself, though he did not wish to acknowledge -that fact in his heart. He began even to persuade himself that he had -done well, since he had come hither, not to talk politely, but to get -money. What was Panna Plavitski to him? She neither warmed nor chilled -him. If she considered him a churl, so much the better; for it happens -generally that the more disagreeable a creditor, the more people hasten -to pay him. - -But his discontent was increased by that reasoning; for a certain -voice whispered to him that this time it was not merely a question of -good-breeding, but also in some degree of compassion for a wearied -woman. He felt, besides, that by acting so urgently he was satisfying -his pose, not his heart, all the more because she pleased him. As -in that sleeping village and in that moonlight night he had found -something special, so in that young lady he found something which -he had looked for in vain in foreign women, and which moved him more -than he expected. But people are often ashamed of feelings which are -very good. Pan Stanislav was ashamed of emotions, especially; hence he -determined to be inexorable, and on the morrow to squeeze old Plavitski -without mercy. - -Meanwhile the servant conducted him to the bed-chamber. Pan Stanislav -dismissed him at once, and was alone. That was the same chamber which -they gave him, when, during the life of Plavitski's first wife, he -came to Kremen with his mother; and remembrances beset him again. The -windows looked out on a garden, beyond which lay a pond; the moon was -looking into the water, and the pond could be seen more easily than -in former times, for it was hidden then by a great aged ash-tree, -which must have been broken down by a storm, since on that spot there -was sticking up merely a stump with a freshly broken piece at the -top. The light of the moon seemed to centre on that fragment, which -was gleaming very brightly. All this produced an impression of great -calm. Pan Stanislav, who lived in the city amid mercantile labors, -therefore in continual tension of his physical and mental powers, and -at the same time in continual unquiet, felt that condition of the -country around him as he would a warm bath after great toil. He was -penetrated by relief. He tried to reflect on business transactions, how -were they turning, would they give loss or profit, finally on Bigiel, -his partner, and how Bigiel would manage various interests in his -absence,--but he could not continue. - -Then he began to think of Panna Plavitski. Her person, though it -had made a good impression, was indifferent to him, even for this -reason, that he saw her for the first time; but she interested him as -a type. He was thirty years old and something more, therefore of the -age in which instinct, with a force almost invincible, urges a man -to establish a domestic hearth, take a wife, and have a family. The -greatest pessimism is powerless against this instinct; neither art nor -any calling in life protects a man against it. In consequence of this, -misanthropes marry in spite of their philosophy, artists in spite of -their art, as do all those men who declare that they give to their -objects not a half, but a whole soul. Exceptions confirm the principle -that, in general, men cannot live a conventional lie and swim against -the currents of nature. For the great part, only those do not marry -for whom the same power that creates marriage stands in the way of it; -that is, those whom love has deceived. Hence, celibacy in advanced -life, if not always, is most frequently a hidden tragedy. - -Stanislav Polanyetski was neither a misanthrope nor an artist; neither -was he a man proclaiming theories against marriage. On the contrary, -he wanted to marry, and he was convinced that he ought to marry. He -felt that for him the time had arrived; hence he looked around for the -woman. From that came the immense interest which women roused in him, -especially unmarried ones. Though he had spent some years in France -and Belgium, he had not sought love among married women, even among -those who were over giddy. He was an active and occupied person, who -contended that only idle men can romance with married women, and in -general that besieging other men's wives is possible only where men -have very much money, little honor, and nothing to do, consequently -in a society where there is a whole class long since enriched, sunk -in elegant idleness, and of dishonest life. He was himself, in truth, -greatly occupied, hence he wished to love in order to marry; therefore -only unmarried women roused in him curiosity of soul and body. When he -met a young lady, the first question he asked himself was, "Is she not -the woman?" or at least, "Is she not the kind of woman?" At present -his thoughts were circling around Panna Plavitski in this manner. -To begin with, he had heard much of her from her relative living in -Warsaw; and he had heard things that were good and even touching. Her -calm, mild face was before his eyes now. He recalled her hands, very -shapely, with long fingers, though somewhat sunburnt, her dark blue -eyes, then the slight shadow over her mouth. Her voice too pleased him. -Notwithstanding all this, he repeated his promise that he would make -no compromise and must have his own; still he was angry at the fate -which had brought him to Kremen as a creditor. Speaking to himself in -mercantile language, he repeated in spirit, "The quality is good, but I -will not 'reflect,' as I did not come for it." - -Still he "reflected," and that to such a degree that after he had -undressed and lain down, he could not sleep for a long time. The cocks -began to crow, the window panes were growing pale and green; but under -his closed eyelids he saw yet the calm forehead of Panna Plavitski, -the shadow over her mouth, and her hands pouring out the tea. Then, -when sleep became overpowering, it seemed to him as though he were -holding those hands in his own and drawing her toward him, and she was -pulling back and turning her head aside, as if to escape a kiss. In the -morning he woke late, and remembering Panna Plavitski, thought, "Ah, -she will look like that!" - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -He was roused by the servant, who brought coffee and took his clothes -to be brushed. When the servant brought them back, Pan Stanislav asked -if it were not the custom of the house to meet in the dining-room for -coffee. - -"No," answered the servant; "because the young lady rises early, and -the old gentleman sleeps late." - -"And has the young lady risen?" - -"The young lady is at church." - -"True, to-day is Sunday. But does not the young lady go to church with -the old gentleman?" - -"No; the old gentleman goes to high Mass, and then goes to visit the -canon, so the young lady prefers early Mass." - -"What do they do here on Sunday?" - -"They sit at home; Pan Gantovski comes to dinner." - -Pan Stanislav knew this Gantovski as a small boy. In those times they -nicknamed him "Little Bear," for he was a thick little fellow, awkward -and surly. The servant explained that Pan Gantovski's father had died -about five years before, and that the young man was managing his estate -in the neighboring Yalbrykov. - -"And does he come here every Sunday?" - -"Sometimes he comes on a week day in the evening." - -"A rival!" thought Pan Stanislav. After a while he inquired,-- - -"Has the old gentleman risen?" - -"It must be that he has rung the bell, for Yozef has gone to him." - -"Who is Yozef?" - -"The valet." - -"And who art thou?" - -"I am his assistant." - -"Go and inquire when it will be possible to see the old gentleman." - -The servant went out and returned soon. - -"The old gentleman sends to say that when he dresses he will beg you to -come." - -"Very well." - -The servant went out; Pan Stanislav remained alone and waited, or -rather was bored, a good while. Patience began to fail him at last; -and he was about to stroll to the garden, when Yozef came with the -announcement that the old gentleman begged him to come. - -Yozef conducted him then to a chamber at the other end of the house. -Pan Stanislav entered, and at the first moment did not recognize Pan -Plavitski. He remembered him as a person in the bloom of life and very -good-looking; now an old man stood before him, with a face as wrinkled -as a baked apple,--a face to which small blackened mustaches strove in -vain to lend the appearance of youth. Hair as black as the mustaches, -and parted low at the side of the head, indicated also pretensions as -yet unextinguished. - -But Plavitski opened his arms: "Stas! how art thou, dear boy? Come -hither!" And, pointing to his white shirt, he embraced the head of -Pan Stanislav, and pressed it to his bosom, which moved with quick -breathing. - -The embrace continued a long time, and for Pan Stanislav, much too -long. Plavitski said at last,-- - -"Let me look at thee, Anna, drop for drop! My poor beloved Anna!" and -Plavitski sobbed; then he wiped with his heart finger[1] his right -eyelid, on which, however, there was not a tear, and repeated,-- - -"As like Anna as one drop is like another! Thy mother was always for me -the best and the most loving relative." - -Pan Stanislav stood before him confused, also somewhat stunned by a -reception such as he had not expected, and by the odor of wax, powder, -and various perfumes, which came from the face, mustaches, and shirt of -the old man. - -"How is my dear uncle?" asked he at last, judging that this title, -which moreover he had given in years of childhood to Plavitski, would -answer best to the solemn manner of his reception. - -"How am I?" repeated Plavitski. "Not long for me now, not long! -But just for this reason I greet thee in my house with the greater -affection,--I greet thee as a father. And if the blessing of a man -standing over the grave, and who at the same time is the eldest member -of the family, has in thy eyes any value, I give it thee." - -And seizing Pan Stanislav's head a second time, he kissed it and -blessed him. The young man changed still more, and constraint was -expressed on his face. His mother was a relative and friend of -Plavitski's first wife: to Plavitski himself no affectionate feelings -had ever attracted her, so far as he could remember; hence the -solemnity of the reception, to which he was forced to yield, was -immensely disagreeable to him. Pan Stanislav had not the least family -feeling for Plavitski. "This monkey," thought he, "is blessing me -instead of talking money;" and he was seized by a certain indignation, -which might help him to explain matters clearly. - -"Now sit down, dear boy," said Plavitski, "and be as if in thy own -house." - -Pan Stanislav took a seat, and began, "Dear uncle, for me it is very -pleasant to visit uncle. I should have done so surely, even without -business; but uncle knows that I have come also on that affair which my -mother--" - -Here the old man laid his hand on Pan Stanislav's knee suddenly. "But -hast thou drunk coffee?" asked he. - -"I have," answered Pan Stanislav, driven from his track. - -"Marynia goes to church early. I beg pardon, too, that I have not given -thee my room; but I am old, I am accustomed to sleep here. This is my -nest." Then, with a circular sweep of the hand, he directed attention to -the chamber. - -Unconsciously Pan Stanislav let his eyes follow the motion of the hand. -On a time this chamber had been to him a ceaseless temptation, for -in it had hung the arms of Plavitski. The only change in it was the -wall, which in the old time was rose-colored, and represented, on an -endless number of squares, young shepherdesses, dressed _ŕ la Watteau_, -and catching fish with hooks. At the window stood a toilet-table with -a white cover, and a mirror in a silver frame. On the table was a -multitude of little pots, vials, boxes, brushes, combs, nail files, -etc. At one side, in the corner, was a table with pipes and pipe-stems -with amber mouth-pieces; on the wall, above the sofa, was the head of -a wild boar, and under it two double-barrelled guns, a hunting-bag, -horns, and, in general, the weapons of hunting; in the depth was -a table with papers, open shelves with a certain number of books. -Everywhere the place was full of old furniture more or less needed and -ornamental, but indicating that the occupant of the chamber was the -centre around which everything turned in that house, and that he cared -greatly for himself. In one word, it was the chamber of an old single -man,--an egotist full of petty anxiety for his personal comfort, and -full of pretensions. Pan Stanislav did not need long reflection to -divine that Plavitski would not give up his chamber for anything, nor -to any man. - -But the hospitable host inquired further, "Was it comfortable enough -for thee? How didst thou spend the night?" - -"Perfectly; I rose late." - -"But thou wilt stay a week or so with me?" - -Pan Stanislav, who was very impulsive, sprang up from his chair. - -"Doesn't uncle know that I have business in Warsaw, and a partner, who -at present is doing all our work alone? I must go at the earliest; and -to-day I should like to finish the business on which I have come." - -To this Plavitski answered with a certain cordial dignity, "No, my -boy. To-day is Sunday; and besides, family feeling should go before -business. To-day I greet thee, and receive thee as a blood relative; -to-morrow, if thou wish, appear as a creditor. That is it. To-day -my Stas has come to me, the son of my Anna. Thus will it be till -to-morrow; thus should it be, Stas. This is said to thee by thy eldest -relative, who loves thee, and for whom thou shouldst do this." - -Pan Stanislav frowned a little, but after a while he answered, "Let it -be so till to-morrow." - -"Anna spoke through thee then. Dost smoke a pipe?" - -"No, only cigarettes." - -"Believe me, thou doest ill. But I have cigarettes for guests." - -Further conversation was interrupted by the rattle of an equipage at -the entrance. - -"That is Marynia, who has come from early Mass," said Plavitski. - -Pan Stanislav looked out through the window, and saw a young lady in a -straw hat stepping out of the equipage. - -"Hast made the acquaintance of Marynia?" asked Plavitski. - -"I had the pleasure yesterday." - -"She is a dear child. I need not tell thee that I live only for her--" - -At that moment the door opened, and a youthful voice asked, "May I come -in?" - -"Come in, come in; Stas is here!" answered Plavitski. - -Marynia entered the chamber quickly, with her hat hanging by ribbons -over her shoulder; and when she had embraced her father, she gave -her hand to Pan Stanislav. In her rose-colored muslin, she looked -exceedingly graceful and pretty. There was about her something of the -character of Sunday, and with it the freshness of that morning, which -was bright and calm. Her hair had been ruffled a little by her hat; her -cheeks were blooming; and youth was breathing from her person. To Pan -Stanislav, she seemed more joyous and more shapely than the previous -evening. - -"High Mass will be a little later to-day," said she to her father; -"for immediately after Mass the canon went to the mill to prepare Pani -Siatkovski; she is very ill. Papa will have half an hour yet." - -"That is well," said Plavitski; "during that time thou wilt become more -nearly acquainted with Stas. I tell thee, drop for drop like Anna! But -thou hast never seen her. Remember, too, Marynia, that he will be our -creditor to-morrow, if he wishes; but to-day he is only our relative -and guest." - -"Very well," answered the young lady; "we shall have a pleasant Sunday." - -"You went to sleep so late yesterday," said Pan Stanislav, "and to-day -you were at early Mass." - -She answered merrily, "The cook and I go to early Mass that we may have -time afterward to think of dinner." - -"I forgot to mention," said Pan Stanislav, "that I bring you -salutations from Pani Emilia Hvastovski." - -"I have not seen Emilia for a year and a half, but we write to each -other often. She is about to visit Reichenhall, for the sake of her -little daughter." - -"She was ready to start when I saw her." - -"But how is the little girl?" - -"She is in her twelfth year; she has grown beyond measure, and is pale. -It does not seem that she is very healthy." - -"Do you visit Emilia often?" - -"Rather often. She is almost my only acquaintance in Warsaw. Besides, I -like Pani Emilia very much." - -"Tell me, my boy," inquired Plavitski, taking a pair of fresh gloves -from the table, and putting them into a breast-pocket, "what is thy -particular occupation in Warsaw?" - -"I am what is called an 'affairist;' I have a commission house -in company with a certain Bigiel. I speculate in wheat and sugar, -sometimes in timber; in anything that gives profit." - -"I have heard that thou art an engineer?" - -"I have my specialty. But on my return I could not find occupation -at any factory, and I began at mercantile transactions, all the more -readily that I had some idea of them. But my specialty is dyeing." - -"How dost thou say?" inquired Plavitski. - -"Dyeing." - -"The times are such now that one must take up anything," said -Plavitski, with dignity. "I am not the man to take that ill of thee. If -thou wilt only retain the honorable old traditions of the family, no -occupation brings shame to a man." - -Pan Stanislav, to whom the appearance of the young lady had brought -back his good nature, and who was amused by the sudden "grandezza" of -the old man, showed his sound teeth in a smile, and answered,-- - -"Praise God for that!" - -Panna Plavitski smiled in like manner, and said, "Emilia, who likes you -very much, wrote to me once that you conduct your business perfectly." - -"The only difficulty in this country is with Jews; still competition -is easy. And with Jews it is possible to get on by abstaining from -anti-Semitic manifestoes. As to Pani Emilia, however, she knows as much -about business as does her little Litka." - -"Yes; she has never been practical. Had it not been for her husband's -brother, Pan Teofil Hvastovski, she would have lost all she has. But -Pan Teofil loves Litka greatly." - -"Who doesn't love Litka? I, to begin with, am dying about her. She is -such a marvellous child, and such a favorite; I tell you that I have a -real weakness for her." - -Panna Marynia looked attentively at his honest, vivacious face, and -thought, "He must be a little whimsical, but he has a good heart." - -Plavitski remarked, meanwhile, that it was time for Mass, and he began -to take farewell of Marynia in such fashion as if he were going on -a journey of some months; then he made the sign of the cross on her -head, and took his hat. The young lady pressed Pan Stanislav's hand -with more life than at the morning greeting; he, when sitting in the -little equipage, repeated in his mind, "Oh, she is very nice, very -sympathetic." - -Beyond the alley, by which Pan Stanislav had come the night before, the -equipage rolled over a road which was beset here and there with old and -decayed birches standing at unequal distances from one another. On one -side stretched a potato-field, on the other an enormous plain of wheat, -with heavy bent heads, which seemed to sleep in the still air and in -the full light of the sun. Before the carriage, magpies and hoopoes -flew among the birches. Moving along paths through the yellow sea of -wheat, and hidden in it to their shoulders, went village maidens with -red kerchiefs on their heads, which resembled blooming poppies. - -"Good wheat," said Pan Stanislav. - -"Not bad. What is in man's power is done, and what God gives He gives. -Thou art young, my dear, so I give thee a precept, which in future will -be of service to thee more than once, 'Do always that which pertains to -thee, and leave the rest to the Lord God.' He knows best what we need. -The harvest will be good this year; I know that beforehand, for when -God is going to touch me with anything, He sends a sign." - -"What is it?" asked Pan Stanislav, with astonishment. - -"Behind my pipe-table--I do not know whether thou hast noted where it -stands--a mouse shows himself to me a number of days in succession when -any evil is coming." - -"There must be a hole in the floor." - -"There is no hole," said Plavitski, closing his eyes, and shaking his -head mysteriously. - -"One might bring in a cat." - -"I will not bring in a cat, for if it is the will of God that that -mouse should be a sign to me, or forewarning, I shall not go against -that will. Nothing has appeared to me this year. I mentioned this to -Marynia; maybe God desires in some way to show that He is watching -over our family. Listen, my dear; people will say, I know, that we are -ruined, or at least in a very bad state. Here it is; judge for thyself: -Kremen and Skoki, Magyerovka and Suhotsin, contain about two hundred -and fifty vlokas of land; on that there is a debt of thirty thousand -rubles to the society, not more, and about a hundred thousand mortgage, -including thy sum. Therefore we have about a hundred and thirty -thousand. Let us estimate only three thousand rubles a vloka; that -will make seven hundred and fifty thousand,--altogether eight hundred -and eighty thousand--" - -"How is that?" asked Pan Stanislav, with astonishment; "uncle is -including the debt with the property." - -"If the property were worth nothing, no one would give me a copper for -it, so I add the debt to the value of the property." - -Pan Stanislav thought, "He is a lunatic, with whom it is useless to -talk;" and he listened further in silence. - -"I intend to parcel out Magyerovka. The mill I will sell; but in Skoki -and Suhotsin I have marl, and knowest thou at how much I have estimated -it? At two million rubles." - -"Has uncle a purchaser?" - -"Two years ago a certain Shaum came and looked at the fields. He went -away, it is true, without speaking of the business; but I am sure that -he will come again, otherwise the mouse would have appeared behind the -pipe-table." - -"Ha! let him come again." - -"Knowest thou another thing that comes to my head? Since thou art an -'affairist,' take up this business. Find thyself partners, that is all." - -"The business is too large for me." - -"Then find me a purchaser; I will give ten per cent of the proceeds." - -"What does Panna Marynia think of this marl?" - -"Marynia, how Marynia? She is a golden child, but still a child! She -believes that Providence watches over our family." - -"I heard that from her yesterday." - -Meanwhile they had drawn near Vantory and the church, on a hill among -linden-trees. Under the hill stood at number of peasant-wagons with -ladder-like boxes, some brichkas and carriages. Pan Plavitski made the -sign of the cross, and said, "This is our little church, which thou -must remember. All the Plavitskis lie here, and I, too, shall be lying -here soon. I never pray better than in this place." - -"There will be many people, I see," said Pan Stanislav. - -"Gantovski's brichka, Zazimski's coach, Yamish's carriage, and a -number of others are there. Thou must remember the Yamishes. She is -an uncommon woman; he pretends to be a great agriculturist and a -councillor, but he is an old dotard, who never did understand her." - -At that moment the bell began to sound in the church tower. - -"They have seen us, and are ringing the bell," said Plavitski; "Mass -will begin this moment. I will take thee, after Mass, to the grave of -my first wife; pray for her, since she was thy aunt. She was an honest -woman; the Lord light her." - -Here Plavitski raised his finger again to rub his right eye. Pan -Stanislav therefore asked, wishing to change the conversation,-- - -"But was not Pani Yamish once very beautiful? or is this the same one?" - -Plavitski's face gleamed suddenly. He thrust out for one moment the -end of his tongue from his blackened little mustaches, and patting Pan -Stanislav on the thigh, said,-- - -"She is worth a sin yet,--she is, she is." - -Meanwhile they drove in, and after walking around the church, entered -the sacristy at the side; not wishing to push through the crowd, they -sat on side seats near the altar. Plavitski occupied the collator's -place, in which were also the Yamishes. Yamish was a man very old in -appearance, with an intelligent face, but weighed down; she was a woman -well toward sixty, dressed almost like Panna Marynia,--that is, in a -muslin robe and a straw hat. The bows, full of politeness, which Pan -Plavitski made to her, and the kind smiles with which she returned -them, showed that between those two reigned intimate relations founded -on mutual adoration. After a while the lady, raising her glasses to -her eyes, began to observe Pan Stanislav, not understanding apparently -who could have come with Pan Plavitski. In the seat behind them one of -the neighbors, taking advantage of the fact that Mass had not begun -yet, was finishing some narrative about hunting, and repeated a number -of times to another neighbor, "My dogs, well--" then both stopped -their conversation, and began to speak to Plavitski and Pani Yamish so -audibly that every word reached the ears of Pan Stanislav. The priest -came out to the altar then. - -At sight of the Mass and that little church, Pan Stanislav's memory -went back to the years of his childhood, when he was there with his -mother. Wonder rose in him involuntarily when he thought how little -anything changes in the country, except people. Some are placed away in -consecrated earth; others are born. But the new life puts itself into -the old forms; and to him who comes from afar, after a long absence, -all that he saw long ago seems of yesterday. The church was the same; -the nave was filled, as of old, with flaxen-colored heads of peasants, -gray coats, red and yellow kerchiefs with flowers on the heads of the -maidens; it had precisely the same kind of odor of incense, of sweet -flag, and the exhalations of people. Outside one of the windows grew -the same birch-tree, whose slender branches, thrown against the panes -by the wind as it rose, cast shade which gave a green tinge to light in -the church. But the people were not the same: some of the former ones -were crumbling quietly into dust, or had made their way from beneath -the earth in the form of grass; those who were left yet were somehow -bent, as if going under ground gradually. Pan Stanislav, who plumed -himself on avoiding all generalizing theories, but who in reality had -a Slav head, which, as it were, had not emerged yet from universal -existence, occupied himself with them involuntarily; and all the time -he was thinking that there is still a terrible precipice between that -passion for life innate in people and the absoluteness of death. He -thought, also, that perhaps for this reason all systems of philosophy -vanish, like shadows; but Mass is celebrated, as of old, because it -alone promises further and unbroken continuity. - -Reared abroad, he did not believe in it greatly; at least, he was not -certain of it. He felt in himself, as do all people of to-day, the -very newest people, an irrestrainable repugnance to materialism; but -from it he had not found an escape yet, and, what is more, it seemed -to him that he was not seeking it. He was an unconscious pessimist, -like those who are looking for something which they cannot find. He -stunned himself with occupations to which he was habituated; and only -in moments of great excess in that pessimism did he ask himself, What -is this all for? Of what use is it to gain property, labor, marry, -beget children, if everything ends in an abyss? But that was at times, -and did not become a fixed principle. Youth saved him from this, not -the first youth, but also not a youth nearing its end, a certain mental -and physical strength, the instinct of self-preservation, the habit of -work, vivacity of character, and finally that elemental force, which -pushes a man into the arms of a woman. And now from the recollections -of childhood, from thoughts of death, from doubts as to the fitness of -marriage, he came to this special thought, that he had no one to whom -he could give what was best in him; and then he came to Panna Marynia -Plavitski, whose muslin robe, covering a young and shapely body, did -not leave his eyes. He remembered that when he was leaving Warsaw, -Pani Emilia, a great friend of his and of Panna Marynia's, had said -laughingly,-- - -"If you, after being in Kremen, do not fall in love with Marynia, I -shall close my doors against you." He answered her with great courage -that he was going only to squeeze out money, not to fall in love, but -that was not true. If Panna Plavitski had not been in Kremen, he would -surely have throttled Plavitski by letter, or by legal methods. On the -way he had been thinking of Panna Marynia and of how she would look, -and he was angry because he was going for money, too. Having talked -into himself great decision in such matters, he determined above all -to obtain what belonged to him, and was ready rather to go beyond the -mark than not to reach it. He promised this to himself, especially the -first evening, when Marynia, though she had pleased him well enough, -had not produced such a great impression as he had expected, or rather -had produced a different one; but that morning she had taken his eye -greatly. "She is like the morning herself," thought he; "she is nice -and knows that she is nice,--women always know that." - -This last discovery made him somewhat impatient, for he wished to -return as soon as possible to Kremen, to observe the young woman -further. In fact, Mass was over soon. Plavitski went out immediately -after the blessing, for he had two duties before him,--the first, to -pray on the graves of his two wives who were lying under the church; -the second, to conduct Pani Yamish to her carriage. Since he wished -to neglect neither of these, he had to count with time. Pan Stanislav -went with him; and soon they found themselves before the stone slabs, -erected side by side in the church wall. Plavitski kneeled and prayed -awhile with attention; then he rose, and wiping away a tear, which was -hanging really on his lids, took Pan Stanislav by the arm, and said, -"Yes, I lost both; still I must live." - -Meanwhile Pani Yamish appeared before the church door in the company -of her husband, of those two neighbors who had spoken to her before -Mass, and of young Gantovski. At sight of her Pan Plavitski bent to Pan -Stanislav's ear and said,-- - -"When she enters the carriage, take notice what a foot she has yet." - -After a while both joined the company; bows and greetings began. Pan -Plavitski presented Pan Polanyetski; then, turning to Pani Yamish, he -added, with the smile of a man convinced that he says something which -no common person could have hit upon,-- - -"My relative, who has come to embrace his uncle, and squeeze him." - -"We will permit only the first; otherwise he will have an affair with -us," said the lady. - -"But Kremen[2] is hard," continued Plavitski; "he will break his teeth -on it, though he is young." - -Pani Yamish half closed her eyes. "That ease," said she, "with which -you scatter sparks, _c'est inoui!_ How is your health to-day?" - -"At this moment I feel healthy and young." - -"And Marynia?" - -"She was at early Mass. We wait for you both at five. My little -housekeeper is breaking her head over supper. A beautiful day." - -"We shall come if neuralgia lets me, and my lord husband is willing." - -"How is it, neighbor?" asked Plavitski. - -"I am always glad to go," answered the neighbor, with the voice of a -crushed man. - -"Then, _au revoir_." - -"_Au revoir_," answered the lady; and turning to Pan Stanislav, she -reached her hand to him. "It was a pleasure for me to make your -acquaintance." - -Plavitski gave his arm to the lady, and conducted her to the carriage. -The two neighbors went away also. Pan Stanislav remained a while with -Gantovski, who looked at him without much good-will. Pan Stanislav -remembered him as an awkward boy; from the "Little Bear," he had grown -to be a stalwart man, somewhat heavy perhaps in his movements, but -rather presentable, with a very shapely, light-colored mustache. Pan -Stanislav did not begin conversation, waiting till the other should -speak first; but he thrust his hands into his pockets, and maintained a -stubborn silence. - -"His former manners have remained with him," thought Pan Stanislav, who -felt now an aversion to that surly fellow. - -Meanwhile Plavitski returned from Yamish's carriage. - -"Hast taken notice?" asked he of Pan Stanislav, first of all. "Well, -Gantos," said he then, "thou wilt go in thy brichka, for in the -carriage there are only two places." - -"I will go in the brichka, for I am taking a dog to Panna Marynia," -answered the young man, who bowed and walked off. - -After a while Pan Plavitski and Pan Stanislav found themselves on the -road to Kremen. - -"This Gantovski is uncle's relative, I suppose?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"The tenth water after a jelly. They are very much fallen. This Adolph -has one little farm and emptiness in his pocket." - -"But in his heart there is surely no emptiness?" - -Pan Plavitski pouted. "So much the worse for him, if he imagines -anything. He may be good, but he is simple. No breeding, no education, -no property. Marynia likes him, or rather she endures him." - -"Ah, does she endure him?" - -"See thou how it is: I sacrifice myself for her and stay in the -country; she sacrifices herself for me and stays in the country. There -is no one here; Pani Yamish is considerably older than Marynia; in -general, there are no young people; life here is tedious: but what's to -be done? Remember, my boy, that life is a series of sacrifices. There -is need for thee to carry that principle in thy heart and thy head. -Those especially who belong to honorable and more prominent families -should not forget this. But Gantovski is with us always on Sunday for -dinner; and to-day, as thou hast heard, he is bringing a dog." - -They dropped into silence, and drove along the sand slowly. The magpies -flew before them from birch to birch, this time in the direction of -Kremen. Behind Plavitski's little carriage rode in his brichka Pan -Gantovski, who, thinking of Pan Stanislav, said to himself,-- - -"If he comes as a creditor to squeeze them, I'll break his neck; if he -comes as a rival, I'll break it too." - -From childhood, he had cherished hostile feelings toward Polanyetski. -In those days they met once in a while. Polanyetski used to laugh at -him; and, being a couple of years older, he even beat him. - -Plavitski and his guest arrived at last, and, half an hour later, all -found themselves at table in the dining-room, with Panna Marynia. The -young dog, brought by Gantovski, taking advantage of his privilege of -guest, moved about under the table, and sometimes got on the knees of -those present with great confidence and with delight, expressed by -wagging his tail. - -"That is a Gordon setter," said Gantovski. "He is simple yet; but those -dogs are clever, and become wonderfully attached." - -"He is beautiful, and I am very grateful to you," answered Marynia, -looking at the shining black hair and the yellow spots over the eyes of -the dog. - -"Too friendly," added Plavitski, covering his knees with a napkin. - -"In the field, too, they are better than common setters." - -"Do you hunt?" asked Pan Stanislav of the young lady. - -"No; I have never had any desire to do so. And you?" - -"Sometimes. But I live in the city." - -"Art thou much in society?" inquired Plavitski. - -"Almost never. My visits are to Pani Emilia, my partner Bigiel, and -Vaskovski, my former professor, an oddity now,--those are all. Of -course I go sometimes to people with whom I have business." - -"That is not well, my boy. A young man should have and preserve good -social relations, especially when he has a right to them. If a man -has to force his way, the question is different; but as Polanyetski, -thou hast the right to go anywhere. I have the same story, too, with -Marynia. The winter before last, when she had finished her eighteenth -year, I took her to Warsaw. Thou'lt understand that the trip was not -without cost, and that for me it required certain sacrifices. Well, and -what came of it? She sat for whole days with Pani Emilia, and they read -books. She is born a recluse, and will remain one. Thou and she might -join hands." - -"Let us join hands!" cried Pan Stanislav, joyously. - -"I cannot, with a clear conscience," answered Marynia; "for it was not -altogether as papa describes. I read books with Emilia, it is true; but -I was much in society with papa, and I danced enough for a lifetime." - -"You have no fault to find?" - -"No; but I am not yearning." - -"Then you did not bring away memories, it seems?" - -"Evidently there remained with me only recollections, which are -something different." - -"I do not understand the difference." - -"Memory is a magazine, in which the past lies stored away, and -recollection appears when we go to the magazine to take something." - -Here Panna Marynia was alarmed somewhat at that special daring with -which she had allowed herself this philosophical deduction as to the -difference between memory and recollection; therefore she blushed -rather deeply. - -"Not stupid, and pretty," thought Pan Stanislav; aloud he said, "That -would not have come to my head, and it is so appropriate." - -He surveyed her with eyes full of sympathy. She was in fact very -pretty; for she was laughing, somewhat confused by the praise, and also -delighted sincerely with it. She blushed still more when the daring -young man said,-- - -"To-morrow, before parting, I shall beg for a place,--even in the -magazine." - -But he said this with such joyousness that it was impossible to be -angry with him; and Marynia answered, not without a certain coquetry,-- - -"Very well; and I ask reciprocity." - -"In such case, I should have to go so often to the magazine that I -might prefer straightway to live in it." - -This seemed to Marynia somewhat too bold on such short acquaintance; -but Plavitski broke in now and said,-- - -"This Stanislav pleases me. I prefer him to Gantos, who sits like a -misanthrope." - -"Because I can talk only of what may be taken in hand," answered the -young man, with a certain sadness. - -"Then take your fork, and eat." - -Pan Stanislav laughed. Marynia did not laugh: she was sorry for -Gantovski; therefore she turned the conversation to things which were -tangible. - -"She is either a coquette, or has a good heart," thought Pan Stanislav -again. - -But Pan Plavitski, who recalled evidently his last winter visit in -Warsaw, continued, "Tell me, Stas, dost thou know Bukatski?" - -"Of course. By the way, he is a nearer relative to me than to uncle." - -"We are related to the whole world,--to the whole world literally. -Bukatski was Marynia's most devoted dancer. He danced with her at all -the parties." - -Pan Stanislav began to laugh again; "And for all his reward he went -to the magazine, to the dust-bin. But at least it is not necessary to -dust him, for he is as careful of his person as uncle, for instance. -He is the greatest dandy in Warsaw. What does he do? He is manager of -fresh air, which means that when there is fair weather he walks out or -rides. Besides, he is an original, who has peculiar little closets in -his brain. He observes various things of such kind as no other would -notice. Once, after his return from Venice, I met him and asked what -he had seen there. 'I saw,' said he, 'while on the Riva dei Schiavoni, -half an egg-shell and half a lemon-rind floating: they met, they -struck, they were driven apart, they came together; at last, paf! the -half lemon fell into the half egg-shell, and away they went sailing -together. In this see the meaning of harmony.' Such is Bukatski's -occupation, though he knows much, and in art, for instance, he is an -authority." - -"But they say that he is very capable." - -"Perhaps he is, but capable of nothing. He eats bread, and that is -the end of his service. If at least he were joyous, but at bottom he -is melancholy. I forgot to say that besides he is in love with Pani -Emilia." - -"Does Emilia receive many people?" inquired Marynia. - -"No. Vaskovski, Bukatski, and Mashko, an advocate, the man who buys and -sells estates, are her only visitors. - -"Of course she cannot receive many people; she has to give much time to -Litka." - -"Dear little girl," said Pan Stanislav, "may God grant at least that -Reichenhall may help her." - -And his joyous countenance was covered in one moment with genuine -sadness. Marynia looked at him with eyes full of sympathy, and in her -turn thought a second time, "Still he must be kind really." - -But Plavitski began to talk as if to himself. "Mashko, Mashko--he too -was circling about Marynia. But she did not like him. As to estates, -the price now is such that God pity us." - -"Mashko is the man who declares that under such conditions it is well -to buy them." - -Dinner came to an end, and they passed into the drawing-room for -coffee; while at coffee Pan Plavitski, as his wont was in moments of -good-humor, began to make a butt of Gantovski. The young man endured -patiently, out of regard for Marynia, but with a mien that seemed to -say, "Ei! but for her, I would shake all the bones out of thee." After -coffee Marynia sat down at the piano, while her father was occupied -with patience. She played not particularly well, but her clear and -calm face was outlined pleasantly over the music-board. About five Pan -Plavitski looked at the clock and said,-- - -"The Yamishes are not coming." - -"They will come yet," answered Marynia. - -But from that moment on he looked continually at the clock, and -announced every moment that the Yamishes would not come. At last, about -six, he said with a sepulchral voice,-- - -"Some misfortune must have happened." - -Pan Stanislav at that moment was near Marynia, who in an undertone -said,-- - -"Here is a trouble! Nothing has happened, of course; but papa will be -in bad humor till supper." - -At first Pan Stanislav wished to answer that to make up he would be in -good-humor to-morrow after sleeping; but, seeing genuine anxiety on the -young lady's face, he answered,-- - -"As I remember, it is not very far; send some one to inquire what has -happened." - -"Why not send some one over there, papa?" - -But he answered with vexation, "Too much kindness; I will go myself;" -and ringing for a servant, he ordered the horses, then stopping for a -moment he said,-- - -"_Enfin_, anything may happen in the country; some person might come -and find my daughter alone. This is not a city. Besides, you are -relatives. Thou, Gantovski, may be necessary for me, so have the -kindness to come with me." - -An expression of the greatest unwillingness and dissatisfaction was -evident on the young man's face. He stretched his hand to his yellow -hair and said,-- - -"Drawn up at the pond is a boat, which the gardener could not launch. I -promised Panna Marynia to launch it; but last Sunday she would not let -me, for rain was pouring, as if from a bucket." - -"Then run and try. It is thirty yards to the pond; thou wilt be back in -two minutes." - -Gantovski went to the garden in spite of himself. Plavitski, without -noticing his daughter or Pan Stanislav, repeated as he walked through -the room,-- - -"Neuralgia in the head; I would bet that it is neuralgia in the head; -Gantovski in case of need could gallop for the doctor. That old mope, -that councillor without a council, would not send for him surely." And -needing evidently to pour out his ill humor on some one, he added, -turning to Pan Stanislav, "Thou'lt not believe what a booby that man -is." - -"Who?" - -"Yamish." - -"But, papa!" interrupted Marynia. - -Plavitski did not let her finish, however, and said with increasing ill -humor, "It does not please thee, I know, that she shows me a little -friendship and attention. Read Pan Yamish's articles on agriculture, do -him homage, raise statues to him; but let me have my sympathies." - -Here Pan Stanislav might admire the real sweetness of Marynia, who, -instead of being impatient, ran to her father, and putting her forehead -under his blackened mustaches, said,-- - -"They will bring the horses right away, right away, right away! Maybe -I ought to go; but let ugly father not be angry, for he will hurt -himself." - -Plavitski, who was really much attached to his daughter, kissed her -on the forehead and said, "I know thou hast a good heart. But what is -Gantovski doing?" - -And he called through the open gate of the garden to the young man, who -returned soon, wearied out, and said,-- - -"There is water in the boat, and it is drawn up too far; I have tried, -and I cannot--" - -"Then take thy cap and let's be off, for I hear the horses have come." - -A moment later the young people were alone. - -"Papa is accustomed to society a little more elegant than that in the -country," said Marynia; "therefore he likes Pani Yamish, but Pan -Yamish is a very honorable and sensible man." - -"I saw him in the church; to me he seemed as if crushed." - -"Yes; for he is sickly, and besides has much care." - -"Like you." - -"No, Pan Yamish manages his work perfectly; besides, he writes much on -agriculture. He is really the light of these parts. Such a worthy man! -She too is a good woman, only to me she seems rather pretentious." - -"An ex-beauty." - -"Yes. And this unbroken country life, through which she has become -rather rusty, increases her oddness. I think that in cities oddities -of character and their ridiculous sides efface one another; but in the -country, people turn into originals more easily, they grow disused -to society gradually, a certain old-fashioned way is preserved in -intercourse, and it goes to excess. We must all seem rusty to people -from great cities, and somewhat ridiculous." - -"Not all," answered Pan Stanislav; "you, for example." - -"It will come to me in time," answered Marynia, with a smile. - -"Time may bring changes too." - -"With us there is so little change, and that most frequently for the -worse." - -"But in the lives of young ladies in general changes are expected." - -"I should wish first that papa and I might come to an agreement about -Kremen." - -"Then your father and Kremen are the main, the only objects in life for -you?" - -"True. But I can help little, since I know little of anything." - -"Your father, Kremen, and nothing more," repeated Pan Stanislav. - -A moment of silence came, after which Marynia asked Pan Stanislav if -he would go to the garden. They went, and soon found themselves at the -edge of the pond. Pan Stanislav, who, while abroad, had been a member -of various sporting clubs, pushed to the water's edge the boat, which -Gantovski could not manage; but it turned out that the boat was leaky, -and that they could not row in it. - -"This is a case of my management," said Marynia, laughing; "there is a -leak everywhere. And I know not how to find an excuse, since the pond -and the garden belong to me only. But before it is launched I will have -the boat mended." - -"As I live, it is the same boat in which I was forbidden to sail when a -boy." - -"Quite possibly. Have you not noticed that things change less by far, -and last longer than people? At times it is sad to think of this." - -"Let us hope to last longer than this moss-covered boat, which is as -water-soaked as a sponge. If this is the boat of my childhood, I have -no luck with it. In old times I was not permitted to sail in it, and -now I have hurt my hand with some rusty nail." - -Saying this, he drew out his handkerchief and began to wind it around -a finger of his right hand, with his left hand, but so awkwardly that -Marynia said,-- - -"You cannot manage it; you need help;" and she began to bind up his -hand, which he twisted a little so as to increase the difficulty of -her task, since it was pleasant for him to feel her delicate fingers -touching his. She saw that he was hindering her, and glanced at -him; but the moment their eyes met, she understood the reason, and, -blushing, bent down as if tying more carefully. Pan Stanislav felt her -near him, he felt the warmth coming from her, and his heart beat more -quickly. - -"I have wonderfully pleasant memories," said he, "of my former -vacations here; but this time I shall take away still pleasanter ones. -You are very kind, and besides exactly like some flower in this Kremen. -On my word, I do not exaggerate." - -Marynia understood that the young man said that sincerely, a little -too daringly perhaps, but more through innate vivacity than because -they were alone; she was not offended, therefore, but she began to make -playful threats with her pleasant low voice,-- - -"I beg you not to say pretty things to me; if you do, I shall bind your -hand badly, and then run away." - -"You may bind the hand badly, but stay. The evening is so beautiful." - -Marynia finished her work with the handkerchief, and they walked -farther. The evening was really beautiful. The sun was setting; the -pond, not wrinkled with a breath of wind, shone like fire and gold. In -the distance, beyond the water, the alders were dozing quietly; the -nearer trees were outlined with wonderful distinctness in the ruddy -air. In the yard beyond the house, storks were chattering. - -"Kremen is charming, very charming!" said Pan Stanislav. - -"Very," answered Marynia. - -"I understand your attachment to this place. Besides, when one puts -labor into anything, one is attached to it still more. I understand too -that in the country it is possible to have pleasant moments like this; -but, besides, it is agreeable here. In the city weariness seizes men -sometimes, especially those who, like me, are plunged to their ears in -accounts, and who, besides, are alone. Pan Bigiel, my partner, has a -wife, he has children,--that is pleasant. But how is it with me? I say -to myself often: I am at work, but what do I get for it? Grant that -I shall have a little money, but what then?--nothing. To-morrow ever -the same as to-day: Work and work. You know, Panna Plavitski, when a -man devotes himself to something, when he moves with the impetus of -making money, for example, money seems to him an object. But moments -come in which I think that Vaskovski, my original, is right, and that -no one whose name ends in _ski_ or _vich_ can ever put his whole soul -into such an object and rest in it exclusively. He declares that there -is in us yet the fresh memory of a previous existence, and that in -general the Slavs have a separate mission. He is a great original, a -philosopher, and a mystic. I argue with him, and make money as I can; -but now, for example, when I am walking with you in this garden, it -seems to me in truth that he is right." - -For a time they walked on without speaking. The light became ruddier -every instant, and their faces were sunk, as it were, in that gleam. -Friendly, reciprocal feelings rose in them each moment. They felt -pleasant and calm in each other's society. Of this Pan Stanislav was -sensible seemingly, for, after a while, he remarked,-- - -"That is true, too, which Pani Emilia told me. She said that one has -more confidence, and feels nearer to you in an hour than to another in -a month. I have verified this. It seems to me that I have known you for -a long time. I think that only persons unusually kind can produce this -impression." - -"Emilia loves me much," answered Marynia, with simplicity; "that is why -she praises me. Even if what she says were true, I will add that I -have not the power to be such with all persons." - -"You made on me, yesterday, another impression, indeed; but you were -tired then and drowsy." - -"I was, in some degree." - -"And why did you not go to bed? The servants might have made tea for -me, or I might have done without it." - -"No; we are not so inhospitable as that. Papa said that one of us -should receive you. I was afraid that he would wait himself for you, -and that would have injured him; so I preferred to take his place." - -"In that regard thou mightst have been at ease," thought Pan Stanislav; -"but thou art an honest maiden to defend the old egotist." Then he -said, "I beg your pardon for having begun to speak of business at once. -That is a mercantile habit. But I reproached myself afterward. 'Thou -art this and that kind of man,' thought I; and with shame do I beg your -pardon." - -"There is no cause for pardon, since there is no fault. They told you -that I occupy myself with everything; hence you turned to me." - -Twilight spread more deeply by degrees. After a certain time they -returned to the house, and, as the evening was beautiful, they sat down -on the garden veranda. Pan Stanislav entered the drawing-room for a -moment, returned with a footstool, and, bending down, pushed it under -Marynia's feet. - -"I thank you, I thank you much," said she, inclining, and taking her -skirt with her hand; "how kind of you! I thank you much." - -"I am inattentive by nature," said he; "but do you know who taught me -a little carefulness? Litka. There is need of care with her; and Pani -Emilia has to remember this." - -"She remembers it," answered Marynia, "and we will all help her. If she -had not gone to Reichenhall, I should have invited her here." - -"And I should have followed Litka without invitation." - -"Then I beg you in papa's name, once and for all." - -"Do not say that lightly, for I am ready to abuse your kindness. For -me it is very pleasant here; and as often as I feel out of sorts in -Warsaw, I'll take refuge in Kremen." - -Pan Stanislav knew this time that his words were intended to bring -them nearer, to establish sympathy between them; and he spoke with -design, and sincerely. While speaking, he looked on that mild young -face, which, in the light of the setting sun, seemed calmer than usual. -Marynia raised to him her blue eyes, in which was the question, "Art -speaking by chance, or of purpose?" and she answered in a somewhat -lower voice,-- - -"Do so." - -And both were silent, feeling that really a connection between them was -beginning. - -"I am astonished that papa is not returning," said she, at last. - -The sun had gone down; in the ruddy gloaming, an owl had begun to -circle about in slow flight, and frogs were croaking in the pond. - -Pan Stanislav made no answer to the young lady's remark, but said, as -if sunk in his own thoughts: "I do not analyze life; I have no time. -When I enjoy myself,--as at this moment, for instance,--I feel that -I enjoy myself; when I suffer, I suffer,--that is all. But five or -six years ago it was different. A whole party of us used to meet for -discussions on the meaning of life,--a number of scholars, and one -writer, rather well known in Belgium at present. We put to ourselves -these questions: Whither are we going? What sense has everything, -what value, what end? We read the pessimists, and lost ourselves in -various baseless inquiries, like one of my acquaintances, an assistant -in the chair of astronomy, who, when he began to lose himself in -interplanetary spaces, lost his reason; and, after that, it seemed to -him that his head was moving in a parabola through infinity. Afterward -he recovered, and became a priest. We, in like manner, could come to -nothing, rest on nothing,--just like birds flying over the sea without -a place to light on. But at last I saw two things: first, that my -Belgians were taking all this to heart less than I,--we are more naďve; -second, that my desire for labor would be injured, and that I should -become an incompetent. I seized myself, then, by the ears, and began to -color cottons with all my might. After that, I said in my mind: Life -is among the rights of nature; whether wise or foolish, never mind, it -is a right. We must live, then; hence it is necessary to get from life -what is possible. And I wish to get something. Vaskovski says, it is -true, that we Slavs are not able to stop there; but that is mere talk. -That we cannot be satisfied with money alone, we will admit. But I -said to myself, besides money there are two things: peace and--do you -know what, Panna Plavitski?--woman. For a man should have some one with -whom to share what he has. Later, there must be death. Granted. But -where death begins, man's wit ends. 'That is not my business,' as the -English say. Meanwhile, it is needful to have some one to whom a man -can give that which he has or acquires, whether money or service or -fame. If they are diamonds on the moon, it is all the same, for there -is no one to learn what their value is. So a man must have some one to -know him. And I think to myself, who will know me, if not a woman, if -she is only wonderfully good and wonderfully reliable, greatly mine and -greatly beloved? This is all that it is possible to desire; for from -this comes repose, and repose is the one thing that has sense. I say -this, not as a poet, but as a practical man and a merchant. To have -near me a dear one, that is an object. And let come then what may. Here -you have my philosophy." - -Pan Stanislav insisted that he was speaking like a merchant; but he -spoke like a dreamer, for that summer evening had acted on him, as -had also the presence of that youthful woman, who in so many regards -answered to the views announced a moment earlier. This must have come -to Pan Stanislav's head, for, turning directly to her, he said,-- - -"This is my thought, but I do not talk of it before people usually. -I was brought to this somehow to-day; for I repeat that Pani Emilia -is right. She says that one becomes more intimate with you in a day -than with others in a year. You must be fabulously kind. I should have -committed a folly if I had not come to Kremen; and I shall come as -often as you permit me." - -"Come,--often." - -"I thank you." He extended his hand, and Marynia gave him hers, as if -in sign of agreement. - -Oh, how he pleased her with his sincere, manly face, with his dark -hair, and a certain vigor in his whole bearing and in his animated -eyes! He brought, besides, so many of those inspirations which were -lacking in Kremen,--certain new horizons, running out far beyond the -pond and the alders which hemmed in the horizon at Kremen. They had -opened in one day as many roads as it was possible to open. They sat -again a certain time in silence, and their minds wandered on farther in -silence as hastily as they had during speech. Marynia pointed at last -to the light, which was increasing behind the alders, and said, "The -moon." - -"Aha! the moon," repeated Pan Stanislav. - -The moon was, in fact, rising slowly from behind the alders, ruddy, and -as large as a wheel. Now the dogs began to bark; a carriage rattled on -the other side of the house; and, after a while, Plavitski appeared in -the drawing-room, into which lamps had been brought. Marynia went in, -Pan Stanislav following. - -"Nothing was the matter," said Plavitski. "Pani Hrometski called. -Thinking that she would go soon, they did not let us know. Yamish is a -trifle ill, but is going to Warsaw in the morning. She promised to come -to-morrow." - -"Then is all well?" asked Marynia. - -"Well; but what have you been doing here?" - -"Listening to the frogs," answered Pan Stanislav; "and it was pleasant." - -"The Lord God knows why He made frogs. Though they don't let me sleep -at night, I make no complaint. But, Marynia, let the tea be brought." - -Tea was waiting already in another room. While they were drinking it, -Plavitski described his visit at the Yamishes. The young people were -silent; but from time to time they looked at each other with eyes full -of light, and at parting they pressed each other's hands very warmly. -Marynia felt a certain heaviness seizing her, as if that day had -wearied her; but it was a wonderful and pleasant kind of weariness. -Afterward, when her head was resting on the pillow, she did not think -that the day following would be Monday, that a new week of common toil -would begin; she thought only of Pan Stanislav, and his words were -sounding in her ears: "Who will know me, if not a woman, if she is only -wonderfully good and wonderfully reliable, greatly mine and greatly -beloved?" - -Pan Stanislav, on his part, was saying to himself, while lighting a -cigarette in bed, "She is kind and shapely, charming; where is there -such another?" - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [1] Third, or ring finger. - - [2] Kremen means flint in Polish. - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -But the following day was a gray one, and Panna Plavitski woke with -reproaches. It seemed to her that, the day before, she had let herself -be borne away on some current farther than was proper, and that she -had been simply coquetting with Pan Stanislav. She was penetrated -with special dissatisfaction, for this reason principally: that -Pan Stanislav had only come as a creditor. She had forgotten that -yesterday; but to-day she said to herself, "Undoubtedly it will come -to his head that I wanted to win him, or to soften him;" and at this -thought the blood flowed to her cheeks and her forehead. She had an -honest nature and much ambition, which revolted at every idea that she -might be suspected of calculation. Believing now in the possibility of -such a suspicion, she felt in advance as if offended by Pan Stanislav. -Withal, there was one thought which was bitter beyond every expression: -she knew that, as a rule, a copper could not overtake a copper in the -treasury of Kremen; that there was no money; and that if, in view of -the proposed parcelling of Magyerovka, there were hopes of having -some in future, her father would make evasions, for he considered -other debts more urgent than Pan Stanislav's. She promised herself, -it is true, to do all in her power to see him paid absolutely, and -before others; but she knew that she was not able to effect much. Her -father assisted her willingly in management; but in money matters -he had his own way; and it was rarely that he regarded her opinion. -His rôle consisted really in evading everything by all means,--by -promises never kept, by delays, by presenting imaginary calculations -and hopes, instead of reality. As the collection of debts secured by -mortgage on land is difficult and tedious, and defence may be kept up -almost as long as one wishes, Plavitski held on to Kremen, thanks to -his system. In the end, all this threatened ruin inexorable, as well -as complete; but, meanwhile, the old man considered himself "the head -of affairs," and listened the more unwillingly to the opinions and -counsels of his daughter, since he suspected at once that she doubted -his "head." This offended his self-esteem to the utmost. Marynia had -passed, because of this "head" and its methods, through more than one -humiliation. Her country life was only an apparent ideal of work and -household occupations. There was wanting to it neither bitterness nor -pain; and her calm countenance indicated, not only the sweetness of -her character, but its strength, and a great education of spirit. The -humiliation which threatened her this time, however, seemed harder to -bear than the others. - -"At least, let him not suspect me," said she to herself. But how could -she prevent his suspicion? Her first thought was to see Pan Stanislav -before he met her father, and describe the whole state of affairs to -him; treat him as a man in whom she had confidence. It occurred to her -then that such a description would be merely a prayer for forbearance, -for compassion; and hence a humiliation. Were it not for this thought, -Marynia would have sent for him. She, as a woman noting keenly -every quiver of her own heart and the hearts of others, felt half -consciously, half instinctively, that between her and that young man -something was foreshadowed; that something had begun, as it were; and, -above all, that something might and must be inevitable in the future, -if she chose that it should be; but, as affairs stood, it did not seem -to her that she could choose. Only one thing remained,--to see Pan -Stanislav, and efface by her demeanor yesterday's impressions; to break -the threads which had been fastened between them, and to give him full -freedom of action. Such a method seemed best to her. - -Learning from the servants that Pan Stanislav not only had risen, but -had drunk tea and gone out to the road, she decided to find him. This -was not difficult, since he had returned from his morning walk, and, -standing at the side wall of the entrance, which was grown over with -wild grape-vines, was talking with those two dogs which had fawned -on him so effusively at his arrival. He did not see her at once; and -Marynia, standing on the steps, heard him saying to the dogs,-- - -"These big dogs take pay for watching the house? They eat? They don't -bark at strangers, but fawn on them. Ei! stupid dogs, lazy fellows!" - -And he patted their white heads. Then, seeing her through the openings -of the grape-vines, he sprang up as quickly as if thrown from a sling, -and stood before her, glad and bright-faced. - -"Good-morning. I have been talking with the dogs. How did you rest?" - -"Thank you." And she extended her hand to him coldly; but he was -looking at her with eyes in which was to be seen most clearly how -great and deep a pleasure the sight of her caused him. And he pleased -poor Marynia not less; he simply pleased her whole soul. Her heart was -oppressed with regret that she had to answer his cordial good-morning -so ceremoniously and coldly. - -"Perhaps you were going out to look after affairs? In that case, if you -permit, I will go with you. I must return to the city to-day; hence one -moment more in your company will be agreeable. God knows if I could I -would remain longer. But now I know the road to Kremen." - -"We beg you to come, whenever time may permit." - -Pan Stanislav noticed now the coolness of her words, of her face; and -began to look at her with astonishment. But if Marynia thought that he -would do as people do usually,--accommodate himself to her tone readily -and in silence,--she was mistaken. Pan Stanislav was too vivacious and -daring not to seek at once for the cause; so, looking her steadfastly -in the eye, he said,-- - -"Something is troubling you." - -Marynia was confused. - -"You are mistaken," replied she. - -"I see well; and you know that I am not mistaken. You act toward me as -you did the first evening. But then I made a blunder: I began to speak -of money at a wrong time. Yesterday I begged your pardon, and it was -pleasant,--how pleasant! To-day, again, it is different. Tell me why!" - -Not the most adroit diplomacy could have beaten Marynia from her path. -It seemed to her that she could chill him and keep him at a distance -by this demeanor; but he, by inquiring so directly, rather brought -himself nearer, and he continued to speak in the tone of a man on whom -an injustice had been wrought:-- - -"Tell me what is the matter; tell me! Your father said I was to be -a guest yesterday, and a creditor to-day. But that is fol--that is -nothing! I do not understand such distinctions; and I shall never be -your creditor, rather your debtor. For I am already indebted to you, -and grateful for yesterday's kindness; and God knows how much I wish -to be indebted to you always." - -He looked into her eyes again, observing carefully whether there would -not appear in them yesterday's smile; but Marynia, whose heart was -oppressed more and more, went on by the way which she had chosen: -first, because she had chosen it; and second, lest by acknowledging -that to-day she was different, she might be forced to explain why she -was so. - -"I assure you," said she, at last, with a certain effort, "that either -you were mistaken yesterday, or you are mistaken to-day. I am always -the same, and it will always be agreeable to me if you bear away -pleasant memories." - -The words were polite, but uttered by a young woman so unlike her of -yesterday that on Pan Stanislav's face impatience and anger began to -appear. - -"If it is important for you that I should feign to believe this, let it -be as you wish. I shall go away, however, with the conviction that in -the country Monday is very different from Sunday." - -These words touched Marynia; for from them it seemed as if Pan -Stanislav had assumed certain rights by reason of her conduct with him -yesterday. But she answered rather with sadness than with anger,-- - -"How can I help that?" - -And after a while she went away, saying that she had to go and wish -good-day to her father. Pan Stanislav remained alone. He drove away the -dogs, which had tried to fawn on him anew, and began to be angry. - -"What does this mean?" asked he in his mind. "Yesterday, kind; to-day, -surly,--altogether a different woman. How stupid all this is, and -useless! Yesterday, a relative; to-day, a creditor! What is that to -her? Why does she treat me like a dog? Have I robbed any one? She knew -yesterday, too, why I came. Very well! If you want to have me as a -creditor--not Polanyetski--all right. May thunderbolts crush the whole -business!" - -Meanwhile Marynia ran into her father's chamber. Plavitski had risen, -and was sitting, attired in his dressing-gown, before a desk covered -with papers. For a while he turned to answer the good-day of his -daughter, then occupied himself again with reading the papers. - -"Papa," said Marynia, "I have come to speak of Pan Stanislav. Does -papa--" - -But he interrupted her without ceasing to look at the papers,-- - -"I will bend thy Pan Stanislav in my hand like wax." - -"I doubt if that will be easy. Finally, I should wish that he were paid -before others, even with the greatest loss to us." - -Plavitski, turning from the desk, gazed at her, and asked coolly,-- - -"Is this, I pray, a guardianship over him, or over me?" - -"It is a question of our honor." - -"In which, as thou thinkest, I need thy assistance?" - -"No, papa; but--" - -"What pathetic day has come on us? What is the matter with thee?" - -"I merely beg, papa, by all--" - -"And I beg thee also to leave me. Thou hast set me aside from the land -management. I yielded; for, during the couple of years that remain -to me in life, I have no wish to be quarrelling with my own child. -But leave me even this corner in the house,--even this one room,--and -permit me to transact such affairs as it is possible to transact here." - -"Dear papa, I only beg--" - -"That I should move out into a cottage, which, for the fourth time, -thou art choosing for me?" - -Evidently the old man, in speaking of the "pathetic day," wished merely -that no one should divide this monopoly with him. He rose now, in his -Persian dressing-gown, like King Lear, and grasped at the arm of his -chair; thus giving his heartless daughter to understand that, if he had -not done this, he should have fallen his whole length on the floor, -stricken down by her cruelty. But tears came to her eyes, and a bitter -feeling of her own helplessness flowed to her heart. For a while she -stood in silence, struggling with sorrow and a wish to cry; then she -said quietly, "I beg pardon of papa," and went out of the room. - -A quarter of an hour later, Pan Stanislav entered, at the request -of Plavitski, but ill-humored, irritated through striving to master -himself. - -Plavitski, after he had greeted his visitor, seated him at his side in -an armchair prepared previously, and, putting his palm on the young -man's knee, said,-- - -"Stas, but thou wilt not burn this house? Thou wilt not kill me, who -opened my arms to thee as a relative; thou wilt not make my child an -orphan?" - -"No," answered Pan Stanislav; "I will not burn the house, I will not -cut uncle's throat, and I will not make any child an orphan. I beg -uncle not to talk in this manner, for it leads to nothing, and to me it -is unendurable." - -"Very well," said Plavitski, somewhat offended, however, that his -style and manner of expression had found such slight recognition; "but -remember that thou didst come to me and to this house when thou wert -still a child." - -"I came because my mother came; and my mother, after the death of Aunt -Helen, came because uncle did not pay interest. All this is neither -here nor there. The money rests on a mortgage of twenty-one years. With -the unpaid interest, it amounts to about twenty-four thousand rubles. -For the sake of round numbers, let it be twenty thousand; but I must -have those twenty, since I came for them." - -Plavitski inclined his head with resignation. "Thou didst come for -that. True. But why wert thou so different yesterday, Stas?" - -Pan Stanislav, who half an hour earlier had put that same question to -Marynia, just sprang up in his chair, but restrained himself and said,-- - -"I beg you to come to business." - -"I do not draw back before business; only permit me to say a couple -of words first, and do not interrupt me. Thou hast said that I have -not paid the interest. True. But knowest thou why? Thy mother did not -give me all her property, and could not without permission of a family -council. Perhaps it was worse for you that the permission was not -given, but never mind. When I took those few thousand rubles, I said to -myself: The woman is alone in the world with one child; it is unknown -how she will manage, unknown what may happen. Let the money which she -has with me be her iron foundation; let it increase, so that at a given -moment she may have something for her hands to seize hold on. And -since then I have been in some fashion thy savings bank. Thy mother -gave me twelve thousand rubles; to-day thou hast in my hands almost -twenty-four thousand. That is the result. And wilt thou repay me now -with ingratitude?" - -"Beloved uncle," answered Pan Stanislav, "do not take me, I pray, for -a greater dunce than I am, nor for a madman. I say simply that I am -not caught with such chaff; it is too coarse. Uncle says that I have -twenty-four thousand rubles; where are they? I am asking for them, -without talk, and moreover such talk." - -"But be patient, I pray thee, and restrain thyself, even for this -reason, that I am older," answered Plavitski, offended and with dignity. - -"I have a partner, who in a month will contribute twelve thousand -rubles to a certain business. I must pay the same amount. I say clearly -and declare that, after two years of annoyance with letters, I cannot -and will not endure any longer." - -Plavitski rested his arm on the desk, his forehead on his palm, and -was silent. Pan Stanislav looked at him, waiting for an answer; he -gazed with increasing displeasure, and in his mind gave himself this -question: "Is he a trickster or a lunatic; is he an egotist, so blinded -to himself that he measures good and evil by his own comfort merely; or -is he all these together?" - -Meanwhile Plavitski held his face hidden on his palm, and was silent. - -"I should like to say something," began Pan Stanislav, at last. - -But the old man waved his hand, indicating that he wished to be alone -with his thoughts for a time yet. On a sudden he raised his face, which -had grown radiant,-- - -"Stas," said he, "why are we disputing, when there is such a simple way -out of it?" - -"How?" - -"Take the marl." - -"What?" - -"Bring thy partner, bring some specialist; we will set a price on my -marl, and form a company of three. Thy--what's his name? Bigiel, isn't -it? will pay me so much, whatever falls to him; thou wilt either add -something or not; and we'll all go on together. The profits may be -colossal." - -Pan Stanislav rose. "I assure you," said he, "that there is one thing -to which I am not accustomed, that is to be made sport of. I do not -want your marl; I want only my money; and what you tell me I regard -simply as an unworthy or stupid evasion." - -A moment of oppressive silence followed. Jove's anger began to gather -on the brows and forehead of Plavitski. For a while he threatened -boldly with his eyes, then, moving quickly to the hooks on which his -weapons were hanging, he took down a hunter's knife, and, offering it -to Pan Stanislav, said,-- - -"But there is another way, strike!" and he opened his dressing-gown -widely; but Pan Stanislav, mastering himself no longer, pushed away the -hand with the knife, and began to speak in a loud voice,-- - -"This is a paltry comedy, nothing more! It is a pity to lose words and -time with you. I am going away, for I have had enough of you and your -Kremen; but I say that I will sell my debt, even for half its value, to -the first Jew I meet. He will be able to settle with you." - -Then the right hand of Plavitski was stretched forth in solemnity. - -"Go," said he, "sell. Let the Jew into the family nest; but know this, -that the curse, both of me and of those who have lived here, will find -thee wherever thou art." - -Pan Stanislav rushed out of the room, white with rage. In the -drawing-room he cursed as much as he could, looking for his hat; -finding it at last, he was going out to see if the brichka had come, -when Marynia appeared. At sight of her he restrained himself somewhat; -but, remembering that she it was, precisely, who was occupied with -everything in Kremen, he said,-- - -"I bid farewell to you. I have finished with your father. I came for -what belonged to me; but he gave me first a blessing, then marl, and -finally a curse. A nice way to pay debts!" - -There was a moment in which Marynia wished to extend her hand to him -and say,-- - -"I understand your anger. A while ago I was with father also, and -begged him to pay you before all others. Deal with us and with Kremen -as may please you; but do not accuse me, do not think that I belong to -a conspiracy against you, and retain even a little esteem for me." - -Her hand was already extending, the words were on her lips, when Pan -Stanislav, rousing himself internally, and losing his balance still -more, added,-- - -"I say this because, when I spoke to you the first evening, you were -offended, and sent me to your father. I give thanks for the effective -advice; but, as it was better for you than for me, I will follow my own -judgment hereafter." - -Marynia's lips grew pale; in her eyes were tears of indignation, and, -at the same time, of deep offence. She raised her head, and said,-- - -"You may utter what injuries you like, since there is no one to take my -part;" then she turned to the door, with her soul full of humiliation -and almost despair, because those were the only returns she had -received for that labor in which she had put her whole strength and all -the zeal of her honest young soul. Pan Stanislav saw, too, that he had -exceeded the measure. Having very lively feelings, he passed in one -instant to compassion, and wished to hurry after her to beg her pardon; -but it was late: she had vanished. - -This roused a new attack of rage. This time, however, the rage included -himself. Without taking farewell of any one, he sat in the brichka, -which came up just then, and drove out of Kremen. In his soul such -anger was seething that for a time he could think of nothing but -vengeance. "I will sell it, even for a third of the value," said he to -himself, "and let others distrain you. I give my word of an honest man -that I will sell. Even without need, I will sell out of spite!" - -In this way his intention was changed into a stubborn and sworn -resolve. Pan Stanislav was not of those who break promises given to -others or themselves. It was now a mere question of finding a man to -buy a claim so difficult of collection; for to receive the amount of it -was, without exaggeration, to crack a flint with one's teeth. - -Meanwhile the brichka rolled out of the alley to the road in the open -field. Pan Stanislav, recovering somewhat, began to think of Marynia -in a form of mind which was a mosaic composed of the impressions which -her face and form had made on him,--of recollections of the Sunday -conversation; of repulsion, of pity, of offence, animosity; and, -finally, dissatisfaction with himself, which strengthened his animosity -against her. Each of these feelings in turn conquered the others, -and cast on them its color. At times he recalled the stately figure -of Marynia, her eyes, her dark hair, her mouth, pleasing, though too -large, perhaps; finally, her expression; and an outburst of sympathy -for her mastered him. He thought that she was very girlish; but in -her mouth, in her arms, in the lines of her whole figure, there was -something womanly, something that attracted with irresistible force. -He recalled her mild voice, her calm expression, and her very evident -goodness. Then, at thought of how harsh he had been to her before -going,--at thought of the tone with which he had spoken to her,--he -began to curse himself. "If the father is an old comedian, a trickster, -and a fool," said he to himself; "and if she feels all this, she is -the unhappier. But what then? Every man with a bit of heart would have -understood the position, taken compassion on her, instead of attacking -the poor overworked child. I attacked her. I!" Then he wanted to slap -his own face; for at once he imagined what might have been, what an -immeasurable approach, what an exceptional tenderness would have -arisen, if, after all the quarrels with her father, he had treated her -as was proper,--that is, with the utmost delicacy. She would have given -him both hands when he was leaving; he would have kissed them; and he -and she would have parted like two persons near to each other. "May -the devils take the money!" repeated he to himself; "and may they take -me!" And he felt that he had done things which could not be corrected. -This feeling took away the remnant of his equilibrium, and pushed him -all the more along that road, the error of which he recognized. And he -began a monologue again, more or less like the following,-- - -"Since all is lost, let all burn. I will sell the claim to any Jew; -let him collect. Let them fly out on to the pavement; let the old man -find some office; let her go as a governess, or marry Gantovski." Then -he felt that he would agree to anything rather than the last thought. -He would twist Gantovski's neck. Let any one take her, only not such a -wooden head, such a bear, such a dolt. Beautiful epithets began to fall -on the hapless Gantovski; and all the venom passed over on to him, as -if he had been really the cause of whatever had happened. - -Arriving in such a man-eating temper at Chernyov, Pan Stanislav might, -perhaps, like another Ugolino, have gnawed at once into Gantovski -with his teeth, "where the skull meets the neck," if he had seen him -at the station. Fortunately, instead of Gantovski's "skull," he saw -only some officials, some peasants, a number of Jews, and the sad, but -intelligent face of Councillor Yamish, who recognized him, and who, -when the train arrived soon, invited him--thanks to good relations with -the station-master--to a separate compartment. - -"I knew your father," said he; "and I knew him in his brilliant days. -I found a wife in that neighborhood. I remember he had then Zvihov, -Brenchantsa, Motsare, Rozvady in Lubelsk,--a fine fortune. Your -grandfather was one of the largest landowners in that region; but now -the estate must have passed into other hands." - -"Not now, but long since. My father lost all his property during his -life. He was sickly; he lived at Nice, did not take care of what he -had, and it went. Had it not been for the inheritance which, after his -death, fell to my mother, it would have been difficult." - -"But you are well able to help yourself. I know your house; I have had -business in hops with you through Abdulski." - -"Then Abdulski did business with you?" - -"Yes; and I must confess that I was perfectly satisfied with our -relations. You have treated me well, and I see that you manage affairs -properly." - -"No man can succeed otherwise. My partner, Bigiel, is an honest man, -and I am not Plavitski." - -"How is that?" asked Yamish, with roused curiosity. - -Pan Stanislav, with the remnant of his anger unquenched, told the whole -story. - -"H'm!" said Yamish; "since you speak of him without circumlocution, -permit me to speak in like manner, though he is your relative." - -"He is no relative of mine: his first wife was a relative and friend of -my mother,--that is all; he himself is no relative." - -"I know him from childhood. He is rather a spoiled than a bad man. He -was an only son, hence, to begin with, his parents petted him; later on -his two wives did the same. Both were quiet, mild women; for both he -was an idol. During whole years matters so arranged themselves that he -was the sun around which other planets circled; and at last he came to -the conviction that everything from others was due to him, and nothing -to others from him. When conditions are such that evil and good are -measured by one's own comfort solely, nothing is easier than to lose -moral sense. Plavitski is a mixture of pompousness and indulgence: of -pompousness, for he himself is ever celebrating his own glory; and -indulgence, for he permits himself everything. This has become almost -his nature. Difficult circumstances came on him. These only a man of -character can meet; character he never had. He began to evade, and -in the end grew accustomed to evasion. Land ennobles, but land also -spoils us. An acquaintance of mine, a bankrupt, said once to me, 'It is -not I who evade, but my property, and I am only talking for it.' And -this is somewhat true,--truer in our position than in any other." - -"Imagine to yourself," answered Pan Stanislav, "that I, who am a -descendant of the country, have no inclination for agriculture. I know -that agriculture will exist always, for it must; but in the form in -which it exists to-day I see no future for it. You must perish, all of -you." - -"I do not look at it in rose-colors either. I do not mention that the -general condition of agriculture throughout Europe is bad, for that is -known. Just consider. A noble has four sons; hence each of these will -inherit only one-fourth of his father's land. Meanwhile, what happens? -Each, accustomed to his father's mode of living, wishes to live like -the father; the end is foreseen easily. Another case: A noble has four -sons; the more capable choose various careers; you may wager that the -least capable remains on the land. A third case: what a whole series -of generations have acquired, have toiled for, one light head ruins. -Fourth, we are not bad agriculturists, but bad administrators. Good -administration means more than good cultivation of land; what is the -inference, then? The land will remain; but we, who represent it at -present under the form of large ownership, must leave it most likely. -Then, do you see, when we have gone, we may return in time." - -"How is that?" - -"To begin with, you say that nothing attracts you to land; that is a -deception. Land attracts, and attracts with such force that each man, -after he has come to certain years, to a certain well-being, is unable -to resist the desire of possessing even a small piece of land. That -will come to you too, and it is natural. Finally, every kind of wealth -may be considered as fictitious, except land. Everything comes out of -land; everything exists for it. As a banknote is a receipt for metallic -money in the State Bank, so industry and commerce and whatever else you -please is land turned into another form; and as to you personally, who -have come from it, you must return to it." - -"I at least do not think so." - -"How do you know? To-day you are making property; but how will you -succeed? And that, too, is a question of the future. The Polanyetskis -were agriculturists; now one of them has chosen another career. The -majority of sons of agriculturists must choose other careers also, -even because they cannot do otherwise. Some of them will fail; some -will succeed and return--but return, not only with capital, but with -new energy, and with that knowledge of exact administration which -is developed by special careers. They will return because of the -attraction which land exercises, and finally through a feeling of duty, -which I need not explain to you." - -"What you say has this good side, that then my -such-an-uncle-not-an-uncle Plavitski will belong to a type that has -perished." - -Pan Yamish thought a while and said,-- - -"A thread stretches and stretches till it breaks, but at last it must -break. To my thinking, they cannot hold out in Kremen, even though -they parcel Magyerovka. But do you see whom I pity?--Marynia. She is -an uncommonly honest girl. For you do not know that the old man wanted -to sell Kremen two years ago; and that that did not take place partly -through the prayers of Marynia. Whether this was done out of regard -to the memory of her mother, who lies buried there, or because so -much is said and written about the duty of holding to the soil, it is -sufficient that the girl did what she could to prevent the sale. She -imagined, poor thing, that if she would betake herself with all power -to work, she could do everything. She abandoned the whole world for -Kremen. For her it will be a blow when the thread breaks at last, and -break it must. A pity for the years of the girl!" - -"You are a kind person, councillor!" cried Pan Stanislav, with his -accustomed vivacity. - -The old man smiled. "I love that girl: besides, she is my pupil in -agriculture; of a truth it will be sad when she is gone from us." - -Pan Stanislav fell to biting his mustaches, and said at last, "Let her -marry some man in the neighborhood, and remain." - -"Marry, marry! As if that were easy for a girl without property. Who is -there among us? Gantovski. He would take her. He is a good man, and not -at all so limited as they say. But she has no feeling for him, and she -will not marry without feeling. Yalbrykov is a small estate. Besides, -it seems to the old man that the Gantovskis are something inferior to -the Plavitskis, and Gantovski too believes this. With us, as you know, -that man passes for a person of great family who is pleased to boast -himself such. Though people laugh at Plavitski, they have grown used -to his claim. Moreover, one man raises his nose because he is making -property, another because he is losing it, and nothing else remains to -him. But let that pass. I know one thing, whoever gets Marynia will get -a pearl." - -Pan Stanislav had in his mind at that moment the same conviction and -feeling. Sinking, therefore, into meditation, he began again to muse -about Marynia, or, rather, to call her to mind and depict her to -himself. All at once it even seemed to him that he would be sad without -her; but he remembered that similar things had seemed so to him more -than once, and that time had swept away the illusion. Still he thought -of her, even when they were approaching the city; and when he got out -at Warsaw, he muttered through his teeth,-- - -"How stupidly it happened! how stupidly!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -On his return to Warsaw, Pan Stanislav passed the first evening at the -house of his partner, Bigiel, with whom, as a former schoolmate, he was -connected by personal intimacy. - -Bigiel, a Cheh by descent, but of a family settled in the country for a -number of generations, had managed a small commercial bank before his -partnership with Pan Stanislav, and had won the reputation of a man not -over-enterprising, it is true, but honorable and uncommonly reliable -in business. When Pan Stanislav entered into company with him, the -house extended its activity, and became an important firm. The partners -complemented each other perfectly. Pan Stanislav was incomparably more -clever and enterprising; he had more ideas and took in a whole affair -with greater ease; but Bigiel watched its execution more carefully. -When there was need of energy, or of pushing any one to the wall, Pan -Stanislav was the man; but when it was a question of careful thought, -of examining interests from ten sides, and of patience, Bigiel's rôle -began. Their temperaments were directly opposite; and for that reason, -perhaps, they had sincere friendship for each other. Preponderance -was relatively on the side of Pan Stanislav. Bigiel believed in his -partner's uncommon capacity; and a number of ideas really happy for -the house, which Pan Stanislav had given, confirmed this belief. The -dream of both was to acquire in time capital sufficient to build -cotton-mills, which Bigiel would manage, and Pan Stanislav direct. -But, though both might count themselves among men almost wealthy, the -mills were in a remote future. Less patient, and having many relatives, -Pan Stanislav tried, it is true, immediately after his return from -abroad, to direct to this object local, so-called "our own," capital; -he was met, however, with a general want of confidence. He noticed at -the same time a wonderful thing: his name opened all doors to him, but -rather injured than helped him in business. It might be that those -people who invited him to their houses could not get it into their -heads that one of themselves, hence a man of good family and with a -name ending in _ski_, could conduct any business successfully. This -angered Polanyetski to such a degree that the clever Bigiel had to -quench his outburst by stating that such want of confidence was in fact -caused by years of experience. Knowing well the history of different -industrial undertakings, he cited to Pan Stanislav a whole series of -cases, beginning with Tyzenhaus, the treasurer, and ending with various -provincial and land banks, which had nothing of the country about them -except their names,--in other words, they were devoid of every home -basis. - -"The time has not come yet," said Bigiel; "but it will come, or, -rather, it is in sight. Hitherto there have been only amateurs and -dilettanti; now for the first time are appearing here and there trained -specialists." - -Pan Stanislav who, in spite of his temperament, had powers of -observation rather well developed, began to make strange discoveries -in those spheres to which his relatives gave him access. He was met -by a general recognition for having done something. This recognition -was offered with emphasis even; but in it there was something like -condescension. Each man let it be known too readily that he approved -Polanyetski's activity, that he considered it necessary; but no one -bore himself as if he considered the fact that Polanyetski was working -at some occupation as a thing perfectly common and natural. "They -all _protect_ me," said he; and that was true. He came also to the -conclusion that if, for example, he aspired to the hand of any of the -young ladies of so-called "society," his commercial house and his title -of "affairist" would, notwithstanding the above recognition, have -injured more than helped him. They would rather give him any of those -maidens if, instead of a lucrative business, he had some encumbered -estate, or if, while living as a great lord, he was merely spending the -interest of his capital, or even the capital itself. - -When he had made dozens of observations of this kind, Pan Stanislav -began to neglect his relatives, and at last abandoned them altogether. -He restricted himself to the houses of Bigiel and Pani Emilia -Hvastovski, and to those male acquaintances who were a necessity of -his single life. He took his meals at Francois's with Bukatski, old -Vaskovski, and the advocate Mashko, with whom he discussed and argued -various questions; he was often at the theatre and at public amusements -of all kinds. For the rest, he led rather a secluded life; hence he -was unmarried yet, though he had great and fixed willingness to marry, -and, besides, sufficient property. - -Having gone after his return from Kremen almost directly to Bigiel's, -he poured out all his gall on "uncle" Plavitski, thinking that he would -find a ready and sympathetic listener; but Bigiel was moved little by -his narrative, and said,-- - -"I know such types. But, in truth, where is Plavitski to find money, -since he has none? If a man holds mortgages, he should have a saint's -patience. Landed property swallows money easily, but returns it with -the greatest difficulty." - -"Listen, to me, Bigiel," said Pan Stanislav; "since thou hast begun to -grow fat and sleep after dinner, one must have a saint's patience with -thee." - -"But is it true," asked the unmoved Bigiel, "that thou art in absolute -need of this money? Hast thou not at thy disposal the money that each -of us is bound to furnish?" - -"I am curious to know what that is to thee, or Plavitski. I have money -with him; I must get it, and that is the end of the matter." - -The entrance of Pani Bigiel, with a whole flock of children, put a -curb on the quarrel. She was young yet, dark-haired, blue-eyed, very -kind, and greatly taken up with her children, six in number,--children -liked by Pan Stanislav uncommonly; she was for this reason his -sincere friend, and also Pani Emilia's. Both these ladies, knowing -and loving Marynia Plavitski, had made up their minds to marry her to -Pan Stanislav; both had urged him very earnestly to go to Kremen for -the money. Hence Pani Bigiel was burning with curiosity to know what -impression the visit had made on him. But as the children were present, -it was impossible to speak. Yas, the youngest, who was walking on his -own feet already, embraced Pan Stanislav's leg and began to pull it, -calling "Pan, Pan!" which in his speech sounded, "Pam, Pam!" two little -girls, Evka and Yoasia, climbed up without ceremony on the knees of -the young man; but Edzio and Yozio explained to him their business. -They were reading the "Conquest of Mexico," and were playing at this -"Conquest." Edzio, raising his brows and stretching his hands upwards, -spoke excitedly,-- - -"I will be Cortez, and Yozio a knight on horseback; but as neither Evka -nor Yoasia wants to be Montezuma, what can we do? We can't play that -way, can we? Somebody must be Montezuma; if not, who will lead the -Mexicans?" - -"But where are the Mexicans?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"Oh," said Yozio, "the chairs are the Mexicans, and the Spaniards too." - -"Then wait, I'll be Montezuma; now take Mexico!" - -An indescribable uproar began. Pan Stanislav's vivacity permitted him -to become a child sometimes. He offered such a stubborn resistance to -Cortez that Cortez fell to denying him the right to such resistance, -exclaiming, not without historic justice, that since Montezuma was -beaten, he must let himself be beaten. To which Montezuma answered that -he cared little for that; and he fought on. In this way the amusement -continued a good while. And Pani Bigiel, unable to wait for the end, -asked her husband at last,-- - -"How was the visit to Kremen?" - -"He did what he is doing now," answered Bigiel, phlegmatically: "he -overturned all the chairs, and went away." - -"Did he tell thee that?" - -"I had no time to ask him about the young lady; but he parted with -Plavitski in a way that could not be worse. He wants to sell his claim; -this will cause evidently a complete severance of relations." - -"That is a pity," answered Pani Bigiel. - -At tea, when the children had gone to bed, she questioned Pan Stanislav -plainly concerning Marynia. - -"I do not know," said he; "perhaps she is pretty, perhaps she is not. I -did not linger long over the question." - -"That is not true," said Pani Bigiel. - -"Then it is not true; and she is lovable and pretty, and whatever you -like. It is possible to fall in love with her, and to marry her; but a -foot of mine will never be in their house again. I know perfectly why -you sent me there; but it would have been better to tell me what sort -of a man her father is, for she must be like him in character, and if -that be true, then thanks for the humiliation." - -"But think over what you say: 'She is pretty, she is lovable, it is -possible to marry her,' and then again: 'She must be like her father.' -These statements do not hold together." - -"Maybe not; it is all one to me! I have no luck, and that is enough." - -"But I will tell you two things: first, you have come back deeply -impressed by Marynia; second, that she is one of the best young ladies -whom I have seen in life, and he will be happy who gets her." - -"Why has not some one taken her before now?" - -"She is twenty-one years old, and entered society not long since. -Besides, don't think that she has no suitors." - -"Let some other man take her." - -But Pan Stanislav said this insincerely, for the thought that some -other man might take her was tremendously bitter for him. In his soul, -too, he felt grateful to Pani Bigiel for her praises of Marynia. - -"Let that rest," said he; "but you are a good friend." - -"Not only to Marynia, but to you. I only ask for a sincere, a really -sincere, answer. Are you impressed or not?" - -"I impressed? to tell the truth,--immensely." - -"Well, do you see?" said Pani Bigiel, whose face was radiant with -pleasure. - -"See what? I see nothing. She pleased me immensely,--true! You have no -idea what a sympathetic and attractive person she is; and she must be -good. But what of that? I cannot go a second time to Kremen, I came -away in such anger. I said such bitter things, not only to Plavitski, -but to her, that it is impossible." - -"Have you complicated matters much?" - -"Rather too much than too little." - -"Then a letter might soften them." - -"I write a letter to Plavitski, and beg his pardon! For nothing on -earth! Moreover, he has cursed me." - -"How, cursed?" - -"As patriarch of the family; in his own name and the names of all -ancestors. I feel toward him such a repulsion that I could not write -down two words. He is an old pathetic comedian. I would sooner beg her -pardon; but what would that effect? She must take her father's part; -even I understand that. In the most favorable event, she would answer -that my letter is very agreeable to her; and with that relations would -cease." - -"When Emilia returns from Reichenhall we will bring Marynia here under -the first plausible pretext, and then it will be your work to let -misunderstandings vanish." - -"Too late, too late!" repeated Pan Stanislav; "I have promised myself -to sell the claim, and I will sell it." - -"That is just what may be for the best." - -"No, that would be for the worst," put in Bigiel; "but I will persuade -him not to sell. I hope, too, that a purchaser will not be found." - -"Meanwhile Emilia will finish Litka's cure." Here Pani Bigiel turned to -Pan Stanislav: "You will learn now how other young ladies will seem to -you after Marynia. I am not so intimate with her as Emilia is, but I -will try to find the first convenient pretext to write to her and find -out what she thinks of you." - -The conversation ended here. On the way home, Pan Stanislav saw that -Marynia had taken by no means the last place in his soul. To tell the -truth, he could hardly think of aught else. But he had at the same -time the feeling that this acquaintance had begun under unfavorable -conditions, and that it would be better to drive the maiden from -his mind while there was time yet. As a man rather strong than weak -mentally, and not accustomed to yield himself to dreams simply because -they were pleasant, he resolved to estimate the position soberly, and -weigh it on all sides. The young lady possessed, it is true, almost -every quality which he demanded in his future wife, and also she was -near his heart personally. But at the same time she had a father whom -he could not endure; and, besides the father, a real burden in the form -of Kremen and its connections. - -"With that pompous old monkey I should never live in peace; I could -not," thought Pan Stanislav. "For relations with him are possible only -in two ways: it is necessary either to yield to him (to do this I am -absolutely unable), or to shake him up every day, as I did in Kremen. -In the first case, I, an independent man, would enter into unendurable -slavery to an old egotist; in the second, the position of my wife would -be difficult, and our peace might be ruined." - -"I hope that this is sober, logical reasoning. It would be faulty only -if I were in love with the maiden already. But I judge that this is not -the case. I am occupied with her, not in love with her. These two are -different. _Ergo_, it is necessary to stop thinking of Marynia, and let -some other man take her." - -At this last idea, a feeling of bitterness burned him vividly, but he -thought, "I am so occupied with her that this is natural. Finally, I -have chewed more than one bitter thing in life; I will chew this one as -well. I suppose also that it will be less bitter each day." - -But soon he discovered that besides bitterness there remained in him -also a feeling of sorrow because the prospects had vanished which had -been opening before him. It seemed to him that a curtain of the future -had been raised, and something had shown him what might be; then the -curtain had fallen on a sudden, and his life had returned to its former -career, which led finally to nothing, or rather led to a desert. Pan -Stanislav felt in every ease that the old philosopher Vaskovski was -right, and that the making of money is only a means. Beyond that, we -must solve life's riddle in some fashion. There must be an object, -an important task, which, accomplished in a manner straightforward -and honorable, leads to mental peace. That peace is the soul of life; -without it life has, speaking briefly, no meaning. - -Pan Stanislav was in some sense a child of the age; that is, he bore in -himself a part of that immense unrest which in the present declining -epoch is the nightmare of mankind. In him, too, the bases on which life -had rested hitherto were crumbling. He too doubted whether rationalism, -stumbling against every stone at the wayside, could take the place -of faith; and faith he had not found yet. He differed, however, from -contemporary "decadents" in this,--that he had not become disenchanted -with himself, his nerves, his doubts, his mental drama, and had not -given himself a dispensation to be an imbecile and an idler. On the -contrary, he had the feeling, more or less conscious, that life as it -is, mysterious or not mysterious, must be accomplished through a series -of toils and exploits. He judged that if it is impossible to answer the -various "whys," still it behooves a man to do something because action -itself may, to a certain degree, be an answer. It may be inconclusive, -it is true; but the man who answers in that way casts from himself -at least responsibility. What remains then? The founding of a family -and social ties. These must, to a certain degree, be a right of human -nature and its predestination, for otherwise people would neither marry -nor associate in societies. A philosophy of this kind, resting on Pan -Stanislav's logical male instinct, indicated marriage to him as one -of the main objects of life. His will had for along time been turned -and directed to this object. A while before, Panna Marynia seemed to -him the pier "for which his ship was making in that gloomy night." But -when he understood that the lamp on that pier had not been lighted for -him, that he must sail farther, begin a new voyage over unknown seas, -a feeling of weariness and regret seized him. But his reasoning seemed -to him logical, and he went home with an almost settled conviction that -"it was not yet that one," and "not yet this time." - -Next day, when he went to dine, he found Vaskovski and Bukatski at -the restaurant. After a while Mashko also came in, with his arrogant, -freckled face and long side whiskers, a monocle on his eye, and wearing -a white waistcoat. After the greeting, all began to inquire of Pan -Stanislav touching his journey, for they knew partly why the ladies had -insisted on his personal visit, and, besides, they knew Marynia through -Pani Emilia. - -After they had heard the narrative, Bukatski, transparent as Sevres -porcelain, said with that phlegm special to him,-- - -"It is war, then? That is a young lady who acts on the nerves, and now -would be the time to strike for her. A woman will accept more readily -the arm offered on a stony path than on a smooth road." - -"Then offer an arm to her," said Pan Stanislav, with a certain -impatience. - -"See thou, my beloved, there are three hindrances. First, Pani Emilia -acts on my nerves still more; second, I have a pain in my neck every -morning, and in the back of my head, which indicates brain disease; -third, I am naked." - -"Thou naked?" - -"At least now. I have bought a number of Falks, all _avant la lettre_. -I have plucked myself for a month, and if I receive from Italy a -certain Massaccio, for which I have been bargaining, I shall ruin -myself for a year." - -Vaskovski, who from his features, or rather from the freckles on his -face, was somewhat like Mashko, though much older, and with a face full -of sweetness, fixed his blue eyes on Bukatski, and said,-- - -"And that too is a disease of the age,--collecting and collecting on -all sides!" - -"Oh, ho! there will be a dispute," remarked Mashko. - -"We have nothing better to do," said Pan Stanislav. - -And Bukatski took up the gauntlet. - -"What have you against collecting?" - -"Nothing," answered Vaskovski. "It is a kind of old-womanish method of -loving art, worthy of our age. Do you not think there is something -decrepit about it? To my thinking, it is very characteristic. Once -people bore within them enthusiasm for high art: they loved it where it -was, in museums, in churches; to-day they take it to their own private -cabinets. Long ago people ended with collecting; to-day they begin with -it, and begin at oddities: I am not talking at Bukatski; but to-day -the youngest boy, if he has a little money, will begin to collect--and -what? Not objects of art, but its oddities, or in every case its -trifles. You see, my dear friend, it has seemed to me always that love -and amateurism are two different things; and I insist that a great -amateur of women, for example, is not a man capable of lofty feeling." - -"Perhaps so. There is something in that," said Pan Stanislav. - -"How can this concern me?" inquired Mashko, passing his fingers through -his English side whiskers. "It contains, to begin with, the decree of -an ancient pedagogue about modern times." - -"Of a pedagogue?" repeated Vaskovski. "Why, since a morsel of bread -fell to me, as from heaven,[3] I renounced the slaughter of innocents -and the rôle of Herod; secondly, you are mistaken in saying that I -utter a decree. Almost with joy I see and note new proofs every hour -that we are at the end of an epoch, and that a new one will begin -shortly." - -"We are in the open sea, and will not turn to shore soon," muttered -Mashko. - -"Give us peace," said Pan Stanislav. - -But the unconquered Vaskovski continued,-- - -"Amateurism leads to refinement; in refinement great ideals perish, and -yield to desire for enjoyment. All this is nothing but paganism. No one -can realize to what a degree we are paganized. But is there something? -There is the Aryan spirit, which does not ossify, which never grows -cold,--a spirit which has within it the divine afflatus, hence creative -power; and this spirit feels hampered in pagan fetters. The reaction -has set in already, and a rebirth in Christ will begin in this field, -as in others. That is undoubted." - -Vaskovski, who had eyes like a child,--that is, reflecting only -external objects and ever fixed, as it were, on infinity,--fixed them -on the window, through which were visible gray clouds pierced here and -there by sun-rays. - -"It is a pity that my head aches, for that will be a curious epoch," -said Bukatski. - -But Mashko, who called Vaskovski "a saw," and was annoyed by his -discussions, begun from any cause or without cause, took from the -side-pocket of his coat a cigar, bit off the end, and, turning to Pan -Stanislav, said,-- - -"Here, Stas, wouldst thou really sell that claim on Kremen?" - -"Decidedly. Why dost thou ask?" - -"Because I might consider it." - -"Thou?" - -"Yes. Thou knowest that I consider this kind of business frequently. We -can talk about it. I cannot say anything certain to-day; but to-morrow -I will ask thee to send me the mortgage on Kremen, and I will tell thee -whether the thing is possible. Perhaps after dinner to-morrow thou wilt -come to me to drink coffee; we may settle something then." - -"Well. If anything is to be done, I should prefer it done quickly; for -the moment I finish with Bigiel, I wish to go abroad." - -"Whither art thou going?" asked Bukatski. - -"I do not know. It is too hot in the city. Somewhere to trees and -water." - -"Another old prejudice," said Bukatski. "In the city there is always -shade on one side of the street, which there is not in the country. I -walk on the shady side quietly and feel well; therefore I never go out -of the city in summer." - -"But Professor, art thou not going somewhere?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"Of course. Pani Emilia has been urging me to go to Reichenhall. -Perhaps I shall go." - -"Then let us go together. It is all one to me where I go. I like -Salzburg, and, besides, it will be pleasant to see Pani Emilia and -Litka." - -Bukatski stretched forth his transparent hand, took a tooth-pick from a -glass, and, picking his teeth, began to speak in his cool and careless -voice,-- - -"There is such a mad storm of jealousy raging within me that I am -ready to go with you. Have a care, Polanyetski, lest I explode, like -dynamite." - -There was something so amusingly contradictory between the words and -the tone of Bukatski that Pan Stanislav laughed, but after a while he -answered,-- - -"It had not occurred to me that it is possible to fall in love with -Pani Emilia. Thank thee for the idea." - -"Woe to you both!" said Bukatski. - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [3] He had received an inheritance some time before. - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -Next day, after an early dinner at Bigiel's, Pan Stanislav betook -himself to Mashko's at the appointed hour. The host was waiting for -him evidently; for in the study he found an exquisite coffee service -ready, and glasses for liqueurs. Mashko himself did not appear at once, -however; for, as the servant said, he was receiving some lady. In fact, -his voice and the words of a woman came through the door from the -drawing-room. - -Meanwhile, Pan Stanislav fell to examining Mashko's ancestors, a number -of whose portraits were hanging on the walls. The authenticity of these -the friends of the young advocate doubted. A certain cross-eyed prelate -afforded Bukatski a special subject for witticisms; but Mashko was not -offended. He had determined, cost what it might, to force on the world -himself, his ancestors, his genius for business, knowing that, in the -society in which he moved, people would ridicule him, but no one would -have energy to attack his pretensions. Possessing energy, limitless -insolence, and a real turn for business besides, he determined to -force himself upward by those qualities. People who did not like him -called him shameless; and he was, but with calculation. Coming from -a family uncertain even as to its nobility, he treated people of -undoubted ancient families as if he were of incomparably better birth -than they, people who were of undoubted wealth, as if he were wealthier -than they. And this succeeded: those tactics of his were effective. -He was careful not to fall into complete ridicule; but he had marked -out for himself in this procedure uncommonly wide margins. At last he -reached the point which he sought: he was received everywhere, and had -established his credit firmly. Certain transactions brought him really -generous profits; but he did not hoard money. He judged that the time -for that had not come yet, and that he must invest more in the future, -with the intent that it would repay him in the way which he wanted. -He did not squander money, and was not over liberal, for he looked -on those as marks of a parvenu; but, when the need came, he showed -himself, to use his own phrase, "solidly munificent." He passed for -a very smooth man in business, and, above all, a man of his word. His -word rested on credit, it is true; but it kept him in a high position, -which in turn permitted him to make really important transactions. He -did not draw back before trifles. He possessed daring, and a certain -energy which excluded long hesitation; he had faith, too, in his own -fortune. Success strengthened that faith. He did not know, in fact, how -much property he had; but he handled large sums of money, and people -considered him wealthy. - -Finally, Mashko's life motive was vanity, rather than greed. He wanted -to be rich, it is true; but, beyond all, he wanted to pass for a great -lord in English fashion. He went so far as to adapt his exterior -thereto, and was almost proud of his personal ugliness: it seemed to -him even aristocratic. There was, indeed, a certain something, which, -if not uncommon, was at least peculiar, in his pouting mouth, in his -broad nostrils, and the red freckles on his face. There was a certain -power and brutality, such as the English have sometimes, and that -expression was increased by his monocle. To wear this, he had to rear -his head somewhat; and when he passed his fingers through his light -side whiskers, he reared it still more. - -Pan Stanislav could not endure the man at first, and concealed his -dislike even too slightly. Later on he became accustomed to him, -especially since Mashko treated him differently from others,--perhaps -through secret regard; perhaps because, wishing to gain in advance -a man so demanding, to act otherwise would be to expose himself to -an immediate account, disagreeable in the best case. At last, the -young men, by meeting often, grew used to each other's weaknesses, -and endured each other perfectly. On this occasion, for example, -when Mashko had conducted the lady to the door, he showed himself in -the study, set aside for the moment his greatness, and, greeting Pan -Stanislav, began to speak like an ordinary mortal, not like a great -lord or an Englishman. - -"With women! with women! _c'est toujours une mer ŕ boire_ (there is -always a sea to drink). I have invested their little capital, and I pay -them the interest most regularly. Not enough! They come at least once a -week to inquire if there has not been some earthquake." - -"What wilt thou say to me?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"First of all, drink some coffee." - -And, igniting the alcohol under the lamp, he added,-- - -"With thee there will be no delay. I have seen the mortgage. The money -is not easy of recovery; but we need not look on it as lost. Evidently -the collection will involve costs, journeys, etc. Hence I cannot -give thee what the face of the mortgage indicates; but I will give -two-thirds, and pay in three instalments in the course of a year." - -"Since I have said to myself that I would sell the claim, even for less -than the face of it, I agree. When will the first instalment be paid?" - -"In three months." - -"Then I will leave my power of attorney with Bigiel in case I must go -on a journey." - -"But art thou going to Reichenhall?" - -"Possibly." - -"Ai! Who knows but Bukatski has given thee an idea?" - -"Every one has his own thoughts. Thou, for example. Why art thou buying -this claim on Kremen? The business is too small for thee, is it not?" - -"Among great affairs small ones too are transacted. But I will be -outspoken. Thou knowest that neither my position nor my credit belongs -to the lowest; both one and the other will increase when I have behind -me a piece of land, and that such a large one. I have heard myself -from Plavitski that he would sell Kremen. I will suppose that he is -still more inclined now, and that it will be possible to acquire all -that property cheaply, even very cheaply, for some payments, for some -unimportant ready money, with a life annuity in addition; I shall -see! Afterward, when it is put in order a little, like a horse for -the market, it may be sold; meanwhile I shall have the position of a -landholder, which, _entre nous_, concerns me very greatly." - -Pan Stanislav listened to Mashko's words with a certain constraint, and -said,-- - -"I must tell thee plainly that the purchase will not be easy. Panna -Plavitski is very much opposed to selling. She, in woman fashion, is in -love with her Kremen, and will do all she can to retain it in the hands -of herself and her father." - -"Then in the worst case I shall be Plavitski's creditor, and I do -not think that the money will be lost to me. First, I may sell it, -as thou hast; second, as an advocate, I can dispose of it with far -greater ease. I may myself find means of paying, and indicate them to -Plavitski." - -"Thou canst foreclose too, and buy it at auction." - -"I might if I were some one else, but to foreclose would be devilishly -unbecoming in Mashko. No; other means will be found, to which ready -consent may be given by Panna Plavitski herself, for whom, by the way, -I have great esteem and regard." - -Pan Stanislav, who at that moment was finishing his coffee, put his cup -suddenly on the table. "Ah," said he, "and it is possible in that way -to get at the property." Again a feeling of great anger and bitterness -seized him. At the first moment he wished to rise, say to Mashko, "I -will not sell the claim!" and go out. He restrained himself, however, -and Mashko, passing his fingers through his side whiskers, answered,-- - -"But if?--I can assure thee, on my word, that at this moment I have -no such plan; at least I have not placed it before myself definitely. -But if?--I made the acquaintance of Panna Plavitski once in Warsaw, in -the winter, and she pleased me much. The family is good, the property -ruined, but large, and can be saved. Who knows? Well, that is an idea -like any other. I am perfectly loyal with thee, as, for that matter, I -have been always. Thou didst go there as if for money, but I knew why -those ladies sent thee. Thou hast returned, however, as angry as the -devil; therefore I take it that thou hast no intentions. Say that I -am mistaken, and I will withdraw at once, not from the plan, for, as -I have assured thee, I have no plan yet, but even from thinking over -it as something possible. I give thee my word on that. In the opposite -case, however, do not hold to the position, 'Not for me, not for any -one,' and do not bar the lady's way. But now I listen to thee." - -Pan Stanislav, recalling his reasonings of yesterday, thought also that -Mashko was right when he said that in such a case he ought not to bar -any one's road to the lady, and after a certain time he said,-- - -"No, Mashko, I have no intentions touching Panna Plavitski. Thou art -free to marry her or not. I will say, nevertheless, openly, there is -one thing which does not please me, though for me it is profitable; -namely that thou art buying this claim. I believe that thou hast no -plan yet; but in case thou shouldst have one, it will seem somewhat -strange--But any pressure, any trap--this, however, is thy affair." - -"It is so much my affair that if some one else, and not thou, had said -this, I should have been quick to remind him. I may tell thee, however, -that should I form such a plan, which I doubt, I shall not ask the hand -of Panna Plavitski as interest for my money. Since I can say to myself -conscientiously that I would buy the debt in any case, I have the right -to buy it. Above all, as matters stand to-day, I wish to buy Kremen, -for I need it; hence I am free to use all honorable means which may -lead to that end." - -"Very well; I will sell. Give directions to write the contract, and -send it, or bring it thyself to me." - -"I have directed my assistant. It is ready, and needs only the -signatures." - -In fact, the contract was signed a quarter of an hour later. Pan -Stanislav, who spent the evening of that day at Bigiel's, was in such -anger as he had never been before; Pani Bigiel could not hide her -vexation; and Bigiel, thinking the whole over carefully said, toward -the end of the evening, with his usual balance and deliberation,-- - -"That Mashko has a plan is beyond doubt. The question is merely whether -he is deceiving thee by saying that he has no plan, or is deceiving -himself!" - -"God preserve her from Mashko!" answered Pani Bigiel. "We all saw that -she pleased him greatly." - -"I supposed," said Bigiel, "that a man like Mashko would look for -property, but I may be mistaken. It may be also that he wants to find -a wife of good stock, strengthen thereby his social position, become -related to numerous families, and at last take into his hands the -business of a certain whole sphere of society. That also is not badly -calculated, especially since, if he uses his credit, which will be -increased by Kremen, it may with his cleverness clear him in time." - -"And as you say," remarked Pan Stanislav, "Panna Plavitski pleases -him really. I remember now that Plavitski said something too on this -subject." - -"What then?" asked Pani Bigiel; "what will happen then?" - -"Panna Plavitski will marry Pan Mashko if she wishes," said Pan -Stanislav. - -"But you?" - -"Oh I am going to Reichenhall straightway." - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -In fact, Pan Stanislav went a week later to Reichenhall; but before -that he received a letter from Pani Emilia inquiring about his journey -to Kremen. He did not write in return, for he intended to answer the -letter orally. He heard too, but only on the eve of his departure, -that Mashko had gone to Kremen the day before; and that news touched -him more than he thought it would. He said to himself, it is true, -that he would forget the affair when no farther away than Vienna; but -he could not forget it, and he had his head so occupied with thinking -whether Panna Plavitski would marry Mashko or not, that he wrote to -Bigiel from Salzburg, as it were on business, but really asking him to -send news of Mashko. He listened without attention to the discussions -of his travelling companion, Vaskovski, about the mutual relations of -nationalities in Austria, and the mission of modern nations in general. -More than once he was so occupied with thinking about Marynia that he -simply did not answer questions. It astonished him, too, that at times -he saw her as clearly as if she had been standing before him, not -only as an exact image, but as a living person. He saw her pleasant, -mild face, with shapely mouth, and the little ensign on the upper -lip; the calm gaze of her eyes, in which were visible the attention -and concentration with which she listened to his words; he saw her -whole posture, lithe, supple, from which came the warmth of great and -genuine maiden youthfulness. He remembered her bright robe, the tips of -her feet, peeping from under it, her hands, delicate, though slightly -sunburnt, and her dark hair, moved by the breeze in the garden. He -had never thought that there could be a memory almost palpable, and -that the memory of a person seen during such a brief time. But he -understood this to be a proof of how deep an impression she had, in -truth, made on him; and when at moments it passed through his head -that all this, which had fixed itself thus in his memory, might be -possessed by Mashko, he could hardly believe it. In those moments his -first feeling, which was, moreover, in accord with his active nature, -was an irresistible impulse to hinder it. He had to remember then that -the affair was decided already, and that he had resolved to drop Panna -Plavitski. - -He and Vaskovski reached Reichenhall early in the morning; and that -very day, before they had learned the address of Pani Emilia, they -met her and Litka in the park. She had not expected to see either, -especially Pan Stanislav, and was sincerely delighted when she met -them; her delight was darkened only by this, that Litka, a child -exceptionally sensitive, and ailing with asthma and heart-disease, was -still more delighted, so much delighted, indeed, that she had a violent -palpitation of the heart, with stifling and almost a swoon. - -Such attacks were frequent with her; and, when this one passed, -calmness came back to all faces. On the way to the house, the child -held "Pan Stas" by the hand, and in her eyes, usually pensive, there -shone deep delight. From time to time she pressed his hand, as if to -convince herself that he had come really to Reichenhall and was near -her. Pan Stanislav had simply no time to speak to Pani Emilia, or to -make an inquiry, for Litka was showing him Reichenhall, and chattering -unceasingly; she wanted to show him all the nice places at once. Every -moment she said,-- - -"This is nothing yet. Thumsee is prettier; but we will go there -to-morrow." - -Then turning to her mother, "Mamma will let me go, isn't it true? I can -walk much now. It is not far. Mamma will let me go, will she not?" - -At moments again she pushed away from Pan Stanislav, and, without -dropping his hand, looked at him with her great eyes, repeating,-- - -"Pan Stas, Pan Stas!" - -Pan Stanislav showed her the greatest tenderness, or tenderness as -great as an elder brother might show; time after time he chided her -good-naturedly,-- - -"Let the kitten not run so; she will choke." - -And she nestled up to him, pouted, and answered, as if in anger,-- - -"Hush, Pan Stas!" - -Pan Stanislav glanced, however, frequently at the serene face of Pani -Emilia, as if desiring to let her know that he wished to converse with -her. But there was no opportunity, since she did not like to destroy -Litka's joyousness, and preferred to leave their mutual friend in her -possession exclusively. Only after dinner, which they ate in the garden -together, amid foliage and the twittering of sparrows, when Vaskovski -had begun to tell Litka about birds, and the love which Saint Francis -Assisi had felt for them, and the child, with her head on her hand, was -lost completely in listening, did Pan Stanislav turn to Pani Emilia and -ask,-- - -"Do you not wish to walk to the end of the garden?" - -"I do," answered she. "Litka, stay here a minute with Pan Vaskovski; we -will come back in that time." - -They walked along, and Pani Emilia asked immediately,-- - -"Well, what?" - -Pan Stanislav began to tell; but whether it was that he wished to -appear better before Pani Emilia, or that he determined to reckon with -that delicate nature, or, finally, that the last thoughts concerning -Marynia had attuned him to a note more sensitive than usual, it is -sufficient that he changed the affair altogether. He confessed, it is -true, to a quarrel with Plavitski, but he was silent touching this, -that before his departure from Kremen he had answered Marynia almost -with harshness; besides, he did not spare praises on her in his story, -and finally he finished,-- - -"Since that debt became a cause of misunderstanding at once between me -and Plavitski,--a thing which must be reflected on Panna Marynia,--I -chose to sell it; and just before I left Warsaw, I sold it to Mashko." - -Pani Emilia, who had not the slightest conception of business, and, -besides, was of a simplicity truly angelic, remarked,-- - -"You did well. There should be no such thing as money between you." - -Ashamed to deceive such a simple soul, he answered,-- - -"True! Or rather the contrary, I think I did badly. Bigiel, too, is of -the opinion that it was not well. Mashko may press them; he may put -various demands before them; he may offer Kremen for sale. No, that was -not a delicate act, nor one to bring us nearer; and I should not have -committed it, were it not that I came to the conviction that it was -necessary to drive all that out of my head." - -"But no; do not say so. I believe that there is predestination in -everything; and I believe, too, that Providence designed you for each -other." - -"I do not understand that. If that be true, then I need not do -anything, for in every case I must marry Panna Plavitski." - -"I have a woman's head, and say stupid things, perhaps; but it seems -to me that Providence wills and arranges everything for the best, but -leaves people freedom. Frequently they do not wish to follow that which -is predestined, and this is why so many are unhappy." - -"Maybe. It is difficult, however, to follow anything but one's own -convictions. Reason is like a lantern, which God puts in our hands. Who -will assure me meanwhile that Panna Marynia will marry me?" - -"I ought to have news from her of your visit to Kremen, and I wonder -that so far I have none. I think that a letter will come to-morrow at -latest, for we write every week to each other. Does she know of your -departure for Reichenhall?" - -"She does not. I did not know myself when in Kremen where I should go." - -"That is well; for she will be outspoken, though she would be so in any -case." - -The first day's conversation ended here. In the evening it was decided -at Litka's request to walk to Thumsee, and go in the morning so as -to dine at the lake, return in a carriage, or on foot, if Litka was -not tired and they could return before sunset. The two men presented -themselves at the lady's villa before nine in the morning. Pani Emilia -and Litka were dressed and waiting on the veranda; both were so like -visions that Vaskovski, the old pedagogue, was astonished at sight of -them. - -"The Lord God makes perfect flowers of people sometimes," said he, -pointing at mother and daughter from a distance. - -Indeed, Pani Emilia and Litka were admired by all Reichenhall. The -first, with her spiritualized, angelic face, appeared the incarnation -of love, motherly tenderness, and exaltation; the other, with her -great pensive eyes, yellow hair, and features that were almost too -delicate, seemed rather the idea of an artist than a living little -girl. Bukatski, the decadent, said that she was formed of mist made -just a trifle rosy by light. Indeed, there was something in the little -maiden, as it were, not of earth, which impression was heightened by -her illness and exceeding sensitiveness. Her mother loved her blindly; -those who surrounded her loved her also; but attention did not spoil -this child, exceptionally sweet by nature. - -Pan Stanislav, who visited Pani Emilia in Warsaw a number of times -every week, was sincerely attached to both mother and daughter. In a -city where woman's reputation is less respected than anywhere else in -the world, scandal was created by this, without the least cause, of -course; for Pani Emilia was as pure as an infant, and simply carried -her exalted head in the sky as if she knew not that evil existed. She -was even so pure that she did not understand the necessity of paying -attention to appearances. She received gladly those whom Litka loved; -but she refused a number of good offers of marriage, declaring that -she needed nothing on earth except Litka. Bukatski alone insisted that -Pani Emilia acted on his nerves. Pan Stanislav adapted himself to -those azure heights surrounding that crystal woman, so that he never -approached her with a thought dimmed by temptation. - -Now he answered with simplicity Vaskovski's remark,-- - -"In truth, they both seem marvellous." - -And, greeting them, he repeated more or less the same thing to -Pani Emilia, as something that in the given case had attracted his -attention. She smiled with pleasure,--likely because the praise -included Litka,--and, gathering up her skirt for the road, she said,-- - -"I received a letter to-day, and have brought it to you." - -"May I read it right away?" - -"You may; I beg you to do so." - -They set out by the forest road for Thumsee--Pani Emilia, Vaskovski, -and Litka in advance, Pan Stanislav a little behind them, his head bent -over the letter, which was as follows:-- - - MY DEAR EMILKA,--To-day I have received thy litany of - questions, and will answer at once, for I am in haste to share my - thoughts with thee. Pan Stanislav Polanyetski went from here on - Monday; hence, two days ago. The first evening I received him as I - receive every one, and nothing whatever came to my head; but the - next day was Sunday. I had time to spare; and almost the entire - afternoon we were not only together, but alone, for papa went - to the Yamishes. What shall I say? Such a sympathetic, sincere, - and, at the same time, honest man! From what he said of Litka - and of thee, I saw at once that he has a good heart. We walked - a long time by the pond in the garden. I bound up his hand, for - he cut himself with the boat. He spoke so wisely that I forgot - myself in listening to his words. Ah, my Emilka, I am ashamed to - confess it, but my poor head was turned a little by that evening. - Thou knowest, moreover, how alone I am and overworked, and how - rarely I see men like him. It seemed to me that a guest had come - from another world, and a better one. He not only pleased, but - captivated me with his heartiness, so that I could not sleep, and - was thinking all the time of him. It is true that in the morning - he quarrelled with papa, and even I received a little; though God - sees how much I would give that there might be no question of - that kind between us. At the first moment it touched me greatly; - and if that ugly man had known how much I cried in my chamber, he - would have pitied me. But, afterward, I thought that he must be - very sensitive; that papa was not right; and I am not angry now. - I will say, also, in thy ear, that a certain voice whispers to - me continually that he will not sell to any one the claim which - he has on Kremen, if only to be able to come here again. That he - parted in such anger with papa is nothing. Papa himself does not - take it to heart; for those are his ways, not his convictions - or feelings. Pan Stanislav has in me a true friend, who, after - the sale of Magyerovka, will do everything to end all causes of - misunderstanding, and in general all those nasty money questions. - He will have to come then, even to take what belongs to him,--is - it not true? It may be also that I please him a little. That a man - as quick as he is should say something bitter gives no cause for - wonder. Speak not of this when thou seest him, and do not scold - him; God keep thee from that. I know not why I feel a certain - confidence that he will do no injustice to me, or papa, or my - beloved Kremen; and I think it would be well in the world if all - were like him. - - My dear, I embrace thee and Litka most heartily. Write to me of - her health minutely, and love me as I do thee. - -When he had finished reading, Pan Stanislav put the letter in the -side-pocket of his coat, which he buttoned. Then he pushed his hat down -to the back of his head, and felt a certain intense desire to break his -cane into small bits and throw them into the river: he did not do this, -however; he only began to mutter, while gritting his teeth,-- - -"Yes; very well. Thou knowest Polanyetski! Be confident that he will -not injure thee! Thou wilt come out in safety." - -Then he addressed himself as follows,-- - -"Thou hast thy deserts; for she is an angel, and thou art not worthy of -her." And again a desire seized him to break his cane into bits. Now he -saw clearly that the soul of that maiden had been ready to give itself -with all faith and trust to him; and he prepared for her one of those -painful and wounding disillusions, the memory of which, fixed once and -forever, pains eternally. To sell the claim was nothing; but to sell -it to a man wishing to buy it with the intention which Mashko had, -was to say to the woman, "I do not want thee; marry him, if it please -thee." What a bitter disillusion for her, after all that he had said to -her on that Sunday,--after those words friendly, open, and at the same -time intended to enter her heart! They were chosen for that purpose, -and he felt that she had taken them in that sense. He might repeat as -often as he pleased that they bound him to nothing; that in the first -meeting and in the first conversation which a man has with a woman, he -merely pushes out horns, like a snail, and tries the ground to which he -has come. That would be no consolation to him now. Besides, he was not -merely not in humor for self-justification, but wished rather to give -himself a slap on the face. He saw for the first time so definitely -that he might have received Marynia's heart and hand; and the more real -that possibility was to him, the more the loss seemed irreparable. -Moreover, from the moment of reading that letter, a new change appeared -in him. His own reasoning that now he ought to let Marynia go, seemed -pitiful and paltry. With all his faults, Pan Stanislav had a grateful -heart; and that letter moved him to a high degree, by the kindness and -understanding, by the readiness to love, which were revealed in it. -Hence the remembrance of Marynia became rosy in his heart and mind all -at once,--became rosy even with such power that he thought,-- - -"As God is in heaven, I shall fall in love with her now!" And such a -tenderness seized him that in presence of it even anger at himself had -to yield. He joined the company after a while, and, pushing forward a -little with Pani Emilia, said,-- - -"Give me this letter." - -"With the greatest pleasure. Such an honest letter, is it not? And you -did not confess to me that she suffered somewhat at parting; but I will -not reprove, since she herself takes you under her protection." - -"If it would help, I would beg you to beat me; but there is nothing to -be said, for those are things incurable." - -Pani Emilia did not share this opinion; on the contrary, seeing Pan -Stanislav's emotion, she felt sure that an affair in which both -sides had such vivid feelings was in the best state and must end -satisfactorily. At that very thought her sweet face became radiant. - -"We shall see after some months," said she. - -"You do not even divine what we may see," said Pan Stanislav, thinking -of Mashko. - -"Remember," continued Pani Emilia, "that he who once wins Marynia's -heart will never be disappointed." - -"I am certain of that," answered he, gloomily; "but also such hearts, -when once wounded, do not return again." - -They could not speak further, for Litka and Pan Vaskovski caught up -with them. After a while the little girl took Pan Stanislav, as usual, -for her own exclusive property. The forest, sunk in the mild morning -light of a fair day, occupied her uncommonly; she began to inquire -about various trees; every little while she cried out with pleasure,-- - -"Mushrooms!" - -But he answered mechanically, thinking of something else,-- - -"Mushrooms, kitten, mushrooms." - -At last the road descended, and they beheld Thumsee under their -feet. In the course of half an hour they came down to a beaten path, -stretching along the shore, on which were visible here and there wooden -foot-piers, extending a few yards into the lake. Litka wished to look -from near by at big fish which were visible in the clear water. Pan -Stanislav, taking her by the hand, led her out on to one of the piers. - -The fish, accustomed to crumbs thrown by visitors, instead of fleeing, -approached still nearer, and soon a whole circle surrounded Litka's -feet. In the blue water were visible the golden-brown backs of the -carp, and the gray spotted scales of the salmon trout, while the round -eyes of these creatures were fixed on the little girl as if with an -expression of entreaty. - -"Coming back, we will bring lots of bread," said Litka. "How strangely -they look at us! What are they thinking of?" - -"They are thinking very slowly," said Pan Stanislav; "and only after an -hour or two will they say: 'Ah! here is some little girl with yellow -hair and rosy dress and black stockings.'" - -"And what will they think of Pan Stas?" - -"They will think that I am some gypsy, for I have not yellow hair." - -"No. Gypsies have no houses." - -"And I have no house, Litka. I had the chance of one, but I sold it." - -He uttered this last phrase in a certain unusual manner, and in -general there was sadness in his voice. The little girl looked at him -carefully; and all at once her sensitive face reflected his sadness, -just as that water reflected her form. When they joined the rest of the -company, from time to time she raised her sad eyes with an inquiring -and disturbed expression. At last, pressing more firmly his hand, which -she held, she asked,-- - -"What troubles Pan Stas?" - -"Nothing, little child; I am looking around at the lake, and that is -why I do not talk." - -"I was pleasing myself yesterday, thinking to show Pan Stas Thumsee." - -"Though there are no rocks here, it is very beautiful But what house is -that on the other side?" - -"We will take dinner there." - -Pani Emilia was talking merrily with Vaskovski, who, carrying his hat -in his hand, and seeking in his pockets for a handkerchief to wipe his -bald head, gave his opinions about Bukatski,-- - -"He is an Aryan," concluded he; "and therefore in continual unrest, -he is seeking peace. He is buying pictures and engravings at present, -thinking that thus he will fill a void. But what do I see? This, those -children of the century bear in their souls an abyss like this lake, -for example; besides, the abyss in them is bottomless, and they think -to fill it with pictures, strong waters, amateurship, dilettantism, -Baudelaire, Ibsen, Maeterlinck, finally dilettante science. Poor birds, -they are beating their heads against the sides of their cages! It is -just I tried to fill this lake by throwing in a pebble." - -"And what can fill life?" - -"Every sincere idea, all great feelings, but only on condition that -they begin in Christ. Had Bukatski loved art in the Christian way, it -would have given him the peace which he is forced to seek." - -"Have you told him that?" - -"Yes, that and many other things. I urge him and Pan Stanislav always -to read the Life of Saint Francis of Assisi. They are not willing to do -so, and laugh at me. Yet he was the greatest man and the greatest saint -of the Middle Ages,--a saint who renewed the world. If such a man were -to come now, a renewal in Christ would follow, still more sincerely and -with greater completeness." - -Midday approached, and with it heat. The forest began to have the odor -of resin; the lake became perfectly smooth in the calm air full of -glitter, and, while reflecting the spotless blue of the sky, seemed to -slumber. - -At last they reached the house and the garden, in which them was a -restaurant, and sat under a beech-tree at a table already laid. Pan -Stanislav called a waiter in a soiled coat, ordered dinner, then -looked about silently at the lake and the mountains around it. A -couple of yards from the table grew a whole bunch of iris, moistened -by a fountain fixed among stones. Pani Emilia, looking at the flowers, -said,-- - -"When I am at a lake and see irises, I think that I am in Italy." - -"For nowhere else are there so many lakes or so many irises," answered -Pan Stanislav. - -"Or so much delight for every man," added Vaskovski. "For many years I -go there in the autumn to find a refuge for the last days. I hesitated -long between Perugia and Assisi, but last year Rome gained the day. -Rome seems the anteroom to another life, in which anteroom light from -the next world is visible already. I will go there in October." - -"I envy you sincerely," said Pani Emilia. - -"Litka is twelve years old," began Vaskovski. - -"And three months," interrupted Litka. - -"And three months: therefore for her age she is very small and a great -little giddy-head; it is time to show her various things in Rome," -continued Vaskovski. "Nothing is so remembered as that which is seen in -childhood. And though childhood does not feel many things completely, -nor understand them, that comes later, and comes very agreeably, for it -is as if some one were to illuminate on a sudden impressions sunk in -shadow. Come with me to Italy in October." - -"In October I cannot; I have my woman's reasons, which detain me in -Warsaw." - -"What are they?" - -Pani Emilia began to laugh. - -"The first and most important, but purely womanly, reason, is to marry -that gentleman sitting there so gloomy," said she, pointing to Pan -Stanislav, "but really so much in love." - -He woke from thoughtfulness, and waved his hand. But Vaskovski inquired -with his usual naďveté of a child,-- - -"Always with Marynia Plavitski?" - -"Yes," replied Pani Emilia. "He has been in Kremen, and it would be -vain for him to deny that she took his heart greatly." - -"I cannot deny," answered Pan Stanislav. - -But further conversation was interrupted in an unpleasant manner, for -Litka grew weak on a sudden. In a moment she was choking, and had one -of her attacks of palpitation of the heart, which alarmed even doctors. -The mother seized her at once in her arms; Pan Stanislav ran to the -restaurant for ice; Vaskovski began to draw the garden bench with -effort toward the table, so that she might stretch on it and breathe -with more freedom. - -"Thou art wearied, my child, art thou not?" asked Pani Emilia, with -pale lips. "See, my love, it was too far--Still the doctor permitted. -So anxious! But this is nothing; it will pass, it will pass! My -treasure, my love!" And she began to kiss the damp face of the little -girl. - -Meanwhile Pan Stanislav came with ice, and after him the mistress of -the place hurried out with a pillow in her hand. They laid the little -girl on the bench, and while Pani Emilia was wrapping the ice in a -napkin, Pan Stanislav bent over the child and asked,-- - -"How art thou, kitten?" - -"I was only choking a little; but I am better," answered she, opening -her mouth, like a fish to catch breath. - -She was not much better, however, for even through her dress one could -see how violently the little sick heart was beating in her breast. But -under the influence of ice, the attack decreased gradually, and at last -ceased altogether, leaving behind only weariness. Litka began again -to smile at her mother, who also recovered from her alarm somewhat. -It was needful to strengthen the child before they returned home. Pan -Stanislav ordered dinner, which was scarcely touched by any one except -Litka, for all looked at her from moment to moment with secret fear -lest the choking might seize her a second time. An hour passed in this -way. Guests began now to enter the restaurant. Pani Emilia wished to -go home, but she had to wait for the carriage, which Pan Stanislav had -sent for to Reichenhall. - -The carriage came at last, but new alarm was in wait for them. On -the road, though they moved at a walk and the road was very smooth, -even light jolting troubled Litka, so that when they were just near -Reichenhall, a choking attacked her again. She begged permission to -get out of the carriage; but it appeared that walking wearied her. Then -Pani Emilia decided to carry the child. But Pan Stanislav, anticipating -that motherly devotion, which moreover was not at all in proportion to -the woman's strength, said,-- - -"Come, Litus, I will carry thee. If not, mamma will weary herself and -be sick." - -And without asking further, he lifted her lightly from the ground, -and carried her with perfect ease on one arm only; to assure both her -and Pani Emilia that it did not trouble him in the least, he said -playfully,-- - -"When such a kitten is walking on the ground, she seems not at all -heavy; but now, see where those great feet are hanging. Hold on by my -neck; thou wilt be steadier." - -And he went on, as firmly as he could, and quickly, for he wished the -doctor to attend her as soon as possible; as he went, he felt her heart -beating against his shoulder, and she, while grasping him with her -thin, meagre arms, repeated,-- - -"Let me down; I cannot--Let me down!" - -But he said,-- - -"I will not. Thou seest how bad it is to be tired out from walking. In -future we will take a big easy armchair on wheels; and when the child -is wearied, we will seat her in it, and I will push her." - -"No, no!" said Litka, with tears in her voice. - -He carried her with the tenderness of an elder brother or a father; and -his heart was overflowing: first, because really he loved that little -maid; and second, because this came to his head of which he had never -thought before,--or, at least, had never felt clearly,--that marriage -opens the way to fatherhood and to all its treasures of happiness. -While carrying that little girl, who was dear to him, though a -stranger, he understood that God had created him for a family; not only -to be a husband, but a father; also that the main object and meaning of -life were found specially in the family. And all his thoughts flew to -Marynia. He felt now with redoubled force that of women whom he had met -so far he would have chosen her for a wife before all, and would wish -her to be the mother of his children. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -During some days that succeeded the choking, Litka was not ill, but -she felt weak; she went out, however, to walk, because the doctor not -only ordered her to go, but recommended very urgently moderate exercise -up hill. Vaskovski went to the doctor to learn the condition of her -health. Pan Stanislav awaited the old man's return in the reading-room, -and knew at once from his face that he was not a bearer of good tidings. - -"The doctor sees no immediate danger," said Vaskovski; "but he condemns -the child to an early death, and in general gives directions to watch -over her, for it is impossible, he says, to foresee the day or the -hour." - -"What a misfortune, what a blow!" said Pan Stanislav, covering his eyes -with his hand. "Her mother will not be able to survive her. One is -unwilling to believe in the death of such a child." - -Vaskovski had tears in his eyes. "I asked whether she must suffer -greatly. 'Not necessarily,' said the doctor; 'she may die as easily as -if falling asleep.'" - -"Did he tell the mother anything about her condition?" - -"He did not. He said, it is true, that there was a defect of the heart; -but he added that with children such things often disappear without a -trace. He has no hope himself." - -Pan Stanislav did not yield to misfortune easily. - -"What is one doctor!" said he. "We must struggle to save the child -while there is a spark of hope. The doctor may be mistaken. We must -take her to a specialist at Monachium, or bring him here. That will -alarm Pani Emilia, but it is difficult to avoid it. Wait; we can avoid -it. I will bring him, and that immediately. We will tell Pani Emilia -that such and such a celebrated doctor has come here to see some one, -and that there is a chance of taking counsel concerning Litka. We must -not leave the child without aid. We need merely to write to him, so -that he may know how to talk to the mother." - -"But to whom will you write?" - -"To whom? Do I know? The local doctor here will indicate a specialist. -Let us go to him at once, and lose no time." - -The matter was arranged that very day. In the evening the two men went -to Pani Emilia. Litka was well, but silent and gloomy. She smiled, -it is true, at her mother and her friend; she showed gratitude for -the tenderness with which they surrounded her; but Pan Stanislav had -not power to amuse her. Having his head filled with thoughts of the -danger which threatened the child, he considered her gloom a sign of -increasing sickness and an early premonition of near death, and with -terror he said in his soul that she was not such as she had been; it -seemed as if certain threads binding her to life had been broken. His -fear increased still more when Pani Emilia said,-- - -"Litka feels well, but do you know what she begged of me to-day? To go -back to Warsaw." - -Pan Stanislav with an effort of will put down his alarm, and, turning -to the little one, said while feigning joyfulness,-- - -"Ah, thou good-for-nothing! Art thou not sorry for Thumsee?" - -The little maid shook her yellow hair. - -"No!" answered she, after a time, and in her eyes tears appeared; but -she covered these quickly with her lids, lest some one might see them. - -"What is the matter with her?" thought Pan Stanislav. - -A very simple thing was the matter. In Thumsee she had learned that her -friend, her "Pan Stas," her dearest comrade, was to be taken from her. -She had heard that he loved Marynia Plavitski; until then she had felt -sure that he loved only her and mamma. She had heard that mamma wanted -him to marry Marynia; but up to that time she, Litka, had looked on him -as her own exclusive property. Without knowing clearly what threatened -her, she felt that this "Pan Stas" would go, and that a wrong would -be done her, the first which she had experienced in life. She would -have suffered less if some one else had inflicted the wrong; but, -just think, her mamma and "Pan Stas" were wronging her! That seemed a -vicious circle out of which the child knew not how to escape and could -not. How could she complain to them of what they were doing! Evidently -they wanted this, wished it; it was necessary for them, and they -would be happy if it happened. Mamma said that "Pan Stas" loved Panna -Marynia, and he did not deny; therefore Litka must yield, must swallow -her tears, and be silent in presence of her mamma even. - -And she hid in herself her first disappointment in life. Yes, she had -to yield; but because grief is a bad medicine for a heart sick already, -this yielding might be more thoroughly and terribly tragic than any one -around her could imagine. - -The specialist came two days later from Monachium, and remaining two -days, confirmed fully the opinion of the doctor in Thumsee. He set Pani -Emilia at rest, though he told Pan Stanislav that the life of the child -might continue months and years, but would be always as if hanging on -a thread which might break from any cause. He gave directions to spare -the little girl every emotion, as well joyous as sad, and to watch over -her with the greatest alertness. - -They surrounded her therefore with care and attention. They spared her -even the slightest emotion, but they did not spare her the greatest, -which was caused by Marynia's letters. The echo of the one which came a -week later struck her ears, which were listening then diligently. True, -it might dispel her fears touching "Pan Stas," but it was a great shock -to her. Pani Emilia had hesitated all day about showing Pan Stanislav -that letter. He had been asking daily for news from Kremen; she had -to lie simply to conceal the arrival of the letter. Finally, she felt -bound to tell the truth, so that he might know the difficulties which -he had to encounter. - -The next evening after receiving the letter, when she had put Litka to -sleep, she began conversation herself on this subject. - -"Marynia has taken it greatly to heart that you sold the claim on -Kremen." - -"Then you have received a letter?" - -"I have." - -"Can you show it to me?" - -"No; I can only read you extracts from it. Marynia is crushed." - -"Does she know that I am here?" - -"It must be that she has not received my letter yet; but it astonishes -me that Pan Mashko, who is in Kremen, has not mentioned it to her." - -"Mashko went to Kremen before I left Warsaw; and he was not sure that -I would come here, especially as I told him that doubtless I should -change my plan." - -Pani Emilia went to her bureau for the package of letters. Returning to -the table, she trimmed the lamp, and, sitting opposite Pan Stanislav, -took the letter from the envelope. - -"You see," said she, "that for Marynia it is not a question of the sale -alone. You know that her head was a little imaginative, therefore this -sale had for her another meaning. A great disenchantment has met her -indeed!" - -"I should not confess to any other person," said Pan Stanislav, "but I -will to you. I have committed one of the greatest follies of my life, -but I have never been so punished." - -Pani Emilia raised her pale blue eyes to him with sympathy. - -"Poor man, are you so captivated, then, by Marynia? I do not ask -through curiosity, but friendship, for I should like to mend -everything, but wish to be certain." - -"Do you know what conquered me?" broke in Pan Stanislav, -excitedly,--"that first letter. In Kremen she pleased me; I began to -think about her. I said to myself that she would be more agreeable and -better than others. She is such precisely as I have been seeking. But -what next? Long before, I had said to myself that I would not be a -soft man, and yield what belongs to me. You understand that when a man -makes a principle of anything, he holds to it even for pride's sake. -Besides, in each one of us there are, as it were, two distinct persons; -the second of these criticises whatever is done by the first one. This -second man began to say to me: 'Drop this affair; you cannot live -with the father.' In truth, he is unendurable. I resolved to drop the -affair. I got rid of the claim. That is how it happened. Only later did -I find that I could not dismiss the thought of Panna Plavitski; I had -always this same impression: 'She is such as thou art seeking.' I saw -that I had committed a folly, and was sorry. When that letter came, and -I convinced myself that on her side there was a feeling that she could -love me and be mine, I loved her. And I give you my word that either -I am losing my head, or this is true. It is nothing while a man is -fancying something; but when he sees that there were open arms before -him, what a difference! That letter conquered me; I cannot help myself." - -"I prefer not to read you all this letter," said Pani Emilia, after a -while. "Naturally she writes that the brief dream ended by an awakening -more sudden than she had looked for. She writes that Pan Mashko is very -considerate in money questions, though he wishes them to turn to his -profit." - -"She will marry him, as God is in heaven!" - -"You do not know her. But of Kremen she writes: 'Papa has a wish to -dispose of his property, and settle in Warsaw. Thou knowest how I love -Kremen, how I grew up with it; but in view of what has happened, I -doubt whether my work can be of service. I shall make one more struggle -to defend the dear bit of land. Still papa says that his conscience -will not let him imprison me in the country, and this is all the more -bitter, since it is as if I were the question. Indeed, life seems at -times to be touching on irony. Pan Mashko offers papa three thousand -life annuity, and the whole amount for the parcelling of Magyerovka. I -do not wonder that he seeks his own profit, but through such a bargain -he would get the property for almost nothing. Papa himself said to -him, "In this way, if I live one year I shall get from Kremen three -thousand, for Magyerovka is mine anyhow." Pan Mashko answered that -in the present state of affairs the creditors would take the money -for Magyerovka; but if papa agrees to the conditions proposed he will -receive ready money and may live thirty years, perhaps longer. Which is -true also. I know that this project pleases papa in principle; the only -question with him is to get as much as he can. In all this there is one -consolation,--that if we live in Warsaw, I shall see thee, dear Emilia, -and Litka oftener. Sincerely and from my whole soul do I love you both, -and know that on your hearts at least I can count always.'" - -"So then I deprived her of Kremen, but sent her a suitor," said Pan -Stanislav, after a moment of silence. - -While saying this, he did not know that Marynia had put almost the same -words into the letter. Pani Emilia had omitted them purposely, not -wishing to wound him. - -During the last visit of the Plavitskis in Warsaw, Mashko had made -some advances for the hand of Marynia; she had no need, therefore, of -great keenness to divine his reason for buying the claim and coming to -Kremen. Just in this was the bitterness that filled her heart, and the -deep offence which she felt that Polanyetski had inflicted on her. - -"It is absolutely needful to explain all this," said Pani Emilia. - -"I have sent her a suitor!" repeated Pan Stanislav. "I cannot even make -the excuse that I did not know of Mashko's designs." - -Pani Emilia turned Marynia's letter in her delicate fingers some time, -and then said suddenly,-- - -"It cannot rest this way. I wanted to unite you with her because of my -friendship for both of you, but now there is a motive the more; to wit, -your suffering. It would be a reproach for me to leave you as you are, -and I cannot. Do not lose hope. There is a pretty French proverb, and a -very ugly Polish one, about woman's strength and will. In truth, I wish -greatly to help you." - -Pan Stanislav seized her hand and raised it to his lips. - -"You are the best and most honorable person that I have met in the -world." - -"I have been very happy," answered Pani Emilia; "and since I think that -there is only one road to happiness, I wish those who are near me to go -by it." - -"You are right. That road, or none! Since I have life, I wish that life -to be of use to some one else and to me." - -"As to me," said Pani Emilia, laughing, "since I have undertaken the -rôle of matchmaker for the first time in life, I wish to be of service. -But it is necessary to think what must be done now." - -Saying this, she raised her eyes. The light of the lamp fell directly -on her delicate face, which was still very youthful; on her light hair, -which was somewhat disarranged above her forehead. There was something -in her so bewitching and at the same time so virginal that Pan -Stanislav, though he had a head occupied with other things, recalled -the name, "maiden widow," which Bukatski had given her. - -"Marynia is very candid," said she, after a moment's thought, "and will -understand better if I write the pure truth to her. I will tell her -what you told me: that you went away much pleased with her; that what -you have done was done without reckoning with yourself, purely under -the influence of the thought that you could not come to an agreement -with her father; but at present you regret this most sincerely, you beg -her not to take it ill, and not to take away the hope that she will -yield to entreaty." - -"And I will write to Mashko that I will purchase the debt of him at -whatever profit he likes." - -"See," said Pani Emilia, smiling, "that sober, calculating Pan -Stanislav, who boasts that he has freed himself from the Polish -character and from Polish fickleness." - -"Yes, yes!" cried Pan Stanislav, with a more joyous tone. "Calculation -consists in this, to spare nothing on an object that is worth it." At -that moment, however, he grew gloomy and said, "But if she answers that -she is Mashko's betrothed?" - -"I will not admit that. Pan Mashko may be the most honorable of men, -but he is not for her. She will not marry without affection. I know -that Mashko did not please her at all. That will never take place; you -do not know Marynia. Only do, on your part, what you can, and be at -rest as to Mashko." - -"Then, instead of writing, I will telegraph to him to-day. He cannot -stop in Kremen long at one time, and must receive my despatch in -Warsaw." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -Mashko's answer, which Pan Stanislav received two days later, was, "I -bought Kremen yesterday." - -Though it might have been foreseen from Marynia's letter that affairs -would take this and no other turn, and the young man was bound to be -prepared for it, the news produced the impression of a thunder-clap. -It seemed to him that a misfortune had happened, as sudden as it was -incurable,--a misfortune for which the whole responsibility fell on -him. Pani Emilia, knowing better than any one else Marynia's attachment -to Kremen, had also a presentiment which she could not conceal, that by -this sale the difficulty of bringing these two young people nearer each -other would be increased greatly. - -"If Mashko does not marry Marynia," said Pan Stanislav, "he will strip -old Plavitski in such fashion as to save himself and leave the old man -without a copper. If I had sold my claim to the first usurer I met, -Plavitski would have wriggled out, paid something, promised more; and -the ruin of Kremen would have been deferred for whole years, in the -course of which something favorable might have happened; in every case -there would have been time to sell Kremen on satisfactory conditions. -Now, if they are left without a copper, the fault will be mine." - -But Pani Emilia looked on the affair from another side: "The evil is -not in this alone," said she, "that Kremen is sold. You have caused -this sale, and that immediately after seeing Marynia. If some one else -had done so, the affair would not have such a significance; but the -worst is just this, that Marynia was greatly confident that you would -not act thus." - -Pan Stanislav felt this as vividly as she; and since he was accustomed -to give himself a clear account of every position, he understood -also that Marynia was the same as lost to him. In view of this, one -thing remained,--to acknowledge the fact and seek another wife. But -Pan Stanislav's whole soul revolted against this. First, his feeling -for Marynia, though sudden, strengthened neither by time nor nearer -acquaintance, though resting mainly on the charm, almost exclusively -physical, which her form had wrought on him, had grown considerably -in recent days. Her letter effected this, and the conviction that -he had inflicted a wrong on her. Compassion for her seized him now, -and he could not think of her without emotion; in consequence of -this, the feeling itself increased through two causes, which play a -very important rôle in each masculine heart. First, that energetic, -muscular man could never yield passively to the course of events. His -nature simply could not endure this. The sight of difficulty roused -him to action particularly. Finally, his self-love also was opposed to -letting Marynia go. The thought which he must acknowledge to himself -sometimes,--that he was only a springe in the hand of that Mashko and -one of the means to his objects; that he had let himself be abused, or -at least used by the advocate,--filled him with rage. Though Mashko -should not receive Marynia's hand, though the affair should end with -Kremen, even that was more than Pan Stanislav could suffer. Now an -irrestrainable desire seized him to go and take the field against -Mashko, to throw a stone under his feet, to cross his further plans, -at least, and show him that his keenness of an advocate was not enough -in a meeting with real manly energy. All these, as well as the more -noble motives, urged Pan Stanislav with irresistible force to undertake -something, to do something. Meanwhile the position was such that there -remained well-nigh nothing to do. Precisely in this contradiction was -hidden the tragedy. To remain in Reichenhall, let Mashko carry out his -plans, extend his nets, work for the hand of Panna Plavitski--no! not -for anything! But what was he to do? To this last question there was -no answer. For the first time in life Pan Stanislav felt as if he were -chained; and the less he was accustomed to such a position, the more -did he bear it with difficulty. He learned too, for the first time, -what sleeplessness means, what excited nerves are. Since Litka, during -the days just preceding, felt worse again, there hung over the whole -society a leaden atmosphere in which life was becoming unendurable. - -After a week another letter came from Marynia. This time there was no -mention either of Pan Stanislav or Mashko. Marynia wrote only about the -sale of Kremen, without complaint, and without explanation of how the -affair had taken place. But from this alone he might infer how deeply -the sale had wounded her. - -It would have pleased Pan Stanislav more had she complained. He -understood clearly, too, that silence in the letter touching him -showed how far he had been excluded from the heart of that lady, while -silence touching Mashko might show directly the opposite. Finally, if -she valued that Kremen so much, she might return to it by giving her -hand to its present owner; perhaps she had become reconciled by that -thought. Old Plavitski had his prejudices of a noble, it is true, and -Pan Stanislav counted on them; but, considering the man as an egotist -above all, he admitted that in the present case he would sacrifice his -daughter and his prejudices. - -In the end of ends, to remain with folded arms at Reichenhall, and wait -for news as to whether Pan Mashko would be pleased to offer his hand -to Panna Plavitski, became for Pan Stanislav simply impossible. Litka, -too, from time to time begged her mother to return to Warsaw. Pan -Stanislav determined, therefore, to return, all the more as the time -was approaching when he and Bigiel had to begin a new affair. - -This decision brought him great solace at once. He would return; -he would examine the position with his own eyes, and perhaps -undertake something. In every case it would be better than sitting at -Reichenhall. Both Pani Emilia and Litka heard the news of his departure -without surprise. They knew that he had come only for a few weeks, -and they hoped to see him soon in Warsaw. Pani Emilia was to go in -the middle of August. For the rest of the month she decided to remain -with Vaskovski in Salzburg, and return then to Warsaw. Meanwhile she -promised to inform Pan Stanislav of Litka's health frequently, and -besides correspond with Marynia and learn what her thoughts really were -touching Mashko. - -On the day of his departure, Pani Emilia and Litka, with Vaskovski, -took farewell of him at the station. When in the compartment, he was -rather sorry to go. Happen what might, he knew not how things would -turn out at Warsaw; here he was surrounded by persons who were the -sincerest well-wishers that he had in the world. Looking out through -the window, he beheld the sad eyes of Litka raised toward him, and the -friendly face of Pani Emilia, with the same feeling as if they had -been his own family. And again that uncommon beauty of the young widow -struck him,--her features, delicate to the verge of excess, her angelic -expression of face, and her form perfectly maidenlike, dressed in -black. - -"Farewell," said Pani Emilia, "and write to us from Warsaw; we shall -see each other in three weeks or sooner." - -"In three weeks," repeated Pan Stanislav. "I will write certainly. Till -we meet again, Litus!" - -"Till we meet again! Bow from me to Evka and Yoasia." - -"I will do so." - -And he stretched out his hand through the window again: - -"Till our next meeting! Remember your friend." - -"We will not forget; we will not forget. Do you wish me to repeat a -novena for your intention?" asked Pani Emilia, smiling. - -"Thank you for that too. Do so. Till we meet again, Professor." - -The train moved that moment. Pani Emilia and Litka waved their parasols -till the more frequent puffing of the engine hid, with rolls of steam -and smoke, the window through which Pan Stanislav was looking. - -"Mamma," asked Litka, "is it really necessary to say a novena for Pan -Stas?" - -"Yes, Litus. He is so kind to us, we must pray to God to make him -happy." - -"But is he unhappy?" - -"No--that is--seest thou, every one has trouble, and he has his." - -"I know; I heard in Thumsee," said the little girl. And after a while -she added in a low voice,-- - -"I will say a novena." - -But Professor Vaskovski, who was so honest that he could not hold his -tongue, said after a time to Pani Emilia, when Litka had gone forward,-- - -"That is a golden heart, and he loves you both as a brother. Now that -the specialist has assured us that there is not the least fear, I can -tell everything. Pan Stanislav brought him here purposely, for he was -alarmed about the little girl in Thumsee." - -"Did he bring him?" asked Pani Emilia. "What a man!" And tears of -gratitude came to her eyes. After a while she said, "But I will reward -him, for I will give him Marynia." - -Pan Stanislav went away with a heart full of good wishes and gratitude -to Pani Emilia, for the man who has failed and for that reason falls -into trouble, feels the friendship of people more keenly than others. -Sitting in the corner of the compartment, with the image of Pani Emilia -fresh in his mind, he said to himself,-- - -"If I had fallen in love with her! What rest, what certainty of -happiness! An object in life would have been found; I should know -for whom I am working, I should know whose I am, I should know that -my existence has some meaning. She says, it is true, that she will -not marry, but me!--she might, who knows? That other is perfection, -perhaps, but she may have a very dry heart." - -Here he feels suddenly: "Still I can think calmly about Pani Emilia; -while at every recollection of that other a certain unquiet seizes me, -which is at once both bitter and agreeable. I am drawn by something -toward that other. I have just pressed Pani Emilia's hand, and that -pressure has left no sensation; while even now I remember the warm palm -of Marynia, and feel a certain species of quiver at the very thought of -it." - -As far as Salzburg, Pan Stanislav thought only of "that other." This -time his thoughts began to take the form, if not of resolves, at least -of questions,--how is he to act toward her, and what in this state of -affairs is his duty? - -"It is not to be denied that I caused the sale of Kremen," said he to -himself. "Kremen had for her not only the money value, which might -perhaps have been drawn from it had the sale not been hastened, but -also the value with which her heart was bound to the place. I have -deprived her of both. Briefly speaking, I have wronged her. I have -acted legally; but for a conscience made up of something more than -paragraphs, that is not sufficient. I have offended her, I confess, and -I must correct my fault in some way. But how? Buy Kremen from Mashko? -I am not rich enough. I might perhaps do so by dissolving partnership -with Bigiel and withdrawing all my capital; but that is materially -impossible. Bigiel might fail, should I do that; hence I will not -do it. There is one other way,--to keep up relations as best I can -with Plavitski, and propose later on for the hand of his daughter. If -rejected, I shall have done at least what behooves me." - -But here that second internal man, of whom Pan Stanislav made mention, -raised his voice and began,-- - -"Do not shield thyself with a question of conscience. If Panna -Plavitski were ten years older and ugly, thou mightst have caused in -the same way the sale of Kremen, and taken from her everything which -thou hast taken, and still it would not have come to thy head to ask -for her hand. Tell thyself straightway that Panna Plavitski draws thee, -as with nippers, by her face, her eyes, her lips, her arms, her whole -person, and do not tempt thyself." - -But, in general, Pan Stanislav held that second internal man firmly, -and treated him sometimes with very slight ceremony. Following this -method, he said to him,-- - -"First, thou knowest not, fool, that even in that case I should not -try to make good the injury. That at present I wish to make it good -by proposing for the lady is natural. Men always ask to marry women -who please them, not those for whom they feel repulsion. If thou hast -nothing better to say, then be silent." - -The internal man ventured a few more timid remarks, as, for instance, -that Plavitski might give command to throw Pan Stanislav downstairs; -that in the best case he might not permit him to cross the threshold. -But somehow Pan Stanislav was not afraid of this. "People," thought he, -"do not use such means now; and if the Plavitskis do not receive me, so -much the worse for them." - -He admitted, however, that if they had even a little tact they would -receive him. He knew that he would see Marynia at Pani Emilia's. - -Meditating in this way, he arrived at Salzburg. There was one hour -till the arrival of the train from Monachium, by which he was to go to -Vienna; hence he decided to walk about the town. That moment he saw in -the restaurant the bright-colored pea-jacket of Bukatski, his monocle, -and his small head, covered with a still smaller soft cap. - -"Bukatski or his spirit!" cried he. - -"Calm thyself, Pan Stanislav," answered Bukatski, phlegmatically, -greeting him as if they had parted an hour before. "How art thou?" - -"What art thou doing here?" - -"Eating a cutlet." - -"To Reichenhall?" - -"Yes. But thou art homeward?" - -"Yes." - -"Thou hast proposed to Pani Emilia?" - -"No." - -"Then I forgive thee. Thou mayst go." - -"Keep thy conceits for a fitter season. Litka is in very great danger." - -Bukatski grew serious, and said, raising his brows,--"Ai, ai! Is that -perfectly certain?" - -Pan Stanislav told briefly the opinion of the doctor. Bukatski listened -for a while; then he said,-- - -"And is a man not to be a pessimist in this case? Poor child and poor -mother! In the event of misfortune, I cannot imagine in any way how she -will endure it." - -"She is very religious; but it is terrible to think of this." - -"Let us walk through the town a little," said Bukatski; "one might -stifle here." - -They went out. - -"And a man in such straits is not to be a pessimist!" exclaimed -Bukatski. "What is Litka? Simply a dove! Every one would spare her; but -death will not spare her." - -Pan Stanislav was silent. - -"I know not myself now," continued Bukatski, "whether to go to -Reichenhall or not. In Warsaw, when Pani Emilia is there, even I can -hold out. Once a month I propose to her, once a month I receive a -refusal; and thus I live from the first of one month to the first of -the next. The first of the month has just passed, and I am anxious for -my pension. Is the mother aware of the little girl's condition?" - -"No. The child is in danger; but perhaps a couple of years remain yet -to her." - -"Ah! perhaps no more remain to any of us. Tell me, dost thou think of -death often?" - -"No. How would that help me? I know that I must lose the case; -therefore I do not break my head over it, especially before the time." - -"In this is the point,--we must lose, but still we keep up the trial -to the end. This is the whole sense of life, which otherwise would be -simply a dreary farce, but now it is a dull tragedy as well. As to me, -I have three things at present to choose from: to hang myself, go to -Reichenhall, or go to Monachium to see Boecklin's pictures once more. -If I were logical, I should choose the first; since I am not, I'll -choose Reichenhall. Pani Emilia is worth the Boecklins, both as to -outline and color." - -"What is to be heard in Warsaw?" asked on a sudden Pan Stanislav, who -had had that question on his lips from the first of the conversation. -"Hast thou seen Mashko?" - -"I have. He has bought Kremen, he is a great landholder, and, since -he has wit, he is using all his power not to seem too great. He is -polite, sensible, flattering, accessible; he is changed, not to my -advantage, it is true, for what do I care? but surely to his own." - -"Isn't he going to marry Panna Plavitski?" - -"I hear that he wants to. Thy partner, Bigiel, said something of this, -also that Mashko bought Kremen on conditions more than favorable. Thou -wilt find clearer news in the city." - -"Where are the Plavitskis at present?" - -"In Warsaw. They are living in the Hotel Rome. The young woman is not -at all ugly. I called on them as a cousin, and talked about thee." - -"Thou mightst have chosen a more agreeable subject for them." - -"Plavitski, who is glad of what has happened, told me that thou hadst -done them a service, without wishing it certainly, but thou hadst done -it. I asked the young lady how it was that she saw thee in Kremen for -the first time. She answered that during her visit in Warsaw thou must -have been in foreign countries." - -"In fact, I was gone then on business of the firm to Berlin, and I -remained there some time." - -"Indeed, I did not observe that they were offended at thee. I heard so -much, however, of the young lady's love of country life, that she must, -I admit, be a little angry at thee for having taken Kremen from her. In -every case, she does not show any anger." - -"Perhaps she will show it only to me; and the opportunity will not be -lacking, for I shall visit them immediately after my return." - -"In that case do me one little service: marry the lady, for of two -evils I prefer to be thy cousin rather than Mashko's." - -"Very well," replied Pan Stanislav, curtly. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -After his return to Warsaw, Pan Stanislav went first of all to Bigiel, -who told him minutely the conditions on which Kremen was sold. Those -conditions were very profitable for Mashko. He bound himself to pay at -the end of a year thirty-five thousand rubles, which were to come from -the parcelling of Magyerovka, and besides to pay three thousand yearly -till the death of Pan Plavitski. To Pan Stanislav the bargain did not -seem at first too unfavorable for Plavitski; but Bigiel was of another -opinion. - -"I do not judge people too hastily," said he; "but Plavitski is an -incurable old egotist who has sacrificed the future of his child to his -own comfort, and, besides, he is frivolous. In this case the annuity is -placed as it were on Kremen; but Kremen, as a ruined estate, on which -there is need to spend money, has a fictitious value. If Mashko puts it -in order, very well; if not, in the most favorable event he will fall -behind in payment, and Plavitski may not see a copper for years. What -will he do then? He will take Kremen back. But before that time Mashko -will contract new debts, even to pay the old ones; and, in case of his -bankruptcy, God knows how many creditors will stretch their hands after -Kremen. Finally, all depends on the honesty of Mashko, who may be a -correct man, but he is carrying on business riskily; if he takes one -false step, it may ruin him. Who knows if this very purchase of Kremen -be not such a step?--for, wishing to bring the estate into order, he -must draw on his credit to the utmost. I have seen men who succeeded a -long time until they turned to buying great estates." - -"The ready money for Magyerovka will remain with the Plavitskis -always," said Pan Stanislav, as if wishing to quiet his own fears for -their future. - -"If old Plavitski does not eat it up, or play it away, or waste it." - -"I must think of something. I caused the sale; I must help." - -"Thou?" asked Bigiel, with astonishment. "I thought that thy relations -were broken forever." - -"I shall try to renew them. I will visit the Plavitskis to-morrow." - -"I do not know that they will be glad to see thee." - -"And I myself do not know." - -"Dost wish I will go with thee? For it is a question of breaking the -ice. They may not receive thee alone. It is a pity that my wife is -not here. I sit by myself whole evenings and play on the violoncello. -During the day I have time enough too; I can go with thee." - -Pan Stanislav, however, refused, and next day he dressed himself with -great care and went alone. He knew that he was a presentable man; and -though usually he did not think much of this, he resolved now to omit -nothing which might speak in his favor. On the way he had his head full -of thoughts as to what he should say, what he should do in this case or -that one, and he tried to foresee how they would receive him. - -"I will be as simple and outspoken as possible," said he to himself; -"that is the best method absolutely." - -And, before he noted it, he found himself at the Hotel Rome. His heart -began to beat then more quickly. - -"It would not be bad," thought he, "if I should not find them at home. -I could leave a card and see later on if Plavitski would acknowledge my -visit." - -But straightway he said to himself, "Don't be a coward," and went -forward. Learning from the servant that Plavitski was at home, he sent -in his card, and after a while was invited to enter. - -Plavitski was sitting at a table writing letters, drawing at intervals -smoke from a pipe with a great amber mouthpiece. At sight of Pan -Stanislav he raised his head, and, looking at him through gold-rimmed -glasses, said,-- - -"I beg, I beg!" - -"I learned from Bigiel that you and Panna Plavitski were in Warsaw," -said Pan Stanislav, "and I came to pay my respects." - -"That was very pretty on thy part," answered Plavitski, "and, to tell -the truth, I did not expect it. We parted in a bitter manner and -through thy fault. But since thou hast felt it thy duty to visit me, I, -as the older, open my arms to thee a second time." - -The opening of the arms, however, was confined to reaching across the -table a hand, which Pan Stanislav pressed, saying in his own mind,-- - -"May the Evil One take me, if I come here to thee, and if I feel toward -thee any obligation!" After a while he asked, "You and your daughter -are coming to live in Warsaw?" - -"Yes. I am an old man of the country, accustomed to rise with the sun -and to work in the fields; it will be grievous for me in your Warsaw. -But it was not right to imprison my child; hence I made one sacrifice -more for her." - -Pan Stanislav, who had spent two nights in Kremen, remembered that -Plavitski rose about eleven in the forenoon, and that he labored -specially about the business of Kremen, not its fields; he passed this, -however, in silence, for he had a head occupied with something else at -that moment. From the chamber which Plavitski occupied, an open door -led to another, which must be Marynia's. It occurred to Pan Stanislav, -who was looking in the direction of that door from the time of his -entrance, that perhaps she did not wish to come out; therefore he -inquired,-- - -"But shall I not have the pleasure of seeing Panna Marynia?" - -"Marynia has gone to look at lodgings which I found this morning. -She will come directly, for they are only a couple of steps distant. -Imagine to thyself a plaything, not lodgings. I shall have a cabinet -and a sleeping-room; Marynia also a very nice little chamber,--the -dining-room is a trifle dark, it is true; but the drawing-room is a -candy-box." - -Here Plavitski passed into a narrative concerning his lodgings, with -the volubility of a child amused by something, or of an old lover of -comfort, who smiles at every improvement. At last he said,-- - -"I had barely looked around when I found myself at home. Dear Warsaw is -my old friend; I know her well." - -But at that moment some one entered the adjoining room. - -"That is Marynia, surely," said Plavitski. "Marynia, art thou there?" -called he. - -"I am," answered a youthful voice. - -"Come here; we have a guest." - -Marynia appeared in the door. At sight of Pan Stanislav, astonishment -shone on her face. He, rising, bowed; and when she approached the -table, he stretched out his hand in greeting. She gave him her own with -as much coldness as politeness. Then she turned to her father, as if no -one else were present in the room,-- - -"I have seen the lodgings; they are neat and comfortable, but I am not -sure that the street is not too noisy." - -"All streets are noisy," answered Plavitski. "Warsaw is not a village." - -"Pardon me; I will go to remove my hat," said Marynia. And, returning -to her room, she did not appear for some time. - -"She will not show herself again," thought Pan Stanislav. - -But evidently she was only arranging her hair before the mirror, after -removing her hat; she entered a second time, and asked,-- - -"Am I interrupting?" - -"No," said Plavitski, "we have no business now, for which, speaking -in parenthesis, I am very glad. Pan Polanyetski has come only through -politeness." - -Pan Stanislav blushed a little, and, wishing to change the subject, -said,-- - -"I am returning from Reichenhall; I bring you greetings from Pani -Emilia and Litka, and that is one reason why I made bold to come." - -For a moment the cool self-possession on Marynia's face vanished. - -"Emilia wrote to me of Litka's heart attack," said she. "How is she -now?" - -"There has not been a second attack." - -"I expect another letter, and it may have come; but I have not received -it, for Emilia addressed it very likely to Kremen." - -"They will send it," said Plavitski; "I gave directions to send all the -mail here." - -"You will not go back to the country, then?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"No; we will not," answered Marynia, whose eyes recovered their -expression of cool self-possession. - -A moment of silence followed. Pan Stanislav looked at the young lady, -and seemed to be struggling with himself. Her face attracted him with -new power. He felt now more clearly that in such a person precisely -he would find most to please him, that he could love such a one, that -she is the type of his chosen woman, and all the more her coldness -became unendurable. He would give now, God knows what, to find again -in those features the expression which he saw in Kremen, the interest -in his words, and the attention, the transparency in those eyes full -of smiles and roused curiosity. He would give, God knows what, to have -all this return, and he knew not by what method to make it return, by a -slow or a quick one; for this cause he hesitated. He chose at last that -which agreed best with his nature. - -"I knew," said he, suddenly, "how you loved Kremen, and in spite of -that, perhaps, it is I who caused its sale. If that be the case, I tell -you openly that I regret the act acutely, and shall never cease to -regret it. In my defence I cannot even say that I did it while excited, -and without intent. Nay, I had an intent; only it was malicious and -irrational. All the greater is my fault, and all the more do I entreat -your forgiveness." - -When he had said this, he rose. His cheeks were flushed, and from -his eyes shone truth and sincerity; but his words remained without -effect. Pan Stanislav went by a false road. He knew women in general -too slightly to render account to himself of how far their judgments, -especially their judgments touching men, are dependent on their -feelings, both transient and permanent. In virtue of these feelings, -anything may be taken as good or bad money; anything interpreted for -evil or good, recognized as true or false; stupidity may be counted -reason, reason stupidity, egotism devotion, devotion egotism, rudeness -sincerity, sincerity lack of delicacy. The man who in a given moment -rouses dislike, cannot be right with a woman, cannot be sincere, -cannot be just, cannot be well-bred. So Marynia, feeling deep aversion -and resentment toward Pan Stanislav from the time of Mashko's coming -to Kremen, took sincerity simply ill of him. Her first thought was: -"What kind of man is this who recognizes as unreasonable and bad that -which a few days ago he did with calculation?" Then Kremen, the sale -of the place, Mashko's visit and the meaning of that visit, which she -divined, were for her like a wound festering more and more. And now it -seemed to her that Pan Stanislav was opening that wound with all the -unsparingness of a man of rough nature and rude nerves. - -He rose, and with eyes fixed on her face, waited to see if a friendly -and forgiving hand would not be extended to him, with a clear feeling -that one such stretching forth of a hand might decide his fate; but her -eyes grew dark for a moment, as if from pain and anger, and her face -became still colder. - -"Let not that annoy you," said she, with icy politeness. "On the -contrary, papa is very much satisfied with the bargain and with the -whole arrangement with Pan Mashko." - -She rose then, as if understanding that Pan Stanislav wished to take -leave. He stood a moment stricken, disappointed, full of resentment and -suppressed anger, full of that feeling of mortification which a man has -when he is rejected. - -"If that is true, I desire nothing more." - -"It is, it is! I did a good business," concluded Plavitski. - -Pan Stanislav went out, and, descending a number of steps at a time -with hat pressed down on his head, he repeated mentally,-- - -"A foot of mine will not be in your house again." - -He felt, however, that, if he were to go home, anger would stifle him; -he walked on, therefore, not thinking whither his feet were bearing -him. It seemed to him at that moment that he did not love Marynia, -that he even hated her; but still he thought about her, and if he had -thought more calmly he would have told himself that the mere sight -of her had affected him deeply. He had seen her now a second time, -had looked on her, had compared that image of her which he had borne -in his memory with the reality; the image became thereby still more -definite, more really attractive, and acted the more powerfully on him. -And, in spite of the anger, in the depth of his soul an immense liking -for her raised its head, and a delight in the woman. There existed, -as it were, for him two Marynias,--one the mild, friendly Marynia of -Kremen, listening and ready to love; the other that icy young lady of -Warsaw, who had rejected him. A woman often becomes dual in this way -in the heart of a man, which is then most frequently ready to forgive -this unfriendly one for the sake of that loved one. Pan Stanislav did -not even admit that Marynia could be such as she had shown herself -that day; hence there was in his anger a certain surprise. Knowing his -own undeniable worth, and being conceited enough, he carried within -him a conviction, which he would not acknowledge to himself, that it -was enough for him to extend his hand to have it seized. This time it -turned out differently. That mild Marynia appeared suddenly, not only -in the rôle of a judge, who utters sentences and condemns, but also in -the rôle, as it were, of a queen, with whom it is possible to be in -favor or disfavor. Pan Stanislav could not accustom himself to this -thought, and he struggled with it; but such is human nature that, when -he learned that for that lady he was not so much desired as he had -thought, that she not only did not over-value him, but esteemed him -lower than herself, in spite of his displeasure, offence, and anger, -her value increased in his eyes. His self-love was wounded; but, on -the other hand, his will, in reality strong, was ready to rush to the -struggle with difficulties, and crush them. All these thoughts were -circling chaotically in his head, or, instead of thoughts, they were -rather feelings torn and tearing themselves. He repeated a hundred -times to himself that he would drop the whole matter, that he must -and wished to do so; and at the same time he was so weak and small -that somewhere in the most secret corner of his soul he was counting -that very moment on the arrival of Pani Emilia, and on the aid which -her arrival would bring him. Sunk in this mental struggle, he did not -recollect himself till he was halfway on the Zyazd, when he asked, "Why -the misery have I gone to Praga?" He halted. The day was fine and was -inclining toward evening. Lower down, the Vistula was flowing in the -gleam of the sun; and beyond it and beyond the nearer clumps of green, -a broad country was visible, covered on the horizon with a rosy and -blue haze. Far away, beyond that haze, was Kremen, which Marynia had -loved and which she had lost. Pan Stanislav, fixing his eyes on the -haze, said to himself,-- - -"I am curious to know what she would have done had I given Kremen to -her." - -He could not imagine that to himself definitely; but he thought -that the loss of that land was for her a great bitterness really, -and he regretted it. In this sorrow his anger began to scatter and -vanish as mist. His conscience whispered that he had received what he -earned. Returning, he said to himself, "But I am thinking of all this -continually." - -And really he was. Never had he experienced, in the most important -money questions, even half the disquiet, never had he been absorbed so -deeply. And again he remembered what Vaskovski had said of himself, -that his nature, like Pan Stanislav's, could not fix its whole power -on the acquisition of money. Never had he felt with such clearness -that there might be questions more important than those of wealth, and -simply more positive. For the second time a certain astonishment seized -him. - -It was nearly nine when he went to Bigiel's. Bigiel was sitting in a -spacious, empty house with doors opening on the garden veranda; he was -playing on a violoncello in such fashion that everything through the -house was quivering. When he saw Pan Stanislav he broke off a certain -tremolo and inquired,-- - -"Hast thou been at the Plavitskis' to-day?" - -"Yes." - -"How was the young lady?" - -"Like a decanter of chilled water. On such a hot day that is agreeable. -They are polite people, however." - -"I foresaw this." - -"Play on." - -Bigiel began to play "Träumerei," and while playing closed his eyes, -or turned them to the moon. In the stillness the music seemed to fill -with sweetness the house, the garden, and the night itself. When he had -finished, he was silent for a time, and then said,-- - -"Knowest what? When Pani Emilia comes, my wife will ask her to the -country, and with her Marynia. Maybe those ices will thaw then between -you." - -"Play the 'Träumerei' once more." - -The sounds were given out a second time, with calmness and imagination. -Pan Stanislav was too young not to be somewhat of a dreamer; hence he -imagined that Marynia was listening with him to the "Träumerei," with -her hand in his hands, with her head on his bosom, loving much, and -beloved above all in the world. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -Pan Plavitski was what is called a well-bred man, for he returned -Pan Stanislav's visit on the third day. He did not return it on the -second, for such haste would have indicated a wish to maintain intimate -relations; and not on the fourth nor the fifth, for that would have -shown a want of acquaintance with the habits of society,--but only -within the period most specially and exclusively indicated by command -of _savoir vivre_. Plavitski prided himself all his life on a knowledge -of those commands, and esteemed them as his own; the observances of -them he considered as the highest human wisdom. It is true that, as -a man of sense, he permitted other branches of knowledge to exist, -on condition, however, that they should not be overestimated; and -especially, that they should not have the claim to force themselves on -to people who were truly well-bred. - -Pan Stanislav--for whom everything was desirable that would strengthen -in any way the thread of further relations with Marynia--was hardly -able to conceal his delight at the arrival of Plavitski. That delight -was evident in his agreeable reception, full of good-humor. He must -have been astonished, besides, at Plavitski, and the influence which -the city had exercised on him. His hair shone like the wing of a raven; -his little mustaches were sticking up, vying with the color of his -hair; his white shirt covered a slender form; his scarf-pin and black -vest gave a certain holiday brilliancy to his whole figure. - -"On my word, I did not recognize my uncle at the first moment!" cried -Pan Stanislav. "I thought that some youngster was coming." - -"_Bon jour, bon jour!_" answered Plavitski. "The day is cloudy; a -little dark here. It must be for that reason that thou didst mistake me -for a stripling." - -"Cloudy or clear, what a figure!" answered Pan Stanislav. - -And seizing Plavitski by the side, without ceremony, he began to turn -him around and say-- - -"A waist just like a young lady's! Would that I might have such a one!" - -Plavitski, offended greatly by such an unceremonious greeting, but -still more delighted at the admiration roused by his person, said, -defending himself,-- - -"_Voyons!_ Thou art a lunatic. I might be angry. Thou art a lunatic!" - -"But uncle will turn as many heads as he pleases." - -"What dost thou say?" asked Plavitski, sitting down in an armchair. - -"I say that uncle has come here for conquest." - -"I have no thought whatever of that. Thou art a lunatic!" - -"But Pani Yamish? or haven't I seen with my own eyes--" - -"What?" - -Here Plavitski shut one eye and thrust out the point of his tongue; but -that lasted only an instant, then he raised his brows, and said,-- - -"Well, as to Pani Yamish? She is well enough in Kremen. Between thee -and me, I cannot endure affectation,--it savors of the country. May the -Lord God not remember, for Pani Yamish, how much she has tortured me -with her affectation: a woman should have courage to grow old, then a -relation would end in friendship; otherwise it becomes slavery." - -"And my dear uncle felt like a butterfly in bonds?" - -"But don't talk in that way," answered Plavitski, with dignity, "and -do not imagine that there was anything between us. Even if there had -been, thou wouldst not have heard a word about it from me. Believe me, -there is a great difference between you of this and us of the preceding -generation. We were not saints, perhaps; but we knew how to be silent, -and that is a great virtue, without which what is called true nobility -cannot exist." - -"From this I infer that uncle will not confess to me where he is going, -with this carnation in his buttonhole?" - -"Oh, yes, yes! Mashko invited me to-day to dine with a number of other -persons. At first I refused, not wishing to leave Marynia alone. But -I have sat so many years in the country for her sake that in truth a -little recreation is due to me. But art thou not invited?" - -"No." - -"That astonishes me: thou art, as thou sayest, an 'affairist'; but thou -bearest a good family name. For that matter, Mashko is an advocate -himself. But, in general, I confess that I did not suspect in Mashko -the power to place himself as he has." - -"Mashko could place himself even on his head--" - -"He goes everywhere; all receive him. Once I had a prejudice against -him." - -"And has uncle none now?" - -"I must acknowledge that he has acted with me in all that business of -Kremen like a gentleman." - -"Is Panna Marynia of the same opinion?" - -"Certainly; though I think that Kremen lies on her heart. I got rid of -it for her sake, but youth cannot understand everything. I knew about -her views, however, and am ready to endure every bitterness with calm. -As to Mashko, in truth, she cannot cast reproach at him for anything. -He bought Kremen, it is true, but--" - -"But he is ready to give it back?" - -"Thou art of the family, so, speaking between us, I think that that is -true. Marynia occupied him greatly, even during our former visit to -Warsaw; but somehow the affair did not move. The maiden was too young; -he did not please her sufficiently; I was a little opposed myself, for -I was prejudiced as to his family. Bukatski sharpened his teeth at him, -so it ended in nothing." - -"It did not end, since it is beginning again." - -"It is, for I am convinced that he comes of a very good family, once -Italian and formerly called Masco. They came here with Queen Bona, and -settled in White Russia at that time. He, if thou hast noticed it, has -a face somewhat Italian." - -"No; he has a Portuguese face." - -"That is all one, however. But the plan to sell Kremen and still to -keep it--no common head could have worked that out. As to Mashko--yes I -think that such is his plan. Marynia is a strange girl, though. It is -bitter to say this, that a man understands a stranger sooner than his -own child. But if she will only say as Talleyrand did, '_Paris vaut la -messe_.'" - -"Ah, I thought that it was Henry IV. who said that." - -"Thou didst, for thou art an 'affairist,' a man of recent times. -History and ancient deeds are not to the taste of you young men, ye -prefer to make money. Everything depends, then, on Marynia; but I will -not hurry her. I will not, for, finally, with our connections, a better -match may be found. It is necessary to go out a little among people -and find old acquaintances. That is only toil and torment; but what is -necessary, is necessary. Thou thinkest that I go to this dinner with -pleasure. No! but I must receive young people sometimes. I hope too -that thou wilt not forget us." - -"No, no; I will not." - -"Dost know what they say of thee?--that thou art making money -infernally. Well, well, I don't know whom thou art like--not like thy -father! In every case, I am not the man to blame thee, no, no! Thou -didst throttle me without mercy, didst treat me as the wolf did the -lamb; but there is in thee something which pleases me,--I have for thee -a kind of weakness." - -"The feeling is mutual." said Pan Stanislav. - -In fact, Plavitski did not lie. He had an instinctive respect for -property, and that young man, who was gaining it, roused in him a -certain admiration, bordering on sympathy. He was not some poor -relative who might ask for assistance; and therefore Plavitski, though -for the moment he had no calculations in regard to Pan Stanislav, -resolved to keep up relations with him. At the end of the visit he -began to look around on the apartments. - -"Thou hast fine lodgings!" said he. - -That, too, was true. Pan Stanislav had a dwelling furnished as if he -were about to marry. The furnishing itself caused him pleasure, for it -gave a certain show of reality to his wishes. - -Plavitski, looking around at the drawing-room, beyond which was another -smaller apartment furnished very elegantly, inquired,-- - -"Why not marry?" - -"I will when I can." - -Plavitski smiled cunningly, and, patting Pan Stanislav on the knee, -began to repeat,-- - -"I know whom; I know whom." - -"Wit is needed in this case!" cried Pan Stanislav; "try to keep a -secret from such a diplomat." - -"Ah ha! whom? The widow, the widow--whom?" - -"Dear uncle!" - -"Well? May God bless thee, as I bless thee! But now I am going, for it -is time to dine, and in the evening there will be a concert in Dolina." - -"In company with Mashko?" - -"No, with Marynia; but Mashko too will be there." - -"I will go also, with Bigiel." - -"Then we shall see each other. A mountain cannot meet a mountain, but a -man may meet a man any time." - -"As Talleyrand said." - -"Till our next meeting, then!" - -Pan Stanislav liked music at times; he had had no thought, though, of -going to this concert; but when Plavitski mentioned it, a desire of -seeing Mashko seized him. After Plavitski had gone, he thought some -time yet whether to go or not; but it might be said that he did this -for form's sake, since he knew in advance that he would not hold out -and would go. Bigiel, who came to him for a business consultation in -the afternoon, let himself be persuaded easily, and about four o'clock -they were in Dolina. - -The day, though in September, was so warm and pleasant that people had -assembled numerously; the whole audience had a summer look. On all -sides were bright-colored dresses, parasols, and youthful women, who -had swarmed forth like many-colored butterflies, warmed by the sun. In -this swarm, predestined for love, or already the object of that feeling -and entertaining it, and assembled there for the pursuit of love -and for music, Marynia also was to appear. Pan Stanislav remembered -his student years, when he was enamoured of unknown maidens whom he -sought in throngs of people, and made mistakes every moment, through -similarity of hat, hair, and general appearance. And it happened now to -him, to mistake at a distance a number of persons for Marynia,--persons -more or less like her; and now, as before, whenever he said to himself, -"This is she!" he felt those quivers at the heart, that disquiet which -he had felt formerly. To-day, however, anger came on him, for this -seemed to him ridiculous; and, besides, he felt that such eagerness for -meetings and interviews, by occupying a man, and fixing his attention -on one woman, increases the interest which she excites, and binds him -all the more to her. - -Meanwhile the orchestra began to play before he could find her for whom -he was looking. It was necessary to sit down and listen, which he did -unwillingly, secretly impatient with Bigiel, who listened with closed -eyes. After the piece was ended, he saw at last Plavitski's shining -cylinder, and his black mustaches; beyond him the profile of Marynia. -Mashko sat third, calm, full of distinction, with the mien of an -English lord. At times he talked to Marynia, and she turned to him, -nodding slightly. - -"The Plavitskis are there," said Pan Stanislav. "We must greet them." - -"Where dost thou see them?" - -"Over there, with Mashko." - -"True. Let us go." - -And they went. - -Marynia, who liked Pani Bigiel, greeted Bigiel very cordially. She -bowed to Pan Stanislav not with such coolness as to arrest attention; -but she talked with Bigiel, inquiring for the health of his wife and -children. In answer, he invited her and her father very earnestly to -visit them on the following week, at his place in the country. - -"My wife will be happy, very happy!" repeated he. "Pani Emilia too will -come." - -Marynia tried to refuse; but Plavitski, who sought entertainment, -and who knew from his former stay in Warsaw that Bigiel lived well, -accepted. It was settled that they would dine, and return in the -evening. The trip was an easy one, for Bigiel's villa was only one -station distant from Warsaw. - -"Meanwhile sit near us," said Plavitski; "right here a number of seats -are unoccupied." - -Pan Stanislav had turned already to Marynia,-- - -"Have you news from Pani Emilia?" - -"I wished to ask if you had," answered she. - -"I have not; but to-morrow I shall inquire about Litka by telegram." - -Here the conversation stopped. Bigiel took the seat next to Plavitski, -Pan Stanislav on the outside. Marynia turned to Mashko again, so that -Pan Stanislav could see only her profile, and that not completely. -It seemed to him that she had grown somewhat thin, or at least her -complexion had become paler and more delicate during her stay of a few -weeks in Warsaw; hence her long eyelashes were more sharply defined and -seemed to cast more shade. Her whole form had become more exquisite, -as it were. The effect was heightened by a careful toilet and equally -careful arrangement of hair, the style of which was different from what -it had been. Formerly she wore her hair bound lower down, now it was -dressed more in fashion; that is, high under her hat. Pan Stanislav -noted her elegant form at a glance, and admired with his whole soul the -charm of it, which was evident in everything, even in the way in which -she held her hands on her knees. She seemed very beautiful to him. He -felt again with great force that if every man bears within him his own -type of female charm, which is the measure of the impression that a -given woman makes on him, Marynia is for him so near his type that she -and it are almost identical, and, looking at her, he said to himself,-- - -"Oh to have such a wife, to have such a wife!" - -But she turned to Mashko. Perhaps she turned even too often; and if -Pan Stanislav had preserved all his coolness of blood, he might have -thought that she did so to annoy him, and that was the case, perhaps. -Their conversation must have been animated, however, for, from time to -time, a bright blush flashed over her face. - -"But she is simply playing the coquette with him," thought Pan -Stanislav, gritting his teeth. And he wanted absolutely to hear what -they were saying; that was difficult, however. The audience, during -the long intervals, was noisy enough. Separated by two persons from -Marynia, Pan Stanislav could not hear what she said; but after a new -piece of music had been finished, he heard single words and opinions -from Mashko, who had the habit of speaking with emphasis, so as to give -greater weight to each word. - -"I like him," said Mashko. "Every man has a weakness; his weakness is -money--I am grateful to him, for he persuaded me--to Kremen--I think, -besides, that he is a sincere well-wisher of yours, for he has not -spared--I confess, too, that he roused my curiosity." - -Marynia answered something with great vivacity; then Pan Stanislav -heard again the end of Mashko's answer,-- - -"A character not formed yet, and intelligence perhaps less than energy, -but a nature rather good." - -Pan Stanislav understood perfectly that they were talking of him, and -recognized Mashko's tactics equally well. To judge, as it were, with -reason and impartially, rather, to praise, or at least to recognize -various qualities, and at the same time to strip them of every charm, -was a method well known to the young advocate. Through this he raised -himself to the exceptional, and, as it were, higher position of a -judge. Pan Stanislav knew, too, that Mashko spoke not so much with -intent to lower him, as to exalt himself, and that likely he would have -said the same thing of every other young man in whom he might suspect -a possible rival. - -They were finally the tactics which Pan Stanislav himself might -have used in a similar case; this did not hinder him, however, from -considering them in Mashko as the acme of perversity, and he determined -to pay him if the opportunity offered. - -Toward the end of the concert he was able to see how far Mashko was -assuming the rôle of suitor. When Marynia, wishing to tie her veil, had -removed her gloves and they had fallen from her knees, Mashko raised -them and held them, together with her parasol; at the same time he took -her wrap from the side of the chair and placed it across his arm, so -as to give it to her when they were leaving the garden,--in a word, he -was entirely occupied with the lady, though he preserved the coolness -and tact of a genuine man of society. He seemed also sure of himself -and happy. In fact, Marynia, beyond the brief conversation with Bigiel, -talked only with Mashko during the time when she was not listening -to the music. When they moved toward the gate, she went with him and -before her father. Again Pan Stanislav saw her smiling profile turning -to Mashko. While talking, they looked into each other's eyes. Her face -was vivacious, and her attention directed exclusively to what he was -saying. She was, in fact, coquetting with Mashko, who saw it himself, -without admitting, however, for a moment, in spite of his cleverness, -that she could do so merely to worry Pan Stanislav. - -Before the gate a carriage was waiting in which Mashko seated her and -her father. He began then to take leave of them; but Marynia, inclining -toward him, said,-- - -"How is this? Papa has invited you; is it not true, papa?" - -"He was to come with us," said Plavitski. - -Mashko took his seat in the carriage, and they drove away, exchanging -bows with Bigiel and Pan Stanislav. The two friends walked on a good -while in silence; at last Pan Stanislav said, feigning calmness in his -voice,-- - -"I am curious to know if they are betrothed." - -"I do not think they are," said Bigiel; "but it is tending that way." - -"I too see that." - -"I thought that Mashko would seek property. But he is in love, and that -may happen even to a man who is thinking only of a career. Mashko is -in love. Besides, by taking her he will free himself from paying for -Kremen. No, the business is not so bad as it seems, and the lady is -very pretty; what is true, is true." - -And they were silent again. But Pan Stanislav felt so oppressed that he -could not control himself. - -"This thought that she will marry him is simply a torment to me. And -this helplessness! I should prefer anything to such helplessness. I -speak to thee openly. What a stupid and ridiculous rôle I have played -in the whole affair!" - -"Thou hast gone too far,--that may happen to any one; that thou wert -her father's creditor is the fault of remarkable circumstances. Thy -understanding of such matters differs utterly from his: thou and he are -men from two different planets, hence the misunderstanding. Perhaps the -affair was too sharply put by thee; but when I think it all over, too -great mildness was not proper, even out of regard to Panna Marynia. By -making too great abatements thou wouldst have made them for her,--is it -not true? What would have resulted? This, that she helped her father in -exploiting thee. No; it was for thee to finish the matter." - -Here the prudent Bigiel checked himself, thought a moment, and said,-- - -"And as to thy rôle, there is one escape: to withdraw completely, leave -events to their course, and tell thyself that all is going according to -thy idea." - -"How will it help me," cried Pan Stanislav, violently, "to say that, -when all is going against my idea?--and since I feel foolish, there -is no help for it. How could there be? To begin with, I did all this -myself, and now I want to undo it. All my life I have known what I -wanted, but this time I have acted as if I didn't know." - -"There are passages in life to be forgotten." - -"That may be, my dear man, but meanwhile interest in life falls away. -Is the question whether I am well or ill, rich or naked, the same to -me now as it once was? I feel sick at the very thought of the future. -Thou art established and connected with life; but what am I? There was -a prospect; now there is none. That gives a great distaste for things." - -"But surely Panna Marynia is not the only woman on earth." - -"Why say that? She is the only one now; were there another, I should -think of that other. What is the use of such talk? In this lies the -question, in this the whole evil,--that she is the only one. A year -from now a tile may fall on my head, or I may find another woman: what -will happen to-morrow I know not; but that the deuce is taking me -to-day, I do know. This is connected in me with other things too, of -which to-day I do not care to speak. In external life it is necessary -to eat bread in peace,--is not that true? In internal life it is the -same. And this is an urgent affair; but I defer internal life till -after marriage, for I understand that new conditions work out a new way -of thinking, and moreover, I wish to finish one thing before beginning -another. But everything grows involved,--not only involved, but -vanishes. Barely has something appeared when it is gone. This is the -case now. I live in uncertainty. I would prefer if they were already -betrothed, for then all would end of itself." - -"I tell thee only this," said Bigiel: "when I was a boy, I got a thorn -in me sometimes; it pained much less to draw the thorn out myself than -to let some one else draw it." - -"In that thou art right," said Pan Stanislav, who added after a while, -"The thorn may be drawn if it has not gone in too deeply, and one can -seize it. But what are comparisons! When a thorn is drawn out, nothing -is lost; but my hope of the future is ruined." - -"That may be true; but if there is no help for it?" - -"To accept that view is just what grieves the man who is not an -imbecile." - -The conversation stopped here. At the moment of parting Pan Stanislav -said,-- - -"By the way, I should prefer not to be with you on Sunday." - -"Maybe thou wilt do well to stay away." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -A surprise was waiting at home for Pan Stanislav; he found the -following despatch from Pani Emilia, "I leave here for home to-morrow -evening; Litka is well." This return was unexpected, or at least -uncommonly hurried; but since the despatch contained an assurance -as to Litka's health, Pan Stanislav understood that Pani Emilia was -returning for the sole purpose of occupying herself with his affair, -and his heart rose in gratitude. "There is an honest nature," said he -to himself; "that is a friend." And with thankfulness there rose in -his heart such hope, as if Pani Emilia had the ring of an enchantress, -or a magic rod, with which she could change the heart of Panna Marynia -in an instant. Pan Stanislav did not know clearly how this could be -done; but he knew that one person at least wished him well with deep -sincerity, would speak for him, would justify him, would exalt his -heart and character and diminish prejudices, which the course of events -had accumulated against him. He calculated that Pani Emilia would be -very persevering, and that for her this would be a question of duty. A -man who is troubled by something is glad to find a person on whom to -put responsibility. So in moments of rising bitterness, especially, -it seemed to Pan Stanislav that Pani Emilia was responsible for his -relations with Marynia; for if she had not shown that letter from which -Marynia's readiness to love him was evident, he would have been able -to take his mind and heart from her. Perhaps this was true, since in -the history of his feelings this letter did in fact play a leading -part. It showed him how near happiness had been, almost secured; to -what extent in her own mind Marynia had given him heart and soul. It -is more difficult to throw away happiness which is not only desired, -but begun; and, had it not been for that letter, Pan Stanislav might -have regretted the past less, forgotten it more easily, and reconciled -himself to the position more readily. At present he thought it even -her duty to help him with all her power. Finally, he understood that -the affair would move, as it were, of itself; he hoped to see Marynia -often, and in conditions most favorable, since he would see her in a -house where he was loved and esteemed, and where like feelings must -be communicated to each guest. All this strengthened Pan Stanislav's -hope; but it added new links to those which bound his thoughts to -Marynia. Previously he had promised himself not to go to Bigiel's (on -Sunday); now he changed his decision, thinking that, if only health -permitted, Pani Emilia too would take part in the trip. Aside from -reasons connected with Marynia, he rejoiced from his whole soul to -see the beloved faces of Pani Emilia and Litka, who were his greatest -attachments in life so far. - -That same evening he wrote a few words to Plavitski touching the -arrival, supposing that Marynia would be thankful for that information; -he gave notice at Pani Emilia's, so that servants would be waiting in -the morning with tea; and he hired a commodious carriage to take her -and Litka to their home. - -Next morning at five he was at the station; while waiting for the -train, he began to run briskly along the platform to warm himself -somewhat, since the morning was cool. Remote objects, the station -buildings, and the cars standing on the near rails, were sunk in fog, -which, very dense near the ground, became rose-colored and shining -higher up, announcing that the day would be pleasant. Except officials -and servants, there was no one on the platform yet, because of the -early hour; gradually, however, people began to arrive. All at once -two forms came out of the fog; in one of these Pan Stanislav, with -beating heart, recognized Marynia, who was hastening, with her maid, to -greet Pani Emilia. As he had not expected the meeting, he was greatly -confused at the first moment. She stopped short, as if astonished or -troubled. After a while, however, he approached and extended his hand -to her,-- - -"Good-day!" said he. "And truly it will be a good day for us both if -our travellers arrive." - -"Then is it not certain?" asked Marynia. - -"Of course it is certain, unless something unlooked for prevents. I -received a despatch yesterday, and sent the news to Pan Plavitski, -thinking that you would be glad to hear it." - -"Thank you. The surprise was so pleasant!" - -"The best proof of that is that you have risen so early." - -"I have not lost the habit of early rising yet." - -"We came too soon. The train will arrive only in half an hour. -Meanwhile I advise you to walk, for the morning is cool, though the day -promises to be fine." - -"The fog is clearing," said Marynia, raising her blue eyes, which to -Pan Stanislav seemed violet in the light of the morning. - -"Do you wish to walk along the platform?" - -"Thank you; I prefer to sit in the waiting-room." - -And, nodding, she went away. Pan Stanislav began to fly with hurried -steps along the platform. It was somewhat bitter to think that she -would not remain; but he explained to himself that perhaps this was -not proper, and, besides, the bitterness was overcome by the pleasant -thought of how the coming of Pani Emilia would bring them nearer, -and how many meetings it would cause. A certain wonderful solace and -good-humor continued to rise in him. He thought of the violet eyes of -Marynia, and her face made rosy by the coolness of the morning; he -rushed past the windows of the hall in which she was sitting, and said -to himself almost joyfully,-- - -"Ah, ha! sit there, hide thyself! I will find thee." And he felt with -greater force than ever how dear she might become to him, if she -would be kind even in a small degree. Meanwhile bells sounded; and a -few minutes later, in the fog, still dense at the earth, though the -sky above was blue, appeared the dim outlines of the train, which, -as it approached, became more clearly defined. The engine, puffing -interrupted clumps of smoke, rolled in with decreasing movement, and, -stopping, began with noise and hissing to belch forth under its front -wheels the useless remnant of steam. - -Pan Stanislav sprang to the sleeping-car; the first face at the window -was Litka's, which at sight of him grew as radiant as if a sudden -sunbeam had fallen on it. The little girl's hands began to move -joyously, beckoning to Pan Stanislav, who was in the car in one moment. - -"My dearest little kitten!" cried he, seizing Litka's hand, "and hast -thou slept; art thou well?" - -"I am well; and we have come home. And we'll be together--and good-day, -Pan Stas!" - -Right behind the little girl stood Pani Emilia, whose hand "Pan Stas" -kissed very cordially; and he began to speak quickly, as people do at -time of greeting,-- - -"Good day to the dear lady. I have a carriage. You can go at once. -My servant will take your baggage; I ask only for the check. They are -waiting for you at home with tea. Pray give the check. Panna Plavitski -is here too." - -Panna Plavitski was waiting, in fact, outside the car; and she and -Pani Emilia shook hands, with faces full of smiles. Litka looked for a -moment at Marynia, as if hesitating; after a while, however, she threw -herself on her neck with her usual cordiality. - -"Marynia, thou wilt go with us to tea," said Pani Emilia. "It is ready, -and thou art fasting, of course." - -"Thou art tired, travelling all night." - -"From the boundary we slept as if killed; and when we woke, we had time -to wash and dress. In every case we must drink tea. Thou wilt go with -us?" - -"I will, with the greatest pleasure." - -But Litka began to pull at her mother's dress. - -"Mamma, and Pan Stas." - -"But, naturally, Pan Stas too,--he thought of everything. Thanks to -him, everything is ready. He must go with us, of course." - -"He must; he must!" cried Litka, turning to Pan Stanislav, who -answered, smiling,-- - -"Not he must; but he wants to." - -And after a moment all four took their places in the carriage. Pan -Stanislav was in excellent humor. Marynia was before him, and at -his side little Litka. It seemed to him that the morning brightness -was entering him, and that better days were beginning. He felt that -henceforth he would belong to an intimate circle of beings bound -together by comradeship and friendship, and in that circle would be -Marynia. Now she was sitting there before him, near his eye, and near -the friendship which both felt for Pani Emilia and Litka. Meanwhile all -four were talking joyously. - -"What has happened, Emilka," asked Marynia, "that thou hast come so -soon?" - -"Litka begged so every day to come home." - -"Dost not like to live abroad?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"No." - -"Homesick for Warsaw?" - -"Yes." - -"And for me? Now tell quickly, or it will be bad." - -Litka looked at her mother, at Marynia, and then at Pan Stanislav; and -at last she said,-- - -"And for Pan Stas too." - -"Take this for that!" said Pan Stanislav, and he seized her little hand -to kiss it; but she defended herself as she could. At last she hid her -hand. He, turning to Marynia, and showing his sound white teeth, said,-- - -"As you see, we are always quarrelling; but we love each other." - -"That is the way generally," answered Marynia. - -And he, looking her straight and honestly in the eyes, said,-- - -"Oh that it were the way generally!" - -Marynia blushed slightly and grew more serious, but said nothing, and -began to converse with Pani Emilia. - -Pan Stanislav turned to Litka. - -"But where is Professor Vaskovski? Has he gone to Italy?" - -"No. He stopped at Chenstohova, and will come the day after to-morrow." - -"Is he well?" - -"He is." - -Here the little girl looked at her friend, and said,-- - -"But Pan Stas has grown thin; hasn't he, mamma?" - -"Indeed he has," answered Pani Emilia. - -Pan Stanislav was changed somewhat, for he had been sleeping badly, and -the cause of that sleeplessness was sitting before him in the carriage. -But he laid the blame on cares and labor in his business. Meanwhile -they arrived at Pani Emilia's. - -When the lady went to greet her servants, Litka ran after her. Pan -Stanislav and Marynia remained alone in the dining-room. - -"You have no nearer acquaintance here, I suppose, than Pani Emilia?" -said Pan Stanislav. - -"None nearer; none so beloved." - -"In life kindness is needed, and she is very kind and well-wishing. -I, for example, who have no family, can look on this as the house of -a relative. Warsaw seems different to me when they are here." Then he -added, with a voice less firm, "This time I comfort myself also with -their arrival, because there will be at last something mutual and -harmonious between us." - -Here he looked at her, with a prayer in his eyes, as if he wished to -say, "Give me a hand in conciliation; be kind to me, too, since a -pleasant day has come to us." - -But she, just because she could not be for him altogether indifferent, -went always farther in the direction of dislike. The more he showed -cordial kindness, the more sympathetic he was, the more his action -seemed to her unheard of, and the more offended she felt at heart. - -Having a delicate nature, and being, besides, rather timid, and feeling -really that a reply, if too ill-natured, might spoil the day's harmony, -she preferred to be silent; but he did not need an answer in words, -for he read in her eyes as follows: The less you try to improve our -relations, the better they will be; and they will be best if most -distant. His joy was quenched in one moment; anger took its place, and -regret, still stronger than anger,--for it rose from that charm which -nothing could conquer, and to which Pan Stanislav yielded himself with -the conviction, too, that the gulf between him and Marynia was in -reality growing deeper each day. And now, looking on her sweet and kind -face, he felt that she was as dear as she was lost irrecoverably. - -The arrival of Litka put an end to that interval, grievous to him -beyond description. The little girl ran in with great delight, her -hair in disorder, a smile on her lips; but seeing them, she stopped -suddenly, and looked now at one, now at the other, with her dark eyes. -At last she sat down quietly at a table with tea. Her joyousness had -vanished too, though Pan Stanislav, confining the pain in his heart, -strove to talk and be gladsome. - -But he turned scarcely any attention to Marynia; he occupied himself -only with Pani Emilia and Litka; and, wonderful thing! Marynia felt -that as an additional bitterness. To the series of offences still -another was added. - -On the following day Pani Emilia and Litka were invited to tea in the -evening at the Plavitskis'. Plavitski invited Pan Stanislav too, but he -did not go. And such is human nature that this again touched Marynia. -Dislike, as well as love, demands an object. Involuntarily Marynia -looked toward the door all the evening, till the hour struck in which -it was certain that Pan Stanislav would not come; then she began to -coquet so with Mashko that she transfixed Pani Emilia with amazement. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -Mashko was a very clever man, but full of self-love; he had no reason, -however, not to take the kindness which Marynia showed him in good -earnest. The unequal degree of it he attributed a little to coquetting, -a little to the changing disposition of the young lady; and though the -latter filled him with a certain alarm, this alarm was not great enough -to restrain him from taking a decisive step. - -Bigiel divined the true state of affairs when he declared that Mashko -was in love. Such was the case really. At first Panna Plavitski pleased -him in a high degree; afterward, when he had thought the pros and cons -over, he came to the conviction that the pros had prevailed. The young -advocate valued property, it is true; but, gifted with great sobriety -of mind, and understanding perfectly the conditions in which he found -himself, he concluded that a very wealthy lady he could not find and -would not get. Richly dowered young ladies were found either among -the aristocracy of descent,--and for him their thresholds were too -lofty,--or among the world of financiers, who sought connections with -families bearing names more or less famous. Mashko knew perfectly that -his painted bishops and armored men, whom Bukatski ridiculed, would not -open bankers' safes to him. He understood that even if they had been -less fantastic, his profession of advocate would itself be a certain -_diminutio capitis_ in the eyes of great financial whales. On the other -hand, he had, in truth, a certain racial repugnance to that kind of -connection; while maidens of good descent had the uncommon attraction -which they have for parvenus generally. - -Panna Plavitski had no dower, or at least a very insignificant one. -In taking her, however, he would free himself from all obligations -to the Plavitskis created by the purchase of Kremen. Secondly, by -connecting himself with a good family, he would endeavor to bring in -a whole group of noble clients, and this might be a very real profit; -finally, through the family relations of Marynia, he might in time -manage the business of a number, or a number of tens, of really wealthy -families,--a thing which had long been the object of his efforts. - -The Plavitskis, like all who are a little above middling country -families, had indeed relatives whom they did not greatly recognize; -they had also others who did not greatly recognize them. This, however, -was done not so much from reasons of pride as involuntarily, by virtue -of a certain social selection, through which people seek in society -persons who are more or less in the same conditions of life as they -themselves are. Great family festivals united such separated relatives -temporarily; and Mashko not only found it agreeable to think that -at his wedding there would be perfectly well-sounding names, but he -foresaw various possible profits. The question would be merely one of -cleverness to give people of this kind an idea that it would be well -on their part, good and safe, to intrust their business to a man noted -for energy, and, more than all, one of their own class, since he is a -relative. That would be something like a dower given to a poor cousin. -Mashko, taking note of his own qualities, hoped to force himself on -them, and in time tower above them. He knew that this man or that would -come at first to him for such counsel as he might find in conversation -with an acquaintance, or a distant relative, who happened to understand -various questions; later on, as the counsels proved good, he would come -oftener, and at last put everything into the hands of the counsellor. -Helping others in this fashion, he could himself sail out into broad -waters, clear Kremen in time, advance to considerable property, throw -aside at last legal pursuits, which he did not like, and which he -considered only as a means of reaching his object, and fix himself -finally in lofty spheres of society as an independent man, and at the -same time a representative of superior landed property resting on a -firm basis. He had foreseen all this, calculated and counted, before he -determined to try for the hand of Panna Plavitski. - -He had not foreseen, however, one thing; to wit, that he would fall -in love to such a degree as he had. For the time this made him angry, -for he judged that too strong a feeling was something opposed to the -balance which a man of high society should preserve at all times. That -balance was one of his illusions. If he had had no need of forcing -himself into that society, or had been born in it, he might have -permitted himself to love to his heart's satisfaction. - -In spite of all his keenness, he had not understood that one of the -chief privileges of this society, which considers itself privileged, -is freedom. For this reason he was not altogether content when his -heart melted too much in presence of Marynia. But, on the other hand, -the object toward which he strove grew identified the more in him with -that personal happiness which was verging almost on intoxication. - -These were new things for him, so new that the brightness of those -unknown horizons blinded him. Mashko had arrived at thirty and some -years of his life without knowing what rapture is. Now he understood -what happiness and charms were described by that word, for he was -enraptured with Marynia to the depth of his soul. Whenever Plavitski -received him in his room, and she was in the adjoining one, Mashko was -with her in thought to such a degree that hardly could he understand -what the old man was saying. - -When she entered, there rose in his heart feelings utterly unknown to -him hitherto,--feelings tender and delicate, which made him a better -man than he was usually. His blue eyes changed their ordinary steel -and cold gleam to an expression of sweetness and delight; the freckles -on his face, by which he called to mind Professor Vaskovski, became -still more distinct; his whole form lost its marks of formality, and -he passed his fingers through his light side whiskers, not like an -English lord, but an ordinary love-stricken mortal. He rose at last so -high that he wished not only his own good, but her good, evidently not -understanding it otherwise than through him and in him. - -He was so much in love that, if rejected, he might become dangerous, -especially in view of his want of moral development, his great real -energy, and lack of scruples. Till then he had not loved, and Marynia -roused first in him all that was capable of loving. She was not a -brilliant beauty; but she possessed in the highest degree the charm of -womanliness, and that womanliness was the reason that she attracted -energetic natures specially. In her delicate form there was something -in common with a climbing plant; she had a calm face, clear eyes, and a -mouth somewhat thoughtful,--all this, taken together, did not produce a -mighty impression at the first glance, but after a time every man, even -the most indifferent, saw that there was in her something peculiar, -which made him remember that he had in his presence a woman who might -be loved. - -In so far as Mashko felt himself better than usual, and in reality -was so during that epoch of his life, in that far had the spiritual -level of Marynia sunk since the Plavitskis came to Warsaw. The sale of -Kremen had deprived her of occupation and a moral basis of life. She -lacked a lofty object. Besides, the course of events had accumulated in -her bitterness and dissatisfaction, which turn always to the injury of -the heart. Marynia felt this herself distinctly; and a few days after -that evening when Pan Stanislav did not come to them, she began first -to speak of this to Pani Emilia, when at twilight they were left by -themselves in the drawing-room adjoining Litka's chamber. - -"I see," said she, "that we are not so outspoken with each other as we -used to be. I have wished to speak with thee openly, and I cannot bring -myself to do so, for it has seemed to me that I am not worthy of thy -friendship." - -Pani Emilia brought her sweet face up to Marynia's head, and began to -kiss her on the temples. - -"Ai, thou Marynia, Marynia! What art thou saying, thou, always calm and -thoughtful?" - -"I say so, for in Kremen I was more worthy than I am now. Thou wilt not -believe how attached I was to that corner. I had all my days occupied, -and had some sort of wonderful hope that in time something very happy -would come to me. To-day all that has passed; and I cannot find myself -in this Warsaw, and, what is worse, I cannot find my former honesty. I -saw how astonished thou wert because I was coquetting with Pan Mashko. -Do not tell me that thou didst not see it. And dost thou think that I -myself know why I acted so? It must be because I am worse, or from some -anger at myself, at Pan Stanislav, at the whole world. I do not love -Mashko; I will not marry him. Therefore I act dishonestly, and with -shame I confess it; but moments come in which I should like to do an -intended injustice to some one. Thou shouldst break thy old friendship -with me, for in truth I am other than I have been." - -Here tears began to roll down Marynia's face, and Pani Emilia fell to -quieting her and fondling her all the more; at last she said,-- - -"Pan Mashko is striving for thee most evidently; and I thought, I -confess, that thou hadst the intention of accepting him. I tell thee -now sincerely that that pained me, for he is not the man for thee; but, -knowing thy love for Kremen, I admitted thy wish to return to it in -this way." - -"At first I had such thoughts, it is true. I wished to persuade myself -that Pan Mashko pleased me; I did not like to repulse him. It was a -question with me of something else too, but it was a question also of -Kremen. But I could not convince myself. I do not want even Kremen at -such a price; but precisely in this lies the evil. For, in such a case, -why am I leading Pan Mashko into error, why am I deluding him? Through -simple dishonesty." - -"It is not well that thou art deluding him; but it seems to me that -I understand whence that flows. From repugnance to some one else, -and from the offence given by him. Is it not true? Console thyself, -however, with this, that the evil is not beyond remedy; for thou -mayst change thy action with Pan Mashko to-morrow. And, Marynia, it -is needful to change it while there is time yet, while nothing is -promised." - -"I know, Emilia; I understand that. But see, when I am with thee I feel -as formerly, like an upright and honest woman; I understand, that not -only a word binds, but conduct. And he may say that to me." - -"Then tell him that thou hast tried to convince thyself that thou wert -in love with him, but could not. In every case, that is the only way." - -Silence followed; but both Marynia and Pani Emilia felt that they -had not begun yet to talk of that which, if it did not concern both, -concerned Pani Emilia most seriously. So, taking Marynia's hands, she -said,-- - -"Now confess, Marynia, thou art coquetting with Mashko because thou art -offended by Pan Stanislav?" - -"That is true," answered Marynia, in a low voice. - -"But does not this mean that the impression of his visit to Kremen, and -of thy first conversations with him, are not effaced yet?" - -"Better if it were." - -Pani Emilia began to stroke her dark hair. "Thou wilt not believe how -good, clever, and noble a man he is. For us he has some friendship. He -has liked Litka always; this makes me grateful from my whole soul to -him. But thou knowest what an unardent and lukewarm feeling friendship -is usually. He in this regard even is exceptional. When Litka was sick -in Reichenhall, wilt thou believe it, he brought a celebrated doctor -from Monachium; but, not wishing to alarm us, he said that the doctor -had come to another patient, and that we should take advantage of his -presence. Think what care and kindness! He is extremely reliable, a man -to be trusted; and he is energetic and just. There are intelligent men, -but without energy; others have energy, but lack delicacy of heart. -He unites one to the other. I forgot to tell thee that when Litka's -property was in danger, and when my husband's brother set about saving -it, he found the greatest aid in Pan Stanislav. If Litka were grown up, -I would give her to no one in the world with such confidence as to him. -I could not even recount to you how much kindness we have experienced -from him." - -"If as much as I have of evil, then very much." - -"Marynia, he did not intend that. If thou couldst but know how he -suffers for his rashness, and how sincerely he acknowledges his fault -touching thee." - -"He told me that himself," answered Marynia. "I, my Emilka, have -pondered much over this,--to tell the truth, I have not thought of -another thing; and I cannot find that he is to blame. In Kremen he was -so pleasant that it seemed to me--to thee alone will I say this; for -to thee I have written it already--that on the Sunday evening which he -passed in our house I went to sleep with my head and heart so filled -with him that I am ashamed to speak of it now. And I felt that one -day longer, one friendly word more on his part, and I should love him -for my lifetime. It seemed to me that he also-- The next day he went -away in anger. The fault was my father's; it was mine also. I was -able to understand that; and dost remember the letter I wrote thee at -Reichenhall? Precisely the same trust which thou hast in him, I too -had. He went away; I myself do not know why I thought, that he would -return, or would write to me. He did not return; he did not write. -Something told me that he would not take away Kremen; he took it. And -afterward--I know that Pan Mashko talked with him openly, and he urged -Pan Mashko, and assured him that he was thinking of nothing himself. -Oh, my Emilia! If it please thee, he is not to blame; but how much harm -has he done to me! Through him I have lost not only a beloved corner in -which I was working; but more, I have lost faith in life, in people, -in this,--that better and nobler things in this world conquer the low -and the evil. I have become worse. I tell thee sincerely that I cannot -find myself. He had the right to act as he has acted, I admit that; -I say so, and do not say that he is guilty. But he has broken some -vital spring in me. There is no cure for that; it cannot be mended. How -can it? What is it to me that a change rose in him afterward; that he -regrets what he did; that he would be ready even to marry me? What is -that to me, if I, who almost loved him, not only do not love him now, -but must guard against repugnance? That is worse than if I did not -care for him. I know what thy wish is; but life must be built on love, -not on repugnance. How can I give my hand to him with that feeling of -offence in my soul and with that regret, that through him, guilty or -not guilty, so much has been lost to me? Thou thinkest that I do not -see his charm; but what can I do, when the more I see him, the more I -am repulsed, and if I had to choose I should choose Pan Mashko, though -he is less worthy? To everything good which thou canst say of him I -agree; but to everything I answer: I do not love him; I never will love -him." - -Pani Emilia's eyes were filled with tears. "Poor Pan Stas," said she, -as if to herself. And after a moment of silence she asked, "And art -thou not sorry for him?" - -"I am sorry for him when I think of him as he was in Kremen; I am sorry -for him when I do not see him. But from the moment that I see him, I -feel nothing but--repulsion." - -"Yes; because thou knowest not how unhappy he was in Reichenhall, and -now he is still more unhappy. He has no one in the world." - -"He has thy friendship, and he loves Litka." - -"My Marynia, that is something different. I am thankful to him from my -whole soul for his attachment to Litka; but that is something different -altogether, and thou knowest thyself that he loves thee a hundred times -more than Litka." - -In the chamber it had grown dark already; but soon the servant brought -in a lamp, and, placing it on the table, went out. By the lamplight -Pani Emilia beheld a whitish form crouched on the sofa near the door -which led to Litka's room. - -"Who is there? Is that Litka?" - -"I, mamma." - -In her voice there was something; Pani Emilia rose and went hurriedly -toward her. - -"When didst thou come out? What is the matter?" - -"I feel so ill in some way." - -Pani Emilia sat down on the sofa, and, drawing the little girl up to -her, saw tears in her eyes. - -"Art thou crying, Litus? What is the matter?" - -"Oh, so sad, so sad!" - -And, inclining her head to her mother's shoulder, she began to cry. -She was in reality sad, for she had learned that "Pan Stas" was more -unhappy than in Reichenhall, and that he loves Marynia a hundred times -more than her. That evening, when going to sleep and in her nightdress, -she nestled up to her mother's ear and whispered,-- - -"Mamma, mamma, I have one very great sin on my conscience." - -"My poor little girl, what is troubling thee?" - -She whispered in a still lower voice, "I do not like Panna Marynia." - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -Pani Emilia, with Litka and Marynia, and with them Plavitski, were -going to the Bigiels to dine at their country house, which stood in a -forest at the distance of one hour and a half from the city. It was a -fine day in September; there were myriads of glittering spider-webs -in the air and on the stubbles. Leaves still fresh and green adhered -to the trees yet; here and there, through leafy openings, were -visible as it were fountains and bouquets of red and yellow. That -pale and faded autumn brought to Marynia's mind her occupations in -the country, the odor of grain in the barns, the fields with stacks, -and the clear extent of the meadows, bounded way off somewhere on the -horizon by stretches of alder. She felt a yearning for that life and -that composure, in comparison with which the city, notwithstanding -the labor which seethed in its every-day existence, but which Marynia -was unable to appreciate, seemed to her idle and empty. She felt now -that that life in which she had found her own worth and merit was lost -beyond return to her, and on the other hand there was not outlined -before her anything that could take its place and redeem it. She -might, it is true, return by becoming Pani Mashko; but her heart was -filled with bitterness at that thought alone, and Mashko, with his -Warsaw self-confidence, with his freckles and his side whiskers, with -his aping an English lord, seemed to her simply repulsive. Never had -she felt withal a deeper feeling against Pan Stanislav, who had taken -Kremen from her, and put Mashko in place of it. She was disgusted -with Mashko at that moment, and it seemed to her that she hated Pan -Stanislav. She saw before her life with her father on the pavement of -Warsaw, without an object, without occupation, without an ideal, with -regret for the past and in view of the past, and with emptiness in -the future. For this reason that calm autumn day, instead of quieting -her, filled her with bitterness and sorrow. On the whole, the journey -was not joyous. Litka sat in gloom because "Pan Stas" was not with -them. Pani Emilia gave all attention to her, fearing lest that gloomy -feeling might be connected with her health. Plavitski alone was in -genuine good-humor, especially at the beginning of the journey. In -his buttoned frock-coat, with a red flower in the buttonhole, with -a light-colored overcoat, and with mustaches as pointed as needles, -he thought himself beautiful, and was sprightly, since rheumatism, -which he felt at times, was not troubling him, by reason of the good -weather; secondly, before him sat one of the most presentable women in -Warsaw, who, as he supposed, would not remain indifferent to so many -charms, or in any case would esteem them in so far as she would be able -to note them. Let her say at least to herself, "Oh, what a charming -man that must have been!" In the worst event, Plavitski would have -been satisfied with such a retrospective recognition. In this hope he -was really enchanting; for at one time he was lofty and fatherly, at -another sportive, setting out with the theory that young men of the -present do not know how to act politely with ladies. In politeness, as -he told Pani Emilia, he went as far as mythology, which was true under -a certain aspect, for he looked at her as would a satyr. - -But all this was received with a faint smile and with too little -attention, hence he grew offended at last and began to speak of -something else; namely, that, thanks to the relations of his daughter, -he would become acquainted with the bourgeoisie, of which he was glad, -however, for hitherto he had seen that society only on the stage, but -it is necessary in life to meet the most varied kinds of people, for -it is possible to learn something from each of them. He added finally, -that it is the duty of certain circles not to estrange the commonalty, -but on the contrary to gather them in, and thus plant in them sound -principles; therefore he who had striven always to fulfil his social -duties did not halt before that mission. Here the noble expression of -his face took on a certain style of pensiveness, and in that state of -feeling they drove up to the villa of the Bigiels. - -It stood in a forest of unmixed pines, in the neighborhood of other -villas, among old trees, which in places were felled, in places -standing in groups of a few, or of a few tens. They seemed to wonder -a little what such a new house was doing among them in the old forest -stillness; but they hospitably shielded it from the wind; on fine days -they surrounded it with balsamic air, permeated with the odor of gum -and resin. - -The Bigiels, with a row of children, came out to meet the guests. Pani -Bigiel, who liked Marynia much, greeted her very cordially, desiring, -besides, to prepossess her thereby for Pan Stanislav; she considered -that the better Marynia understood how pleasant it might be for her -among them, the less difficulty would she make. - -Plavitski, who, during his previous stay with Marynia in Warsaw, -had made the acquaintance of the Bigiels at Pani Emilia's, but had -limited himself to leaving cards with them simply, showed himself now -such a gracious prince as was possible only to the most refined man, -who at the same time was fulfilling his mission of gathering in the -"bourgeoisie." - -"At the present day it is agreeable for any man to find himself under -the roof of a person like you; but all the more for me, since my -cousin, Polanyetski, has entered the career of commerce and is your -partner." - -"Polanyetski is a strong man," answered Bigiel, with directness, -pressing the gloved hand of Plavitski. - -The ladies retired for a moment to remove their hats; then, the air -being quite warm, they returned to the veranda. - -"Is Pan Stanislav not here yet?" inquired Pani Emilia. - -"He has been here since morning," answered Bigiel; "but now he is -visiting Pani Kraslavski. The place is near by," added he, turning to -Marynia; "not even half a verst distant. There are summer residences -everywhere about, and those ladies are our nearest neighbors." - -"I remember Panna Terka Kraslavski since the time of the carnival," -said Marynia. "She was always very pale." - -"Oh, she is very pale yet. The past winter she spent in Pau." - -Meanwhile the little Bigiels, who loved Litka wonderfully, drew her -out to play in front of the house. The little girls showed her their -gardens, made in the sand among the pines, in which gardens, to tell -the truth, nothing would grow. These surveys were interrupted every -little while by the girls, who stood on their toes and kissed Litka's -cheeks; she, bending her beautiful flaxen head, returned these kisses -with tenderness. - -But the boys wanted their share as well. First, they stripped to the -stalk the georgina at the house, gathering for Litka the most beautiful -blossoms; then they disputed about this,--what play does Litka like; -and they went to Pani Emilia for information. Edzio, who had the habit -of speaking in a very loud voice, and closing his eyes at the same -time, called out,-- - -"Please, Pani, I say that she likes ball better, only I don't know that -you will let her play ball." - -"Yes; if she will not run, for that hurts her." - -"Oh, she will not, Pani; we will throw the ball so that it will go -straight to her every time, then she will not run any. And if Yozio -doesn't know how to throw that way, let her throw the ball." - -"I want to play with her," said Yozio, pitifully. And at the very -thought that he might be deprived of that pleasure, his mouth took the -form of a horseshoe and began to quiver; but Litka anticipated his -outburst of sorrow, saying,-- - -"I will throw to thee, Yozio; I'll throw to thee very often." - -Yozio's eyes, already moist, began to smile at once. - -"They will not hurt her," said Bigiel to Pani Emilia. "This is -remarkable: the boys are what is called regular tearers; but with her -they are wonderfully careful. It is Pan Stanislav who has trained them -in this devotion to her." - -"Such lovely children! there are few in the world like them," remarked -Pani Emilia. - -In a moment the children gathered in a group to arrange the play. In -the middle of the group stood Litka, the oldest and the tallest; and -though the little Bigiels were well-behaved children, she, with her -sweet, poetic face and features, almost over-refined, seemed, among -those ruddy, round faces, like a being from another planet. Pani Bigiel -turned attention to that first of all. - -"Is she not a real queen?" asked she. "I say truly that never can I -look at her sufficiently." - -"She is so noble in appearance," added Bigiel. - -And Pani Emilia looked at her only one with a glance in which there was -a sea of love. The children ran apart now, and stood in a great circle -forming, on the gray background of fallen pine needles, parti-colored -spots, which seemed as small under the immense pines as colored -mushrooms. - -Marynia went from the veranda and stood near Litka, to assist her in -catching the ball, for which it was necessary to run, and in that way -save her from exertion. - -On the broad forest road leading to the villa, Pan Stanislav appeared -at that moment. The children did not notice him at once; but he took -in with a glance the veranda, as well as the space in front; and, -seeing the bright robe of Marynia under a pine, he hastened his steps. -Litka, knowing her mamma's alarm at every more animated movement which -she made, and, not wishing to disquiet her for anything, stood almost -without stirring from her place, and caught on her club only those -balls which came directly toward her. Marynia ran after all that went -farther. By reason of that running, her hair was loosened so that she -had to arrange it; and, at the moment when Pan Stanislav was coming in -at the gate, she stood bent backward somewhat and with arms raised to -her head. - -He did not take his eyes from her, and saw no one save her. She -seemed to him on that broad space younger and smaller than usual, and -therewith so maidenlike, so unapproachably attractive, so created -for this, that a man should put his arms around her and press her -to his boson; she was so feminine, so much the dearest creature on -earth,--that never till that moment had he felt with such force how he -loved her. - -At sight of him, the children threw down their balls and clubs, and -ran with a cry to meet him. The amusement was stopped. Litka at the -first instant sprang also toward Pan Stas, but restrained herself on -a sudden, and looked with her great eyes, now toward him, now toward -Marynia. - -"But thou art not rushing to meet Pan Polanyetski," said Marynia. - -"No." - -"Why, Litus?" - -"Because--" - -And her cheeks flushed somewhat, though the child did not know and did -not dare to express her thought, which might be expressed in the words: -"Because he does not love me any more; he loves only thee, and looks -only at thee." - -But he approached, freeing himself from the children, and repeating,-- - -"Do not hang on, little rogues, or I'll throw you." - -And he extended his hand to Marynia, looking at her in the eyes, with -an entreaty for a pleasant smile and a greeting even a whit less -indifferent than usual; then he turned to Litka,-- - -"But is the dearest kitten well?" - -At sight of him, and under the influence of his voice, she, forgetting -all the suffering of her little heart, gave him both hands, saying,-- - -"Oh, yes, well; but yesterday Pan Stas did not come to us, and it was -sad. To-day I'll take Pan Stas to mamma to give account." - -After a while all were on the veranda. - -"How are Pani Kraslavski and her daughter?" asked Pani Emilia. - -"They are well, and are coming here after dinner," answered Pan -Stanislav. - -Just before dinner Professor Vaskovski came, bringing Bukatski, who had -returned to Warsaw the evening before. His intimacy with the Bigiels -permitted him to come without being invited; and the presence of Pani -Emilia was too great a temptation to be resisted. He met her, however, -without a trace of sentiment, in his usual jesting fashion; she was -glad to see him, for he amused her with his strange and original way of -uttering ideas. - -"Were you not going to Monachium and Italy?" asked she, when they had -sat down to dinner. - -"Yes; but I forgot a card-knife in Warsaw, and came back to get it." - -"Oh, that was a weighty reason." - -"It always makes me impatient that people do everything from weighty -reasons. What privilege have weighty reasons, that every man must -accommodate himself to them? Besides, I gave, without wishing it, -the last services to a friend, for yesterday I was at the funeral of -Lisovich." - -"What! that thin little sportsman?" inquired Bigiel. - -"The same. And imagine that to this moment I cannot escape astonishment -that a man who played the jester all his life could bring himself to -such a serious thing as death. Simply I cannot recognize my Lisovich. -At every step a man meets disappointment." - -"But," said Pan Stanislav, "Pani Kraslavski told me that Ploshovski, he -with whom all the women of Warsaw were in love, shot himself in Rome." - -"He was a relative of mine," said Plavitski. - -This news affected Pani Emilia mainly. She scarcely knew Ploshovski -himself, but she had often seen his aunt, for whom her husband's elder -brother was agent. She knew also how blindly this aunt loved her -sister's son. - -"My God, what a misfortune!" said she. "But is it true? A young man so -capable, so wealthy--poor Panna Ploshovski!" - -"And such a great estate will be without an heir," added Bigiel. "I -know their property, for it is near Warsaw. Old Panna Ploshovski -had two relatives: Pani Krovitski, though she was distant, and Leo -Ploshovski, who was nearer. Neither are living now." - -These words moved Plavitski again. He was indeed some sort of a distant -relative of Panna Ploshovski, and even had seen her two or three times -in his life; but there remained to him merely the remembrance of fear, -for she had told him the bitter truth each time without circumlocution, -or rather, speaking simply, had scolded him as much as he could hold. -For this reason, in the further course of his life he avoided her most -carefully, and all communication between them was stopped, though on -occasions he liked to say a word in society of his relationship with -a family so well known and important. He belonged to that category -of people, numerous in our country, who are convinced that the Lord -God created for their special use an easy road to fortune through -inheritance, and who consider every hope of that kind as certain. He -cast a solemn glance, therefore, on the assembly, and said,-- - -"Perhaps, too, Providence decided that those properties should pass to -other hands, which are able to make better use of them." - -"I met Ploshovski abroad once," said Pan Stanislav; "and on me he made -the impression of a man altogether uncommon. I remember him perfectly." - -"He was so brilliant and sympathetic," added Pani Bigiel. - -"May God show him mercy!" said Professor Vaskovski. "I too knew him; he -was a genuine Aryan." - -"Azoryan," said Plavitski. - -"Aryan," repeated the professor. - -"Azoryan," corrected Plavitski, with emphasis and dignity. - -And the two old men looked at each other with astonishment, neither -knowing what the other wanted, and this to the great delight of -Bukatski, who, raising his monocle, said,-- - -"How is that, Aryan or Azoryan?" - -Pan Stanislav put an end to the misunderstanding by explaining that -Azorya was the name of the family escutcheon of the Ploshovskis, that -therefore it was possible to be at once an Aryan and an Azoryan; to -which Plavitski agreed unwillingly, making the parenthetical remark -that whoso bears a decent name, need not be ashamed of it, nor modify -it. - -Bukatski, turning to Pani Emilia, began to converse in his usual frigid -tone,-- - -"One kind of suicide alone do I consider justifiable, suicide for love; -therefore I am persuading myself for a number of years to it, but -always in vain." - -"They say that suicide is cowardice," put in Marynia. - -"This is a reason too why I do not take my life: I am excessively -brave." - -"Let us not speak of death, but of life," said Bigiel, "and of that -which is best in it, health. To the health of Pani Emilia!" - -"And Litka," added Pan Stanislav. - -Then he turned to Marynia and said, "To the health of our mutual -friends!" - -"Most willingly," answered Marynia. - -Then he lowered his voice and continued, "For see, I consider them -not only as friends of mine, but also--how is it to be expressed?--as -advocates. Litka is a child yet, but Pani Emilia knows to whom -friendship may be offered. Therefore if a certain person had a -prejudice against me, even justly; if I had acted with that person not -precisely as I should, or simply ill, and if that person knew me to be -suffering from my act,--that person ought to think that I am not the -worst of men, since Pani Emilia has sincere good-will for me." - -Marynia was confused at once; she was sorry for him. He finished in a -still lower voice,-- - -"But in truth I am suffering. This is a great question for me." - -Before she had answered, Plavitski raised a health to Pani Bigiel, -and made a whole speech, the substance of which was that the Queen of -Creation is no other than woman; therefore all heads should incline -before woman, as the queen, and, for this reason, he had bowed down all -his life before woman in general, and at present he bowed before Pani -Bigiel in particular. - -Pan Stanislav from his soul wished him to choke, for he felt that he -might have received some kind word from Marynia, and he felt that the -moment had passed. In fact, Marynia went to embrace Pani Bigiel; on her -return she did not resume the interrupted conversation, and he dared -not ask her directly for an answer. - -Immediately after dinner came Pani and Panna Kraslavski: the mother, -a woman about fifty years old, animated, self-confident, talkative; -the daughter, the complete opposite of her mother, formal, dry, cold, -pronouncing "tek," instead of "tak," but for the rest with a full, -though pale face, reminding one somewhat of the faces of Holbein's -Madonnas. - -Pan Stanislav began out of malice to entertain her; but, looking from -time to time at the fresh face and blue eyes of Marynia, he said -to himself, "If thou hadst given even one kind word! thou,--thou, -the pitiless." And he grew more and more angry, so that when Panna -Kraslavski said "memme" instead of "mamma," he inquired harshly,-- - -"Who is that?" - -"Memme," however, displayed her whole supply of facts, or rather -suppositions, concerning the suicide of Ploshovski. - -"Imagine," said she, with warmth, "it came to my head at once that he -shot himself because of the death of Pani Krovitski. Lord light her -soul! she was a coquette, and I never liked her. She coquetted with -him so that I was afraid to take Terka to any place where they were -together, because her conduct was simply a bad example for such a young -girl. What is true, is true! Lord light her soul! Terka, too, had no -sympathy for her." - -"Ah, Pani," said Pani Emilia, "I have always heard that she was an -angel." - -And Bukatski, who had never seen Pani Krovitski in his life, turned to -Pani Kraslavski and said phlegmatically,-- - -"Madame, _je vous donne ma parole d'honneur_ that she was an archangel." - -Pani Kraslavski was silent a moment, not knowing what to answer; then, -flushing up, she would have answered something sharp, were it not that -Bukatski, as a man of wealth, might in a given event be a good match -for Terka. Pan Stanislav enjoyed the same consideration in her eyes; -and for these two exclusively she kept up summer relations with the -Bigiels, whom she did not recognize when they met her by chance on the -street. - -"With gentlemen," said she, "every presentable woman is an angel or an -archangel. I do not like this, even when they say it to me about Terka. -Pani Krovitski might be a good person, but she had no tact; that is the -whole question." - -In this way conversation about Ploshovski dropped, the more since the -attention of Pani Kraslavski was turned exclusively to Pan Stanislav, -who was entertaining Panna Terka. He was entertaining her a little out -of anger at himself, a little out of anger at Marynia, and he tried to -convince himself that it was pleasant for him near her; he tried even -to find in her a charm, and discovered that her neck was too slender -and her eyes as it were quenched eyes, which grew lively and turned -inquiringly at him when there was no place for a question. He observed, -too, that she might be a quiet despot, for when the mother began to -talk too loudly, Panna Terka put her glasses to her eyes and looked -at her attentively; and under the influence of that look the mother -lowered her voice, or grew silent altogether. In general, Panna Terka -annoyed him immensely; and if he occupied himself more with her than he -ever had before, he did so from sheer desperation, to rouse at least a -shade of jealousy in Marynia. Even people of sound sense grasp at such -vain methods when the misery of their feelings presses them too keenly. -These methods produce usually results opposite to those intended, for -they increase the difficulty of subsequent approach and explanations; -besides, they merely strengthen the feeling cherished in the heart of -the person using them. Toward the end Pan Stanislav longed so much for -Marynia that he would have agreed to listen even to an unpleasant word -from her, if he could only approach her and speak; and still it seemed -to him more difficult now than an hour before. He drew a deep breath -when the visit was over, and the guests were preparing to go. Before -that, however, Litka approached her mother, and, putting her arms -around her neck, whispered. Pani Emilia nodded, and then approached Pan -Stanislav,-- - -"Pan Stanislav," said she, "if you do not think of spending the night -here, ride with us. Marynia and I will take Litka between us, and there -will be room enough." - -"Very well. I cannot pass the night here; and I am very thankful," -answered he; and, divining easily who the author of this plan was, he -turned to Litka and said,-- - -"Thou, my best little kitten, thou." - -She, holding to her mother's dress, raised to him her eyes, half sad, -half delighted, asking quietly,-- - -"Is that good, Pan Stas?" - -A few minutes later they started. After a fine day there came a night -still finer, a little cool, but all bright and silvery from the moon. -Pan Stanislav, for whom the day had passed grievously and in vain, -breathed now with full breast, and felt almost happy, having before -him two beings whom he loved very deeply, and one whom he loved beyond -everything on earth. By the light of the moon he saw her face, and it -seemed to him mild and peaceful. He thought that Marynia's feelings -must be like her face in that moment; that perhaps her dislike of him -was softening amid that general quiet. - -Litka dropped into the depth of the seat, and appeared to be sleeping. -Pan Stanislav threw a shawl, taken from Pani Emilia, over her feet, and -they rode on a while in silence. - -Pani Emilia began to speak of Ploshovski, the news of whose death had -impressed her deeply. - -"There is hidden in all that some unusually sad drama," said Pan -Stanislav; "and Pani Kraslavski may be right in some small degree when -she insists that these two deaths are connected." - -"There is in suicide," said Marynia, "this ghastly thing, that one -feels bound to condemn it; and while condemning there is an impression -that there should be no sympathy for the misfortune." - -"Sympathy," answered Pan Stanislav, "should be had for those who have -feeling yet,--hence for the living." - -The conversation ceased, and they went on again for some time in -silence. After a while Pan Stanislav pointed to the lights in the -windows of a house standing in the depth of a forest park, and said,-- - -"That is Pani Kraslavski's villa." - -"I cannot forgive her for what she said of that unfortunate Pani -Krovitski," said Pani Emilia. - -"That is simply a cruel woman," added Pan Stanislav; "but do you know -why? It is because of her daughter. She looks on the whole world as a -background which she would like to make as black as possible, so that -Panna Terka might be reflected on it the more brightly. Perhaps the -mother had designs sometime on Ploshovski; perhaps she considered Pani -Krovitski a hindrance,--hence her hatred." - -"That is a nice young lady," said Marynia. - -"There are persons for whom behind the world of social forms begins -another and far wider world; for her nothing begins there, or rather -everything ends. She is simply an automaton, in whom the heart beats -only when her mother winds it with a key. For that matter, there -are in society very many such young ladies; and even those who give -themselves out for something different are in reality just like her. -It is the eternal history of Galatea. Would you believe, ladies, that -a couple of years since an acquaintance of mine, a young doctor, fell -in love to distraction with that puppet, that quenched candle. Twice he -proposed, and twice he was rejected; for those ladies looked higher. He -joined the Holland service afterwards, and died there somewhere, with -the fever doubtless; for at first he wrote to me inquiring about his -automaton, and later on those letters ceased to come." - -"Does she know of this?" - -"She does; for as often as I see her, I speak of him. And what is -characteristic is this,--that the memory of him does not ruffle her -composure for an instant. She speaks of him as of any one else. If he -expected from her even a posthumous sorrow, he was deceived in that -also. I must show you, ladies, sometime, one of his letters. I strove -to explain to him her feeling; he answered me, 'I estimate her coolly, -but I cannot tear my soul from her.' He was a sceptic, a positive -man, a child of the age; but it seems that feeling makes sport of all -philosophies and tendencies. Everything passes; but feeling was, is, -and will be. Besides, he said to me once, 'I would rather be unhappy -with her than happy with another.' What is to be said in this case? The -man looked at things soundly, but could not tear his soul away,--and -that was the end of it." - -This conversation ended also. They came out now on to a road planted -with chestnut-trees, the trunks of which seemed rosy in the light of -the carriage lamps. - -"But if any one has misfortune, he must endure it," said Pan Stanislav, -following evidently the course of his own thoughts. - -Meanwhile Pani Emilia bent over Litka,-- - -"Art sleeping, child?" inquired she. - -"No, mamma," answered Litka. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - -"I have never run after wealth," said Plavitski; "but if Providence in -its inscrutable decrees has directed that even a part of that great -fortune should come to our hands, I shall not cross its path. Of this -not much will come to me. Soon I shall need four planks and the silent -tear of my child, for whom I have lived; but here it is a question of -Marynia." - -"I would turn your attention to this," said Mashko, coldly,--"that, -first of all, those expectations are very uncertain." - -"But is it right not to take them into consideration?" - -"Secondly, that Panna Ploshovski is living yet." - -"But sawdust is dropping out of the old woman. She is as shrivelled as -a mushroom!" - -"Thirdly, she may leave her property for public purposes." - -"But is it not possible to dispute such a will?" - -"Fourthly, your relationship is immensely distant. In the same way all -people in Poland are related to one another." - -"She has no nearer relatives." - -"But Polanyetski is your relative." - -"No. God knows he is not! He is a relative of my first wife, not mine." - -"And Bukatski?" - -"Give me peace! Bukatski is a cousin of my brother-in-law's wife." - -"Have you no other relatives?" - -"The Gantovskis claim us, as you know. People say that which flatters -them. But there is no need of reckoning with the Gantovskis." - -Mashko presented difficulties purposely, so as to show afterward a -small margin of hope, therefore he said,-- - -"With us people are very greedy for inheritances; and let any -inheritance be in sight, they fly together from all sides, as sparrows -fly to wheat. Everything in such cases depends on this: who claims -first, what he claims, and finally through whom he claims. Remember -that an energetic man, acquainted with affairs, may make something -out of nothing; while, on the other hand, a man without energy or -acquaintance with business, even if he has a good basis of action, may -effect nothing." - -"I know this from experience. All my life I have had business up to -this." Here Plavitski drew his hand across his throat. - -"Besides, you may become the plaything of advocates," added Mashko, -"and be exploited without limit." - -"In such a case I could count on your personal friendship for us." - -"And you would not be deceived," answered Mashko, with importance. -"Both for you and Panna Marynia I have friendship as profound as if you -belonged to my family." - -"I thank you in the name of the orphan," answered Plavitski; and -emotion did not let him speak further. - -Mashko put on dignity, and said, "But if you wish me to defend your -rights, both in this matter, which, as I said, may prove illusive, and -in other matters, then give me those rights." Here the young advocate -seized Plavitski's hand,-- - -"Respected sir," continued he, "you will divine that of which I wish to -speak; therefore hear me to the end patiently." - -He lowered his voice; and although there was no one in the room, he -began to speak almost in a whisper. He spoke with force, with dignity, -and at the same time with great self-command, as befitted a man who -never forgot who he was nor what he offered. Plavitski closed his eyes -at moments; at moments he pressed Mashko's hand; finally, at the end of -the conference, he said,-- - -"Come to the drawing-room; I will send in Marynia. I know not what she -will say to you; in every case, let that come which God wills. I have -at all times known your value; now I esteem you still more--and here!" - -The arms of Plavitski opened wide, and Mashko bent toward them, -repeating, not without emotion, but always with lofty dignity,-- - -"I thank, I thank--" - -After a while he found himself in the drawing-room. - -Marynia appeared with a face which had grown very pale; but she was -calm. Mashko pushed a chair toward her, seated himself in another, and -began,-- - -"I am here by the approval of your father. My words can tell you -nothing beyond what my silence has told already, and which you have -divined. But since the moment has come in which I should mention -my feelings explicitly, I do this then with all confidence in your -heart and character. I am a man who loves you, on whom you may lean; -therefore I put in your hands my life, and I beg you from the bottom of -my heart to consent to go with me." - -Marynia was silent for a moment, as if seeking words, then she said,-- - -"I ought to answer you clearly and sincerely. This confession is for me -very difficult; but I do not wish such a man as you to deceive himself. -I have not loved you; I do not love you, and I will not be your wife, -even should it come to me never to be any one's." - -Then a still more prolonged silence followed. The spots on Mashko's -face assumed a deeper hue, and his eyes cast cold steel gleams. - -"This answer," said he, "is as decided as it is painful to me and -unexpected. But will you not give yourself a few days to consider, -instead of rejecting me decisively at this moment?" - -"You have said that I divined your feelings; I had time then to make -my decision, and the answer which I gave you, I give after thorough -reflection." - -Mashko's voice became dry and sharp now,-- - -"Do you think that by virtue of your bearing with me, I had not the -right to make such a proposal?" - -And he was sure in that moment that Marynia would answer that he -understood her bearing incorrectly, that there was nothing in it -authorizing him to entertain any hope,--in one word, that she would -seek the crooked road taken usually by coquettes who are forced to -redeem their coquetry by lying; but she raised her eyes to him and -said,-- - -"My conduct with you has not been at times what it should have been; I -confess my fault, and with my whole soul I beg pardon for it." - -Mashko was silent. A woman who evades rouses contempt; a woman who -recognizes her fault dashes the weapon from the hand of every opponent -in whose nature, or even in whose education, there lies the least spark -of knightly feeling. Besides this, there is one final method of moving -the heart of a woman in such a ease, and that is to overlook her fault -magnanimously. Mashko, though he saw before him a precipice, understood -this, and determined to lay everything on this last card. Every nerve -in him quivered from anger and offended self-love; but he mastered -himself, took his hat, and, approaching Marynia, raised her hand to his -lips. - -"I knew that you loved Kremen," said he; "and I bought it for one -purpose only, to lay it at your feet. I see that I went by a mistaken -road, and I withdraw, though I do so with endless sorrow; I beg you to -remember that. Fault on your part there has not been, and is not. Your -peace is dearer to me than my own happiness; I beg you, therefore, as -an only favor, not to reproach yourself. And now farewell." - -And he went out. - -She sat there motionless a long time, with a pale face and a feeling -of oppression in her soul. She had not expected to find in him so many -noble feelings. Besides, the following thought came to her head, "That -one took Kremen from me to save his own; this one bought it to return -it to me." And never before had Pan Stanislav been so ruined in her -thoughts. At that moment she did not remember that Mashko had bought -Kremen, not from Pan Stanislav, but from her father; second, that he -had bought it profitably; third, that though he wished to return it, -he intended to take it again with her hand, thus freeing himself from -the payments which weighed on him; and finally, to take the matter as -it was in reality, neither Pan Stanislav nor any one else had taken -Kremen from her,--Plavitski had sold it because he was willing and -found a purchaser. But at that moment she looked on the matter in woman -fashion, and compared Mashko with Pan Stanislav, exalting the former -beyond measure, and condemning the latter beyond his deserts. Mashko's -action touched her so much that if she had not felt for him simply a -repulsion, she would have called him back. For a while it seemed to her -even that she ought to do so, but strength failed her. - -She did not know either that Mashko went down the stairs with rage and -despair in his soul; in fact, a precipice had opened before him. All -his calculations had deceived him: the woman whom he loved really did -not want him, and rejected him; and though she had striven to spare him -in words, he felt humbled as never before. Whatever he had undertaken -in life hitherto, he had carried through always with a feeling of his -own power and reason, with an unshaken certainty of success. Marynia's -refusal had taken that certainty from him. For the first time he -doubted himself; for the first time he had a feeling that his star was -beginning to pale, and that perhaps an epoch of defeats was beginning -for him on all fields on which he had acted hitherto. That epoch had -begun even. Mashko had bought Kremen on conditions exceptionally -profitable, but it was too large an estate for his means. If Marynia -had not rejected him, he would have been able to manage; he would not -have needed to think of the life annuity for Plavitski, or the sum -which, according to agreement, came to Marynia for Magyerovka. At -present he had to pay Marynia, Pan Stanislav, and the debts on Kremen, -which must be paid as soon as possible, for, by reason of usurious -interest, they were increasing day by day, and threatening utter ruin. -For all this he had only credit, hitherto unshaken, it is true, but -strained like a chord; Mashko felt that, if that chord should ever -snap, he would be ruined beyond remedy. - -Hence at moments, besides sorrow for Marynia, besides the pain which a -man feels after the loss of happiness, anger measureless, almost mad, -bore him away, and also an unbridled desire for revenge. Therefore, -when he was entering his residence, he muttered through his set teeth,-- - -"If thou do not become my wife, I'll not forgive thee for what thou -hast done to me; if thou become my wife, I'll not forgive thee either." - -Meanwhile Plavitski entered the room in which Marynia was sitting, and -said,-- - -"Thou hast refused him, or he would have come to me before going." - -"I have, papa." - -"Without hope for the future?" - -"Without hope. I respect him as no one in the world, but I gave him no -hope." - -"What did he answer?" - -"Everything that such a high-minded person could answer." - -"A new misfortune. Who knows if thou hast not deprived me of a morsel -of bread in my old age? But I knew that no thought of this would come -to thee." - -"I could not act otherwise; I could not." - -"I have no wish to force thee; and I go to offer my sufferings there -where every tear of an old man is counted." - -And he went to Lour's to look at men playing billiards. He would have -consented to Mashko; but at the root of the matter he did not count him -a very brilliant match, and, thinking that Marynia might do better, he -did not trouble himself too much over what had happened. - -Half an hour later Marynia ran in to Pani Emilia's. - -"One weight at least has fallen from my heart," began she. "I refused -Pan Mashko to-day decisively. I am sorry for him; he acted with me as -nobly and delicately as only such a man could act; and if I had for him -even a small spark of feeling, I would return to him to-day." - -Here she repeated the whole conversation with Mashko. Even Pani Emilia -could not reproach him with anything; she could not refuse a certain -admiration, though she had blamed Mashko for a violent character, and -had not expected that, in such a grievous moment for himself, he would -be able to show such moderation and nobleness. But Marynia said,-- - -"My Emilka, I know thy friendship for Pan Stanislav, but judge these -two men by their acts, not their words, and compare them." - -"Never shall I compare them," answered Pani Emilia, "comparison is -impossible in this case. For me, Pan Stanislav is a nature a hundred -times loftier than Mashko, but thou judgest him unjustly. Thou, -Marynia, hast no right to say, 'One took Kremen from me; the other -wished to give it back.' Such was not the case. Pan Stanislav did not -take it from thee at any time; but to-day, if he could, he would return -it with all his heart. Prepossesion is talking through thee." - -"Not prepossession, but reality, which nothing can change." - -Pani Emilia seated Marynia before her, and said, "By all means, -Marynia, prepossession, and I will tell thee why. Thou art not -indifferent to Pan Stanislav now." - -Marynia quivered as if some one had touched a wound which was paining -her; and after a while she replied, with changed voice,-- - -"Pan Stanislav is not indifferent to me; thou art right. Everything -which in me could be sympathy for him has turned to dislike; and hear, -Emilka, what I will tell thee. If I had to choose between those two -men, I should choose Mashko without hesitation." - -Pani Emilia dropped her head; after a while Marynia's arms were around -her neck. - -"What suffering for me, that I cause thee such pain! but I must tell -truth. I know that in the end thou, too, wilt cease to love me, and I -shall be all alone in the world." - -And really something like that had begun. The young women parted with -embraces and kisses; but still, when they found themselves far from -each other, both felt that something between them had snapped, and that -their mutual relations would not be so cordial as hitherto. - -Pani Emilia hesitated for a number of days whether to repeat Marynia's -words to Pan Stanislav; but he begged her so urgently for the whole -truth that at last she thought it necessary, and that she would better -tell it. When all had been told, he said,-- - -"I thank you. If Panna Plavitski feels contempt for me, I must endure -it; I cannot, however, endure this,--that I should begin to despise -myself. As it is, I have gone too far. My dear lady, you know that -if I have done her a wrong, I have tried to correct it, and gain her -forgiveness. I do not feel bound to further duties. I shall have -grievous moments; I do not hide that from you. But I have not been an -imbecile, and am not; I shall be able to bring myself to this,--I shall -throw all my feelings for Panna Plavitski through the window, as I -would something not needed in my chamber, I promise that sacredly." - -He went home filled with will and energy. It seemed to him that he -could take that feeling and break it as he might break a cane across -his knee. This impulse lasted a number of days. During that time he did -not show himself anywhere, except at his office, where he talked with -Bigiel of business exclusively. He worked from morning till evening and -did not permit himself even to think about Marynia in the daytime. - -But he could not guard himself from sleepless nights. Then came to him -the clear feeling that Marynia might love him, that she would be the -best wife for him, that he would be happy with her as never with any -one else, and that he would love her as his highest good. The regret -born of these thoughts filled his whole existence, and did not leave -him any more, so that sorrow was consuming his life and his health, -as rust consumes iron. Pan Stanislav began to grow thin; he saw that -the destruction of a feeling gives one sure result,--the destruction -of happiness. Never had he seen such a void before him, and never had -he felt, with equal force, that nothing would fill it. He saw, too, -that it was possible to love a woman not as she is, but as she might -be; therefore his heart-sickness was beyond measure. But, having great -power over himself, he avoided Marynia. He knew always when she was to -be at Pani Emilia's, and then he confined himself at home. - -It was only when Litka fell ill again that he began to visit Pani -Emilia daily, passing hours with the sick child, whom Marynia attended -also. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - -But poor Litka, after a new attack, which was more terrible than any -preceding it, could not recover. She spent days now lying on a long -chair in the drawing-room; for at her request the doctor and Pani -Emilia had agreed not to keep her in bed the whole time. She liked -also to have Pan Stanislav sitting near her; and she spoke to him -and her mother about everything that passed through her mind. With -Marynia she was silent usually; but at times she looked at her long, -and then raised her eyes to the ceiling, as if wishing to think out -a thought, and give herself an account of something. More than once -these meditations took place when she was left alone with her mother. -On a certain afternoon she woke as if from a dream, and turning to her -mother, said,-- - -"Mamma, sit near me here on the sofa." - -Pani Emilia sat down; the child put her arms around her neck, and, -resting her head on her shoulder, began to speak in a caressing voice, -which was somewhat enfeebled. - -"I wanted to ask mamma one thing, but I do not know how to ask it." - -"What is thy wish, my dear child?" - -Litka was silent a moment, collecting her thoughts; then she said,-- - -"If we love some one, mamma, what is it?" - -"If we love some one, Litus?" - -Pani Emilia repeated the question, not understanding well at first what -the little girl was asking, but she did not know how to inquire more -precisely. - -"Then what is it, mamma?" - -"It is this,--we wish that one to be well, just as I wish thee to be -well." - -"And what more?" - -"And we want that person to be happy, want it to be pleasant in the -world for that person, and are glad to suffer for that person when in -trouble." - -"And what more?" - -"To have that one always with us, as thou art with me; and we want that -one to love us, as thou lovest me." - -"I understand now," said Litka, after a moment's thought; "and I think -myself that that is true,--that it is that way." - -"How, kitten?" - -"See, mamma, when I was in Reichenhall, mamma remembers? at Thumsee I -heard that Pan Stas loves Panna Marynia; and now I know that he must be -unhappy, though he never says so." - -Pani Emilia, fearing emotion for Litka, said,-- - -"Does not this talk make thee tired, kitten?" - -"Oh, no, not a bit, not a bit! I understand now: he wants her to love -him, and she does not love him; and he wants her to be near him always, -but she lives with her father, and she will not marry him." - -"Marry him?" - -"Marry him. And he is suffering from that, mamma; isn't it true?" - -"True, my child." - -"Yes, I know all that; and she would marry him if she loved him?" - -"Certainly, kitten; he is such a kind man." - -"Now I know." - -The little girl closed her eyes, and Pani Emilia thought for a while -that she was sleeping; but after a time she began to inquire again,-- - -"And if he married Marynia, would he cease to love us?" - -"No, Litus; he would love us always just the same." - -"But would he love Marynia?" - -"Marynia would be nearer to him than we. Why dost thou ask about this -so, thou kitten?" - -"Is it wrong?" - -"No, there is nothing wrong in it, nothing at all; only I am afraid -that thou wilt weary thyself." - -"Oh, no! I am always thinking of Pan Stas anyhow. But mamma mustn't -tell Marynia about this." - -With these words ended the conversation, after which Litka held silence -for a number of days, only she looked more persistently than before at -Marynia. Sometimes she took her hand and turned her eyes to the young -woman, as if wishing to ask something. Sometimes when Marynia and Pan -Stanislav were near by, she gazed now on her, now on him, and then -closed her lids. Often they came daily, sometimes a number of times -in the day, wishing to relieve Pani Emilia, who permitted no one to -take her place in the night at Litka's bedside; for a week she had -been without rest at night, sleeping only a little in the day, when -Litka herself begged her to do so. Still Pani Emilia was not conscious -of the whole danger which threatened the little girl; for the doctor, -not knowing what that crisis of the disease would be, whether a step -in advance merely, or the end, pacified the mother the more decisively -because Pan Stanislav begged him most urgently to do so. - -She had a feeling, however, that Litka's condition was not favorable, -and, in spite of assurances from the doctor, her heart sank more than -once from alarm. But to Litka she showed always a smiling and joyous -face, just as did Pan Stanislav and Marynia; but the little girl had -learned already to observe everything, and Pani Emilia's most carefully -concealed alarm did not escape her. - -Therefore on a certain morning, when there was no one in her room but -Pan Stanislav, who was occupied with inflating for her a great globe of -silk, which he had brought as a present, the little girl said,-- - -"Pan Stas, I see sometimes that mamma is very anxious because I am -sick." - -He stopped inflating the globe, and answered,-- - -"Ai! she doesn't dream of it. What is working under thy hair? But it is -natural for her to be anxious; she would rather have thee well." - -"Why are all other children well, and I alone always sick?" - -"Nicely well! Weren't the Bigiel children sick, one after another, with -whooping-cough? For whole months the house was like a sheepfold. And -didn't Yozio have the measles? All children are eternally sick, and -that is the one pleasure with them." - -"Pan Stas only talks that way, for children are sick and get well -again." Here she began to shake her head. "No; that is something -different. And now I must lie this way all the time, for if I get up my -heart beats right away; and the day before yesterday, when they began -to sing on the street, and mamma wasn't in the room, I went to the -window a little while, and saw a funeral. I thought, 'I, too, shall die -surely.'" - -"Nonsense, Litus!" cried Pan Stanislav; and he began to inflate the -globe quickly to hide his emotion, and to show the child how little -her words meant. But she went on with her thought,-- - -"It is so stifling for me sometimes, and my heart beats so--mamma -told me to say then 'Under Thy protection,' and I say it always, for -I am terribly afraid to die! I know that it is nice in heaven, but -I shouldn't be with mamma, only alone in the graveyard; yes, in the -night." - -Pan Stanislav laid down the globe suddenly, sat near the long chair, -and, taking Litka's hand, said,-- - -"My Litus, if thou love mamma, if thou love me, do not think of such -things. Nothing will happen to thee; but thy mother would suffer if she -knew what her little girl's head is filled with. Remember that thou art -hurting thyself in this way." - -Litka joined her hands: "My Pan Stas, I ask only one thing, not more." - -He bent his head down to her: "Well, ask, kitten, only something -sensible." - -"Would Pan Stas be very sorry for me?" - -"Ah! but see what a bad girl!" - -"My Pan Stas, tell me." - -"I? what an evil child, Litus! Know that I love thee, love thee -immensely. God preserve us! there is no one in the world that I should -be so sorry for. But be quiet at least for me, thou suffering fly! thou -dearest creature!" - -"I will be quiet, kind Pan Stas." - -And in the moment when Pani Emilia came, and he was preparing to go, -she asked,-- - -"And Pan Stas is not angry with me?" - -"No, Litus," answered Pan Stanislav. - -When he had gone to the antechamber he heard a light knocking at the -door; Pani Emilia had given orders to remove the bell. He opened it and -saw Marynia, who came ordinarily in the evening. When she had greeted -him, she asked,-- - -"How is Litka to-day?" - -"As usual." - -"Has the doctor been here?" - -"Yes. He found nothing new. Let me help you!" - -Saying this, he wished to take her cloak, but she was unwilling to -accept his services, and refused. Having his heart full of the previous -talk with Litka, he attacked her most unexpectedly,-- - -"What I offer you is simple politeness, nothing more; and even if it -were something more, you might leave your repugnance to me outside -this threshold, for inside is a sick child, whom not only I, but you, -profess to love. Your response lacks not merely kindness, but even -courtesy. I would take in the same way the cloak of any other woman, -and know that at present I am thinking of Litka, and of nothing else." - -He spoke with great passionateness, so that, attacked suddenly, Marynia -was a little frightened; indeed, she lost her head somewhat, so that -obediently she let her cloak be taken from her, and not only did not -find in herself the force to be offended, but she felt that a man -sincerely and deeply affected by alarm and suffering might talk so, -therefore a man who was really full of feeling and was good at heart. -Perhaps, too, that unexpected energy of his spoke to her feminine -nature; it is enough that Pan Stanislav gained on her more in that -moment than at any time since their meeting at Kremen, and never till -then was she so strongly reminded of that active young man whom she had -conducted once through the garden. The impression, it is true, was a -mere passing one, which could not decide their mutual relations; but -she raised at once on him her eyes, somewhat astonished, but not angry, -and said,-- - -"I beg your pardon." - -He had calmed himself, and was abashed now. - -"No; I beg pardon of you. Just now Litka spoke of her death to me, and -I am so excited that I cannot control myself; pray understand this, and -forgive me." - -Then he pressed her hand firmly, and went home. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - -On the following day Marynia offered to stay at Pani Emilia's till -Litka should recover perfectly. Litka supported this offer, which Pani -Emilia, after a short opposition, was forced to accept. In fact, she -was dropping down from weariness; the health of the sick girl demanded -unceasing and exceptional watchfulness, for a new attack might come at -any instant. It was difficult to calculate or be sure that a servant, -even the most faithful, would not doze at the very moment in which -speedy assistance might save the child's life; hence the presence of -Marynia was a real aid to the anxious mother, and calmed her. - -As to Plavitski, he preferred to eat at the restaurant, and made no -trouble. Marynia, moreover, went in every day to inquire about his -health and bring domestic accounts into order; then she returned to -Pani Emilia to sit half the night by the little girl. - -In this way Pan Stanislav, who passed at Pani Emilia's all the time -free from occupation, and received, or rather dismissed with thanks, -those who came to inquire for Litka's health, saw Marynia daily. And -she in truth amazed him; Pani Emilia herself did not show more anxiety -for the child, and could not nurse her more carefully. In a week -Marynia's face had grown pale from watching and alarm; there were dark -lines beneath her eyes; but her strength and energy seemed to grow -hourly. There was in her also so much sweetness and kindness, something -so calm and delicate in the services which she rendered Litka, that -the child, despite the resentment which she cherished in her little -soul, began to be kind to her; and when she went for some hours to her -father, Litka looked for her with yearning. - -Finally the little girl's health seemed to improve in the last hours. -The doctor permitted her to walk in the chamber and sit in an armchair, -which on sunny days was pushed to the door opening on the balcony, so -that she might look at the street and amuse herself with the movement -of people and carriages. - -At such times Pan Stanislav, Pani Emilia, and Marynia stood near her -frequently; their conversation related to what was passing on the -street. Sometimes Litka was wearied, and, as it were, thoughtful; -at other times, however, her child nature got the upper hand, and -everything amused her,--hence the October sun, which covered the roofs, -the walls, and the panes of the shop windows with a pale gold; the -dresses of the passers-by; the calling of the hucksters. It seemed -that those strong elements of life, pulsating in the whirl of the -city, entered the child and enlivened her. At times wonderful thoughts -came to her head; and once, when before the balcony a heavy wagon was -pushing past which carried lemon-trees in tubs, and these, though tied -with chains, moved with the motion of the wagon, she said,-- - -"Their hearts do not palpitate." And then, raising her eyes to Pan -Stanislav, she asked,-- - -"Pan Stas, do trees live long?" - -"Very long; some of them live a thousand years." - -"Oh, I would like to be a tree. And which does mamma like best?" - -"The birch." - -"Then I would like to be a little birch; and mamma would be a big -birch, and we should grow together. And would Pan Stas like to be a -birch?" - -"If I could grow somewhere not far from the little birch." - -Litka looked at him shaking her head somewhat sadly, said,-- - -"Oh, no! I know all now; I know near what birch Pan Stas would like to -grow." - -Marynia was confused, and dropped her eyes on her work; Pan Stanislav -began to stroke lightly with his palm the little blond head, and said,-- - -"My dear little kitten, my dear, my--my--" - -Litka was silent; from under her long eyelids flowed two tears, and -rolled down her cheeks. After a while, however, she raised her sweet -face, radiant with a smile,-- - -"I love mamma very much," said she, "and I love Pan Stas, and I love -Marynia." - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - -Professor Vaskovski inquired every day about the health of the little -one; and though most frequently they did not receive him, he sent her -flowers. Pan Stanislav, meeting him somewhere at dinner, began thanking -him in Pani Emilia's name. - -"Asters, only asters!" said Vaskovski. "How is she to-day?" - -"To-day not ill, but, in general, not well; worse than in Reichenhall. -Fear for each coming day seizes one; and at the thought that the child -may be missing--" - -Here Pan Stanislav stopped, for further words failed him; at last he -burst out,-- - -"What is the use in looking for mercy? There is nothing but logic, -which says that whoso has a sick heart must die. And may thunderbolts -split such existence!" - -Now came Bukatski, who, when he had learned what the conversation was, -attacked the professor; even he, as he loved Litka, rebelled in his -soul at thought of that death which was threatening her. - -"How is it possible to deceive oneself so many years, and proclaim -principles which turn into nothing in view of blind predestination?" - -But the old man answered mildly: "How, beloved friends, estimate with -your own measure the wisdom of God and His mercy? A man under ground is -surrounded by darkness, but he has no right to deny that above him are -sky, sun, heat, and light." - -"Here is consolation," interrupted Pan Stanislav; "a fly couldn't live -on such doctrines. And what is a mother to do, whose only and beloved -child is dying?" - -But the blue eyes of the professor seemed to look beyond the world. For -a time he gazed straightforward persistently; then he said, like a man -who sees something, but is not sure that he sees it distinctly, "It -appears to me that this child has fixed herself too deeply in people's -hearts to pass away simply, and disappear without a trace. There -is something in this,--something was predestined to her; she must -accomplish something, and before that she will not die." - -"Mysticism," said Bukatski. - -But Pan Stanislav interrupted: "Oh, that it were so, mysticism or no -mysticism! Oh, that it were so! A man in misfortune grasps even at a -shadow of hope. It never found place in my head that she had to die." - -But the professor added, "Who knows? she may survive all of us." - -Polanyetski was in that phase of scepticism in which a man recognizes -certainty in nothing, but considers everything possible, especially -that everything which at the given time his heart yearns for; he -breathed therefore more easily, and received certain consolation. - -"May God have mercy on her and Pani Emilia!" said he. "I would give -money for a hundred Masses if I knew they would help her." - -"Give for one, if the intention be sincere." - -"I will, I will! As to the sincerity of intention, I could not be more -sincere if the question involved my own life." - -Vaskovski smiled and said, "Thou art on the good road, for thou knowest -how to love." - -And all left relieved in some way. Bukatski, if he was thinking of -something opposed to what Vaskovski had said, did not dare mention it; -for when people in presence of real misfortune seek salvation in faith, -scepticism, even when thoroughly rooted, pulls its cap over its ears, -and is not only cowardly, but seems weak and small. - -Bigiel, who came in at that moment, saw more cheerful faces, and said,-- - -"I see by you that the little one is not worse." - -"No, no," said Pan Stanislav; "and the professor told us such wholesome -things that he might be applied to a wound." - -"Praise be to God! My wife gave money for a Mass to-day, and went then -to Pani Emilia's. I will dine with you, for I have leave; and, since -Litka is better, I will tell you another glad news." - -"What is it?" - -"Awhile ago I met Mashko, who, by the way, will be here soon; and when -he comes, congratulate him, for he is going to marry." - -"Whom?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"My neighbor's daughter." - -"Panna Kraslavski?" - -"Yes." - -"I understand," said Bukatski; "he crushed those ladies into dust with -his grandeur, his birth, his property, and out of that dust he formed a -wife and a mother-in-law for himself." - -"Tell me one thing," said the professor; "Mashko is a religious man--" - -"As a conservative," interrupted Bukatski, "for appearance' sake." - -"And those ladies, too," continued Vaskovski. - -"From habit--" - -"Why do they never think of a future life?" - -"Mashko, why dost thou never think of a future life?" cried Bukatski, -turning to the advocate, who was coming in at that moment. - -Mashko approached them and asked, "What dost thou say?" - -"I will say Tu felix, Mashko, nube!" (Thou, Mashko, art fortunate in -marriage!) - -Then all began to offer congratulations, which he received with full -weight of dignity; at the end he said,-- - -"My dear friends, I thank you from my whole heart; and, since ye all -know my betrothed, I have no doubt of the sincerity of your wishes." - -"Do not permit thyself one," said Bukatski. - -"But Kremen came to thee in season," interjected Pan Stanislav. - -Indeed, Kremen had come to Mashko in season, for without it he might -not have been accepted. But for that very cause the remark was not -agreeable; hence he made a wry face, and answered,-- - -"Thou didst make that purchase easy; sometimes I am thankful to thee, -and sometimes I curse thee." - -"Why so?" - -"For thy dear Uncle Plavitski is the most annoying, the most -unendurable figure on earth, omitting thy cousin, who is a charming -young lady; but from morning till evening she rings changes on her -never to be sufficiently regretted Kremen, through all the seven notes, -adding at each one a tear. Thou art seldom at their house; but, believe -me, to be there is uncommonly wearisome." - -Pan Stanislav looked into his eyes and answered, "Listen, Mashko: -against my uncle I have said everything that could hit him; but it -does not follow, therefore, that I am to listen patiently if another -attacks Plavitski, especially a man who has made profit by him. As to -Panna Marynia, she is sorry, I know, for Kremen; but this proves that -she is not an empty puppet, or a manikin, but a woman with a heart; -dost understand me?" - -A moment of silence followed. Mashko understood perfectly whom Pan -Stanislav had in mind when he mentioned the empty doll and manikin; -hence the freckles on his face became brick-colored, and his lips began -to quiver. But he restrained himself. He was in no sense a coward; -but even the man who is most daring has usually some one with whom he -has no wish to quarrel, and for Mashko Polanyetski was such a one. -Therefore, shrugging his shoulders, he said,-- - -"Why art thou angry? If that is unpleasing to thee--" - -But Pan Stanislav interrupted, "I am not angry; but I advise thee to -remember my words." And he looked him in the eyes again. - -Mashko thought, "If thou wilt have an adventure anyhow, thou canst have -it." - -"Thy words," said he, "I can remember; only do thou take counsel also -from me. Permit not thyself to speak in that tone to me, else I might -forget myself also, and call thee to reckoning." - -"What the deuce--?" began Bukatski. "What is the matter with thee?" - -But Pan Stanislav, in whom irritation against Mashko has been gathering -for a long time, would beyond doubt have pushed matters to extremes had -not Pani Emilia's servant rushed into the room at that moment. - -"I beg," said he, with a panting voice; "the little lady is dying!" - -Pan Stanislav grew pale, and, seizing his hat, sprang to the door. A -long, dull silence followed, which Mashko interrupted at last. - -"I forgot," said he, "that everything should be forgiven him at -present." - -Vaskovski, covering his eyes with his hands, began to pray. At length -he raised his head and said,-- - -"God alone has bridled death, and has power to restrain it." - -A quarter of an hour later, Bigiel received a note from his wife with -the words, "The attack has passed." - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - -Pan Stanislav hurried to Pani Emilia's, fearing that he would not find -Litka living; for the servant told him on the way that the little lady -was in convulsions, and dying. But when he arrived, Pani Emilia ran to -meet him, and from the depth of her breast threw out in one breath the -words, "Better! better!" - -"Is the doctor here?" - -"He is." - -"But the little one?" - -"Is sleeping." - -On the face of Pani Emilia the remnants of fear were struggling with -hope and joy. Pan Stanislav noticed that her lips were almost white, -her eyes dry and red, her face in blotches; she was mortally wearied, -for she had not slept for twenty-four hours. But the doctor, a young -man, and energetic, looked on the danger as passed for the time. -Pani Emilia was strengthened by what he told her in presence of Pan -Stanislav, especially this: "We should not let it come to a second -attack, and we will not." - -There was real consolation in these words, for evidently the doctor -considered that they were able to ward off another attack; still there -was a warning that another attack might be fatal. But Pani Emilia -grasped at every hope, as a man falling over a precipice grasps at the -branches of trees growing out on the edge of it. - -"We will not; we will not!" repeated she, pressing the doctor's hand -feverishly. - -Pan Stanislav looked into his eyes unobserved, wishing to read in them -whether he said this to pacify the mother, or on the basis of medical -conviction, and asked as a test,-- - -"You will not leave her to-day?" - -"I do not see the least need of staying," answered he. "The child -is exhausted, and is like to sleep long and soundly. I will come -to-morrow, but to-day I can go with perfect safety." Then he turned to -Pani Emilia,-- - -"You must rest, too. All danger has passed; the patient should not see -on your face any suffering or alarm, for she might be disturbed, and -she is too weak to endure that." - -"I could not fall asleep," said Pani Emilia. - -The doctor turned his pale blue eyes to her, and, gazing into her face -with a certain intensity, said slowly,-- - -"In an hour you will lie down, and will fall asleep directly; you will -sleep unbrokenly for six or eight hours,--let us say eight. To-morrow -you will be strong and refreshed. And now good-night." - -"But drops to the little one, if she wakes?" asked Pani Emilia. - -"Another will give the drops; you will sleep. Good-night." And he took -farewell. - -Pan Stanislav wished to follow him to inquire alone about Litka, but he -thought that a longer talk of that kind might alarm Pani Emilia; hence -he preferred to omit it, promising himself that in the morning he would -go to the doctor's house and talk there with him. After a while, when -he was alone with Pani Emilia, he said,-- - -"Do as the doctor directed; you need rest. I promise to go to Litka's -room now, and I will not leave her the whole night." - -But Pani Emilia's thoughts were all with the little girl; so, instead -of an answer, she said to him directly,-- - -"Do you know, after the attack, she asked several times for you -before she fell asleep. And for Marynia too. She fell asleep with the -question, 'Where is Pan Stas?'" - -"My poor beloved child, I should have come anyhow right after dinner. I -flew here barely alive. When did the attack begin?" - -"In the forenoon. From the morning she was gloomy, as if foreboding -something. You know that in my presence she says always that she is -well; but she must have felt ill, for before the attack she sat near me -and begged me to hold her hand. Yesterday, I forgot to tell you that -she put such strange questions to me: 'Is it true,' inquired she, 'that -if a sick child asks for a thing it is never refused?' I answered that -it is not refused unless the child asks for something impossible. Some -idea was passing through her head evidently, for in the evening, when -Marynia ran in for a moment, she put like questions to us. She went to -sleep in good humor, but this morning early she complained of stifling. -It is lucky that I sent for the doctor before the attack, and that he -came promptly." - -"It is the greatest luck that he went away with such certainty that -the attack would not be repeated. I am perfectly sure that that is his -conviction," answered Pan Stanislav. - -Pani Emilia raised her eyes: "The Lord God is so merciful, so good, -that--" - -In spite of all her efforts, she began to sob, for repressed alarm and -despair were changed to joy in her, and she found relief in tears. -In that noble and spiritualized nature, innate exaltation disturbed -calm thought; by reason of this, Pani Emilia never gave an account to -herself of the real state of affairs; now, for example, she had not -the least doubt that Litka's illness had ended once for all with this -recent attack, and that thenceforth a time of perfect health would -begin for the child. - -Pan Stanislav had neither the wish nor the heart to show her a middle -road between delight and despair; his heart rose with great pity for -her, and there came to him one of those moments in which he felt -more clearly than usually how deeply, though disinterestedly, he was -attached to that enthusiastic and idealistic woman. If she had been his -sister, he would have embraced her and pressed her to his bosom; as it -was, he kissed her delicate, thin hands, and said,-- - -"Praise be to God; praise be to God! Let the dear lady think now of -herself, and I will go to the little one and not stir till she wakes." -And he went. - -In Litka's chamber there was darkness, for the window-blinds were -closed, and the sun was going down. Only through the slats did some -reddish rays force their way; these lighted the chamber imperfectly and -vanished soon, for the sky began to grow cloudy. Litka was sleeping -soundly. Pan Stanislav, sitting near her, looked on her sleeping face, -and at the first moment his heart was oppressed painfully. She was -lying with her face toward the ceiling; her thin little hands were -placed on the coverlid; her eyes were closed, and under them was a -deep shadow from the lashes. Her pallor, which seemed waxen in that -reddish half-gloom, and her open mouth, finally, the deep sleep,--gave, -her face the seeming of such rest as the faces of the dead have. But -the movement of the ruffles on her nightdress showed that she was -living and breathing. Her respiration was even calm and very regular. -Pan Stanislav looked for a long time at that sick face, and felt -again, with full force, what he had felt often, when he thought of -himself,--namely, that nature had made him to be a father; that, -besides the woman of his choice, children might be the immense love of -his life, the chief object and reason of his existence. He understood -this, through the pity and love which he felt at that moment for Litka, -who, a stranger to him by birth, was as dear to him then as would have -been his own child. - -"If she had been given to me," thought he; "if she lacked a mother,--I -would take her forever, and consider that I had something to live for." - -And he felt also that were it possible to make a bargain with death, -he would have given himself without hesitation to redeem that little -"kitten," over whom death seemed then to be floating like a bird of -prey over a dove. Such tenderness seized him as he had not felt till -that hour; and that man, of a character rather quick and harsh, was -ready to kiss the hands and head of that child, with a tenderness of -which not even every woman's heart is capable. - -Meanwhile it had grown dark. Soon Pani Emilia came in, shading with her -hand a blue night-lamp. - -"She is sleeping?" asked she, in a low voice, placing the lamp on the -table beyond Litka's head. - -"She is," answered Pan Stanislav, in an equally low voice. - -Pani Emilia looked long at the sleeping child. - -"See," whispered Pan Stanislav, "how regularly and calmly she breathes. -To-morrow she will be healthier and stronger." - -"Yes," answered the mother, with a smile. - -"Now it is your turn. Sleep, sleep! otherwise I shall begin to command -without pity." - -Her eyes continued to smile at him thankfully. In the mild blue light -of the night-lamp she seemed like an apparition. She had a perfectly -angelic face; and Pan Stanislav thought in spite of himself that she -and Litka looked really like forms from beyond the earth, which by pure -chance had wandered into this world. - -"Yes," answered she; "I will rest now. Marynia has come, and Professor -Vaskovski. Marynia wishes absolutely to remain." - -"So much the better. She manages so well near the little girl. -Good-night." - -"Good-night." - -Pan Stanislav was alone again, and began to think of Marynia. At the -very intelligence that he would see her soon he could not think of -aught else; and now he put the question to himself: "In what lies -this wonderful secret of nature in virtue of which I, for example, -did not fall in love with Pani Emilia, decidedly more beautiful than -Marynia, likely better, sweeter, more capable of loving,--but with -that girl whom I know incomparably less, and, justly or unjustly, -honor less?" Still with every approach of his to Marynia there rose in -him immediately all those impulses which a man may feel at sight of -a chosen woman, while a real womanly form, like that of Pani Emilia, -made no other impression on him than if she had been a painting or a -carving. Why is this, and why, the more culture a man has, the more -his nerves become subtile, and his sensitiveness keener, the greater -difference does he make between woman and woman? Pan Stanislav had -no answer to this save the one which that doctor in love with Panna -Kraslavski had given him: "I estimate her coolly, but I cannot tear my -soul from her." That was rather the description of a phenomenon than an -answer, for which, moreover, he had not the time, since Marynia came in -at that moment. - -They nodded in salutation; he raised a chair then, and put it down -softly at Litka's bed, letting Marynia know by a sign that she was to -sit there. She began to speak first, or rather, to whisper. - -"Go to tea now. Professor Vaskovski is here." - -"And Pani Emilia?" - -"She could not sit up. She said that it was a wonder to her, but she -must sleep." - -"I know why: the doctor hypnotized her, and he did well. The little -girl is indeed better." - -Marynia gazed into his eyes; but he repeated,-- - -"She is really better--if the attack will not return, and there is hope -that it will not." - -"Ah! praise be to God! But go now and drink tea." - -He preferred, however, to whisper to her near by and confidentially, so -he said,-- - -"I will, I will; but later. Let us arrange meanwhile so that you may -rest. I have heard that your father is ill. Of course you have been -watching over him." - -"Father is well now, and I wish to take Emilia's place absolutely. She -told me that the servants had not slept either all last night, for the -child's condition was alarming before the attack. It is needful now -that some one be on the watch always. I should wish, therefore, so to -arrange that we--that is, I, you, and Emilka--should follow in turn." - -"Very well; but to-day I will remain. If not here, I shall be at call -in the next chamber. When did you hear of the attack?" - -"I did not hear of it. I came as I do usually in the evening to learn -what was to be heard." - -"Pani Emilia's servant hurried to me while I was dining. You can -imagine easily how I flew hither. I was not sure of finding her alive. -What wonder, since during dinner I talked almost all the time of Litka -with Bukatski and Vaskovski, till Mashko came with the announcement of -his marriage." - -"Is Mashko going to marry?" - -"Yes. The news has not gone around yet; but he announced it himself. He -marries Panna Kraslavski; you remember her?" - -"She who was at the Bigiels that evening. She is a good match for -Mashko, Panna Kraslavski." - -There was silence for a moment. Marynia, who, not loving Mashko, had -rejected his hand, but who more than once had reproached herself for -her conduct with regard to him, thinking that she had exposed him to -deception and suffering, could find only comfort in the news that the -young advocate had borne the blow so easily. Still the news astonished -her for the time, and also wounded her. Women, when they sympathize -with some one, wish first that some one to be really unhappy, and, -secondly, they wish to alleviate the misfortune themselves; when it -turns out that another is able to do that, they undergo a certain -disillusion. Marynia's self-love was wounded also doubly. She had -not thought that it would be so easy to forget her; hence she had to -confess that her idea of Mashko as an exceptional man had no basis. -He had been for her hitherto a kind of ace in the game against Pan -Stanislav; now he had ceased to be that. She felt, therefore, let -matters be as they might, somewhat conquered. This did not prevent her, -it is true, from informing Pan Stanislav, with a certain accent of -truth, that his news caused her sincere and deep joy, but at bottom she -felt in some sort offended by him because he had told her. - -For a certain time Pan Stanislav had acted with her very reservedly, -and in nothing had he betrayed what was happening within him. He did -not feign to be too cool, for they had to meet; therefore, in meeting -her he maintained even a certain kindly freedom, but for this very -reason she judged that he had ceased to love her, and such is human -nature, that though the old offence was existing yet, and had even -increased in the soul of the young woman, though her first disillusion -had changed as it were into a spring, giving forth new bitterness -continually, still the thought that her repugnance was indifferent to -him irritated Marynia. Now it seemed to her that Pan Stanislav must -even triumph over her mistake as to Mashko; and at this, that in every -case she, who shortly before had the choice between Mashko and him, -has that choice no longer, and will fall, as it were, into a kind of -neglect somewhat humiliating. - -But he was far from such thoughts. He was glad, it is true, that -Marynia should know that, by exalting Mashko above him, she had been -mistaken fundamentally; but he had not dreamed even of taking pleasure -in this or triumphing because of her isolation, for at every moment -and at that time more than any other he was ready to open his arms -to her, press her to his bosom, and love her. He was working, it is -true, continually and even with stubbornness to break in himself those -feelings; but he did this only because he saw no hope before him, and -considered it an offence against his dignity as a man to put all the -powers of his soul and heart into a feeling which was not returned. -To use his own expression, he wished to avoid surrender, and he did -avoid surrender, to the best of his power; but he understood perfectly -that such a struggle exhausts, and that even if it ends with victory -it brings a void, instead of happiness. Besides, he was far yet from -victory. After all his efforts he had arrived at this only,--that his -feeling was mingled with bitterness. Such a ferment dissolves love, it -is true, for the simple reason that it poisons it; and in time this -bitterness might have dissolved love in Pan Stanislav's heart. But -what an empty result! Sitting then near Marynia and looking at her -face and head, shone on by the light of the lamp, he said to himself, -"If only she wished!" That thought made him angry; but since he wanted -to be sincere with himself, he had to confess that if only she wished -he would bend to her feet with the greatest readiness. What an empty -result, then, and what a position without escape! For he felt that -the misunderstanding between them had increased so much that even if -Marynia desired a return of those moments passed in Kremen, self-love -and fear of self-contradiction would close her lips. Their relations -had become so entangled that they might fall in love more easily a -second time than come to an understanding. - -After a short conversation there was silence between them, interrupted -only by the breathing of the sick child and the slight, but mournful, -sounds of the window-panes, on which fine rain was striking. Outside, -the night had grown wet; it was autumnal, bringing with it oppression, -gloom, pessimism, and discontent. Equally gloomy seemed that chamber, -in whose dark corners death appeared to be lurking. Hour followed hour -more slowly. All at once forebodings seized Pan Stanislav. He looked -at Litka on a sudden, and it seemed to him madness to suppose that -she could recover. Vain was watching! vain were hopes and illusions! -That child must die! she must all the more surely, the dearer she was. -Pani Emilia will follow her; and then there will be a desert really -hopeless. What a life! See, he, Polanyetski, has those two, the only -beings in the world who love him,--beings for whom he is something; -therefore it is clear that he must lose them. With them there would -be something in life to which he could adhere; without them there -will be only nothingness and a certain kind of future, blind, deaf, -unreasoning, with the face of an idiot. - -The most energetic man needs some one to love him. Otherwise he feels -death within, and his energy turns against life. A moment like that had -come now to Pan Stanislav. "I do not know absolutely why I should not -fire into my forehead," thought he, "not from despair at losing them, -but because of the nothing without them. If life must be senseless, -there is no reason to permit this senselessness, unless through -curiosity to learn how far it can go." But this thought did not appear -in him as a plan; it was rather the effort of a man writhing at the -chain of misfortune, a burst of anger in a man seeking some one against -whom to turn. In Pan Stanislav this anger turned suddenly on Marynia. -He did not know himself why; but it seemed to him at once that all the -evil which had happened, had happened through her. She had brought into -their circle a dislike not there before, suffering not there before, -and had thrown, as it were, some stone into their smooth water; and -now the wave, which was spreading more and more widely, covered not -only him, but Pani Emilia and Litka. As a man governing himself by -judgment, not by nerves, he understood how vain were reproaches of this -sort; still he could not put down the remembrance that before Marynia -came it was better in every way, and so much better even, that he might -consider that as a happy period of his life. He loved then only Litka, -with that untroubled, fatherly feeling, which did not and could not -bring bitterness for a moment. Who knows, besides, if in time he might -not have been able to love Pani Emilia? She, it is true, had not for -him other feelings than those of friendship, but perhaps only because -he did not desire other feelings. High-minded women frequently refuse -themselves feelings which go beyond the boundary of friendship, so as -not to render difficult and involved the life of some one who might, -but does not wish to become dear. Meanwhile in the depth of the soul -lies a calm secret melancholy; they find sweetness and consolation in -the tenderness permitted by friendship. - -Pan Stanislav, by becoming acquainted with Marynia, gave her at once -the best part of his feelings. Why? for what purpose? Only to give -himself suffering. Now, to complete the misfortune, that Litka, the -one ray of his life, had died, or might die any moment. Pan Stanislav -looked again at her, and said in his soul,-- - -"Remain even, thou dear child; thou knowst not how needful thou art to -me and to thy mother. God guard thee; what a life there will be without -thee!" - -Suddenly he saw that the eyes of the child were looking at him. For a -while he thought himself mistaken, and did not dare to stir; but the -little maiden smiled, and finally she whispered,-- - -"Pan Stas." - -"It is I, Litus. How dost thou feel?" - -"Well; but where is mamma?" - -"She will come right away. We had a great struggle to make her go to -bed to sleep, and we hardly persuaded her." - -Litka turned her head, and, seeing Marynia, said,-- - -"Ah! is that Aunt Marynia?" - -For some time she had called her aunt. - -Marynia rose, and, taking the vial which stood on the shelf, poured -drop after drop into a spoon; then she gave them to Litka, who, when -she had finished drinking, pressed her lips to Marynia's forehead. - -A moment of silence followed; then the child said, as if to herself,-- - -"There is no need of waking mamma." - -"No; no one will wake her," answered Pan Stanislav. "All will be as -Litus wishes." - -And he began to stroke her hand, which was lying on the coverlid. She -looked at him, repeating, as was her wont,-- - -"Pan Stas, Pan Stas!" - -For a while it seemed that she would fall asleep; but evidently the -child was thinking of something with great effort, for her brows rose. -At last, opening widely her eyes, she looked now at Pan Stanislav, and -now at Marynia. In the room nothing was heard save the sound of rain on -the windows. - -"What is the matter with the child?" asked Marynia. - -But she, clasping her hands, whispered in a voice barely audible, "I -have a great, great prayer to Aunt Marynia, but--I am afraid to say it." - -Marynia bent her mild face toward the little girl. - -"Speak, my love; I will do everything for thee." - -Then the little girl, seizing her hand, and pressing it to her lips, -whispered,-- - -"I want Aunt Marynia to love Pan Stas." - -In the silence which followed after these words was to be heard only -the somewhat increased breathing of the little girl. At last the calm -voice of Marynia was heard,-- - -"Very well, my love." - -A spasm of weeping seized Pan Stanislav suddenly by the throat; -everything, not excluding Marynia, vanished from his eyes before that -child, who, at such a moment, sick, powerless, and in the face of -death, thought only of him. - -Litka asked further,-- - -"And will aunt marry Pan Stas?" - -In the light of the blue lamp Marynia's face seemed very pale; her lips -quivered, but she answered without hesitation,-- - -"I will, Litus." - -The little girl raised Marynia's hand to her lips a second time; -her head fell on the pillow, and she lay for a while with closed -lids; after some time, however, two tears flowed down her cheeks. -Then followed a longer silence; the rain was beating against the -window-panes. Pan Stanislav and Marynia were sitting motionless -without looking at each other; both felt, however, that their fates -had been decided that night, but they were as if dazed by what had -happened. In the chaos of thought and feelings neither of them knew -how to note or indicate what was passing within them. In that silence, -which was kept instinctively, lest perchance they might look each other -in the eyes, hour followed hour. The clock struck midnight, then one; -about two Pani Emilia slipped in like a shadow. - -"Is she sleeping?" inquired she. - -"No, mamma," answered Litka. - -"Art thou well?" - -"Well, mamma." - -And when Pani Emilia sat near her bed, the little one embraced her -neck; and, nestling her yellow head at her breast, she said,-- - -"I know now, mamma, that when a sick child begs for anything, people -never refuse." - -And she nestled up to her mother some time yet; then, drawing out each -word as sleepy children do, or very tired ones, she said,-- - -"Pan Stas will not be sad any more; and I will tell mamma why--" - -But here her head became heavy on her mother's breast, and Pani Emilia -felt the cold sweat coming on the hands of the child, as well as on her -temples. - -"Litus!" exclaimed she, with a suppressed, frightened voice. - -And the child began,-- - -"I feel so strange, so weak--" - -Her thoughts grew dim; and after a while she continued,-- - -"Oh, the sea is rolling--such a big sea!--and we are all sailing on it. -Mamma! mamma!" - -And a new attack came, dreadful, pitiless. The little girl's body was -drawn in convulsions, and her eyesight turned toward the back of her -head. There was no chance of illusion this time; death was at hand, and -visible in the pale light of the lamp, in the dark corner of the room, -in the sound of the window-panes, stricken by the rain, and in the -noise of the wind, full of terrified voices and cries. - -Pan Stanislav sprang up and ran for the doctor. In a quarter of an -hour both appeared before the closed doors of the room, uncertain -whether the child was living yet, and they disappeared through it -immediately,--first Pan Stanislav, then the doctor, who, from the -moment that they had pulled him out of bed, kept repeating one phrase, -"Is it fear or emotion?" - -Some of the servants, with sleepy and anxious faces, were gathered at -the door, listening; and in the whole house followed a silence, long -continued, which weighed down like lead. - -It was broken at last by Marynia, who was the first to come out of the -closed chamber, her face as pale as linen, and she said hurriedly,-- - -"Water for the lady! the little lady is living no longer." - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - -Autumn, in its last days, smiles on people at times with immense -sadness, but mildly, like a woman dying of decline. It was on such a -mild day that Litka's funeral took place. There is pain mingled with -a certain consolation in this,--that those left behind think of their -dead and feel the loss of them. Pan Stanislav, occupied with the -funeral, was penetrated by that calm and pensive day with still greater -sadness; but, transferring Litka's feelings to himself, he thought -that the child would have wished just such a day for her burial, and -he found in this thought a certain solace. Till that moment he had not -been able simply to measure his sorrow; such knowledge comes later, -and begins only when the loved one is left in the graveyard, and a man -returns by himself to his empty house. Besides, preparations for the -funeral had consumed Pan Stanislav's whole time. Life has surrounded -with artificial forms, and has complicated, such a simple act as death. -Pan Stanislav wished to show Litka that last service, which, moreover, -there was no one else to perform. All those springs of life through -which man thinks, resolves, and acts, were severed in Pani Emilia by -the death of her child. This time the wind seemed too keen for the -fleece of the lamb. Happily, however, excessive pain either destroys -itself, or benumbs the human heart. This happened with Pani Emilia. Pan -Stanislav noticed that the predominant expression of her face and eyes -was a measureless, rigid amazement. As in her eyes there were no tears, -so in her mouth there were no words,--merely a kind of whisper, at -once tragic and childish, showing that her thought did not take in the -misfortune, but hovered around the minutić accompanying it; she seized -at these, and attended to them with as much carefulness as if her child -were alive yet. In the room, now turned into a chamber of mourning, -Litka, reposing on a satin cushion amid flowers, could want nothing; -meanwhile the heart of the mother, grown childish from pain, turned -continually to this: what could be lacking to Litka? When they tried -to remove her from the body, she offered no resistance; she merely -lost the remnant of her consciousness, and began to groan, as if pained -beyond endurance. - -Pan Stanislav and her husband's brother, Pan Hvastovski, who had come -just before the funeral, strove to lead her away at the moment Litka -was covered with the coffin-lid; but when Pani Emilia began to call the -little one by name, courage failed the two men. - -The procession moved at last with numerous torches, and drew after -it a train of carriages, preceded by priests, chanting gloomily, and -surrounded by a crowd of the curious, who in modern cities feed their -eyes with the sorrow of others, as in ancient times they fed them in -the circus with the blood of people. - -Pani Emilia, attended by her husband's brother, and having Marynia at -her side, walked also behind the caravan with dry and expressionless -face. Her eyes saw only one detail, and her mind was occupied with -that alone. It had happened that a lock of Litka's flaxen, immensely -abundant hair was outside the coffin. Pani Emilia did not take her eyes -from it the whole way, repeating again and again, "O God, O God! they -have nailed down the child's hair!" - -In Pan Stanislav's sorrow, weariness, nervous disturbance, resulting -from sleeplessness, became a feeling of such unendurable oppression -that at moments he was seized by an invincible desire to turn back -when he had gone halfway,--return home, throw himself on a sofa, not -think of anything, not wish anything, not love any one, not feel -anything. At the same time this revulsion of self-love astounded him, -made him indignant at himself: he knew that he would not return; that -he would drain that cup to the bottom, that he would go to the end, -not only because it would happen so, but because sorrow for Litka, and -attachment to her, would be stronger than his selfishness. He felt, -too, at that moment, that all his other feelings were contracted and -withered, and that for the whole world he had in his heart merely -nothing, at least, at that moment. For that matter his thoughts and -feelings had fallen into perfect disorder, composed of external -impressions received very hastily, observations made, it was unknown -why, and mixed all together mechanically with a feeling of sorrow and -pain. At times he looked at the houses past which the procession was -moving, and he distinguished their colors. At times some shop sign -caught his eye; this he read, not knowing why he did so. Then again he -thought that the priests had ceased to sing, but would begin directly; -and he was waiting for that renewed continuance of sad voices, as -if in a kind of dread. At times he reasoned like a man who, waking -from sleep, wishes to give himself an account of reality: "Those are -houses," said he to himself; "those are signs; that is the odor of -pitch from the torches; and there on the bier lies Litka; and we are -going to the graveyard." And all at once there rose in him a wave of -sorrow for that sweet, beloved child, for that dear face which had -smiled so many times at him. He recalled her from remoter and from -recent days; remembered her in Reichenhall, where he carried her when -returning from Thumsee; and later at Bigiel's, in the country; and in -Pani Emilia's house, when she said that she wanted to be a birch-tree; -and finally, when, a few hours before her death, she entreated Marynia -to marry him. Pan Stanislav did not say directly to himself that Litka -loved him as a grown woman loves, and that, in betrothing him to -Marynia, she had performed an act of sacrifice, for the feelings of the -little girl were not known, and could not be defined with precision; -he felt perfectly, however, that there was something like that love in -her, and that the sacrifice took place, flowed, in fact, from that deep -and exceptional attachment which Litka had felt for him. Since the loss -of even those who are dearest is felt most of all through the personal -loss which we suffer, Pan Stanislav began to repeat to himself: "That -was the one soul that loved me truly; I have no one in the whole world -now." And, raising his eyes to the coffin, to that tress of blond hair -which was waving in the wind, he cried out in spirit to Litka with all -those tender expressions with which he had spoken to her while in life. -Finally, he felt that tears were choking him, because that was a call -without echo. There is something heart-rending in the indifference -of the dead. When the one who reflected every word and glance has -become indifferent, when the loving one is icy, the one who was near -in daily life, and next the heart, is full of solemnity, and far away, -it avails not to repeat to one's self: "Death, death!" In addition to -all pain connected with the loss, there is a harrowing deception, as -if an injustice to the heart had been wrought by that lifeless body, -which remains deaf to our pain and entreaty. Pan Stanislav had, in -this manner, at the bottom of his soul, a feeling that Litka, by -taking herself from him, and going to the region of death, had done an -injustice; and from being one who is near, she had become one remote; -from being a confidant, she had become formal, far away, lofty, sacred, -and also perfectly indifferent to the despair of her mother and the -deep loneliness of her nearest friend. There was much selfishness in -those feelings of Pan Stanislav; but were it not for that selfishness, -which, first of all, has its own loss and loneliness in mind, people, -especially those who believe in life beyond the grave and its -happiness, would feel no grief for the dead. - -The procession passed out at last from the city to clearer and more -open spaces, and beyond the barrier advanced along the cemetery wall, -which was fronted with a garland of beggars, and with garlands of -immortelles and evergreens intended for grave mounds. The line of -priests in white surplices, the funeral procession with torches, the -hearse with the coffin, and the people walking behind it, halted -before the gate; there they removed Litka. Pan Stanislav, Bukatski, -Hvastovski, and Bigiel bore her to the grave of her father. - -That silence, and the void which, after each funeral, is waiting for -people at home when they return from fresh graves, seemed this time to -begin even at the cemetery. The day was calm, pale, with here and there -the last yellowed leaves dropping from the trees without a rustle. The -funeral procession was belittled amid these wide, pale spaces, which, -studded with crosses, seemed endless,--as if, in truth, that cemetery -opened into infinity. The black, leafless trees with tops formed of -slender branches, as it were, vanishing in the light, gray and white -tombstones resembling apparitions, the withered leaves on the ground, -covering long and straight alleys,--all these produced at once a -genuine impression of Elysian fields of some sort, fields full of deep -rest, but full also of deep, dreamy melancholy, certain "cold and sad -places" of which the gloomy head of Cćsar dreamed, and to which now was -to come one more "animula vagula." - -The coffin stopped at last above the open grave. The piercing "Requiem -ćternam" was heard, and then "Anima ejus." Pan Stanislav, through the -chaos of his thoughts and impressions, and through the veil of his own -sorrow, saw, as in a dream, the stony face and glassy eyes of Pani -Emilia, the tears of Marynia, which irritated him at that moment, the -pale face of Bukatski, on whose features the expression was evident -that his philosophy of life, having no work to do at that graveyard, -had left him and Litka's coffin at the gate. When each threw a handful -of sand on the coffin-lid, he followed the example of others; when they -lowered the coffin on straps into the depth of the grave, and closed -the stone doors, something seized him anew by the throat, so that all -of which he had been thinking, and had learned hitherto, was changed -into one nothingness. He repeated in his soul the simple words: "Till -we meet, Litus!"--words which, when he recalled them afterwards, seemed -to have no relation to the torturing mental storm within him. This was -the end. The funeral procession began to decrease and melt away. After -a time Pan Stanislav was roused by the wind, which came from afar from -between the crosses. He saw now at the grave Pani Emilia with Marynia, -Pani Bigiel, Vaskovski, and Litka's uncle; he said to himself that he -would go out last, and waited, repeating in his soul, "Till we meet, -Litus!" He was thinking of death, and of this,--that he, too, would -come to this place of monuments, and that it is an ocean into which all -thoughts, feelings, and efforts are flowing. It seemed to him then as -if he and all who were there at the grave, or had returned home, were -on a ship sailing straight to the precipice. Of life beyond the grave -he had no thought at that moment. - -Meanwhile the short autumn twilight came on; the crosses grew still -less distinct. The old professor and Pan Hvastovski conducted Pani -Emilia to the cemetery gate without resistance on her part. Pan -Stanislav repeated once more, "Till we meet, dear child!" and passed -out. - -Beyond the gate he thought: "It is fortunate that the mother is -unconscious, for what a terrible thought to leave a child there alone. -The dead forsake us, but we too forsake them." - -In fact, he saw from a distance the carriage in which Pani Emilia was -riding away, and it seemed to him that such an order of things in the -world has in it something revolting. Still when he had sat down alone -in his droshky, he felt a moment of selfish relief, flowing from the -feeling that a certain torturing and oppressive act had been ended, -after which would come rest. On returning to his own dwelling, it -appeared empty, without a ray of gladness, without consolation or -hope; but when at tea, he stretched himself on the sofa, an animal -delight in repose after labor took possession of him, with a feeling -of solace, and even as it were of satisfaction, that the funeral was -over and Litka was buried. He remembered then the opinion of a certain -thinker: "I know no criminals; I know only honest people, and they are -disgusting." Pan Stanislav seemed to himself repulsive at that moment. - -In the evening he remembered that it was needful to inquire about Pani -Emilia, whom Marynia was to take for some weeks to her own house. While -going out, he saw a photograph of Litka on the table, and kissed it. A -quarter of an hour later he rang the bell at the Plavitskis'. - -The servant told him that Plavitski had gone out, but that Professor -Vaskovski and Father Hylak were there beside Pani Emilia. Marynia -received him in the drawing-room; her hair was badly dressed, her eyes -red; she was almost ugly. But her former way of meeting him had changed -entirely, as if she had forgotten all offences in view of more unhappy -subjects. - -"Emilia is with me," whispered she, "and is in a bad state; but it -seems that at least she understands what is said. Professor Vaskovski -is with her. He speaks with such feeling. Do you wish to see Emilia -absolutely?" - -"No. I have come merely to inquire how she feels, and shall go away -directly." - -"I do not know--she might like to see you. Wait a moment; I will go -and say that you are here. Litka loved you so; for that reason alone -perhaps it would be pleasant for Emilia to see you." - -"Very well." - -Marynia went to the next chamber; but evidently did not begin -conversation at once, for to Pan Stanislav there came from the -door, not her voice, but that of Vaskovski, full of accents of deep -conviction, and also, as it were, of effort, striving to break through -the armor of insensibility and suffering. - -"It is as if your child had gone to another room after play," said -the old professor; "and as if she were to return at once. She will -not return, but you will go to her. My dear lady, look at death, not -from the side of this world, but from the side of God. The child -lives and is happy; for, being herself in eternity, she considers -this separation from you as lasting one twinkle of an eye. Litka is -living," continued he, with emphasis; "she is living and happy. She -sees that you are coming to her, and she stretches forth her hands to -you; she knows that in a moment you will come, for from God's point -of view life and pain are less than the twinkle of an eye,--and then -eternity with Litka. Think, dearest lady, with Litka in peace, in -joy,--without disease, without death. Worlds will pass away, and you -will be together." - -"It would be well were that certain," thought Pan Stanislav, bitterly. -But after a while he thought, "If I felt that way, I should have some -cause to go in; otherwise not." - -Still in spite of this thought he went in, not waiting even for -Marynia's return; for it seemed to him that if he had no cause, he had -a duty, and he was not free to be cowardly in presence of the suffering -of others. Selfishness is "cotton in the ears against human groans," -and excuses itself in its own eyes by saying that nothing can be said -to great suffering to relieve it. Pan Stanislav understood that this -was the case, and was ashamed to withdraw comfortably instead of going -to meet the sorrow of a mother. When he entered, he saw Pani Emilia -sitting on the sofa; above the sofa was a lamp, and lower than the -lamp a palm, which cast a shadow on that unhappy head, as if gigantic -fingers were opened above it. Near Pani Emilia sat Vaskovski, who was -holding her hands and looking into her face. Pan Stanislav took those -hands from him, and, bending down, began to press them to his lips in -silence. - -Pani Emilia blinked a while, like a person striving to rise out of -sleep; then she cried suddenly, with an unexpected outburst,-- - -"Remember how she--" - -And she was borne away by a measureless weeping, during which her -hands were clasped, her lips could not catch breath, and her bosom -was bursting from sobs. At last strength failed her, and she fainted. -When she recovered, Marynia led her to her own chamber. Pan Stanislav -and Vaskovski went to the adjoining reception-room, where they were -detained by Plavitski, who had come in just that moment. - -"Such a sad person in the house," said he,--"it spoils life terribly. -A little peace and freedom should be due to me; but what is to be -done, what is to be done? I must descend to the second place, and I am -ready." - -At the end of half an hour Marynia came with the announcement that at -her request Pani Emilia had gone to bed, and was a little calmer. Pan -Stanislav and Vaskovski took leave, and went out. - -They walked along in a dense fog, which rose from the earth after a -calm day, hiding the streets and forming parti-colored circles around -the lamps. Both were thinking of Litka, who was passing her first night -among the dead, and at a distance from her mother. To Pan Stanislav -this seemed simply terrible, not for Litka, but for Pani Emilia, -who had to think of it. He meditated also over the words spoken by -Vaskovski, and said at last,-- - -"I heard thy words. If they gave her solace, it is well; but if that -were true, we should make a feast now, and rejoice that Litka is dead." - -"But whence dost thou know that we shall not be happy after death?" - -"Wilt thou tell me whence thou hast the knowledge that we shall?" - -"I do not know; I believe." - -There was no answer to this; therefore Pan Stanislav said, as if to -himself, "Mercy, empyrean light, eternity, meeting; but what is there -in fact? The corpse of a child in the grave, and a mother who is -wailing from pain. Grant that death has produced thy faith at least; -yet it brings doubt, because thou art grieving for the child. I am -grieving still more; and this grief casts on me directly the question, -'Why did she die? Why such cruelty?' I know that this question is a -foolish one, and that milliards of people have put it to themselves; -but, if this knowledge is to be my solace, may thunderbolts split it! -I know, too, that I shall not find an answer, and for that very reason -I want to gnash my teeth and curse. I do not understand, and I rebel; -that is all. That is the whole result, which thou canst not recognize -as the one sought for." - -Vaskovski answered also, as if speaking to himself, "Christ rose from -the dead, for He was God; but He rose as man, and He passed through -death. How can I, poor worm, do otherwise than magnify the Divine Will -and Wisdom in death?" - -To this Pan Stanislav answered.-- - -"It is impossible to talk with thee!" - -"It is slippery," answered Vaskovski; "give me thy arm." And, taking -Pan Stanislav by the arm, he leaned on him, and said, "My dear friend, -thou hast an honest and a loving heart; thou didst love that little -girl greatly, thou wert ready to do much for her. Do this one thing -now,--whether thou believest or not,--say for her, 'Eternal rest!' If -thou think that that will be no good to her, say to thyself, 'I can do -no more, but I will do that.'" - -"Give me peace!" answered Pan Stanislav. - -"That may not be needful to her, but thy remembrance of her will be -dear; she will be grateful, and will obtain the grace of God for thee." - -Pan Stanislav remembered how Vaskovski, at news of Litka's last attack, -said that the life of the child could not be purposeless, and that -if she had to die she was predestined to do something before death; -and now he wished to attack Vaskovski on this point, when the thought -flashed on him that, before her death, Litka had united him with -Marynia; and it occurred to him that perhaps she had lived for this -very purpose. But at that moment he rebelled against the thought. Anger -at Marynia seized him; he was full of stubbornness, and almost contempt. - -"I do not want Marynia at such a price!" thought he, gritting his -teeth; "I do not! I have suffered enough through her. I would give ten -such for one Litka." - -Meanwhile Vaskovski, trotting near him, said,-- - -"Nothing is to be seen at a step's distance, and the stones are -slippery from fog. Without thee I should have fallen long ago." - -Pan Stanislav recovered himself, and answered,-- - -"Whoso walks on the earth, professor, must look down, not up." - -"Thou hast good legs, my dear friend." - -"And eyes which see clearly, even in a fog like this which surrounds -us. And it is needful, for we all live in a fog, and deuce knows what -is beyond it. All that thou sayest makes on me such an impression -as the words of a man who would break dry twigs, throw them into a -torrent, and say, Flowers will come from these. Rottenness will come, -nothing more. From me, too, this torrent has torn away something from -which I am to think that a flower will rise? Folly! But here is thy -gate. Good-night!" - -And they separated. Pan Stanislav returned to his own house barely -alive, he was so weary; and, when he had lain down in bed, he began -to torture himself with thoughts further continued, or rather with -visions. To begin with, before his eyes appeared the figure of Pani -Emilia, powerless from pain; she was sitting in Marynia's parlor, -under the palm-leaf, which was hanging over her head like an immense -ill-omened hand, with outspread, grasping fingers, and it cast a shadow -on her face. "I might philosophize over that till morning," muttered -he. "Everything out of which life is constructed is a hand like that, -from which a shadow falls,--nothing more. But if there were a little -mercy besides, the child would not have died; but with what Vaskovski -says, you couldn't keep life in a sparrow." - -Here he remembered, however, that Vaskovski not only spoke of death, -but begged him also to say "eternal rest" for Litka. Pan Stanislav -began now to struggle with himself. His lips were closed through lack -of a deep faith that Litka might hear his "eternal rest," and that it -might be of good to her. He felt, besides, a kind of shame to speak -words which did not flow from the depth of his conviction, and felt -also the same kind of shame not to say the "eternal rest." "For, -finally, what do I know?" thought he. "Nothing. Around is fog and fog. -Likely nothing will come to her from that; but, let happen what may, -that is in truth the only thing that I can do now for my kitten,--for -that dear child,--who was mindful of me on the night that she died." - -And he hesitated for a time yet; at last he knelt and said, "eternal -rest." It did not bring him, however, any solace, for it roused only -the more sorrow for Litka, and also anger at Vaskovski, because he -had pushed him into a position in which he had either to fall into -contradiction with himself or be, as it were, a traitor to Litka. He -felt, finally, that he had had enough of that kind of torment, and he -determined to go early in the morning to his office and occupy himself -with Bigiel on the first commercial affair that presented itself, if it -were only to tear away his thought from the painful, vicious circle in -which for some days he had been turning. - -But in the morning Bigiel anticipated him, and came to his house; -maybe, too, with the intent to occupy him. Pan Stanislav threw himself -with a certain interest into the examination of current business; but -he and Bigiel were not long occupied, for an hour later Bukatski came -to say farewell to them. - -"I am going to Italy to-day," said he, "and God knows when I shall -return. I wish to say to you both, Be in good health. The death of -that child touched me more than I thought it would." - -"Art thou going far?" - -"Oh, there would be much talk in the answer. With us, this is how it -happens: Be a Buddhist, or whatever may please thee, the kernel of the -question is this: one believes a little, trusts a little in some sort -of mercy, and thus lives. Meanwhile, what happens? Reality slaps us -daily in the face, and brings us into mental agony and anguish, into -moral straits. With us, one is always loving somebody, or is tormented -with somebody's misfortune; but I do not want this. It tortures me." - -"How will the Italians help thee?" - -"How will they help me? They will, for in Italy I have the sun, which -here I have not; I have art, which here I have not, and I feel for -it a weakness; I have chianti,[4] which does good to the catarrh of -my stomach; and finally, I have people for whom I care nothing and -nothing, and who may die for themselves in hundreds without causing me -any bitterness. - -"I shall look at pictures, buy what I need, nurse my rheumatism, my -headache; and I shall be for myself a more or less elegant, a more or -less well nourished, a more or less healthy animal,--which, believe me, -is still the kind and condition of life most desired. Here I cannot be -that beast which, from my soul, I wish to be." - -"Thou art right, Bukatski. We, as thou seest, are sitting with our -accounts, also somewhat for this,--to become more idiotic, and not -think of aught else. When we acquire such a fortune as thou hast, I -don't know how it is with Bigiel, but I will follow in thy steps." - -"Then till we see each other again in time and space!" said Bukatski. - -A while after his departure, Pan Stanislav said,-- - -"He is right. How happy I should be, for example, if I had not -become attached to that child and Pani Emilia! In this respect we -are incurable, and we spoil our lives voluntarily. He is right. In -this country one is always loving some person or something; it is an -inherited disease. Eternal romanticism, eternal sentimentalism,--and -eternally pins in the heart." - -"Old Plavitski bows to thee," said Bigiel. "That man loves nobody but -himself." - -"In reality, this is perhaps true; but he lacks the courage to tell -himself that that is permissible and necessary. Nay, what is more, he -is convinced that it is needful to act otherwise; and through this -he is in continual slavery. Here, though a man have a nature like -Plavitski's, he must feign even to himself that he loves some one or -something." - -"But will you visit Pani Emilia to-day?" asked Bigiel. - -"Of course! If I were to say, for example, 'I have the malaria,' I -should not cure myself by saying so." - -And, in fact, not only was he at Pani Emilia's that day, but he was -there twice; for at his first visit he did not find the ladies at home. -To the question where his daughter was, Plavitski answered, with due -pathos and resignation, "I have no daughter now." Pan Stanislav, not -wishing to tell him fables, for which he felt a sudden desire, went -away, and returned only in the evening. - -This time Marynia herself received him, and informed him that Pani -Emilia had slept for the first time since Litka's funeral. While saying -this, she left her hand a certain time in his. Pan Stanislav, in -spite of all the disorder in which his thoughts were, could not avoid -noticing this; and, when he looked at last with an inquiring glance -into her eyes, he discovered that the young lady's cheeks flushed -deeply. They sat down, and began to converse. - -"We were at Povanzki," said Marynia, "and I promised Emilia to go there -with her every day." - -"But is it well for her to remember the child so every day, and open -her wounds?" - -"But are they healed?" answered Marynia, "or is it possible to say to -her, 'Do not go'? I thought myself that it would not be well, but grew -convinced of the contrary. At the graveyard she wept much, but was the -better for it. On the way home she remembered what Professor Vaskovski -had told her, and the thought is for her the only consolation,--the -only." - -"Let her have even such a one," answered Pan Stanislav. - -"You see, I did not dare to mention Litka at first, but she speaks of -her all the time. Do not fear to speak to her of the child, for it -gives her evident solace." - -Here the young lady continued in a lower, and, as it were, an uncertain -voice, "She reproaches herself continually for having listened to the -assurances of the doctor the last night, and gone to sleep; she is -sorry for those last moments, which she might have passed with Litka, -and that thought tortures her. To-day, when we were returning from -the graveyard, she asked about the smallest details. She asked how -the child looked, how long she slept, whether she took medicine, what -she said, whether she spoke to us; then she implored me to remember -everything, and not omit a single word." - -"And you did not omit anything?" - -"No." - -"How did she receive it?" - -"She cried very, very much." - -Both grew silent, and were silent rather long; then Marynia said,-- - -"I will go and see what is happening to her." - -After a while she returned. - -"She is sleeping," said the young lady. "Praise be to God!" - -Indeed, Pan Stanislav did not see Pani Emilia that evening; she -had fallen into a kind of lethargic slumber. At parting, Marynia -pressed his hand again long and vigorously, and inquired almost with -submission,-- - -"You do not take it ill of me that I repeated to Pani Emilia Litka's -last wish?" - -"At such moments," answered Pan Stanislav, "I cannot think of myself: -for me it is a question only of Pani Emilia; and if your words caused -her solace, I thank you for them." - -"Till to-morrow, then?" - -"Till to-morrow." - -Pan Stanislav took farewell, and went out. While descending the steps, -he thought,-- - -"She considers herself my betrothed." - -And he was not mistaken; Marynia looked on him as her betrothed. She -had never been indifferent to him; on the contrary, the greatness of -his offence had been for her the measure of that uncommon interest -which he had roused in her. And though, during Litka's illness -and funeral, he could discover in himself unfathomable stores of -selfishness, he seemed to her so good that she was simply unable to -compare him with any one. Litka's words did the rest. In real truth, -her heart desired love first of all; and now, since before Litka's -death she had made her a promise, since she had bound herself to love -and to marry, it seemed to her that even if she had not loved, it was -her duty to command herself, and that she was not free at present not -to love. Pan Stanislav had entered the sphere of her duty; she belonged -to those straightforward, womanly natures, not at all rare even now, -for whom life and duty mean one and the same thing, and who for this -reason bring good-will to the fulfilment of duty, and not only good, -but persistent will. - -Such a will brings with it love, which lights like the sun, warms like -its heat, and cherishes like the blue, mild sky. In this way life does -not become a dry, thorny path, which pricks, but a flowery one, which -blooms and delights. This country maiden, straightforward in thought, -and at once simple and delicate in feelings, possessed that capacity -for life and happiness in the highest degree. So, when Pan Stanislav -had gone, she, in thinking about him, did not name him in her mind -otherwise than "Pan Stas," for he had indeed become her "Pan Stas." - -Pan Stanislav, on his part, when lying down to sleep, repeated to -himself somewhat mechanically, "She considers herself my betrothed." - -Litka's death, and the events of the last days, had pushed Marynia, -not only in his thoughts, but in his heart, to more remote, and even -very remote places. Now he began to think of her again, and at the -same time of his future. All at once he beheld, as it were, a cloud -of countless questions, to which, at that moment, at least, he had no -answer. But he felt fear in presence of them; he felt that he lacked -strength and willingness to undertake this labor. Again he began to -live with the former life; again to fall into that sentimental, vicious -circle; again to disquiet himself; again to make efforts, and struggle -over things which bring only bitterness,--to struggle with himself over -questions of feeling. Would it not be better to labor with Bigiel on -accounts,--make money,--so as to go sometime, like Bukatski, to Italy, -or some other place where there is sun, art, wine good for the stomach, -and, above all, people to whom one is indifferent, whose happiness -will not enliven the heart of a stranger, but in return whose death or -misfortune will not press a single tear from him. - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [4] An Italian wine. - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - -During all the mental struggles through which Pan Stanislav had passed, -the interests of his commercial house were developed favorably. Thanks -to Bigiel's sound judgment, diligence, and care, current business was -transacted with a uniform thoroughness which removed every chance -of dissatisfaction or complaint from the patrons of the house. The -house gained reputation every day, extended its activity slowly and -regularly, and was growing rich. Pan Stanislav, on his part, labored, -not indeed with such mental peace as hitherto, but no less than Bigiel. -He passed the morning hours daily in the office; and the greater his -mental vexation, the deeper his misunderstanding with Marynia since -her coming to Warsaw, the more earnest was his labor. This labor, -often difficult, and at times requiring even much intense thought, but -unconnected with the question which pained him, and incapable of giving -any internal solace, became, at last, a kind of haven, in which he -hid from the storm. Pan Stanislav began to love it. "Here, at least, -I know what I am doing, and whither I am tending; here everything is -very clear. If I do not find happiness, I shall find at least that -enlargement of life, that freedom, which money gives; and all the -better for me if I succeed in stopping at that." Recent events had -merely confirmed him in those thoughts; in fact, nothing but suffering -had come to him from his feelings. That sowing had yielded a bitter -harvest, while the only successes which he had known, and which in -every case strengthen and defend one against misfortune, were given by -that mercantile house. Pan Stanislav thought with a certain surprise -that this was true; but it was not. He himself felt the narrowness of -that satisfaction which the house could give; but he said to himself at -the same time, "Since it cannot be otherwise, this must be accepted; -and it is safer to stop here, for it is better to be only a merchant, -who succeeds, than a dreamer, who fails in everything." Since Litka's -death, then, he resolved all the more to stifle in himself those -impulses to which reality did not answer, and which had brought him -nothing but regrets. Evidently Bigiel was pleased with a state of mind -in his partner which could bring only profit to the house. - -Still Pan Stanislav could not grow wholly indifferent in a few weeks -to all that with which, on a time, his heart had been connected. -Hence he went sometimes to visit Litka, whose gravestone was covered -in the morning with white winter frost. Twice he met Pani Emilia and -Marynia in the cemetery. Once he attended them home to the city, and -Pani Emilia thanked him for remembering the little girl. Pan Stanislav -noticed that she did this with evident calmness; he understood the -cause of this calmness when, at parting, she said to him,-- - -"I keep always in mind now that for her separation from me is as short -as one twinkle of an eye; and you know not what comfort it is to me -that at least she is not yearning." - -"Well, what I know not, I know not," said Pan Stanislav, in his soul. -Still the deep conviction of Pani Emilia's speech struck him. "If these -are illusions," thought he, "they are really life-giving, since they -are able to draw forth juices for life from the dungeon of the grave." - -Marynia asserted, besides, in her first conversation with Pan -Stanislav, that Pani Emilia lived only through that thought, which -alone softened her grief. For whole days she mentioned nothing else, -and said, with such persistence, that from God's point of view death is -separation for one twinkle of an eye, that she began to alarm Marynia. - -"She talks, too, of Litka," said Marynia, in conclusion, "as if the -child had not died, and as if she should see her to-morrow." - -"That is happy," answered Pan Stanislav. "Vaskovski rendered tangible -service; such a nail in the head gives no pain." - -"Still, she is right, for it is so." - -"I will not contradict you." - -Marynia was alarmed, it is true, by the persistence with which Pani -Emilia returned to one thought; but on the other hand she herself did -not look on death otherwise. Hence that tinge of scepticism, evident in -Pan Stanislav's words, touched her a little, and pained her; but, not -wishing to let this be evident, she changed the conversation. - -"I gave directions to enlarge Litka's photograph," said she. "Yesterday -they brought me three copies; one I will give Emilia. I feared at first -that it would excite her too much, but now I see that I may give it; -nay, more, it will be very dear to her." - -She rose then, and went to a bookcase on which were some photographs in -a wrapper; these she took, and, sitting at Pan Stanislav's side before -a small table, opened them. - -"Emilia told me of a certain talk which you had with Litka a short time -before her death, when the child wished you three to be birches growing -near one another. Do you remember that talk?" - -"I do. Litka wondered that trees live so long; she thought awhile what -kind of tree she would like to be, and the birch pleased her most." - -"True; and you said that you would like to grow near by, therefore, -around these photographs I wish to paint birches on a passe-partout. -Here I have begun, you see, but I have no great success. I cannot paint -from memory." - -Then she took one of the photographs, and showed Pan Stanislav -the birches painted in water-colors; but since she was a little -near-sighted, she bent over her work, so that her temple for one moment -was near Pan Stanislav's face. She was no longer that Marynia of whom -he had dreamed when returning evenings from Pani Emilia's, and who at -that time had filled his whole soul for him. That period had passed: -his thoughts had gone in another direction; but Marynia had not ceased -to be that type of woman which produced on his masculine nerves an -impression exceptionally vivid; and now, when her temple almost touched -his own, when, with one glance of the eye, he took in her face, her -cheeks slightly colored, and her form bent over the picture, he felt -the old attraction with its former intensity, and the quick blood sent -equally quick thoughts to his brain. "Were I to kiss her eyes and mouth -now," thought he, "I am curious to know what she would do;" and in a -twinkle the desire seized him to do so, even were he to offend Marynia -mortally. In return for long rejection, for so much fear and suffering, -he would like such a moment of recompense, and of revenge, perhaps, -with it. Meanwhile, Marynia, while examining the painting, continued,-- - -"This seems worse to-day than yesterday; unfortunately trees have no -leaves now, and I cannot find a model." - -"The group is not bad at all," said Pan Stanislav; "but if these trees -are to represent Pani Emilia, Litka, and me, why have you painted four -birches?" - -"The fourth represents me," said Marynia, with a certain timidity; "I, -too, have a wish sometimes to grow with you." - -Pan Stanislav looked at her quickly; and she, wrapping the photographs -up again, said, as it were, hurriedly,-- - -"So many things are connected in my mind with the memory of that child. -During her last days I was with her and Emilia almost continually. -At present Emilia is one of the nearest persons on earth to me. I -belong to them as well as you do; I know not clearly how to explain -this. There were four of us, and now there are three, bound together -by Litka, for she bound us. When I think of her now, I think also of -Emilia and of you. This is why I decided to paint the four birches; and -you see there are three photographs,--one for Emilia, one for me, and -one for you." - -"I thank you," said Pan Stanislav, extending his hand to her. Marynia -returned the pressure very cordially, and said,-- - -"For the sake of her memory, too, we should forget all our former -resentments." - -"This has happened already," answered Pan Stanislav; "and as for me, I -wish that it had happened long before Litka's death." - -"My fault began then; for this I beg forgiveness," and she extended her -hand to him. - -Pan Stanislav hesitated awhile whether to raise it to his lips; but he -did not raise it, he only said,-- - -"Now there is agreement." - -"And friendship?" asked Marynia. - -"And friendship." - -In her eyes a deep, quiet joy was reflected, which enlivened her whole -face with a mild radiance. There was in her at the moment so much -kindness and trustfulness that she reminded Pan Stanislav of that first -Marynia whom he had seen at Kremen when she was sitting on the garden -veranda in the rays of the setting sun. But since Litka's death he had -been in such a frame of mind that he considered remembrances like that -as unworthy of him; hence he rose and began to take leave. - -"Will you not remain the whole evening?" asked Marynia. - -"No, I must return." - -"I will tell Emilia that you are going," said she, approaching the door -of the adjoining room. - -"She is either thinking of Litka at present, or is praying; otherwise -she would have come of herself. Better not interrupt her; I will come -to-morrow in any case." - -Marynia approached him, and, looking into his eyes, said with great -cordiality, "To-morrow and every day. Is it not true? Remember that you -are 'Pan Stas' for us now." - -Since Litka's death Marynia had named him thus for the second time, so -in going home he thought, "Her relations to me are changed thoroughly. -She feels herself simply as belonging to me, for she bound herself to -that by the promise given the dying child; she is ready even to fall in -love with me, and will not permit herself not to love. With us there -are such women by the dozen." And all at once he fell into anger. - -"I know those fish natures with cold hearts, but sentimental heads -filled with so-called principles,--everything for principle, everything -for duty, nothing spontaneous in the heart. I might sigh out my last -breath at her feet and gain nothing; but when _duty_ commands her to -love me, she will love even really." - -Evidently Pan Stanislav in his wanderings abroad had grown used to -another kind of women, or at least he had read of them in books. But -since with all this he had a little sound judgment too, that judgment -began to speak thus to him,-- - -"Listen, Polanyetski," it said. "These are exceptional natures because -they are uncommonly reliable: on them one may build; on them a life -may be founded. Art thou mad? With thee it was a question of finding a -wife, not an ephemeral love affair." - -But Pan Stanislav did not cease to resist, and he answered his -judgment, "If I am to be loved, I want to be loved for my own sake." - -Judgment tried once more to explain that it was all one how love began; -since later on he could be loved only for his own sake, that in the -present case, after his recent efforts and vexations, it was almost -miraculous, almost providential, that something natural had intervened -in a way to break resistance immediately; but Pan Stanislav did not -cease from being furious. At last judgment was strengthened by that -attraction and pleasure which he found in Marynia, by virtue of which -he saw in her more charms than in any other woman; this attraction -spoke in its turn,-- - -"I do not know if thou love her, and I care not; but to-day, when her -arm and face approached thee, thou wert near jumping out of thy skin. -Why is it that such a shiver does not pass through thee when thou art -near another? Think what a difference in that." - -But to everything Pan Stanislav answered: "A fish, a duty-bound fish." -And again the thought came to him, "Catch her, if thou prefer that -to any other kind. People marry; and for thee, it is time. What more -dost thou want, is it a kind of love which thou wouldst be the first -to laugh into ridicule? Thy love has died out. Suppose it has; but -the attraction remains, and the conviction, too, that this woman is -reliable and honest." - -"True," thought he further, "but from love, whether stupid or wise, -comes choice, and have I that at present? No, for I hesitate, while -formerly I did not hesitate; second, I ought to decide which is -better,--Panna Plavitski, or debit and credit in the house of Bigiel -and Polanyetski. Money gives power and freedom; the best use is made of -freedom when a man carries no one in his heart or on his shoulders." -Thus meditating, he reached home, and lay down to sleep. During the -night he dreamed of birches on sand hills, calm blue eyes, and a -forehead shaded with dark hair, from which warmth was beating. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - -Some mornings later, before Pan Stanislav had gone to his office, -Mashko appeared. - -"I come to thee on two affairs," said he, "but I will begin with money, -so as to leave thee freedom of action; shall I, or not?" - -"My dear friend, I attend to money questions in my office, so begin -with the other." - -"The money matter is not a question of thy house, but a private one; -for this reason I prefer to speak of it privately. I am going to marry, -as thou knowest; I need money. I have to make payments as numerous as -the hairs on my head, and the wherewithal does not correspond. The term -is near to pay the first instalment of my debt to thee for the claim on -Kremen; canst thou extend the time another quarter?" - -"I will be frank," replied Pan Stanislav; "I can, but I am unwilling to -do so." - -"Well, I will be equally sincere, and ask what thou wilt do in case I -fail to pay." - -"The like happens in the world," answered Pan Stanislav; "but this time -thou art looking on me as simpler than I am, for I know that thou wilt -pay." - -"Whence is that certainty?" - -"Thou art going to marry, and marry a fortune; how expose thyself to -the evil fame of bankruptcy? Thou wilt squeeze money from under the -earth, perhaps, but thou wilt pay." - -"Even Solomon could not pour out of the empty." - -"Because he did not take lessons from thee. My dear friend, no one is -listening to us, so I may say that all thy life thou hast been doing -nothing else." - -"Then thou art sure that I will pay thee?" - -"I am." - -"Thou art right; I wanted of thee a favor to which I have no claim. -But even I feel wearied at last of all this,--to take something here -and thrust it in there; to live eternally in such a whirl passes human -power in the long run. I am sailing, as it were, into the harbor. In -two months I shall be on a new footing, but meanwhile I am using the -last of my steam; 'tis not in thy way to oblige me; the position is -difficult. There is a small forest in Kremen; I will cut that and pay, -since there is no other way." - -"What forests are there in Kremen? Old Plavitski shaved off everything -that could be taken." - -"There is a large oak grove behind the house, toward Nedzyalkov." - -"True, there is." - -"I know that thou and Bigiel take up such affairs. Buy that forest; it -will spare me the search for a purchaser, and he and thou can come out -of the business with profit." - -"I will discuss it with Bigiel." - -"Then thou wilt not refuse in advance?" - -"No; if thou give it cheaply, I may even take the forest myself. But in -such matters I need to calculate the possible profits or losses; I want -also to know thy terms. Make thy own estimates. Send me thy list; how -many trees there are, and what kinds." - -"I will send it in an hour." - -"In that case I will give thee an answer in the evening." - -"I advise thee beforehand of one thing,--thou wilt not have the right -to cut oak for two months." - -"Why is that?" - -"Because Kremen will lose greatly by losing that ornament; hence I -propose that it be resold to me after the marriage, of course at a good -profit to thee." - -"We shall see." - -"Besides, I have marl in Kremen; thou hast spoken to me of this. -Plavitski reckoned it at millions,--that, of course, is nonsense; but -in the hands of clever men it might be made a paying business. Think -that over, too, with Bigiel; I would take thee into partnership." - -"Should the business seem good, we may take it; our house exists to -gain profit." - -"Then we will talk of the marl later on; but now I return to the oak. -Let the general outline of our bargain be this,--that I, instead of the -first payment, give thee the oak grove, or a part of it, according to -estimate. I give it in some sense in pledge, and thou art obliged not -to cut trees before the close of the following quarter." - -"I can do that; evidently there will be questions later on as to -removal of the oak, which we shall mention when writing the contract, -if, in general, we write one." - -"Then there is at least one burden off my head," said Mashko, rubbing -his forehead with his hand. "Imagine that I have ten or fifteen -such every day, not counting conversations on business with Pani -Kraslavski, which are more wearying than all else, and then waiting on -my betrothed, who"--here Mashko interrupted himself for a moment, but -suddenly waved his hand, and added--"which also is not easy." - -Pan Stanislav looked at him with amazement. On the lips of Mashko, -who, in every word, followed society observances so closely, this was -something unheard of. Mashko, however, spoke on,-- - -"But let that pass; thou knowest how near we were to quarrelling before -Litka's death. I had not in mind thy great love for that little maiden; -I forgot that thou wert disturbed and annoyed. I acted rudely; the -fault was on my side entirely, and I beg thy pardon." - -"That is a forgotten affair," said Pan Stanislav. - -"I revive it because I have a service to beg of thee. The affair is -of this kind: I have not friends, blood relatives; I haven't them, or -if I have, it is not worth while to exhibit them. Now, I must find -groomsmen, and, in truth, I do not know well where to look for them. I -have managed the business of various young lords, as thou knowest; but -to ask the first young fellow whom I meet, because he has a title, does -not beseem me, and I am unwilling to do so. With me it is a question of -having groomsmen who are people of position, and, I tell thee openly, -with prominent names. Those ladies, too, attach great importance to -this matter. Wilt thou be a groomsman for me?" - -"In other circumstances I would not refuse; but I will tell thee how it -is. Look at me: I have no crape on my hat nor white tape on my coat, -therefore I am not in mourning; but I give thee my word that I am in -deeper mourning than if my own child were dead." - -"That is true; I had not thought of that," said Mashko. "I beg thy -pardon." - -These words impressed Pan Stanislav. - -"But if this is very important; if, in truth, thou art unable to find -another,--let it be according to thy wish; but I say sincerely that for -me, after such a funeral, it will be difficult to assist at a wedding." - -Pan Stanislav did not say, it is true, at such a wedding, but Mashko -divined his thought. "There is another circumstance, too," continued -he. "Thou must have heard of a certain poor little doctor, who fell in -love to the death with thy betrothed. She was free not to return his -love, no man will reproach her for that; but he, poor fellow, went his -way somewhere to the land where pepper grows, and the deuce took him. -Dost understand? I was in friendship with that doctor; he confided his -misfortune to me, and wept out his secret. Dost understand? In these -conditions to be groomsman for another--say thyself." - -"And did that man really die of love for my betrothed?" - -"But hast thou not heard of it?" - -"Not only have I not heard, but I cannot believe my own ears." - -"Knowest thou what, Mashko, marriage changes a man; but I see that -betrothal does also,--I do not recognize thee simply." - -"Because, as I have said, I am so weary that breath fails me, and at -such times the mask falls." - -"What dost thou mean by that?" - -"I mean that there are two kinds of people,--one, of people who never -limit themselves by anything, and arrange their modes of action -according to every circumstance; the other, of people having a certain -system which they hold to with more or less sequence. I belong to the -second. I am accustomed to observe appearances, and, what is more, -accustomed so long that at last it has become a second nature to me. -But, for example, when travelling in time of great heat, a moment may -come on the man who is most _comme il faut_, when he will unbutton not -only his coat, but his shirt; such a moment has come on me, therefore I -unbutton." - -"This means?--" - -"It means that I am transfixed with astonishment that any man could -fall in love to the death with my betrothed, who is, as thou on a time -didst give me to understand, cold, formal, and as mechanical in words, -thoughts, and movements as if wound up with a key; that is perfectly -true, and I confirm it. I do not wish thee to hold me for a greater -wretch than I am; I do not love her, and my wife will be as formal -as my betrothed. I loved Panna Plavitski, who rejected me. Panna -Kraslavski I take for her property. Call this iniquity, if it suit thee -to do so; I will answer that such iniquity has been committed, or will -be committed, by thousands among those so-called honorable people, to -whom thou art ready to give thy hand. Moreover, life does not flow on -in delight for people thus married, but also not in tragedy; they limp, -but go forward. Later on they are aided by years spent together, which -bring a species of attachment, by children who are born to them; and -they get on in some fashion. Such are most marriages, for the majority -choose to walk on the earth, rather than scale summits. Sometimes -there are even worse marriages: when a woman wishes to fly, and a man -to creep, or _vice versa_, there is no chance for an understanding. -As to me, I have worked like an ox. Coming from a reduced family, I -wished to gain distinction, I confess. If I had consented to remain -an obscure attorney, and acquire merely money, perhaps I should have -unlocked and thrown open to my son the door to light; but I have no -love for my children before they come into the world, hence I wished -not only to have money myself, but to be somebody, to mean something, -to occupy a position, to have such weight as with us it is possible -to have, at least in society. From this it has happened that what the -advocate gained, the great lord expended; position obliges. This is -why I have not money. Struggling of this sort has wearied me. Opening -holes in one place to fill them in another,--for this reason I marry -Panna Kraslavski; who again marries me for the reason that, if I am -not really a great lord, amusing himself in the legal career, I am so -apparently. The match is even; there is no injustice to any one, and -neither has tricked the other, or, if it please thee, we have tricked -each other equally. Here is the whole truth for thee; now despise me if -thou wish." - -"As God lives, I have never respected thee more," answered Pan -Stanislav; "for now I admire not thy sincerity merely, but also thy -courage." - -"I accept the compliment because thou art candid; but in what dost thou -see courage?" - -"In this,--that having so few illusions as to Panna Kraslavski, thou -art going to marry her." - -"I marry her because I am more wise than foolish. I looked for money, -it is true; but thinkest thou that for money I would marry the first -woman I met who possessed it? By no means, my dear friend. I take Panna -Kraslavski, and I know what I am doing. She has her great qualities, -indispensable under the circumstances in which I take her, and in -which she marries me. She will be a cold, unagreeable wife, sour, and -even contemptuous, in so far as she does not fear me; but, on the -other hand, Panna Kraslavski, as well as her mother, has a religious -respect for appearances,--for what is fitting, or, speaking generally, -for what is polite. This is one point. Further, there is not even one -germ in her from which love intrigues could grow; and life with her, -be it disagreeable as it may, will never end in scandal. This is the -second. Third, she is pedantic in everything, as well in religion as -in fulfilment of all the duties which she may take on herself. This -is, indeed, a great quality. I shall not be happy with her, but I can -be at peace; and who knows if this is not the maximum possible to ask -of life, and I tell thee, my dear friend, that when a man takes a wife -he should think before all of future peace. In a mistress seek what -pleases thee,--wit, temperament, a poetical form of sensitiveness. But -with a wife one must live years; seek in her that on which one can -rely,--seek principles." - -"I have never thought thee a fool," said Pan Stanislav; "but I see that -thou hast more wit than I suspected." - -"Our women--take those, for example, of the money world--are formed -really on the French novel; and what comes of that is known to thee." - -"More or less; but to-day thou art so eloquent that I listen to thy -description with pleasure." - -"Well, a woman becomes her own God and her own measure of right." - -"And for her husband?" - -"A chameleon and a tragedy." - -"This happens a little in the world of much money and no traditions; -there everything is appearance and toilet, beneath which sits not a -soul, but a more or less exquisite wild beast. And this wealthy and -elegant world, amusing itself, and permeated with artistic, literary, -and even religious dilettantism, wields the baton and directs the -orchestra." - -"Not yet with us." - -"Not yet altogether. For that matter, there are exceptions, even in the -society mentioned; all the more must there be outside it. Yes, there -are women of another kind among us,--for instance, Panna Plavitski. Oh, -what security, and withal what a charm of life, with a woman like her! -Unhappily, she is not for me." - -"Mashko, I was ready to recognize in thee cleverness, but I did not -know thee to have enthusiasm." - -"What's to be done? I was in love with her, but now I am going to marry -Panna Kraslavski." - -Mashko pronounced the last words, as if in anger, then followed a -moment of silence. - -"Then thou wilt not be my groomsman?" - -"Give me time to consider." - -"In three days I am going away." - -"To what place?" - -"To St. Petersburg. I have business there; I will stay about two weeks." - -"I will give my answer on thy return." - -"Very well; to-day I will send thee the estimate of my oak in three -sizes. To save the instalment!" - -"And the conditions on which I will buy it." - -Here Mashko took leave and went out. Pan Stanislav hastened to his -office. After a conversation with Bigiel, he decided, if the affair -should seem practicable and profitable, to buy the oak alone. He could -not account to himself why he felt a certain wonderful desire to be -connected with Kremen. After business hours he thought also of what -Mashko had said of Panna Plavitski. He felt that the man had told the -truth, and that, with a woman of this kind, life might be not only safe -and peaceful, but full of charm; he noticed, however, that in those -meditations he rendered justice rather to the type of which Marynia was -a specimen, than to Marynia in person. He observed also in himself a -thousand inconsistencies; he saw that he felt a certain repugnance, and -even anger, at the thought of loving any one or anything, or letting -his heart go into bonds and knots, usually fastened so firmly that they -were painful. At the very thought of this he was enraged, and repeated -in spirit, "I will not; I have had enough of this! It is an unwholesome -exuberance, which leads people only to errors and suffering." At the -same time he took it ill,--for example, that she did not love him -with a certain exuberant and absolute love, and opened her heart to -him only when duty commanded. Afterward, when he did not want love, -he was astonished that it began to pall on him so easily, and that he -desired Marynia far more when she was opposed, than now, when she was -altogether inclined to him. - -"All leads to this at last," thought he: "that man himself does not -know what he wants, or what he must hold to; that is his position. -May a thunderbolt split it! Panna Plavitski has more good qualities -than she herself suspects. She is dutiful, just, calm, attractive; my -thoughts draw me toward her; and still I feel that Panna Plavitski -is not for me what she once was, and that the devils have taken -something that was in me. But what is it? As to the capacity for -loving," continued Pan Stanislav, in his monologue, "I have come to the -conclusion that loving is most frequently folly, and loving too much -folly at all times; hence I should now be content, but I am not." - -After a while it came to his mind that this was merely a species of -weakness,--such, for example, as follows an operation in surgery, or -an illness that a man has passed through,--and that positive life will -fill out in time that void which he feels. For him positive life was -his mercantile house. When he went to dine, he found Vaskovski and two -servants, who winked at each other when they saw how the old man at -times held motionless an uplifted fork with a morsel of meat on it, and -fell to thinking of death, or talking to himself. Professor Vaskovski -had for some time been holding these monologues, and spoke to himself -on the street so distinctly that people looked around at him. His blue -eyes were turned on Pan Stanislav for a while vacantly; then he roused -himself, as if from sleep, and finished the thought which had risen in -his head. "She says that this will bring her near the child." - -"Who says?" inquired Pan Stanislav. - -"Pani Emilia." - -"How will she be nearer?" - -"She wants to become a Sister of Charity." - -Pan Stanislav grew silent under the impression of that news. He was -able to meditate over that which passed through his head, to expel -feeling, to philosophize on the unwholesome excesses of the society in -which he lived; but in his soul he had two sacred images,--Litka and -Pani Emilia. Litka had become simply a cherished memory, but he loved -Pani Emilia with a living, brotherly, and most tender affection, which -he never touched in his meditations. So for a time he could not find -speech; then he looked sternly at Vaskovski, and said,-- - -"Professor, thou art persuading her to this. I do not enter into thy -mysticism and ideas from beneath a dark star, but know this,--that thou -wilt take her life on thy conscience; for she has not the strength to -be a Sister of Charity, and will die in a year." - -"My dear friend," answered Vaskovski, "thou hast condemned me unjustly -without a hearing. Hast thou stopped to consider what the expression -'just man' means?" - -"When it is a question of one dear to me, I jeer at expressions." - -"She told me yesterday of this, most unexpectedly, and I asked, 'But, -my child, will you have the strength? That is arduous labor.' She -smiled at me, and said: 'Do not refuse me, for this is my refuge, -my happiness. Should it seem that I have not strength enough, they -will not receive me; but if they receive me, and my strength fails -afterward, I shall go sooner to Litka, and I am yearning so much for -her.' What had I to answer to such a choice, and such simplicity? What -art thou able to say, even thou, who art without belief? Wouldst thou -have courage to say: 'Perhaps Litka is not in existence; a life in -labor, in charity, in sacrifice, and death in Christ, may not lead to -Litka at all'? Invent another consolation; but what wilt thou invent? -Give her another hope, heal her with something else; but with what -wilt thou heal her? Besides, thou wilt see her thyself; speak to her -sincerely. Wilt thou have courage to dissuade her?" - -"No," answered Pan Stanislav, briefly; and after a while he added, -"Only suffering on all sides." - -"One thing might be possible," continued Vaskovski. "To choose instead -of Sisters of Charity, whose work is beyond her strength, some -contemplative order; there are those in whom the poor human atom is so -dissolved in God that it ceases to lead an individual existence, and -ceases to suffer." - -Pan Stanislav waved his hand. "I do not understand these things," said -he, dryly, "and I do not look into them." - -"I have here somewhere a little Italian book on the Ladies of -Nazareth," said Vaskovski, opening his coat. "Where did I put it? When -going out, I stuck it somewhere." - -"What can the Ladies of Nazareth be to me?" - -But Vaskovski, after unbuttoning his coat, unbuttoned his shirt in -searching; then he thought a while and said, "What am I looking for? -I know that little Italian book. In a couple of days I am going to -Rome for a long, very long time. Remember what I said, that Rome is -the antechamber to another world. It is time for me to go to God's -antechamber. I would persuade Emilia greatly to go to Rome, but she -will not leave her child; she will remain here as a Sister of Charity. -Maybe, however, the order of Nazareth would please her; it is as simple -and mild as was primitive Christianity. Not with the head, my dear, for -there they know better what to do, but with the heart, childlike but -loving." - -"Button thy shirt, professor," said Pan Stanislav. - -"Very good; I will button it. I have something at my heart, and I -would tell it thee; thou art as mobile as water, but thou hast a soul. -Seest thou, Christianity not only is not coming to an end, as some -philosophizing, giddy heads imagine, but it has only made half its way." - -"Dear professor," said Pan Stanislav, mildly, "I will listen to -what thou hast to tell me willingly and patiently, but not to-day; -for to-day I am thinking only of Pani Emilia, and there is simply a -squeezing at my throat. This is a catastrophe." - -"Not for her, since her life will be a success, and her death also." - -Pan Stanislav began to mutter, "As God lives, not only every mightier -feeling, but simple friendship, ends in regret; never has any -attachment brought me a thing except suffering. Bukatski is right: -from general attachments there is nothing but suffering, from personal -attachments nothing but suffering; and now live, man, in the world so -surrounded." - -The conversation broke off, or rather was turned into the monologue of -Professor Vaskovski, who began a discourse with himself about Rome and -Christianity. After dinner they went out on the street, which was full -of the sound of sleighbells and the gladsome winter movement. Though in -the morning of that day snow had fallen in sufficient abundance, toward -evening the weather had become fair, calm, and frosty. - -"But, professor, button thy shirt." - -"Very well; I will button it," answered Vaskovski; and he began to draw -the holes of his vest to the buttons of his frockcoat. - -"Still I like that Vaskovski," said Pan Stanislav, to himself, when -on the way home. "If I were to grow attached to him for good, the -deuce would take him surely, for such is my fate. Fortunately I -am insensible enough to him so far." And thus he persuaded himself -untruly, for he had a sincere friendship for Vaskovski, and the man's -fate was not indifferent in the least to him. When he reached home, -Litka's face smiled at him from a large photograph as he entered; this -had been sent by Marynia during his absence, and moved Pan Stanislav -to the depth of his soul. He experienced, moreover, this species of -emotion whenever he remembered Litka on a sudden, or saw unexpectedly -one of her portraits. He thought then, that love for the child, -hidden away somewhere in the depth of his heart, rose suddenly with -its previous vividness and power, penetrating his whole being with -indescribable tenderness and sorrow. This revival of sorrow was even so -painful that he avoided it as a man avoids a real suffering usually. -This time, however, there was something sweet in his emotion. Litka -was smiling at him by the light of the lamp, as if she wished to say -"Pan Stas;" around her head on the white margin of the picture were -four green birches. Pan Stanislav stopped and looked for a long time; -at last he thought, "I know in what may be the happiness of life, in -children!" But he said to himself a few moments later, "I never shall -love my own as I loved that poor child." The servant entered now and -gave him a letter from Marynia, which came with the photograph. She -wrote as follows:-- - - "My father asks me to pray you to spend the evening with us. - Emilia has moved to her own house, and receives no visits to-day. - I send you Litka's photograph, and beg you to come without fail. I - wish to speak with you of Emilia. Papa has invited Pan Bigiel, who - has promised to come; therefore you and I can talk quietly." - -Pan Stanislav, after reading the letter, dressed, read a certain time, -then went to the Plavitskis'. Bigiel had been there a quarter of an -hour, and was playing piquet with Plavitski; Marynia was sitting at -some distance, by a small table, occupied in work of some kind. After -he had greeted all, Pan Stanislav sat near her,-- - -"I thank you most earnestly for the photograph," began he. "I saw it -unexpectedly, and Litka stood before my eyes in such form that I could -not control myself. Moments like that are the measure of sorrow, of -which a man cannot even give account to himself. I thank you most -earnestly, and for the four birches too. Touching Pani Emilia, I -know everything from Vaskovski. Is this merely a project, or a fixed -resolve?" - -"Rather a fixed resolve," answered Marynia; "and what do you think?" - -Marynia raised her eyes to him as if waiting for some counsel. - -"She has not strength for it," said she, finally. - -Pan Stanislav was silent a while; then he opened his arms helplessly, -and said,-- - -"I have talked about this with Vaskovski. I attacked him, since I -thought that the idea was his; but he swore to me that he had nothing -to do with it. He asked then what other consolation I could think out -for her, and I could give him no answer. What in life has remained to -her really?" - -"What?" returned Marynia, in a low voice. - -"Do I not understand, think you, whence that resolve came? She does -not wish to violate her religious principles in any way, but she wants -to die as soon as possible; she knows that those duties are beyond her -strength, and therefore she assumes them." - -"True," answered Marynia; and she inclined her face so closely to her -work that Pan Stanislav saw only the parting of the dark hair on her -small head. Before her stood a box full of pearls, which she was sewing -on to various articles to be used in a lottery for benevolent purposes; -and tears, which were flowing from her eyes, began to drop on those -pearls. - -"I see that you are weeping," said Pan Stanislav. - -She raised tearful eyes to him, as if to say, "Before thee I shall not -hide tears," and answered, "I know that Emilia is doing well, but such -a pity--" - -Pan Stanislav, partly from emotion, and partly because he knew not -himself what to answer, kissed her hand for the first time. - -Pearls began then to drop more thickly from Marynia's eyes, so that -she had to rise and go out. Pan Stanislav approached the players, as -Plavitski was saying in a sour, outspoken tone, to his partner,-- - -"Rubicon after Rubicon. Ha! it is difficult. You represent new times, -and I old traditions. I must be beaten." - -"What has that to do with piquet?" asked Bigiel, calmly. - -Marynia returned soon, with the announcement that tea was ready; -her eyes were somewhat red, but her face was clear and calm. When, -a little later, Bigiel and Plavitski sat down at cards again, she -conversed with Pan Stanislav in that quiet, confiding tone which -people use who are very near to each other, and who have many mutual -relations. It is true that those mutual relations between them had been -created by the death of Litka and the misfortune of Pani Emilia,--hence -the conversation could not be gladsome; but in spite of that, Marynia's -eyes, if not her lips, smiled at Pan Stanislav, and were at once -thoughtful and clear. - -Later in the evening, after his departure, Marynia did not name him in -her mind, when she thought of him, otherwise, than "Pan Stas." - -Pan Stanislav, on his part, returned home feeling calmer by far than -he had since Litka's death. While pacing his chamber, he made frequent -halts before the little girl's photograph, and looked, too, at the four -birches painted by Marynia. He thought that the bond fastened between -him and Marynia by Litka was becoming closer each day, as if without -any one's will, and simply by some mysterious force of things. He -thought, too, that if he lacked the former original desire to make that -bond permanent, his courage would almost fail to cut it decisively, -especially so soon after Litka's death. Late in the night he sat down -to the lists sent by Mashko. At times, however, he made mistakes in the -reckoning, for he saw before him Marynia's head inclining forward, and -her tears falling on the box of pearls. - -Next morning he bought the oak in Kremen, very profitably, for that -matter. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - - -Mashko returned in two weeks from St. Petersburg, well pleased with his -arrangements for credit, and bringing important news, which had come -to him, as he stated, in a way purely confidential,--news not known -yet to any man. The preceding harvest had been very poor throughout -the whole empire; here and there hunger had begun to appear. It was -easy to divine, therefore, that, before spring, supplies would be -gone in whole neighborhoods, and that the catastrophe of hunger might -become universal. In view of this, people of the inner circle began to -whisper about the chance of stopping the grain export; and this kind of -echo Mashko brought back, with the assurance that it came to his ears -through people extremely well versed in affairs. This news struck Pan -Stanislav so vividly that he shut himself in for some days, pencil in -hand; then he hurried to Bigiel with the proposition that the ready -money at command of the house, as well as its credit, should be turned -to prompt purchases of grain. Bigiel was afraid, but he began by being -afraid of every new enterprise. Pan Stanislav did not conceal from him -that this would be a large operation, on the success or failure of -which their fate might depend. Complete failure, however, was little -likely, and success might make them really rich at one sweep. It was to -be foreseen that, in view of the lack of grain, prices would rise in -every event. It was also to be foreseen that the law would limit the -possibility of making new contracts with foreign merchants, but would -respect contracts made before its promulgation; but even if it failed -in this regard, the rise of prices in the country itself was a thing -almost certain. Pan Stanislav had foreseen and calculated everything, -in so far as man could; and Bigiel, who, in spite of his caution, was a -person of judgment, was forced to confess that the chances of success -were really considerable, and that it would be a pity to miss the -opportunity. - -In fact, after a number of new consultations, during which Bigiel's -opposition grew weaker and weaker, they decided on that which Pan -Stanislav wished; and after a certain time their chief agent, -Abdulski, went out with power to make contracts in the name of the -house, as well for grain on hand as for grain not threshed yet. - -After Abdulski's departure, Bigiel went to Prussia. Pan Stanislav -remained alone at the head of the house, toiled from morning till -evening, and made scarcely a visit. But time did not drag, for he was -roused by hope of great profit and a future of fuller activity. - -Pan Stanislav, in throwing himself into that speculation, and drawing -in Bigiel, did so, first of all, because he thought it good; but he -had another thought, too,--the mercantile house with all its affairs -was too narrow a field for his special training, abilities, and -energies, and Pan Stanislav felt this. Finally, what was the question -in affairs handled by the house? To buy cheap, sell dear, and put the -profit in a safe; that was its one object. Purchases direct, or through -another,--nothing more. Pan Stanislav felt confined in those limits. "I -should like to dig up something, or make something," said he to Bigiel, -in moments of dissatisfaction and distaste; "at the root of the matter -we are simply trying to direct to our own pockets some current from -that stream of money which is flowing in the business of men, but we -produce nothing." - -And that was true. Pan Stanislav wished to advance to property, to -acquire capital, and then undertake some very large work, giving a -wider field for labor and creativeness. - -The opportunity had come, as it seemed to him; hence he grasped with -both hands at it. "I will think of other things afterward," thought he. - -By "other things," he meant his affairs of mind and heart,--that is, -his relations to religion, people, country, woman. He understood that -to be at rest in life one must explain these relations, and stand on -firm feet. There are men who all their lives do not know their position -with reference to these principles, and whom every wind turns toward -a new point. Pan Stanislav felt that a man should not live thus. In -his state of mind, as it then was, he saw that these questions might -be decided in a manner direct to dryness, as well as positive to -materialism, and in general negatively; but he understood that they -must be decided. - -"I wish to know clearly whether I am bound to something or not," -thought he. - -Meanwhile he labored, and saw people little; he could not withdraw -from them altogether. He convinced himself, also, that questions most -intimately personal cannot be decided otherwise than internally, -otherwise than by one's own brain or heart, within the four walls -of the body; but that most frequently certain external influences, -certain people, near or distant, hasten the end of meditation, and the -decisions flowing from it. This happened at his farewell with Pani -Emilia, who was now shortening daily, and almost feverishly, the time -before her entrance on her novitiate with the Sisters of Charity. - -Amid all his occupations, Pan Stanislav did not cease to visit her; -but a number of times he failed to find her at home. Once he met Pani -Bigiel at her house, and also Pani and Panna Kraslavski, whose presence -constrained him in a high degree. Afterward, when Marynia informed him -that Pani Emilia would begin her novitiate in a few days, he went to -take farewell of her. - -He found her calm and almost joyous, but his heart was pained when he -looked at her. Her face was transparent in places, as if formed of -pearl; the blue veins appeared through the skin on her temples. - -She was very beautiful, in a style almost unearthly, but Pan Stanislav -thought: "I will take the last leave of her, for she will not hold out -even a month; from one more attachment, one more grief and unhappiness." - -She spoke to him of her decision as of a thing the most usual, to be -understood of itself,--the natural outcome of what had happened, the -natural refuge from a life deprived of every basis. Pan Stanislav -understood that for him to dissuade her would be purely conscienceless, -and an act devoid of sense. - -"Will you remain in Warsaw?" asked he. - -"I will, for I wish to be near Litka; and the mother superior promised -that I should be in the house first, and afterward, when I learn -something, in one of the hospitals. Unless unusual events come to pass, -while I am in the house I shall be free to visit Litka every Sunday." - -Pan Stanislav set his teeth, and was silent; he looked only at the -delicate hands of Pani Emilia, thinking in his soul,-- - -"She wishes to nurse the sick with those hands." - -But at the same time he divined that she wanted, beyond all, something -else. He felt that under her calmness and resignation there was immense -pain, strong as death, and calling for death with all the powers of -her heart and soul; but she wished death to come without her fault, not -through her sin, but her service,--her reward for that service was to -be her union with Litka. - -And now, for the first time, Pan Stanislav understood the difference -between pain and pain, between sorrow and sorrow. He, too, loved Litka; -but in him, besides sorrow for her, and remembrance of her, there -was something else,--a certain interest in life, a certain curiosity -touching the future, certain desires, thoughts, tendencies. To Pani -Emilia there remained nothing,--it was as if she had died with Litka; -and if anything in the world occupied her yet, if she loved those who -were near her, it was only for Litka, through Litka, and in so far as -they were connected with Litka. - -These visits and that farewell were oppressive to Pan Stanislav. He had -been deeply attached to Pani Emilia, but now he had the feeling that -the cord binding them had snapped once and forever, that their roads -parted at that moment, for he was going farther by the way of life; -she, however, wished her life to burn out as quickly as possible, and -had chosen labor,--blessed, it is true,--but beyond her strength, so as -to make death come more quickly. - -This thought closed his lips. In the last moments, however, the -attachment which he had felt for her from of old overcame him; and he -spoke with genuine emotion while kissing her hand. - -"Dear, very dear lady, may God guard and comfort you!" - -Here words failed him; but she said, without dropping his hand,-- - -"Till I die, I shall not forget you, since you loved Litka so much. I -know, from Marynia, that Litka united you and her; and for that reason -I know that you will be happy, otherwise God would not have inspired -her. As often as I see you in life, I shall think that Litka made you -happy. Let her wish be accomplished at the earliest, and God bless you -both!" - -Pan Stanislav said nothing; but, when returning home, he thought,-- - -"Litka's will! She does not even admit that Litka's will can remain -unaccomplished; and how was I to tell her that the other is not for me -now what she once was?" - -Still Pan Stanislav felt with increasing distinctness that it was not -right to remain as he was any longer, and that those bonds connecting -him with Marynia ought soon to be tightened, or broken, so as to end -the strange condition, and the misunderstandings and sorrows which -might rise from it. He felt the need of doing this quickly, so as to -act with honor; and new alarm seized him, for it seemed that, no matter -how he acted, his action would not bring him happiness. - -When he reached home, he found a letter from Mashko, which read as -follows,-- - - "I have called on thee twice to-day. Some lunatic has insulted me - before my subordinates on account of the oak which I sold thee. - His name is Gantovski. I need to speak with thee, and shall come - again before evening." - -In fact, he ran in before the expiration of an hour, and asked, without -removing his overcoat,-- - -"Dost thou know that Gantovski?" - -"I know him; he is a neighbor and relative of the Plavitskis. What has -happened, and how has it happened?" - -Mashko removed his overcoat, and said,-- - -"I do not understand how news of the sale could get out, for I have not -spoken of it to any one; and it was important for me that it should not -become known." - -"Our agent, Abdulski, went to Kremen to look at the oak. Gantovski must -have heard of the sale from him." - -"Listen; this is the event. To-day Gantovski's card is brought into -my office; not knowing who he is, I receive the man. A rough fellow -enters, and asks if 't is true that I sold the oak, and if I wish to -depopulate a part of Kremen. Evidently I reply by asking how that may -concern him. He answers that I have bound myself to pay old Plavitski -a yearly annuity from Kremen; and that, if I ruin the place by a -plundering management, there will be nothing through which to compel -me. In answer, as thou canst understand, I advise him to take his cap, -button up closely, in view of the frost, and go to the place whence he -came. Hereupon he falls to making an uproar, calling me a cheat and a -swindler. At last he says that he lives in the Hotel Saxe, and goes -out. Hast thou the key to this? Canst thou tell me its meaning?" - -"Of course. First, this Gantovski is of limited mind, by nature he is -rude; second, for whole years he has been in love with Panna Plavitski, -and has wished to be her knight." - -"Thou knowest that I have rather cool blood; but, in truth, it seems at -times a dream. That a man should permit himself to insult me because I -sell my own property, simply passes human understanding." - -"What dost thou think of doing? Old Plavitski will be the first to warm -Gantovski's ears, and force him to beg thy pardon." - -Mashko's face took on such a cold and determined expression of wrath -that Pan Stanislav thought,-- - -"Well, 'the bear' has brewed beer of a kind that he did not expect; now -he must drink it." - -"No one has ever offended me without being punished, and no one ever -will. This man not only has insulted me, but has done me a wrong beyond -estimation." - -"He is a fool, simply irresponsible." - -"A mad dog, too, is irresponsible, but people shoot him in the head. I -talk, as thou seest, coolly; listen, then, to what I say: a catastrophe -has come to me, from which I shall not rise." - -"Thou art speaking coolly; but anger is stifling thee, and thou art -ready to exaggerate." - -"Not in the least; be patient, and hear me to the end. The position -is this: If my marriage is stopped, or even put off, a few months, -the devils will take me, with my position, my credit, my Kremen, and -all that I have. I tell thee that I am travelling with the last of my -steam, and I must stop. Panna Kraslavski does not marry me for love, -but because she is twenty-nine years of age, and I seem to her, if not -the match she dreamed of, at least a satisfactory one. If it shall seem -that I am not what she thinks, she will break with me. If those ladies -should discover to-day that I sold the oak in Kremen from necessity, -I should receive a refusal to-morrow. Now think: the scandal was -public, for it was in presence of my subordinates. The matter will not -be kept secret. I might explain to those ladies the sale of the oak, -but yet I shall be an insulted man. If I do not challenge Gantovski, -they may break with me, as a fellow without honor; if I challenge -him,--remember that they are devotees, and, besides, women who keep up -appearances as no others that I know,--they will break with me then as -a man of adventures. If I shoot Gantovski, they will break with me as -a murderer; if he hits me, they will break with me as an imbecile, who -lets himself be insulted and beaten. In a hundred chances there are -ninety that they will act in this way. Is it clear to thee now why I -said that the devils will take me, my credit, my position, and Kremen -in addition?" - -Pan Stanislav waved his hand with all the easy egotism to which a -man can bring himself in reference to another, who, at the bottom of -things, is of little account to him. - -"Bah!" said he; "maybe I will buy Kremen of thee. But the position is -difficult. What dost thou think, then, of doing with Gantovski?" - -To this Mashko answered: "So far I pay my debts. Thou dost not wish to -be my groomsman; wilt thou be my second?" - -"That is not refused," answered Pan Stanislav. - -"I thank thee. Gantovksi lives in the Hotel Saxe." - -"I will be with him to-morrow." - -Immediately after Mashko's departure, Pan Stanislav went to spend the -evening at Plavitski's; on the road he thought,-- - -"There are no jokes with Mashko, and the affair will not finish in -common fashion; but what is that to me? What are they all to me, or I -to them? Still, how devilishly alone a man is in the world!" - -And all at once he felt that the only person on earth who cared for -him, and who thought of him, not as a thing, was Marynia. - -And, in fact, when he came, he knew from the very pressure of her hand -that this was true. She said to him, in greeting, with her mild and -calm voice,-- - -"I had a presentiment that you would come. See, here is a cup waiting -for you." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - - -When Pan Stanislav came to the Plavitskis' he found there Gantovski. -The young men greeted each other at once with evident coldness and -aversion. There was not in the whole world that day an unhappier man -than Gantovski. Old Plavitski bantered him as usual, and even more -than usual, being in excellent humor because of his relative, the old -lady from whom he expected a considerable inheritance. Gantovski's -presence was awkward for Marynia; and she strove in vain to hide this -annoyance by kindness and a cordial reception. At last Pan Stanislav -almost feigned not to see him. It was evident, too, that Gantovski had -not confessed anything before old Plavitski, and that he was trembling -lest Pan Stanislav might refer to his adventure with Mashko, or tell it -outright. - -Pan Stanislav understood this at once, as well as the advantage over -"the bear" which was given him by his silence; wishing to use it in the -interest of Mashko, he was silent for a time, but could not forego the -pleasure of punishing Gantovski in another way. He occupied himself -the whole evening with Marynia, as he had not done since Litka's -death. This filled Marynia with evident delight. Leaving Gantovski to -her father, she walked with Pan Stanislav through the room and talked -confidentially; then they sat under the palm, where Pan Stanislav had -seen Pani Emilia after the funeral, and talked about her approaching -admission to the order of Sisters of Charity. To Gantovski it seemed -at times that only people who were betrothed could speak in that way; -and he felt then what must be felt by a soul not in purgatory, for in -purgatory a soul has hope yet before it, but what is felt by a soul -when entering the gate with the inscription "_Lasciate ogni speranza_" -(Leave every hope). Seeing them together in this way, he thought, -too, that perhaps Polanyetski had bought the oak with the land so as -to obtain for Marynia even a part of Kremen, and therefore with her -will and knowledge. And this being the case, the hair rose on his -head at the mere thought of how he had blundered in raising a scandal -with Mashko. Plavitski, on his part, hearing his half conscious, -but altogether inappropriate answers, amused himself still more at -the expense of the "rustic," who on the city pavement had lost what -remained of his wit. Plavitski considered himself now as the model of a -man of the "capital." - -The moment came, however, when the young men were left alone, for -Marynia was occupied with tea in the next room, and Plavitski had gone -for cigars to his study; Pan Stanislav turned then to Gantovski,-- - -"Let us go together after tea," said he; "I wish to speak with you -touching your collision with Pan Mashko." - -"Of course," answered Gantovski, gloomily, understanding that -Polanyetski was Mashko's second. - -Meanwhile they had to remain for tea, and sit long enough after that, -for Plavitski did not like to go to bed early, and summoned Gantovski -to a game of chess. During the play, Marynia and Pan Stanislav sat -apart and conversed with animation, to the heartfelt torment of "the -bear." - -"The arrival of Gantovski must be pleasing to you," said Pan Stanislav, -all at once, "for it brings Kremen to your mind." - -Astonishment flashed over Marynia's face that he was the first to -mention Kremen. She had supposed that, in virtue of a tacit agreement, -he would cover that question with silence. - -"I think no more now of Kremen," answered she, after a pause. - -This statement was not true, for in her heart's depth she was sorry -for the place in which she had been reared,--the place of her labor -for years, and of her shattered hopes; but she thought herself forced -to speak thus by duty, and by the feeling for Pan Stanislav, which was -increasing continually. - -"Kremen," added she, with a voice of some emotion, "was the cause of -our earliest quarrel; and I wish now for concord, concord forever." - -While saying this, she looked into Pan Stanislav's eyes with a coquetry -full of sweetness, which a bad woman is able to put on at any time, but -an honest woman only when she is beginning to love. - -"She is wonderfully kind," thought he. Straightway he added aloud, -"You might have a fabulous weapon against me, for you might lead me to -perdition with kindness." - -"I do not wish to lead you to that," replied she. - -And in sign that she did not, she began to shake her dark, shapely head -laughingly; and Pan Stanislav looked at her smiling face, and her mouth -a trifle too large, and said mentally,-- - -"Whether I love her, or love her not, no one attracts me as she does." - -In fact, she had never occupied him and never pleased him more, even -when he felt no shade of doubt that he loved her, and when he was -struggling with that feeling. But at last he took farewell of her, for -it had grown late; and after a while he and Gantovski found themselves -on the street. - -Pan Stanislav who never had been able to guard himself from -impulsiveness, stopped the unfortunate "bear," and asked almost -angrily,-- - -"Did you know that it was I who bought the oak at Kremen?" - -"I did," answered Gantovski; "for your agent, that man who says that he -is descended from Tartars--I forget what his name is--was at my house -in Yalbrykov, and told me that it was you." - -"Why, then, did you make the scandal with Pan Mashko, not with me?" - -"Do not push me to the wall so," answered Gantovski, "for I do not like -it. I raised the scandal with him, not with you, because the Plavitskis -have nothing to do with you; but that man is obliged to pay them yearly -from Kremen the amount he has engaged to pay, and if he ruins Kremen, -he will have nothing to pay from. If you wished to know why I attacked -him, you know now." - -Pan Stanislav had to confess in his soul that there was a certain -justice in Gantovski's answer; hence he began the conversation at once -from another side,-- - -"Pan Mashko has begged me to be his second, that's why I interfere in -this question. I shall call on you to-morrow as a second; but as a -private man, and a relative, though a distant one, of Pan Plavitski, -I can tell you to-day only this,--that you have rendered the poorest -service to Pan Plavitski, and if he and his daughter are left without a -morsel of bread, they will have you to thank for it. This is the truth!" - -Gantovski's eyes became perfectly round. - -"Without a morsel of bread? They will thank me for it?" - -"That is the position," repeated Pan Stanislav. "But listen carefully. -Without reference to the result of the scandal, the circumstances are -such that it may have the most fatal results. I say this to you, on my -word: you have, perhaps, ruined Pan Plavitski, and taken from him and -his daughter the way, or rather the means, of living." - -If Gantovski really did not like to be pressed to the wall, it was -time for him then to show his dislike; but Gantovski had lost his head -utterly, and stood in amazement, with open mouth, unable to find an -answer; and only after a time did he begin,-- - -"What? How? In what way? Be sure that it will not come to that, even if -I have to give them Yalbrykov." - -"Pan Gantovski," interrupted Pan Stanislav, "it is a pity to lose -words. I have known your neighborhood from the time I was a little boy. -What is Yalbrykov, and what have you in Yalbrykov?" - -It was true, Yalbrykov was a poor little village, with nine vlokas -of land; and, besides, Gantovski had, as is usual, inherited debts -higher than his ears; so his hands dropped at his sides. It occurred -to him, however, that perhaps matters did not stand as Pan Stanislav -represented them; and he grasped at this thought as at a plank of -salvation. - -"I do not understand what you say," said he. "God is my witness that I -would choose my own ruin rather than injure the Plavitskis; and know -this, that I would be glad to twist the neck of Pan Mashko; but, if it -is necessary,--if it is a question of the Plavitskis,--then let the -devils take me first! - -"Immediately after the scandal, I went to Pan Yamish, who is here at -the session, and told him all. He said that I had committed a folly, -and scolded me, it is true. If it were a question of my skin, it would -be nothing,--I would not move a finger; but, since it touches something -else, I will do what Pan Yamish tells me, even should a thunderbolt -split me next moment. Pan Yamish lives at the Hotel Saxe, and so do I." - -They parted on this; and Gantovski went to his hotel, cursing Mashko, -himself, and Polanyetski. He felt that it must be as Polanyetski had -said,--that some incurable misfortune had happened,--and that he had -wrought grievous injustice against that same Panna Marynia for whom -he would have given his last drop of blood; he felt that if there had -been for him any hope, he had destroyed it completely. Plavitski would -close his door on him. Panna Marynia would marry Polanyetski, unless -he didn't want her. But who would not want her? And, at the same time, -Pan Gantovski saw clearly that among those who might ask her hand, he -was the last man she would marry. "What have I? Nothing," said he to -himself; "that measly Yalbrykov, nothing more,--neither good name nor -money. Every man knows something; I alone know nothing. Every one means -something; I alone mean nothing. That Polanyetski has learning and -money; but that I love her better,--the devils to me for that, and as -much to her, if I am such an idiot that through loving I harm instead -of helping her." - -Pan Stanislav, on his way home, thought of Gantovski in the same way, -and in general had not for him even one spark of sympathy. At home he -found Mashko, who had been waiting an hour, and who said, as greeting,-- - -"Kresovski will be the other second." - -Pan Stanislav made somewhat of a wry face, and answered,-- - -"I have seen Gantovski." - -"And what?" - -"He is a fool." - -"He is that, first of all. Hast thou spoken to him in my name?" - -"Not in thy name. As a relative of Pan Plavitski, I told him that he -had given Pan Plavitski the worst service in the world." - -"You gave no explanations?" - -"None. Hear me, Mashko: it is a question for thee of complete -satisfaction; it is no point for me that ye should shoot each other. In -virtue of what I have told Gantovski, he is ready to agree to all thy -conditions. Happily, he has committed himself to Yamish. Yamish is a -mild, prudent man, who understands also that Gantovski has acted like -an idiot, and will be glad to give him a lesson." - -"Very well," said Mashko. "Give me a pen and piece of paper." - -"Thou hast them at the desk." - -Mashko sat down and wrote. When he had finished, he gave the written -sheet to Pan Stanislav, who read as follows:-- - - "I testify this day that I attacked Pan Mashko while I was drunk, - in a state of unconsciousness, and without giving myself account - of what I was saying. To-day, having become sober, in presence of - my seconds, the seconds of Pan Mashko, and the persons who were - present at the scene, I acknowledge my act as rude and senseless, - and turn with the greatest sorrow and contrition to the good sense - and kindness of Pan Mashko, begging him for forgiveness, and - acknowledging publicly that his conduct was and is in everything - above the judgment of men like me." - -"Gantovski is to declaim this, and then subscribe it," said Mashko. - -"This is devilishly unmerciful; no one will agree to it," said Pan -Stanislav. - -"Dost thou acknowledge that this fool has permitted to himself -something unheard of with reference to me?" - -"I do." - -"And remember what result this adventure may have for me?" - -"It is impossible to know that." - -"Well, I know; but I will tell thee only this much,--those ladies will -regret from their souls that they are bound to me, and will use every -pretext which will excuse them before society. That is certain; I am -ruined almost beyond rescue." - -"The devil!" - -"Thou canst understand now that what is troubling me must be ground out -on some one, and that Gantovski must pay me for the injustice in one -form or another." - -"Neither have I any tenderness for him. Let it be so," said Pan -Stanislav, shrugging his shoulders. - -"Kresovski will come for thee to-morrow morning at nine." - -"Very well." - -"Then, till we meet again. By the way, should you see Plavitski -to-morrow, tell him that his relative, Panna Ploshovski, from whom he -expected an inheritance, has died in Rome. Her will was here with her -manager, Podvoyni, and is to be opened to-morrow." - -"Plavitski knows of that already, for she died five days ago." - -Pan Stanislav was left alone. For a certain time he thought of his -money without being able to foresee a method by which he might -receive it from the bankrupt Mashko, and the thought disturbed him. -He remembered, however, that the debt could not be removed from the -mortgage on Kremen until it was paid in full; that in this last case -he would continue as he had been previously,--a creditor of Kremen. -Kremen, it is true, was not a much better debtor than Mashko, hence -this was no great consolation; but for the time he was forced to be -satisfied with it. Later on, something else also came to his head. He -remembered Litka, Pani Emilia, Marynia, and he was struck by this,--how -the world of women, a world of feelings purely, a world whose great -interest lies in living in the happiness of those near us, differs -from the world of men, a world full of rivalry, struggles, duels, -encounters, angers, torments, and efforts for acquiring property. He -recognized at that moment what he had not felt before,--that if there -be solace, repose, and happiness on earth, they are to be sought from -a loving woman. This feeling was directly opposed to his philosophy of -the last few days, hence it disturbed him. But, in comparing further -those two worlds, he could not withhold the acknowledgment that that -feminine and loving world has its foundation and reason of existence. - -If Pan Stanislav had been more intimate with the Holy Scriptures, -beyond doubt the words, "Mary has chosen the better part," would have -occurred to him. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - - -Kresovski was almost an hour late on the following morning. He was, -according to a noted description among us, one of the administrators -of fresh air in the city,--that is, one of the men who do nothing. -He had a name sufficiently famous, and had squandered rather a large -fortune. On these two foundations he lived, he went everywhere, and was -recognized universally as a man of good breeding. How the above titles -can provide a man everything is the secret of great cities; it is -enough that not only Kresovski's position was recognized and certain, -but he was considered a person to whom it was possible to apply with -safety in delicate questions. In courts of honor he was employed as an -arbiter; in duels, as a second. High financial circles were glad to -invite him to dinners, weddings, christenings, and solemnities of that -sort, since he had a patrician baldness, and a countenance extremely -Polish; hence he ornamented a table perfectly. - -He was a man in the essence of things greatly disenchanted with -people, a little consumptive, and very satirical. He possessed, -however, a certain share of humor, which permitted him to see the -laughable side of things, especially of very small things; in this he -resembled Bukatski somewhat, and made sport of his own fault-finding. -He permitted others to make sport of it also, but within measure. When -the measure was passed, he straightened himself suddenly, and squeezed -people to excess; in view of this he was looked on as dangerous. It -was said of him that in a number of cases he had found courage where -many would have lacked it, and that, in general, he could "carry his -nose high." He did not respect any one nor anything, except his own -really very noble physiognomy; time, especially, he did not respect, -for he was late always and everywhere. Coming in to Pan Stanislav's on -this occasion, he began at once, after the greeting, to explain his -tardiness,-- - -"Have you not noticed," asked he, "that if a man is in a real hurry, -and very anxious to hasten, the things he needs most vanish purposely? -The servant seeks his hat,--it is gone; looks for his overshoes,--they -are not there; hunts for his pocket-book,--it is not to be had. I will -wager that this is so always." - -"It happens thus," said Pan Stanislav. - -"I have, in fact, invented a cure. When something has gone from me as -if it had fallen into water, I sit down, smile, and say aloud: 'I love -to lose a thing in this way, I do passionately;' my man looks for it, -becomes lively, stirs about, passes the time,--that is very wholesome -and agreeable. And what will you say? Right away the lost article is -found." - -"A patent might be taken for such an invention," answered Pan -Stanislav; "but let us speak of Mashko's affair." - -"We must go to Yamish. Mashko has sent me a paper which he has -written for Gantovski. He is unwilling to change a word; but it is an -impossible statement, too harsh,--it cannot be accepted. I understand -that a duel is waiting for us, nothing else; I see no other outcome." - -"Gantovski has intrusted himself to Pan Yamish in everything, and he -will do all that Yamish commands. But Yamish, to begin with, is also -indignant at Gantovski; secondly, he is a sick man, mild, calm, so that -who knows that he may not accept such conditions." - -"Pan Yamish is an old dotard," said Kresovski; "but let us go, for it -is late." - -They went out. After a while the sleigh halted before the hotel. Pan -Yamish was waiting for them, but he received them in his dressing-gown, -for he was really in poor health. Kresovski, looking at his -intelligent, but careworn and swollen face, thought,-- - -"He is really ready to agree to everything." - -"Sit down, gentlemen," said Pan Yamish; "I came only three days ago, -and though I do not feel well, I am glad, for perhaps the affair may -be settled. Believe me that I was the first to rub the ears of my -water-burner." - -Here he shrugged his shoulders, and, turning to Pan Stanislav, -inquired,-- - -"What are the Plavitskis doing? I have not visited them yet, though I -long to see my golden Marynia." - -"Panna Marynia is well," answered Pan Stanislav. - -"But the old man?" - -"A few days ago a distant relative of his died,--a very wealthy woman; -he is counting, therefore, on an inheritance. He told me so yesterday; -but I hear that she has left all her property for benevolent purposes. -The will is to be opened to-day or to-morrow." - -"May God have inspired her to leave something to Marynia! But let us -come to our affair. I need not tell you, gentlemen, that it is our duty -to finish it amicably, if we can." - -Kresovski bowed. Introductions like this, which he had heard in his -life God knows how often, annoyed him. - -"We are profoundly convinced of this duty." - -"So I had hoped," answered Yamish, benevolently. "I confess myself that -Pan Gantovski had not the least right to act as he did. I recognize -even as just that he should be punished for it; hence I shall persuade -him to all, even very considerable, concessions, fitted to assure -proper satisfaction to Pan Mashko." - -Kresovski took from his pocket the folded paper, and gave it, with a -smile, to Pan Yamish, saying,-- - -"Pan Mashko demands nothing more than that Pan Gantovski should read -this little document, to begin with, in presence of his own and Pan -Mashko's seconds, as well as in presence of Pan Mashko's subordinates, -who were present at the scene, and then write under it his own -respected name." - -Pan Yamish, finding his spectacles among his papers, put them on his -nose, and began to read. But as he read, his face grew red, then pale; -after that he began to pant. Pan Stanislav and Kresovski could scarcely -believe their eyes that that was the same Pan Yamish who a moment -before was ready for every concession. - -"Gentlemen," said he, with a broken voice, "Pan Gantovski has acted -like a water-burner, like a thoughtless man; but Pan Gantovski is a -noble, and this is what I answer in his name to Pan Mashko." - -When he said this, he tore the paper in four pieces, and threw them on -the floor. - -The thing had not been foreseen. Kresovski began to meditate whether -Yamish had not offended his dignity of a second by this act, and in -one moment his face began to grow icy, and contract like that of an -angry dog; but Pan Stanislav, who loved Pan Yamish, was pleased at his -indignation. - -"Pan Mashko is injured in such an unusual degree that he cannot ask -for less; but Pan Kresovski and I foresaw your answer, and it only -increases the respect which we have for you." - -Pan Yamish sat down, and, being somewhat asthmatic, breathed rather -heavily for a time; then he grew quiet, and said,-- - -"I might offer you an apology on the part of Pan Gantovski, but in -other expressions altogether; I see, however, that we should be losing -time merely. Let us talk at once of satisfaction, weapon in hand. Pan -Vilkovski, Pan Gantovski's other second, will be here soon; and if you -can wait, we will fix the conditions immediately." - -"That is called going straight to the object," said Kresovski, who -quite agreed with Pan Yamish. - -"But from necessity,--and sad necessity," replied Yamish. - -"I must be in my office at eleven," said Pan Stanislav, looking at his -watch; "but, if you permit, I will run in here about one o'clock, to -look over the conditions and sign them." - -"That will do. We cannot draw up conditions that will rouse people's -laughter, that I understand and inform you; but I count on this,--that -you, gentlemen, will not make them too stringent." - -"I have no thought, I assure you, of quarrelling to risk another man's -life." So saying, Pan Stanislav started for his office, where, in fact, -a number of affairs of considerable importance were awaiting him, and -which, in Bigiel's absence, he had to settle alone. In the afternoon -he signed the conditions of the duel, which were serious, but not too -stringent. He went then to dinner, for he hoped to find Mashko in the -restaurant. Mashko had gone to Pani Kraslavski's; and the first person -whom Pan Stanislav saw was Plavitski, dressed, as usual, with care, -shaven, buttoned, fresh-looking, but gloomy as night. - -"What is my respected uncle doing here?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"When I have trouble, I do not dine at home usually, and this to avoid -afflicting Marynia," answered Plavitski. "I go somewhere; and as thou -seest, the wing of a chicken, a spoonful of preserve, is all that I -need. Take a seat with me, if thou hast no pleasanter company." - -"What has happened?" - -"Old traditions are perishing; that has happened." - -"Bah! this is not a misfortune personal to uncle." - -Plavitski glanced at him gloomily and solemnly. "To-day," said he, "a -will has been opened." - -"Well, and what?" - -"And what? People are saying now throughout Warsaw: 'She remembered her -most distant relatives!' Nicely did she remember them! Marynia has an -inheritance, has she? Knowest thou how much? Four hundred rubles a year -for life. And the woman was a millionnaire! An inheritance like that -may be left to a servant, not to a relative." - -"But to uncle?" - -"Nothing to me. She left fifteen thousand rubles to her manager, but -mentioned no syllable about me." - -"What is to be done?" - -"Old traditions are perishing. How many people gained estates formerly -through wills, and why was it? Because love and solidarity existed in -families." - -"Even to-day I know people on whose heads thousands have fallen from -wills." - -"True, there are such,--there are many of them; but I am not of the -number." - -Plavitski rested his head on his hand, and from his mouth issued -something in the style of a monologue. - -"Yes, always somewhere somebody leaves something to somebody." Here he -sighed, and after a while added, "But to me no one leaves anything, -anywhere, at any time." - -Suddenly an idea equally cruel and empty occurred to Pan Stanislav on a -sudden to cheer up Plavitski; therefore he said,-- - -"Ai! she died in Rome; but the will here was written long ago, and -before that one there was another altogether different, as people tell -me. Who knows that in Rome a little codicil may not be found, and that -my dear uncle will not wake up a millionnaire some day?" - -"That day will not come," answered Plavitski. Still the words had moved -him; he began to gaze at Polanyetski, to squirm as if the chair on -which he was sitting were a bed of torture, and said, at last, "And you -think that possible?" - -"I see in it nothing impossible," answered Pan Stanislav, with real -roguish seriousness. - -"If the wish of Providence." - -"And that may be." - -Plavitski looked around the hall; they were alone. He pushed back his -chair on a sudden, and, pointing to his shirt-bosom, said,-- - -"Come here, my boy!" - -Pan Stanislav inclined his head, which Plavitski kissed twice, saying -at the same time, with emotion,-- - -"Thou host consoled me; thou hast strengthened me. Let it be as God -wills, but thou hast strengthened me. I confess to thee now that I -wrote to Panna Ploshovski only to remind her that we were living. I -asked her when the rent term of one of her estates would end; I had -not, as thou knowest, the intention to take that place, but the excuse -was a good one. May God reward thee for strengthening me! The present -will may have been made before my letter. She went to Rome later; on -the way she must have thought of my letter, and therefore of us; and, -to my thinking, that is possible. God reward thee!" - -After a while his face cleared up completely; all at once he laid his -hand on Pan Stanislav's knee, and, clicking with his tongue, cried,-- - -"Knowest what, my boy? Perhaps in a happy hour thou hast spoken; and -might we not drink a small bottle of Mouton-Rothschild on account of -this codicil?" - -"God knows that I cannot," said Pan Stanislav, who had begun to be a -little ashamed of what he had said to the old man. "I cannot, and I -will not." - -"Thou must." - -"'Pon my word, I cannot. I have my hands full of work, and I will not -befog my head for anything in the world." - -"A stubborn goat,--a regular goat! Then I will drink half a bottle to -the happy hour." - -So he ordered it, and asked,-- - -"What hast thou to do?" - -"Various things. Immediately after dinner I must be with Professor -Vaskovski." - -"What kind of a figure is that Vaskovski?" - -"In fact," said Pan Stanislav, "an inheritance has fallen to him from -his brother, who was a miner,--an inheritance, and a considerable one. -But he gives all to the poor." - -"He gives to the poor, but goes to a good restaurant. I like such -philanthropists. If I had anything to give the poor, I would deny -myself everything." - -"He was ailing a long time, and the doctor ordered him to eat -plentifully. But even in that case he eats only what is cheap. He lives -in a poor chamber, and rears birds. Next door he has two large rooms; -and knowest, uncle, who passes the night in them? Children whom he -picks up on the street." - -"It seemed to me right away that he had something here," said -Plavitski, tapping his forehead with his finger. - -Pan Stanislav did not find Vaskovski at home; hence after an interview -with Mashko he dropped in to see Marynia about five in the afternoon. -His conscience was gnawing him for the nonsense he had spoken to -Plavitski. "The old man," said he to himself, "will drink costly wines -on account of that codicil; while to my thinking they are living beyond -their means already. The joke should not last too long." - -He found Marynia with her hat on. She was going to the Bigiels', but -received him, and since he had not come for a long time, he remained. - -"I congratulate you on the inheritance," said he. - -"I am glad myself," replied she; "it is something sure, and in our -position that is important. For that matter, I should like to be as -rich as possible." - -"Why so?" - -"You remember what you said once, that you would like to have enough -to establish a manufactory, and not carry on a mercantile house. I -remember that; and since every one has personal wishes, I should like -to have much, much money." - -Then, thinking that she might have said too much, and said it too -definitely, she began to straighten the fold of her dress, so as to -incline her head. - -"I came, for another thing, to beg your pardon," said Pan Stanislav. -"To-day at dinner I told a pack of nonsense to Pan Plavitski, saying -that Panna Ploshovski had changed her will, perhaps, and left him a -whole estate. Beyond my expectation he took it seriously. I should not -wish to have him deceive himself; and if you will permit me, I will go -at once to him and explain the matter somehow." - -"I have explained it to him already," said Marynia, smiling; "he -scolded me, and that greatly. You see how you have involved matters. -You have cause indeed to beg pardon." - -"Therefore I beg." - -And, seizing her hand, he began to cover it with kisses; and she left -it with him completely, repeating as if in sarcasm, but with emotion,-- - -"Ah, the wicked Pan Stas, the wicked Pan Stas!" - -That day Pan Stanislav felt on his lips till he fell asleep the warmth -of Marynia's hand; and he thought neither of Mashko nor Gantovski, but -repeated to himself with great persistence,-- - -"It is time to decide this." - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - - -Kresovski, with a doctor and a case containing pistols, entered one -carriage, Pan Stanislav with Mashko another, and the two moved toward -Bielany. The day was clear and frosty, full of rosy haze near the -ground. The wheels turned with a whining on the frozen snow; the horses -were steaming, and covered with frost; on the trees abundant snow was -resting. - -"Frost that is frost," said Mashko. "Our fingers will freeze to the -triggers. And the delight of removing one's furs!" - -"Then be reconciled; make no delay. My dear man, tell Kresovski to -begin the work straightway." - -Here Mashko wiped his damp eye-glass, and added, "Before we reach the -place, the sun will be high, and there will be a great glitter from the -snow." - -"Finish quickly, then," answered Pan Stanislav. "Since Kresovski is in -time, there will be no waiting for the others; they are used to early -rising." - -"Dost know what makes me anxious at this moment?" asked Mashko. "This, -that there is in the world one factor with which no one reckons in -his plans and actions, and through which everything may be shattered, -involved, and ruined,--human stupidity. Imagine me with ten times the -mind that I have, and unoccupied with the interests of Pan Mashko. -Imagine me, for example, some great statesman, some Bismark or Cavour, -who needs to gain property to carry out his plans, and who calculates -every step, every word,--what then? A beast like this comes along, -stupid beyond human reckoning, and carries all away on his horns. That -is something fabulous! Whether this fellow will shoot me or not, is the -least account now; but the brute has spoiled my life-work." - -"Who can calculate such a thing?" said Pan Stanislav. "It is as if a -roof were to fall on thy head." - -"For that very reason rage seizes me." - -"But as to his shooting thee, don't think of that." - -Mashko recovered, wiped his glass again, and began,-- - -"My dear, I see that from the moment of our starting thou hast been -observing me a little, and now 'tis thy wish to add to my courage. -That is natural. On my part, I must calm thee; and on my word I give -assurance that I will not shame thee. I feel a little disquiet,--that -is simple; but knowest why? That which constitutes danger of life, the -firing at one, is nothing. Let weapons be given me and him; let us into -the woods. God knows that I should fire away at that idiot half a day, -and meet his shots half a day. I have had a duel already, and know what -it is. It is the comedy that disconcerts one, the preparations, the -seconds, the idea that men will look at thee, and the fear touching how -thou wilt appear, how thou wilt acquit thyself. It is simply a public -exhibition, and a question of self-love,--nothing more. For nervous -natures a genuine trial. But I am not over nervous. I understand, -also, that in this regard I am superior to my opponent, for I am more -accustomed to men. 'Tis true such an ass has less imagination, and is -not able to think; for example, how he would look as a corpse; how -he would begin to decay, and so on. Still I shall be able to command -myself better. Besides, I will tell thee another thing: Philosophy -is philosophy; but in matters like this the decisive elements are -temperament and passion. This duel will not bring me to anything, -will not save me in any regard; on the contrary, it may bring me to -trouble. But still I cannot deny it to myself, so much indignation has -collected in my soul, I so hate that idiot, and would like so to crush -and trample him,--that I cease to reason. Thou mayest be certain of one -thing,--that as soon as I see the face of the blockhead I shall forget -disquiet, forget the comedy, and see only him." - -"I understand that well enough," said Pan Stanislav. - -And the spots on Mashko's face increased and became blue from the -frost, wherewith he had a look as stubborn as it was ugly. - -Meanwhile they arrived. Almost simultaneously squeaked the carriage -bringing Gantovski, with Yamish and Vilkovski. When they alighted, -these gentlemen saluted their opponents; then the seven, counting the -doctor, withdrew to the depth of the forest to a place selected on the -preceding day by Kresovski. - -The drivers, looking at the seven overcoats outlined strangely on the -snow, began to mutter to themselves. - -"Do you know what is going to happen?" asked one. - -"Is it my first time?" answered the other. - -"Let the world grow polite; let fools go to fight!" - -Meanwhile the seven, clattering on in their heavy overshoes, and -blowing lines of white steam from their nostrils, went toward the other -end of the forest. On the way, Yamish, somewhat against the rules -binding in such cases, approached Pan Stanislav, and began,-- - -"I wished sincerely that my man should beg pardon of Pan Mashko, but -under the conditions it is not possible." - -"I proposed to Mashko, too, to tone down that note, but he would not." - -"Then there is no escape. All this is immensely foolish, but there is -no escape!" - -Pan Stanislav did not answer, and they walked on in silence. Pan Yamish -began to speak again,-- - -"But I hear that Marynia Plavitski has received some inheritance?" - -"She has, but a small one." - -"And the old man?" - -"He is angry that the whole property is not left to him." - -Yamish tapped his forehead with his glove. "He has a little something -here, that Plavitski;" then, looking around, he said, "Somehow we are -going far." - -"We shall be on the ground in a moment." - -And they went on. The sun had risen above the undergrowth; from the -trees there fell bluish shadows on the snow; but more and more light -was coming into the forest every instant. The crows and daws, hidden -somewhere among the tree-tops, shook the snow, dry as down, and it fell -without noise to the ground, forming under the trees little pointed -piles. Everywhere there was immense silence and rest. Men alone were -disturbing it to shoot at each other. - -They halted at last on the edge of the forest where it was clean. Then -Yamish's short discourse concerning the superiority of peace over -war was listened to by Mashko and Gantovski with ears hidden by fur -collars. When Kresovski loaded the pistols, each made his choice; and -the two, throwing their furs aside, stood opposite each other with the -barrels of their weapons turned upward. - -Gantovski breathed hurriedly; his face was red, and his mustaches -were in icicles. From his whole posture and face it was clear that -the affair disconcerted him greatly; that through shame and force of -will he controlled himself; and that, had he followed the natural bent -of his feelings, he would have sprung at his opponent and smashed -him with the butt of his pistol, or even with his fist. Mashko, who -previously had feigned not to see his opponent, looked at him now with -a face full of hatred, stubbornness, and contempt. His cheeks were -all in spots. He mastered himself more, however, than Gantovski; and, -dressed in a long frock-coat, with a high hat on his head, with his -long side-whiskers, he seemed too stiff, too much like an actor playing -the rôle of a duelling gentleman. - -"He will shoot 'the bear' like a dog," thought Pan Stanislav. - -The words of command were heard, and two shots shook the forest -stillness. Mashko turned then to Kresovski, and said coolly,-- - -"I beg to load the pistols." - -But at the same moment at his feet appeared a spot of blood on the snow. - -"You are wounded," said the doctor, approaching quickly. - -"Perhaps; load the pistols, I beg." - -At that moment he staggered, for he was wounded really. The ball had -carried away the very point of his kneepan. The duel was interrupted; -but Gantovski remained some time yet on the spot with staring eyes, -astonished at what had happened. - -After the first examination of the wound he approached, however, pushed -forward by Yamish, and said as awkwardly as sincerely,-- - -"Now I confess that I was not right in attacking you. I recall -everything that I said, and I beg your pardon. You are wounded, but -I did not wish to wound you." After a moment, when he was going away -with Yamish and Vilkovski, he was heard to say, "As I love God most -sincerely, it was a pure accident; I intended to fire over his head." - -Mashko did not open his mouth that day. To the question of the doctor -if the wound caused much pain, he merely shook his head in sign that it -did not. - -Bigiel, who had just returned from Prussia with his pockets full of -contracts, when he heard all that had happened, said to Pan Stanislav,-- - -"Mashko seems an intelligent man, but, as God lives, every one of us -has some whim in his head. He, for example, has credit; he has many -splendid business cases; he might have a considerable income, and make -a fortune. But no, he wants to force matters, strain his credit to -the utmost, buy estates, give himself out as a great proprietor, a -lord,--be God knows what, only not what he is. All this is wonderful, -and the more so that it is so common. More than once I think that life -in itself is not bad, but that all ruin it through want of mental -balance, and certain devilish whims,--through a kind of wasp, which -every one has behind his collar. I understand that a man wants to have -more than he has, and to mean more than he means; but why strive for -it in fantastic fashion? I am first to recognize energy and cleverness -in Mashko; but, taking everything into consideration, he has something -here, as God is true, he has." - -Bigiel now tapped his forehead with his finger a number of times. - -Meanwhile Mashko, with set teeth, was suffering, since his wound, -though not threatening life, was uncommonly painful. In the evening -he fainted twice in presence of Pan Stanislav. Afterward, weakness -supervened, during which that boldness of spirit which had upheld the -young advocate through the day gave way completely. When the doctor -departed, after dressing the wound, Mashko lay quietly for a time, and -then began,-- - -"But I am in luck!" - -"Do not think of that," answered Pan Stanislav; "thou wilt get more -fever." - -But Mashko continued, however, "Insulted, ruined, wounded,--all at one -blow." - -"I repeat to thee that this is no time to think of that." - -Mashko rested his elbow on the pillow, hissed from pain, and said,-- - -"Never mind; this is the last time that I shall converse with a decent -man. One week or two from now I shall be of those whom people avoid. -What do I care for this fever? There is something so unendurable -in ruin so complete, in a wreck of fate so utter, that the first -idiot, the first goose that comes along will say: 'I knew that long -ago; I foresaw that.' So it is: all of them foresee everything after -the event; and of him whom the thunderbolt has struck, they make in -addition a fool, or a madman." - -Pan Stanislav recalled Bigiel's words at that moment. But Mashko, by -a marvellous coincidence, spoke on in such fashion as if wishing to -answer those words. - -"And dost think that I did not give account to myself that I was going -too sharply; that I was hurrying with too much force; that I wanted -to be something greater than I was; that I carried my nose too high? -No one will render me that justice; but knowest thou that I said it -to myself? But I said to myself, too: 'It is needful to do this; this -is the one way to rise to distinction. Maybe things are wrong, maybe -life, in general, goes backward; but had it not been for that adventure -unforeseen, and of unfathomable stupidity, I should have succeeded just -because I was such as I was. If I had been a modest man, I should not -have got Panna Kraslavski. With us it is necessary always to pretend -something; and if the devils take me, it is not through my pride, but -that blockhead." - -"But how the deuce art thou to know surely that thy marriage will fail?" - -"My dear man, thou hast no knowledge of those women. They agreed -on Pan Mashko through lack of something better, for Pan Mashko had -good success. But if any shadow falls on my property, my position, -my station, they will throw me aside without mercy, and then roll -mountains on to me to shield themselves before the world of society. -What knowledge hast thou of them? Panna Kraslavski is not Panna -Plavitski." - -A moment of silence followed, then Mashko spoke further, with a -weakening voice: "She could have rescued me. For her I should have -gone on another road,--a far quieter one. In such conditions Kremen -would have been saved; the debt on it would have fallen away, as well -as Plavitski's annuity. I should have waded out. Dost thou know that, -besides, I fell in love with her in student fashion? It came so, -unknown whence. But she chose rather to be angry with thee than love -me. Now I understand; there is no help for it." - -Pan Stanislav, who did not relish this conversation, interrupted it, -and spoke with a shadow of impatience,-- - -"It astonishes me that a man of thy energy thinks everything lost, -while it is not. Panna Plavitski is a past on which thou hast made a -cross, by proposing to Panna Kraslavski. As to the present, thou wert -attacked, it is true; but thou hast fought, thou wert wounded, but in -such a way that in a week thou wilt be well; and finally, those ladies -have not announced that they break with thee. Till thou hast that, -black on white, thou hast no right to talk thus. Thou art sick, and -that is why thou art reading funeral services over thyself prematurely. -But I will tell thee another thing. It is for thee to let those ladies -know what has happened. Dost wish, I will go to them to-morrow, then -they will act as they please; but let them be informed by thy second, -not by city gossips." - -Mashko thought a while, and said: "I wished to write in every case to -my betrothed; but if thou go, it will be better. I have no hope that -she will hold to me, but it is needful to do what is proper. I thank -thee. Thou wilt be able to present the affair from the best side,--only -not a word touching troubles of any kind. Thou must lessen the sale of -the oak to zero, to a politeness which I wished to show thee. I thank -thee sincerely. Say that Gantovski apologized." - -"Hast thou some one to sit with thee?" - -"My servant and his wife. The doctor will come again, and bring a -surgeon. This pains me devilishly, but I am not ill." - -"Then, till we meet again." - -"Be well. I thank thee--thou art--" - -"Sleep soundly." - -Pan Stanislav went out. Along the way he meditated on Mashko's course, -and meditated with a species of anger: - -"He is not of the romantic school; still he is inclined to pretend -something of that sort. Panna Plavitski! he loved her--he would have -gone by another road--she might have saved him!--this is merely a -tribute to sentimentality, and, besides, in false coin, since a -month later he proposed to that puppet--for money's sake! Maybe I -am duller-witted; I do not understand this, and do not believe in -disappointments cured so easily. Had I loved one woman, and been -disappointed, I do not think that I should marry another in a month. -Devil take me if I should! He is right, however, that Marynia is of a -different kind from Kraslavski. There is no need whatever to discuss -that; she is different altogether! different altogether!" - -And that thought was immensely agreeable to Pan Stanislav. When he -reached home, he found a letter from Bukatski, who was in Italy, and -a card from Marynia, full of anxiety and questions concerning the -duel. There was a request to send news early in the morning of what -had happened, especially to inform her if everything was really over, -and if no new encounter was threatened. Pan Stanislav, under the -influence of the idea that she was different from Panna Kraslavski, -answered cordially, more cordially even than he wished, and commanded -his servant to deliver the note at nine the next morning. Then he set -about reading Bukatski's letter, shrugging his shoulders from the very -beginning. Bukatski wrote as follows:-- - - May Sakya Muni obtain for thee blessed Nirvana! Besides this, tell - Kaplaner not to forward my three thousand rubles to Florence, but - to keep them at my order. These days I have resolved to entertain - the design of forming the plan of becoming a vegetarian. Dost note - how decisive this is? If the thought does not annoy me, if this - plan becomes a determination, and the determination is not beyond - my power, I shall cease to be a flesh-eating animal; and life - will cost me less money. That is the whole question. As to thee, - I beg thee to be satisfied with everything, for life is not worth - fatigue. - - I have discovered why the Slavs prefer synthesis to analysis. - It is because they are idlers, and analysis is laborious. A man - can synthesize while smoking a cigar after dinner. For that - matter, they are right in being idlers. It is comfortably warm - in Florence, especially on Lung-Arno. I walk along for myself - and make a synthesis of the Florentine school. I have made the - acquaintance here of an able artist in water-colors,--a Slav, - too, who lives by art; but he proves that art is swinishness, - which has grown up from a mercantile need of luxury, and from - over-much money, which some pile up at the expense of others. In - one word, art is, to his thinking, meanness and injustice. He - fell upon me as upon a dog, and asserted that to be a Buddhist - and to be occupied with art is the summit of inconsistency; - but I attacked him still more savagely, and answered, that to - consider consistency as something better than inconsistency was - the height of miserable obscurantism, prejudices, and meanness. - The man was astonished, and lost speech. I am persuading him to - hang himself, but he doesn't want to. Tell me, art thou sure that - the earth turns around the sun, or isn't this all a joke? For - that matter, it is all one to me! In Warsaw I was sorry for that - child who died, and here too I think of her frequently. How stupid - that was! What is Pani Emilia doing? People have their rôle in - the world fixed beforehand, and her rôle came to her with wings - and suffering. Why was she good? She would have been happier - otherwise. As to thee, O man, show me one kindness. I beg thee, - by all things, marry not. Remember that if thou marry, if thou - have a son, if thou toil to leave him property, thou wilt do so - only for this that that son may be what I am, irreparably so. - Farewell burning energy, farewell mercantile house, commission - firm, O transitory form, vicious toil, effort for money, future - father of a family, rearer of children and trouble. Embrace for me - Vaskovski. He, too, is a man of synthesis. May Sakya Muni open thy - eyes to know that it is warm in the sun and cool in the shade, and - to lie down is better than to stand! Thy - BUKATSKI. - -"Hash!" thought Pan Stanislav. "All this is artificial, all -self-deception through a kind of exaggeration. But if a man accustoms -himself to this, it will become in time a second nature to him, and, -meanwhile, the devils take his reason; his energy and soul decay like -a corpse. A man may throw himself headlong into such a hole as Mashko -has, or into such a one as Bukatski. In both cases he will go under the -ice. What the devil does it mean? Still there must be some healthy and -normal life; only it is needful to have a little common sense in the -head. But for a man like Bigiel, it is not bad in the world. He has a -wife whom he loves, children whom he loves; he works like an ox. At the -same time he has a great attachment for people, loves music and his -violoncello, on which he plays in the moonlight, with his face raised -toward the ceiling. It cannot be said that he is a materialist. No; in -him one thing agrees with another somehow, and he is happy." - -Pan Stanislav began to walk through the room, and look from time to -time at Litka's face, smiling from between the birches. The need of -balancing accounts with his own self seized hold of him with increasing -force. Like a merchant, he set about examining his debit and credit, -which, for that matter, was not difficult. On the credit side of his -life, his feeling for Litka once occupied the chief place; she was -so dear to him in her time that if a year before it had been said, -"Take her as your own child," he would have taken her, and considered -that he had something to live for. But now this relation was only a -remembrance, and from the rubric of happiness it had passed over to -the rubric of misfortune. What was left? First of all, life itself; -second, that mental dilettantism, which in every case is a luxury; -further, the future, which rouses curiosity; further, the use of -material things; and finally, his commercial house. All this had its -value; but Pan Stanislav saw that there was a lack of object in it. As -to the commercial house, he was pleased with the successes which he -experienced, but not with the kind of work which the house demanded; -on the contrary, that kind of work was not enough for him,--it was too -narrow, too poor, and angered him. On the other hand, dilettantism, -books, the world of mind,--all had significance as an ornament of life, -but could not become its basis. "Bukatski," said Pan Stanislav to -himself, "has sunk in this up to his ears; he wished to live with it, -and has become weak, incompetent, barren. Flowers are good; but whoso -wishes to breathe the odor of them exclusively will poison himself." -In truth, Pan Stanislav did not need to be a great sage to see around -him a multitude of people who were out of joint, whose health of soul -mental dilettantism had undermined,--just as morphine undermines one's -health of body. - -This dilettantism had wrought much harm to him, too, if only in -this,--that it had made him a skeptic. He had been saved from -grievous disease only by a sound organism, which felt the absolute -need of expending its superfluous energy. But what will come later? -Can he continue in that way? To this Pan Stanislav answered now -with a decisive No! Since the business of his house could not fill -out his life, and since it was simply perilous to fill it out with -dilettantism, it was necessary to fill it out with something else,--to -create new worlds, new duties, to open up new horizons; and to do this, -he had to do one thing,--to marry. - -On a time when he said this to himself, he saw before him a certain -undefined form, uniting all the moral and physical requisites, but -without a body and without a name. Now it was a real figure; it had -calm blue eyes, dark hair, a mouth a trifle too large, and was called -Marynia Plavitski. Of any one else there could not be even mention; -and Pan Stanislav placed her before himself with such vividness that -the veins throbbed in his temples with more life. He was perfectly -conscious, however, that something was lacking then in his feeling for -Marynia,--namely, that around which the imagination lingers, which -dares not ask anything, but hopes everything; which fears, trembles, -kneels; which says to the loved woman, "At thy feet;" the love in which -desire is at the same time worship, homage,--a feeling which adds a -kind of mystic coloring to the relations of a man to a woman; which -makes of the man, not merely a lover, but a follower. That had gone. -Pan Stanislav, in thinking now of Marynia, thought soberly, almost -insolently. He felt that he could go and take her, and have her; and -if he did so, it would be for two reasons: first, because Marynia was -for him a woman more attractive than all others; and second, reason -commanded him to marry, and to marry her. - -"She is wonderfully reliable," thought he; "there is nothing in her -fruitless or dried up. Egotism has not destroyed the heart in her; and -it is undoubted that such a one will not think merely of what belongs -to her. She is honesty incarnate, duty incarnate; and in life the only -need will be to prevent her from thinking too little of herself. If -reason commands me to marry, I should commit a folly, were I to look -for another." - -Then he asked whether, if he abandoned Marynia, he would not act -dishonorably. Litka had united them. Something in his heart revolted -at the very thought of opposing the will and sacrifice of that child. -If he wished, however, to act against that will, should he have borne -himself as he had? No. In such an event he ought not to have shown -himself at the Plavitskis' since Litka's death, nor have seen Marynia, -nor kissed her hand, nor let himself be borne away by the current which -had borne him,--by the power of events, perhaps,--but borne him so far -that to-day he would disappoint Marynia, and fall in her eyes to the -wretched position of a man who knows not himself what he wishes. For he -would have to be blind not to see that Marynia considers herself his -betrothed; and that, if she were not disquieted by his silence so far, -it was simply because she ascribed it to the mourning which both had in -their hearts for Litka. - -"Looking, then," said Pan Stanislav, "from the side of reason and -conservative instinct, from the side of sense and honor, I ought to -marry her. Therefore what? Therefore I should be an imbecile if I -hesitated, and did not consider the question as settled. It is settled." - -Then he drew breath, and began to walk through the room. Under the lamp -lay Bukatski's letter. Pan Stanislav took it, and read from the place -where his eyes fell by chance. - - "I beg thee, by all things, marry not. Remember that if thou - marry, if thou have a son, if thou toil to leave him property, - thou wilt do so only for this: that that son may be what I am." - -"Here is a nice quandary for thee," said Pan Stanislav, with a certain -stubbornness. "I will marry. I will marry Marynia Plavitski; dost hear? -I will gain property; and if I have a son, I will not make of him a -decadent; dost understand?" - -And he was pleased with himself. A little later he looked at Litka, -and felt that a sudden emotion seized him. A current of sorrow for -her, and of feeling, rose with a new power in his heart. He began to -converse with the child, as in important moments of life people speak -usually with beloved dead,-- - -"Thou art pleased, kitten? Is it not true?" asked he. And she smiled at -him from among the birches painted by Marynia; she seemed to blink at -him, and to answer,-- - -"True, Pan Stas; true." - -That evening, before going to bed, he took back from the servant the -note which was to be given to Marynia in the morning, and wrote another -still more affectionate, and in the following words,-- - - DEAR LADY,--Gantovski made a scene with Mashko--rather an - awkward one--from which a duel came. Mashko is slightly wounded. - His opponent begged his pardon on the spot. There will be no - further results, save this: that I am still more convinced of - how kind you are, and thoughtful and excellent; and to-morrow, - if you permit, I will come with thanks to kiss your beloved and - dear hands. I will come in the afternoon; for, in the morning, - after visiting my office, I must go to Pani Kraslavski's, and then - say farewell to Professor Vaskovski, though, were it possible, I - should prefer to begin the day not with them. - - POLANYETSKI. - - -After writing these words, he looked at the clock, and, though it was -eleven already, he gave command to deliver the letter, not in the -morning, but straightway. - -"Thou wilt go in through the kitchen," said he to the servant; "and, if -the young lady is asleep, thou wilt leave it." - -When alone, he said the following words to the lady,-- - -"Thou art a very poor diviner, unless thou divine why I am coming -to-morrow!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - - -Pani Kraslavski received Pan Stanislav with great astonishment, -because of the early hour; but still she received him, thinking that -he had come for some uncommon reason. He, on his part, without long -introductions, told her what had happened, disguising at the same -time only what was necessary for shielding Mashko from suspicion of -bankruptcy or unfavorable business. - -He noticed that the old lady, while he was talking, kept her green -eyes--made, as it were, of stone, and devoid of glitter--fixed on him, -and that no muscle of her face moved. Only when he had ended did she -say,-- - -"There is one thing in all this which I do not understand. Why did Pan -Mashko sell the oak? That is no small ornament to any residence." - -"Those oaks stand far from the house," answered Pan Stanislav, "and -injure the land,--for nothing will grow in the shade of them; and Pan -Mashko is a practical man. Besides, to tell the truth, we are old -friends, and he did that through friendship for me. I am a merchant; I -needed the oak, and Pan Mashko let me have all he could spare." - -"In such an event, I do not understand why that young man--" - -"If you are acquainted with Pan Yamish," interrupted Pan Stanislav, -"he, because he lives near both Kremen and Yalbrykov, will explain to -you that that young man is not of perfect mind, and is known as such in -the whole neighborhood." - -"In that case Pan Mashko was not obliged to fight a duel with him." - -"In such matters," answered Pan Stanislav, with a shade of impatience, -"we have different ideas from ladies." - -"You will permit me to say a couple of words to my daughter." - -Pan Stanislav thought it time to rise and take farewell; but since he -had come, as it were, on a reconnaissance, and wished to take some -information to Mashko, he said,-- - -"If the ladies have any message to Pan Mashko, I am going to him -directly." - -"In a moment," answered Pani Kraslavski. - -Pan Stanislav remained alone and waited rather long, so long indeed -that he began to be impatient. At last both ladies appeared. Though -her hair had not been dressed with sufficient care, the young lady, -in a white chemisette and a sailor's tie, seemed to Pan Stanislav -quite beautiful, in spite of a slight inflammation of the eyes, and -a few pimples on her forehead, which were powdered. There was about -her a certain attractive languor, from which, having risen very late -apparently, she had not been able yet to rouse herself, and a certain -equally charming morning carelessness. For the rest, there was no -emotion on her bloodless face. - -After salutations were exchanged with Pan Stanislav, she said, with a -cool, calm voice,-- - -"Be so kind as to tell Pan Mashko that I was greatly pained and -alarmed. Is the wound really slight?" - -"Beyond a doubt." - -"I have begged mamma to visit Pan Mashko; I will take her, and wait in -the carriage for news. Then I will go again for mamma, and so every day -till Pan Mashko has recovered. Mamma is so kind that she consents to -this." - -Here a slight, barely evident blush passed over her pale face. To Pan -Stanislav, for whom her words were an utter surprise, and whom they -pierced with astonishment, she seemed then perfectly comely; and a -moment later, when going to Mashko, he said to himself,-- - -"Well, the women are better than they seem. But they are two decanters -of chilled water; still the daughter has some heart. Mashko did not -know her, and he will have an agreeable surprise. The old woman will go -to him, will see all those bishops and castellans with crooked noses -over which Bukatski amused himself so much; but she will believe in -Mashko's greatness." - -Meditating in this way, he found himself in Mashko's house, and had to -wait, for he came at the moment of dressing the wound. But barely had -the doctor gone, when Mashko gave command to ask him to enter, and, -without even a greeting, inquired,-- - -"Well, hast thou been there?" - -"How art thou; how hast thou slept?" - -"Well. But never mind--hast thou been there?" - -"I have. I will tell thee briefly. In a quarter of an hour Pani -Kraslavski will be here. The young lady told me to say that she would -bring her mother, and would wait to hear how thou art; and to tell thee -that she is greatly alarmed, that she is very unhappy, but thanks God -that there is nothing worse. Thou seest, Mashko! I add, besides, that -she is good-looking, and has attracted me. Now I am going, for I have -no time to wait." - -"Have mercy; wait a moment. Wait, my dear; I have not a fever, and if -thou speak through fear--" - -"Thou art annoying," said Pan Stanislav; "I give thee my word that -I tell the truth, and that thou hast spoken ill of thy betrothed -prematurely." - -Mashko dropped his head on the pillow, and was silent for a time; then -he said, as if to himself,-- - -"I shall be ready to fall in love with her really." - -"That is well. Be in health; I am going to take farewell of Vaskovski." - -But instead of going to Vaskovski, he went to the Plavitskis', whom -he did not find at home, however. Plavitski was never at home, and of -Marynia they said that she had gone out an hour before. Usually when -a man is going to a woman who rouses vivid interest in him, and makes -up his mind on the way what to say to her, he has rather a stupid face -if he finds that she is not at home. Pan Stanislav felt this, and was -vexed. He went to a greenhouse, however, bought a multitude of flowers, -and had them sent to Marynia. When he thought of the delight with -which she would receive them, and with what a beating heart she would -wait for evening, he was so pleased that after dinner he dropped into -Vaskovski's in the very best humor. - -"I have come to take farewell, Professor; when dost thou start on the -journey?" - -"How art thou, my dear?" answered Vaskovski. "I had to delay for a -couple of days; for, as thou seest, I am wintering various small boys -here." - -"Young Aryans, I suppose, who in hours of freedom draw purses out of -pockets?" - -"No, they are good souls; but I cannot leave them without care. I must -seek out a successor who will live in my place." - -"But who would roast himself here? How dost thou live in such heat?" - -"Because I sit without a coat; and wilt thou permit me not to put it -on? It is a little warm here; but perspiration is wholesome, and these -little feathered creatures crave heat." - -Pan Stanislav looked around. In the room there were at least a dozen -and a half of buntings, titmice, finches. Sparrows, accustomed -evidently to be fed, looked in in flocks through the window. The -professor kept in his room only birds purchased of dealers; sparrows -he did not admit, saying that if he did there would be no end to their -numbers, and that it would be unjust to receive some and reject others. -The chamber birds had cages fastened to the walls and the inner sash of -the window, but went into them only at night; during daylight they flew -through the chamber freely, filling it with twitter, and leaving traces -on books and manuscripts, with which all the corners and the tables -were filled. - -Some of the birds which had become very tame sat on Vaskovski's head -even. On the floor husks of hemp-seed cracked under one's feet. Pan -Stanislav, who knew that chamber thoroughly, still shrugged his -shoulders, and said,-- - -"All this is very good, but that the professor lets them light and sing -on his head; that, God knows, is too much. Besides, it is stifling -here." - -"That is the fault of Saint Francis of Assisi," answered Vaskovski, -"for I learned from him to love these little birds. I have even a pair -of doves, but they are home-stayers." - -"Thou wilt see Bukatski, of course; I received a letter from him,--here -it is." - -"May I read it?" - -"I give it to thee for that very purpose." - -Vaskovski read the letter, and said when he had finished, "I have -always liked this Bukatski; he is a good soul, but--he has a little -something here!" Vaskovski began, to tap his forehead with his fingers. - -"This is beginning to amuse me," exclaimed Pan Stanislav. "Imagine to -thyself, Professor, for a certain number of days some one taps himself -on the forehead and says of some one of our acquaintance, 'He has -something here!' A charming society!" - -"If it is a little so, it is a little so!" answered Vaskovski, with a -smile. "And knowest thou what this is? It is the usual Aryan trouble -of soul; and in us, as Slavs, there is more of that than in the west, -for we are the youngest Aryans, and therefore neither reason nor -heart have settled yet into a balance. We are the youngest Aryans: we -feel with more vividness; we take everything to heart more feverishly; -and we arrange ourselves to the practice of life with more passion. I -have seen much; I have noticed this for a long time. What wonderful -natures! Just look, for example, the German students can carouse,--that -doesn't hinder them from either working or fashioning themselves into -practical people; but let a Slav take this habit, and he is lost, he -will do himself to death! And so with everything. A German will become -a pessimist and write volumes on this,--that life is despair; but he -will drink beer meanwhile, rear children, make money, cultivate his -garden, and sleep under a feather tick. A Slav will hang himself, -or ruin himself with mad life, with excess, smother himself in a -swamp into which he will wade purposely. My dear, I remember men who -Byronized themselves to death. I have seen much; I have seen men who, -for example, took a fancy to peasants, and ended with drinking vodka -in peasant dramshops. There is no measure with us, and there cannot -be, for in us, to the excessive acceptance of every idea, are joined -frivolousness and knowest what vanity. O my God, how vain we are! how -we wish to push ourselves forward always, so that we may be admired -and gazed at! Take this Bukatski: he has sunk in scepticism up to his -ears in fact; in pessimism, Buddhism, decadency, and in what else -besides--do I know?--and in these too there is a chaos at present. -He has sunk so deeply that those miasmas are really poisoning him; -but dost thou think that with this he is not posing? What wonderful -natures! those who are most sincere, who have the most vivid feelings, -taking all things to heart most powerfully,--are at the same time -comedians. When a man thinks of this, he loves them, but he wants to -laugh and to weep." - -Pan Stanislav recalled how during his first visit to Kremen he had told -Marynia of his Belgian times, when, living with some young Belgians, -occupying himself with pessimism, he noticed finally that he took all -these theories far more to heart than the Belgians, and that, through -this, these theories spoiled his life more. Hence he said now,-- - -"Professor, thy speech is truthful. I have seen such things too, and -the devils will take us all." - -Vaskovski fixed his mystic eyes on the frosty window-panes, and said,-- - -"No; some one else will take us all. That hotness of blood, that -capacity for accepting an idea, are the great basis of the mission -which Christ has designed for the Slavs." Here Vaskovski pointed to a -manuscript stained by the birds, and said mysteriously,-- - -"I am going with that; that is the labor of my life. Dost wish I will -read from it?" - -"As God lives, I haven't time; it is late already." - -"True. It is growing dark. Then I will tell thee in brief words. Not -only do I think, but I believe most profoundly, that the Slavs have a -great mission." - -Here Vaskovski halted, began to rub his forehead, and said,-- - -"What a wonderful number,--'three.' There is some mystery in it." - -"Thou wert going to speak of a mission," said Pan Stanislav, disquieted. - -"Never fear; the one has connection with the other. There are three -worlds in Europe: the Roman, the German, and the Slav. The first and -second accomplished what they had to do. The future is for that third." - -"And what has that third to do?" - -"Social conditions, justice, the relations of man to man, the life of -individuals, and that which is called private life, are founded on -Christian science, no matter what comes. The incoherence of men has -deformed this science, but still everything stands on it. Only the -first half of the problem is solved,--the first epoch. There are people -who think that Christianity is nearing its end. No; the second epoch -is about to begin. Christ is in the life of individuals, but not in -history. Dost understand? To bring Him into history, to found on Him -the relations of peoples, to create the love of our neighbor in the -historical sense,--that is the mission which the Slav world has to -accomplish. But the Slavs are deficient in knowledge yet; and the need -is to open their eyes to this mission." - -Pan Stanislav was silent, for he had nothing to answer. - -Vaskovski continued: "This is what I have been pondering over a -lifetime, and have explained in this work." Here he pointed to a -manuscript. "This is the labor of my life. Here _this_ mission is -outlined." - -"On which meanwhile the buntings are--" thought Pan Stanislav. "And -surely it will be that way a long time." But aloud he said, "And it is -thy hope, Professor, that when such a work is printed--" - -"No; I hope nothing. I have a little love, but I am a man too -insignificant, too weak in mind. This will vanish, as if some one had -thrown a stone into water; but there will be a circle. Let some chosen -one come later on; for I know that what is predestined will not fail. -He will not refuse the mission even if he wishes. There is no use in -bending men from their predestination, nor in changing them by force. -What is good in a different place may be bad in this, for God made -us for another use. The labor is vain. Vainly too wilt thou persuade -thyself that thy only wish is to gain money; thou, like others, must -follow the voice of predestination and nature." - -"I am following it indeed, for I am going to marry; that is, if I be -accepted." - -Vaskovski embraced him. - -"I wish thee happiness! This is perfect! May God bless thee! I know -that the little maid indicated it to thee. But remember how I told -thee that she had something to do, and that she would not die till she -had done it. May God give her light, and a blessing to both of you! -Besides, Marynia is golden." - -"And to thee, beloved Professor, a happy journey and a successful -mission!" - -"And to thee, thy wish for thyself." - -"What do I wish?" asked Pan Stanislav, joyfully. "Well, so, half a -dozen little missionaries." - -"Ah rogue! thou wert always a rogue!" answered Vaskovski. "But fly off, -fly off; I will visit thee once more." - -Pan Stanislav flew out, sat on a droshky, and gave command to take -him to the Plavitskis'. On the road he was arranging what to say to -Marynia; and he prepared a little speech, partly sentimental, and -partly sober, as befits a positive man who has found really that which -he was seeking, but who also is marrying through reason. Evidently -Marynia looked for him much later; for there was no light in the -chamber, though the last gleam of twilight was quenched. Pan Stanislav, -for a greeting, began to kiss both her hands, and, forgetting -completely his wise introduction, asked in a voice somewhat uncertain -and excited,-- - -"Have you received the flowers and the letter?" - -"I have." - -"And did you guess why I sent them?" - -Marynia's heart beat with such force that she could not answer. - -Pan Stanislav inquired further, with a still more broken voice,-- - -"Do you agree to Litka's wish,--do you want me?" - -"I do," answered Marynia. - -Then he, in the feeling that it was proper to thank her, sought words -in vain; but he pressed her hands more firmly to his lips, and, holding -them both, drew her gently nearer and nearer. Suddenly a flame seized -him; he put his arms around her, and began to seek her lips with his -own. But Marynia turned away her head so that he could kiss only the -hair on her temples. For a while only their hurried breathing was heard -in the darkness; at last Marynia wrested herself from his arms. - -A few moments later the servant brought a light. Pan Stanislav, -recovering himself, was alarmed at his own boldness, and looked into -Marynia's eyes with disquiet. He was sure that he had offended her, and -was ready to beg her forgiveness. But he saw with wonder that there -were no traces of anger in her face. Her eyes were downcast, her cheeks -flushed, her hair disarranged somewhat; it was evident that she was -disturbed and, as it were, dazed, but withal only penetrated with the -perfect sweetness of that fear which comes to a woman who is loved, -and who, in passing over the new threshold, feels that she must yield -something there, but who passes over and yields because she wishes. -She loves, and she is obliged to yield in view of the rights which she -accords to the man. - -But a vivid feeling of gratitude passed through Pan Stanislav at sight -of her. It seemed to him then that he loved her as he had loved of old, -before Litka's death. He felt also that in that moment he could not -be too delicate nor too magnanimous; hence, taking her hand again, he -raised it to his lips with great respect, and said,-- - -"I know that I am not worthy of you; there is no discussion on that -point. God knows that I shall always do for you what is in my power." - -Marynia looked at him with moist eyes and said, "If only you are happy." - -"Is it possible not to be happy with you? I saw that from the first -moment at Kremen. But afterward, you know, everything was spoiled. I -thought you would marry Mashko, and how I worried--" - -"I was angry, and I beg forgiveness--my dear--Pan Stas." - -"This very day the professor said, 'Marynia is gold,'" exclaimed Pan -Stanislav, with great ardor. "This is true! all say the same--not only -gold, but a treasure--a very precious one." - -Her kindly eyes began to smile at him: "Maybe a heavy one." - -"Let not your head ache over that. I have strength enough; I shall be -able to bear it. Now at least I have something to live for." - -"And I," answered Marynia. - -"Do you know that I have been here already to-day? I sent -chrysanthemums later. After yesterday's letter to you, I said to -myself, 'That is simply an angel, and I should lack, not only heart, -but common-sense to delay any longer.'" - -"I was so alarmed about that duel, and so unhappy. But is it all over -now?" - -"I give you my word, most thoroughly." - -Marynia wanted to make further inquiries, but at that moment Plavitski -came. They heard him cough a little, put away his cane, and remove his -overcoat; he opened the door then, and, seeing them alone, said,-- - -"So you are sitting all by yourselves?" - -But Marynia ran up to him, and placing her hands on his shoulders, and -putting forth her forehead for a kiss, said,-- - -"As betrothed, papa." - -Plavitski stepped back a little and inquired, "What dost thou say?" - -"I say," answered she, looking quietly into his eyes, "that Pan -Stanislav wishes to take me, and that I am very happy." - -Pan Stanislav approached, embraced Plavitski heartily, and said, "I do -with uncle's consent and permission." - -But Plavitski exclaimed, "Oh, my child!" and, advancing with tottering -step to a sofa, he sat on it heavily. "Wait a moment," said he, with -emotion. "It will pass--do not mind me--my children! If that is needed, -I bless you with my whole heart." - -And he blessed them; wherewith still greater emotion mastered him, -for, after all, he loved Marynia really. The voice stuck in his throat -repeatedly; and the two young people heard only such broken expressions -as, for example, "Some corner near you--for the old man, who worked all -his life--an only child--an orphan." - -They pacified him together, and pacified him so well that half an hour -later Plavitski struck Pan Stanislav on the shoulder suddenly, and -said,-- - -"Oh robber! Thou wert thinking of Marynia, and I was thinking thee a -little--" He finished the rest in Pan Stanislav's ear, who grew red -with indignation, and answered,-- - -"How could uncle suppose such a thing? If any one else had dared to say -that?" - -"Well, well, well!" answered Plavitski, smiling; "there is no smoke -without fire." - -That evening Marynia, taking farewell of Pan Stanislav, asked,-- - -"You will not refuse me one thing?" - -"Nothing that you command." - -"I have said long to myself that if a moment like the present should -come, we would go to Litka together." - -"Ah, my dear lady," answered Pan Stanislav; and she continued,-- - -"I know not what people will say; but what do we care for the -world--what indeed?" - -"Nothing. I am thankful to you from my heart and soul for the -thought--My dear lady--my Marynia!" - -"I believe that she looks at us and prays for us." - -"Then she is our little patroness." - -"Good-night." - -"Good-night." - -"Till to-morrow." - -"Till to-morrow," said he, kissing her hands,--"till after to-morrow, -daily;" and here he added in a low voice, "Until our marriage." - -"Yes," answered Marynia. - -Pan Stanislav went out. In his head and in his heart he felt a great -whirl of feelings, thoughts, impressions, above which towered one -great feeling,--that something unheard of in its decisiveness had -happened; that his fate had been settled; that the time of reckoning, -of wavering and changing, had passed; that he must begin a new life. -And that feeling was not unpleasant to him,--nay, it verged on a kind -of delight, especially when he remembered how he had kissed Marynia's -hair and temples. That which was lacking in his feelings shrank and -vanished almost utterly in this remembrance; and it seemed to Pan -Stanislav that he had found everything requisite to perfect happiness. -"I shall never grow sated with this," thought he; and it seemed to him -simply impossible that he should. He remembered then the goodness of -Marynia, and how reliable she was; how on such a heart and character -he might build; how in living with her nothing could ever threaten -him; how she would not trample on any quality of his, nor make it of -no avail; how she would receive as gold that which in him was gold; -how she would live for him, not for herself. And, meditating in this -way, he asked what better could he find? and he wondered indeed at his -recent hesitation. Still he felt that what was coming was a change so -gigantic, so immensely decisive, that somewhere at the bottom, in the -deepest corner of his soul, there was roused a kind of alarm before -this unknown happiness. But he did not hesitate. "I am neither a coward -nor an imbecile," thought he. "It is necessary to go ahead, and I will -go." - -Returning home, he looked at Litka; and immediately there opened before -him, as it were, a new, clear horizon. He thought that he might have -children, have such a bright dear head as this--and with Marynia. At -the very thought his heart began to beat with greater life, and to the -impulse of thoughts was joined such a solace of life as he had not -known previously. He felt almost perfectly happy. Looking by chance at -Bukatski's letter, which he took from his pocket before undressing, he -laughed so heartily that the servant looked in with astonishment. Pan -Stanislav wished to tell him that he was going to marry. He fell asleep -only toward morning, but rose sprightly and fresh; after dressing, he -flew to his office to announce the news to Bigiel at the earliest. - -Bigiel embraced him, then, with his usual deliberation, proceeded to -consider the affair, and said finally,-- - -"Reasoning the matter over, this is the wisest thing that thou hast -done in life;" then, pointing to a box of papers, he added, "Those -contracts ought to be profitable, but thine is still better." - -"Isn't it?" exclaimed Pan Stanislav, boastfully. - -"I will fly to tell my wife," said Bigiel, "for I cannot contain -myself; but go thou home, and go for good. I will take thy place till -the wedding, and during the honeymoon." - -"Very well; I will hurry to see Mashko, and then Marynia and I will go -to Litka." - -"That is due from you both to her." - -Pan Stanislav bought more flowers on the way, added a note to them -that he would come soon, and dropped in to see Mashko. Mashko was -notably better, under the care of Pani Kraslavski, and was looking for -her arrival every moment. When he had heard the news, he pressed Pan -Stanislav's hand with emotion, and said,-- - -"I will tell thee only one thing,--I do not know whether she will be -happy with thee, but certainly thou wilt be happy with her." - -"Because women are better than men," answered Pan Stanislav. "After -what has happened to thee, I hope that thou art of this opinion." - -"I confess that to this moment I cannot recover from astonishment. They -are both better, and more mysterious. Imagine to thyself--" Here Mashko -halted, as if hesitating whether to continue. - -"What?" inquired Pan Stanislav. - -"Well, thou art a discreet man, and hast given me, besides, such proofs -of friendship that there may not be secrets between us. Imagine, then, -that yesterday, after thy departure, I received an anonymous letter. -Here, as thou art aware, the noble custom of writing such letters -prevails. In the letter were tidings that Papa Kraslavski exists, is -alive, and in good health." - -"Which, again, may be gossip." - -"But also may not be. He lives, probably, in America. I received the -letter while Pani Kraslavski was here. I said nothing; but after a -time, when she had examined those portraits, and began to inquire of my -more distant family relations, I asked her, in turn, how long she had -been a widow. She answered,-- - -"'My daughter and I have been alone in the world nine years; and those -are sad events, of which I do not wish to speak to-day.' - -"Observe that she did not say directly when her husband died." - -"And what dost thou think?" - -"I think that if papa is alive, he must be that kind of figure of which -people do not speak, and that in truth those may be 'sad events.'" - -"The secret would have come out long ago." - -"Those ladies lived abroad some years. Who knows? That, however, will -not change my plans in any way. If Pan Kraslavski is living in America, -and does not return, he must have reasons; it is as if he were not in -the world, then. In fact, I am gaining the hope now that my marriage -will come to pass, for I understand that when people have something to -hide, they exact less." - -"Pardon my curiosity," said Pan Stanislav, taking his hat; "but with me -it is a question of my money, and now touching the Kraslavskis. Dost -thou know surely that these ladies have money?" - -"It seems that they have much; still, I am playing against a card -somewhat hidden. It is likely that they have much ready money. The -mother told me repeatedly that her daughter would not need to look to -her husband's property. I saw their safe; they keep a big house. I know -nearly all the money-lenders--Jews and non-Jews--in Warsaw, and I know -surely that these ladies are not in debt a copper to any one; as thou -knowest thyself, they have a nice villa not far from the Bigiels. They -do not live on their capital, for they are too prudent." - -"Thou hast no positive figures, however?" - -"I tried to get them, but in roundabout fashion. Not being too certain -of my connection with the ladies, I could not insist overmuch. It was -given me to understand that there would be two hundred thousand rubles, -and perhaps more." - -Pan Stanislav took leave, and on the way to the Plavitskis' thought, -"All this is a kind of mystery, a kind of darkness, a kind of risk. I -prefer Marynia." - -Half an hour later he was driving with Marynia to the cemetery, to -Litka. The day was warm, as in spring, but gray; the city seemed sullen -and dirty. In the cemetery the melting snow had slipped in patches to -the ground from the graves, and covered the yellow, half-decayed grass. -From the arms of crosses and leafless tree-branches large drops were -falling, which, borne from time to time by gusts of warm wind, struck -the faces of Pan Stanislav and Marynia. These gusts pulled Marynia's -dress, so that she had to hold it. They stopped at last before Litka's -grave. - -And here all was wet, sloppy, gloomy, half-stripped of the melting -snow. The thought that that child, once so cared for, so loved, and so -petted, was lying in that damp dungeon darkness, could hardly find a -place in Pan Stanislav's head. - -"All this may be natural," thought he; "but it is not possible to -be reconciled with death." And, in truth, whenever he visited Litka, -he returned from the cemetery in a kind of irrepressible rebellion, -with a species of passionate protest in his soul. These thoughts began -to rend him in that moment also. It seemed to him simply terrible to -love Litka, and to reconcile his love with the knowledge that a few -steps lower down she is lying there, black and decaying. "I ought not -to come," said he to himself, "for I grow mad, lose my head here, and -lose every basis of life." But, above all, he suffered, for, if it is -impossible not to think of death, it is equally impossible to explain -it; hence everything touching it, which comes to the head, is, in so -far as a man does not stretch forth his hand toward simple faith, at -once despairing and shallow, trivial and common. "For me there is a -greater question here than that of existence itself, but I am only able -to answer with a commonplace. A perfectly vicious circle!" - -And it was true; for if he considered, for example, that at the -first thought of death everything becomes smoke, and he felt that -unfortunately it does, he felt at the same time that thousands of -people had come to that thought before he had, and that no one had -found in it either solace or even such satisfaction as the discovery -of a truth gives. Everything that he could say to himself was at once -terrifying and petty. It was easy for him to understand that the whole -life of man, general history, all philosophies, are at bottom merely -a struggle with incessant death,--a struggle despairing, a struggle -utterly senseless, and at the same time infinitely foolish and devoid -of object, for it is lost in advance. But such reasoning could not -bring him any comfort, since it was merely the confirmation of a new -vicious circle. - -For if the one object of all human efforts is life, and the only result -death, the nonsense passes measure, and simply could not be accepted, -were it not for that loathsome and pitiless reality, which turns beings -beloved and living into rotten matter. - -Pan Stanislav, during every visit to the cemetery, poisoned himself -with such thoughts. To-day, while going, he thought that the presence -of Marynia would liberate him from them; meanwhile, rather the opposite -happened. Litka's death, which had broken in him trust in the sense -and moral object of life, undermined in him also that first, former -love for Marynia, which was so naďve and free of doubt; now, when with -Marynia, he was standing at Litka's grave, when that death, which had -begun to be only a memory, had become again a thing almost tangible, -its poisoning effect was increasing anew. Again it seemed to him that -all life, consequently love, too, is merely an error, and the processes -of life utterly useless and vain. If above life there is neither reason -nor mercy, why toil, why love and marry? Is it to have children, become -attached to them with every drop of one's blood, and then look on -helplessly, while that blind, stupid, insulting, brutal force chokes -them, as a wolf chokes a lamb, and come to their graves, and think that -they are mouldering in damp and darkness? See, Litka is down there. - -A day wonderfully gloomy only strengthened the bitterness of these -feelings. At times, during his previous visits, the cemetery had seemed -to Pan Stanislav a kind of great void in which life was dissolving, but -in which every misfortune, too, was dissolving,--something enormously -dreamy, soothing. To-day there was no rest in it. Pieces of snow fell -from the trees and gravestones; ravens pushed about among the wet trees -with their croaking. Sudden and strong blasts of wind hurled drops of -moisture from the branches, and, driving them about, produced a certain -desperate struggle around the stone crosses, which stood firm and -indifferent. - -Just then Marynia ceased praying, and said, with that slightly -suppressed voice with which people speak in cemeteries,-- - -"Now her soul must be near us." - -Pan Stanislav made no answer; but he thought first that he and Marynia -were beings as if from two distinct worlds, and then that if there were -even a particle of truth in what she said, all his mental struggles -would be less important than that melting snow. "In such case," said -he to himself, "there is dying and there are cemeteries, but there is -simply no death." - -Marynia began to place on the grave immortelles, which she had -bought at the gate, and he to think hurriedly, rather by the aid of -his impressions than his ideas, "In my world there is no answer to -anything; there are only vicious circles, which lead to the precipice." - -And this struck him,--that if such ideas of death as Marynia had, -did not come from faith, or if they had been unknown altogether, and -if all at once some philosopher had formulated them as a hypothesis, -the hypothesis would be recognized as the most genial of the genial, -because it explains everything, gives an answer to questions, gives -light, not only to life, but to death, which is darkness. Mankind would -kneel with admiration before such a philosopher and such a scientific -theory. - -On the other hand, he felt that still something of Litka was there with -them. She herself was falling into dust, but something had survived -her; there remained, as it were, currents of her thought, of her will, -of her feeling. This,--that she had brought him to Marynia; that -they were betrothed; that they were then standing at her grave; that -they were to be united; that their lives would go on together; that -they would have children, who in their turn would live and love and -increase,--what was that, if not such a current, which, coming forth -from that child, might go on and on through eternity, renewing itself -in an endless chain of phenomena? How then understand that from a -mortal being should issue an immortal and ceaseless energy? Marynia, in -the simplicity of her faith, had found an answer; Pan Stanislav had not. - -And still Marynia was right. Litka was with them. Through Pan -Stanislav's head there flew at that moment a certain hypothesis, dim, -and not fixed in close thought yet,--a hypothesis, that, perhaps, all -which man thinks during life, all that he wishes, all that he loves, -is a hundred times more intangible, a hundred times more subtile, than -ether, from which rises an astral existence, conscious of itself, -either eternal or successively born into beings more and more perfect, -more subtile, on to infinity. And it seemed to him that atoms of -thought and feeling might collect into a separate individuality, -specially because they came forth from one brain or one heart; that -they are related,--hence tend to one another with the same mysterious -principle by which physical elements combine to form physical -individualities. - -At present he had not time to meditate over this, but it seemed to him -that he had caught something, that in the veil before his eyes, he saw, -as it were, an opening that might turn out to be a deception; but at -the moment, when he felt that still Litka was with them, he thought -that her presence could be understood only in that manner. - -Just then some funeral came, for, in the tower, which stood in the -middle of the cemetery, the bell began to sound. Pan Stanislav gave -Marynia his arm, and they went towards the gate. On the way Marynia, -thinking evidently more about Litka, said,-- - -"Now I am certain that we shall be happy." - -And she leaned more on Pan Stanislav's arm, for the gusts of wind had -become so violent that it was difficult for her to resist them. One -of these carried her veil around his neck. Reality began to call to -him. He pressed the arm of the living woman to his side, and felt that -loving, if it cannot ward away death, can at least harmonize life. - -When they were seated in the carriage, he took Marynia's hand, and did -not let it go during the whole way. At moments solace returned to him -almost perfectly, for he thought that that maiden, true and kind to -the core of her nature, would be able to make good what was lacking in -his feeling, and revivify in him that which was palsied. "My wife! my -wife!" repeated he, in mind, looking at her; and her honest, clear eyes -answered, "Thine." - -When they arrived at the house, Plavitski had not returned from his -walk before dinner; they were all by themselves then. Pan Stanislav sat -down by her side, and under the influence of those thoughts which had -passed through his head on the way, he said,-- - -"You declared that Litka was with us; that is true. I have always -returned from the cemetery as if cut down; but it is well that we were -there." - -"It is; for we went as if for a blessing," said Marynia. - -"I have that same impression; and, besides, it seems to me as if we -were united already, or, at least, were nearer than before." - -"True; and this will be both a sad and a pleasant remembrance." - -He took her hand again, and said,-- - -"If you believe that we shall be happy, why defer happiness? My kind, -my best, I, too, trust that it will be well with us; let us not defer -the day. We have to begin a new life; let us begin it promptly." - -"Make the decision. I am yours with all my soul." - -Then he drew her toward him, as he had the day before, and began to -seek her lips with his lips; and she, whether under the influence of -the thought that his rights were greater on that day, or under the -influence of awakening thoughts, did not turn her head away any more, -but, half closing her eyes, she herself gave him her lips, as if they -had been thirsty a long time. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - - -For Pan Stanislav began now the period of ante-nuptial cares and -preparations. He had, it is true, a dwelling furnished for more than a -year,--that is, from a period before he knew Marynia. At that time he -made no denial when Bukatski laughed at the lodgings, seeing in them a -proof of how anxious his friend was to marry. "Yes," said he; "I have -property enough to permit this. I think, too, that I am doing something -toward it, and that my plans are growing real." - -Bukatski said this was prevision worthy of praise, and wondered that -a man of such foresight did not engage also a nurse and a midwife. At -times conversation of this kind ended in a quarrel, for Pan Stanislav -could not let any one deny him sound judgment in worldly matters. -Bukatski affirmed that it was bird romance, worthy of a bunting, to -start with building a poetic nest. One friend contended that there -could be no wiser method than to build a cage, if you want a bird; -the other retorted that if the bird were not found yet, and the chase -was uncertain, the cage was a joke on one's appetite. It ended with -allusions to the slim legs of Bukatski, which, for him, made the chase -after birds of all kinds impossible, even though they were wingless. -Bukatski, on such occasions, fell into excellent humor. - -Now, however, when the cage was ready, and the bird not only caught, -but willing, there remained so much to be done that Pan Stanislav was -seized more than once by surprise that an act so simple by nature as -marriage, should be so complex in civilized societies. It seemed to -him that if no one has the right to look into the moral side of the -connection, since it is the outcome of genuine free-will, the formal -side should be looked at still less. - -But he thought so because he was not a law-giver, and was an impulsive -man made impatient by the need of getting "papers." Once he had -resolved on marriage, he ceased to think or to analyze, and hastened, -as a man of action, to execute. - -He was even filled more than once with pride, on comparing himself -with such a man, for instance, as Ploshovski, whose history had been -circling from mouth to mouth in society, before people had begun to -learn it from his diary. "But I am of different metal," thought Pan -Stanislav, with a certain satisfaction. At moments, again, when he -recalled Ploshovski's figure, his noble, delicate, and also firmly -defined profile, his refinement, subtlety, and mental suppleness, his -rare gift of winning people, especially women, it occurred to him that -he, Polanyetski, is a less refined type, less noble, and, in general, a -man cut from ruder materials. But to this he answered that evidently, -in the face of conditions in life and the resistance required by it, -too much refinement is simply fatal to mind as well as body. In himself -he saw also far more ability for living. "Finally," said he, "I can be -of some service, while he would have been good only on social shelves -with curiosities. I am able to win bread; he was able only to make -pellets out of bread when baked. I know how, and I know well how, to -color cotton; he only knew how to color women's cheeks. But what a -difference between us with reference to women! That man over-analyzed -his life and the life of the woman whom he loved; he destroyed her and -himself by not being able to escape from the doubt whether he loved -her sufficiently. I, too, have doubts whether my love is perfect; but -I take my little woman, and should be an imbecile, not a man, to fear -the future, and fail to squeeze from it in simple fashion what good and -happiness it will let me squeeze." - -Here Pan Stanislav, though he had forsworn analysis, began to analyze, -not himself, it is true, but Marynia. He permitted this, however, only -because he foresaw certainly favorable conclusions; he understood that, -in calculating the future of two people, good-will on one side is not -sufficient, and becomes nothing, if good-will fails on the other. -But he was convinced that in taking Marynia he was not taking a dead -heart. Marynia had brought to the world not only an honest nature, but -from years of childhood she had been in contact with work and with -conditions in which she was forced to forget herself, so as to think -of others. Besides, there was above her the memory of a mother, a kind -of endless blessing from beyond the grave,--a mother whose calmness, -candor, and uprightness, whose life, full of trials, were remembered -to the present with the utmost respect, throughout the whole region -of Kremen. Pan Stanislav knew this, and was persuaded that, building -on the heart and character of Marynia, he was building on a foundation -well-nigh immovable. More than once he recalled the words of a woman, -an acquaintance and friend of his mother's, who, when some one asked -her whether she was more anxious about the future of her sons than her -daughters, answered, "I think only of my sons; for my daughters, in the -worst case, can be only unhappy." - -So it is! School and the world rear sons, and both may make them -scoundrels; daughters, in whom the home ingrafts honorableness, can, in -the worst case, be only unhappy. Pan Stanislav understood that this was -true with regard to Marynia. So that if he analyzed her, his analysis -was rather the examination of a jeweller and his admiration for his -gems, than a scientific method intended to reach results unknown and -unexpected. - -Still he quarrelled once with Marynia very seriously, because of -a letter from Vaskovski, which Pan Stanislav received from Rome a -few weeks after the professor's departure, and which he read in its -integrity to Marynia. This letter was as follows:-- - - MY DEAR,--I am lodging at Via Tritone, Pension Française. - Visit my Warsaw lodgings; see if Snopchinski looks after my little - boys properly, and if the birds of Saint Francis have seeds and - water in plenty. When spring comes, it will be needful to open the - windows and cages; whichever bird wishes to stay, let it stay, - and whichever one wishes to go, let it fly. The boys of the genus - _homo sapiens_ should have good food, since I left money therefor, - and besides little moralizing, but much love. Snopchinski is a - worthy man, but a hypochondriac. He says this comes from snows. - When he is attacked by what he calls "chandra," he looks for whole - weeks on his boots, and is silent; but one must talk with little - boys, to give them confidence. This is all that touches Warsaw. - - I am printing here in French, in the typography of the journal - "L'Italie," that work of mine which I discussed with thee. They - laugh at my French a little, and at me, but I am used to that. - Bukatski came here. He is a good, beloved fellow! he has grown - strange to the last degree, and says that he drags his feet after - him, though I have not noticed it. He loves both Marynia and thee, - and indeed every one, though he denies it. But when he begins to - talk, one's ears wither. May the Lord God bless thee, dear boy, - and thy honest Marynia! I should like to be at thy wedding, but - I know not whether I shall finish my work before Easter; listen, - therefore, now to what I tell thee, and know that I write this - letter to that end. Do not think that the old man is talking just - to talk. Thou knowest, besides, that I have been a teacher; that - the inheritance from my brother freed me from that occupation; - that I have had experience and have seen things. If ye have - children, do not torture them with knowledge; let them grow up - as God wills. I might stop here; but thou art fond of figures, - hence I will give thee figures. A little child has as many hours - of labor as a grown man in office, with this difference, that - the man talks during office hours with his colleagues, or smokes - cigarettes; the child must strain its attention continually, - or lose the clew of lessons, and cease to understand what is - said to it. The man goes home when his work is done; the child - must prepare for the following day, which takes four hours from - a capable child, from one less capable six. Add to this, that - poorer pupils give lessons frequently, the rich take them, which, - added, gives twelve hours. Twelve hours' labor for a child! Dost - understand that, my dear? Canst thou realize what sickly natures - must grow up in such conditions,--natures out of joint, inclined - to the wildest manias, crooked, wilful? Dost thou understand how - we are filling cemeteries with our children, and why the most - monstrous ideas find supporters? Ah, at present they are limiting - the hours of labor in factories even for grown people, but - touching children at school philanthropy is silent. Oh, but that - is a field! that is a service to be rendered; that is a coming - glory and sainthood. Do not torture thy children with learning, - I beg thee--and I beg Marynia; promise me both of you. I do not - speak just to speak, as Bukatski says sometimes, but I speak from - the heart; and this is the greatest reform for which future ages - are waiting, the greatest after the introduction of Christ into - history. Something wonderful happened to me in Perugia a few days - since, but of that I will tell thee sometime, and now I embrace - both of you. - -Marynia listened to this letter, looking at the tips of her shoes, -like that Snopchinski of whom the Professor wrote. But Pan Stanislav -laughed, and said,-- - -"Have you ever heard anything like this? It is long before our -marriage; but he is lamenting over our children, and takes the field on -their behalf. This is somewhat the history of my nest." - -After a while he added, "To tell the truth, the fault is mine; for -I made him various promises." And, inclining so that he could see -Marynia's eyes, he asked, "But what do you say to this letter?" - -Pan Stanislav, inquiring thus, had chanced on that unhappy moment when -a man is not himself, and acts not in accordance with his own nature. -He was rather a harsh person generally, but not brutal, and at times -was even capable of delicate acts, really womanlike. But now, in his -look and in the question directed to a young lady so mimosa-like as -Marynia, there was something simply brutal. She knew as well as others -that after marriage come children; but this seemed to her something -indefinite, not to be mentioned, or if mentioned, mentioned in -allusions as delicate as lace, or in a moment of emotion, with beating -heart, with loving lips at the ear, with solemnity,--as touching what -is most sacred in a mutual future. Hence Pan Stanislav's careless tone -outraged and pained her. She thought, "Why does he not understand -this?" and she in turn acted not in accordance with her nature; for, -as happens frequently with timid persons in moments of bitterness and -confusion, they exhibit greater anger than they feel. - -"You should not treat me in this way!" cried she, indignantly. "You -should not speak to me in this way!" - -Pan Stanislav laughed again with feigned gayety. - -"Why are you angry?" inquired he. - -"You do not act with me as is proper." - -"I do not understand the question." - -"So much the worse." - -The smile vanished from his lips; his face grew dark, and he spoke -quickly, like a man who has ceased to reckon with his words. - -"Perhaps I am stupid; but I know what is right and what is not. In this -way life becomes impossible. Whoever makes great things out of nothing -must not blame others. But, since my presence is disagreeable, I go!" - -And, seizing his hat, he bowed, and went out. Marynia did not try to -detain him. For a while offence and anger stifled in her all other -sensations; then there remained to her only an impression, as if from -the blow of a club. Her thoughts scattered like a flock of birds. Above -them towered only one dim idea: "All is over! he will not return!" -Thus fell the structure which had begun to unite in such beautiful -lines. Emptiness, nothingness, a torturing, because objectless life, -and a chilled heart,--that is what remained to her. And happiness had -been so near! But that which had taken place so suddenly was something -so strange that she could not explain immediately. She went to the -writing-desk, and began mechanically to arrange papers in it, with -a certain objectless haste, as if there could be any reason at that -moment for arranging them. Then she looked at Litka's photograph, and -sat down quickly with her hands on her eyes and temples. After a time -it occurred to her that Litka's will must be stronger than the will -of them both, and a ray of hope shone in on her suddenly. She began to -walk in the room, and to think on what had passed; she recalled Pan -Stanislav, not only as he had been just then, but earlier,--two, three -days, a week before. Her regret became greater than her feeling of -offence, and it increased with her affection for Pan Stanislav. After -a time she said in her soul that she was not free to forget herself; -that it was her duty to accept and love Pan Stanislav as he was, and -not strive to fix him to her ideas. "That is, he is a living man, not -a puppet," repeated she, a number of times. And a growing feeling of -fault seized her, and after that compunction. A heart submissive by -nature, and greatly capable of loving, struggled against sound sense, -which she possessed undoubtedly, and which now told her in vain that -reason was not on Pan Stanislav's side, and that, moreover, she had -said nothing which needed pardon. She said to herself, "If he has a -good heart, even to a small extent, he will return;" but she was seized -also with fear in view of the self-love of men in general, and of Pan -Stanislav in particular,--she was too intelligent not to note that -he cared greatly to pass for an unbending person. But considerations -of that kind, which an unfriendly heart would have turned to his -disadvantage, had made her tender only on his behalf. - -Half an hour later she was convinced to the depth of her soul that -the fault lay only on her side; that "she had tormented him so much -already" that she ought to yield now,--that is, to be the first to -extend a hand in conciliation. That meant in her mind to write a few -peace-making words. He had suffered so much from that affair of Kremen -that this was due to him. And she was ready even to weep over his fate. -She hoped, withal, that he, the bad, ugly man, would estimate what it -cost her to write to him, and would come that same evening. - -It had seemed to her that nothing was easier than to write a few -cordial phrases, which go directly from one heart to another. But how -difficult! A letter has no eyes, which fill with tears; no face, which -smiles both sadly and sweetly; no voice, which trembles; no hands to -stretch forth. You may read and understand a letter as you like; it is -merely black letters on paper as impassive as death. - -Marynia had just torn the third sheet, when the face of Pan Plavitski, -as wrinkled as a roast apple, and with mustaches freshly dyed, showed -itself at the door partly open. - -"Is Polanyetski not here?" inquired he. - -"He is not, papa." - -"But will he come this evening?" - -"I do not know," answered she, with a sigh. - -"If he comes, my child, tell him that I will return not later than an -hour from now; and that I wish to speak with him." - -"And I too wish to speak with him," thought Marynia. - -And when she had torn the third sheet she took the fourth and was -thinking whether to turn the whole quarrel into a jest, or simply to -beg his pardon. The jest might not please him; in the pardon there was -something warmer, but how difficult it was! If he had not fled, it -would have sufficed to extend her hand; but he flew out as if shot from -a sling, the irritable man, though so much loved. - -And, raising her eyes, she began to work intently with her dark head, -when on a sudden the bell sounded in the entrance. Marynia's heart was -beating like a hammer; and through her head flew these questions, like -lightning,-- - -"Is it he? Is it not he?" - -The door opened; it was he. - -He came in with the look of a wolf, his head down, his face gloomy. -Evidently he was very uncertain how she would receive him; but she -sprang up, her heart beating like a bird's heart; her eyes radiant, -happy, touched greatly by his return; and, running to him, she laid her -hands on his shoulders. - -"But how good! how nice! And do you know, I wanted to write to you." - -Pan Stanislav, pressing her hands to his lips, was silent for some -time; at last he said,-- - -"You ought to give the order to throw me downstairs." In a rapture of -thankfulness he drew her up to him, kissed her lips, eyes, temples, and -hair, which became unbound in the pressure. In such moments it seemed -to him always that he would find everything that goes to make great and -perfect love. At last he released her and continued,-- - -"You are too good. Though that is better, it subdues me. I came to -beg your forgiveness, nothing more. I regained my senses at once. I -reproached myself for my last words, and I cannot tell you how sorry -I was. I walked along the street, thinking to see you in the window, -perhaps, and note from your face whether I might come in. After that I -could not restrain myself, and returned." - -"I beg pardon; it was my fault. You see the torn paper; I wrote and -wrote." - -He devoured with his eyes her hair, which she had arranged hastily. -With blushing face, from which joy was beaming, with eyes laughing from -happiness, she seemed to him more beautiful than ever, and desired as -never before. - -Marynia noticed, too, that he was looking at her hair; and confusion -struggled with pure womanly coquetry. She had fastened it awkwardly -by design, so that the tresses were falling more and more on her -shoulders; while she said,-- - -"Do not look, or I'll go to my room." - -"But that is my wealth," said Pan Stanislav; "and in my life I have -never seen anything like it." - -He stretched his hands to her again, but she evaded. - -"Not permitted, not permitted," said she; "as it is; I am ashamed. I -ought to have left you." - -Her hair, however, came gradually to order; then both sat down and -conversed quietly, though looking into each other's eyes. - -"And you wished really to write?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"You see the torn paper." - -"I say that, in truth, you are too good." - -She raised her eyes, and, looking at the shelf above the bureau, said,-- - -"Because the fault was mine. Yes; only mine." - -And, judging that she could not be too magnanimous, she added after a -moment, blushing to her ears and dropping her eyes,-- - -"For, after all, the professor is correct in what he writes about -learning." - -Pan Stanislav wanted to kneel down and kiss her feet. Her charm and -goodness not only disarmed him, but conquered him thoroughly. - -"That I am annihilated is true," cried he, as if finishing some -unexpressed thought with words. "You conquer me utterly." - -She began to shake her head joyously. "Ei! I don't know; I am such a -coward." - -"You a coward? I will tell you an anecdote: In Belgium I knew two -young ladies named Wauters, who had a pet cat, a mild creature, mild -enough, it would seem, to be put to a wound. Afterward one of the young -ladies received a tame hare as a gift. What do you think? The cat was -so afraid that from terror he jumped on to every shelf and stove. One -day the ladies went to walk; all at once they remembered that the cat -was alone with the hare. 'But will not Matou hurt the hare?' 'Matou? -Matou is so terrified that he is ready to go out of his skin!' And -they walked on quietly. They came home an hour later. And guess what -had happened? They found only the ears of the hare. That is precisely -the relation of young ladies to us. They are afraid seemingly; but -afterward nothing is left of us but ears." - -And Pan Stanislav began to laugh, and Marynia with him; after a while -he added,-- - -"I know that of me only ears will be left." - -He did not tell the truth, however; for he felt that it would be -otherwise. Marynia too, after thinking a while, said,-- - -"No; I have not such a character." - -"That is better too; for I will tell you sincerely what conclusions -I have drawn from my life observations: the greater egotism always -conquers the less." - -"Or the greater love yields to the less," answered Marynia. - -"That comes out the same. As to me, I confess that I should like to -hold some Herod, see, this way, in my hand" (here Pan Stanislav opened -his fingers and then closed them into a fist); "but with such a dove -as you, it is quite different. With you I think we shall have to fight -to restrain you from too much self-abnegation, too much personal -sacrifice. Such is your nature, and I know whom I take. For that matter -all say so, and even Mashko, who is no Solomon, said: 'She may be -unhappy with thee; thou with her, never.' And he is right. But I am -curious to know how Mashko will be for his wife. He has a firm hand." - -"But is he loved much?" - -"Not so much as awhile ago, when a certain young lady coquetted with -him." - -"Yes; for he wasn't so wicked as a certain 'Pan Stas.'" - -"That will be a wonderful marriage. She is not ill-looking, though she -is pale, and has red eyes. But Mashko marries for property. He admits -that she doesn't love him; and when that adventure with Gantovski -took place (he is brave, too), he was certain that those ladies would -choose the opportunity to break with him. Meanwhile it turned out -just the opposite; and imagine, Mashko is now alarmed again, because -everything moves as if on oil. It seems to him suspicious. There are -certain strange things there; there exists also, as it seems, a Pan -Kraslavski--God knows what there is not. The whole affair is stupid. -There will be no happiness in it,--at least, not such as I picture to -myself." - -"And what do you picture to yourself?" - -"Happiness in this,--to marry a reliable woman, like you, and see the -future clearly." - -"But I think it is in this,--to be loved; but that is not enough yet." - -"What more?" - -"To be worthy of that love, and to--" - -Here Marynia was unable for a time to find words, but at last she -said,-- - -"And to believe in a husband, and work with him." - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - - -Pan Stanislav was not mistaken. Everything went so favorably for -Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more -and more alarmed. At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had -no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with -complete cynicism,-- - -"My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for -something is hidden in this." - -"Better thank the Lord God." - -"They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity. -Yesterday, for example, I gave them to understand that I am an advocate -only because to my thinking sons of the best families should undertake -something in these times, be something. Guess what they answered? -That that is as good a position as any other; that every employment -is worthy in their eyes, provided it is work; and that only poor -and empty natures could be ashamed of work. They shot out so many -packages of commonplace that I wanted to answer with a sentence from -copy-books, such as 'Honor is a steep cliff,' or something of that -sort. Polanyetski, I tell thee there is something concealed there. I -thought that it was papa, but it is not papa. I have news of him: he -lives in Bordeaux; he calls himself De Langlais; and he has his own -domestic hearth, not so much legally, as numerously, surrounded, which -he maintains with a pension received from Pani Kraslavski." - -"What harm is that to thee?" - -"None whatever." - -"If it is that way, they are unhappy women,--that is all." - -"True; but if their income answers to the misfortune? Remember that -I have burdens. Besides, seest thou, if they are such women as they -pretend, and if, also, they are rich, I am ready to fall in love -really, and that would be stupid; if it appears that they have nothing, -or little, I am ready, also, to fall in love, and that would be still -more stupid. She has charms for me." - -"No; that would be the one wise thing in every case. But think of -thyself, Mashko, a little of me and the Plavitskis. It is known to thee -that I have not the habit of being mild in those matters, and the dates -of payment are approaching." - -"I'll fire up the boiler once more with credit. For that matter, thou -and they have a mortgage on Kremen. In a couple of days there will be -a betrothal party at Pani Kraslavski's, after which I hope to learn -something reliable." - -Here Mashko began a monologue,-- - -"But that a positive man, such as I am, should go into a forest in this -way, passes belief. On the other hand, there is not a man, even among -those who know best how every one stands, who would let himself doubt -of Pani Kraslavski's property. And they are so noble!" - -"Thy fears are probably baseless," interrupted Pan Stanislav, with -certain impatience. "But thou, my dear fellow, art not positive in any -sense, for thou hast been always pretending, and art pretending still, -instead of looking to that which gives thee bread." - -A few days later the betrothal party took place in fact. Marynia was -there; for Pani Kraslavski, who liked Plavitski, whose relatives were -known to her, did not avoid association with him as she did with the -Bigiels. Mashko brought such of his acquaintances as had well-known -names. They had monocles on their eyes, and their hair parted in -the middle; for the greater part very young, and mainly not very -quick-witted. Among them were the five brothers Vyj, who were called -Mizio, Kizio, Bizio, Brelochek, and Tatus. They were nicknamed the five -sleeping brothers, since they felt the impulses of life in their legs -exclusively, and were active only in the carnival, but became perfectly -torpid, at least in a mental sense, during Lent. Bukatski loved them, -and amused himself with them. Baron Kot was there, who, because he had -heard something from some one of a certain ancient Kot of Dembna, added -always, when he was presented, "of Dembna," and who always answered -everything that was said to him with: "_Quelle drôle d'histoire!_" -Mashko was on the footing of _thou_ with all these, though he treated -them with a certain species of disregard, as well as Kopovski,--a young -man with a splendid ideal head, and also splendid eyes without thought. -Pan Stanislav and Kresovski represented the category of Mashko's more -clever friends. Pani Kraslavski had invited a number of ladies with -daughters, among whom the five brothers circled carelessly and coolly, -and whose maiden hearts fluttered at the approach of Kopovski, caring -less for his mental resemblance to Hamlet, resting on this,--that if -not he, his brain might be put into "a nutshell." A number of dignified -bald heads completed the company. - -Panna Kraslavski was dressed in white; in spite of her red eyes, she -looked alluring. There was in her, indeed, a certain womanly charm, -resting on a wonderful, almost dreamy repose. She recalled somewhat the -figures of Perugini. At times she grew bright, like an alabaster lamp, -in which a flame flashes up on a sudden; after a while she paled again, -but paled not without charm. Dressed in a thin white robe, she seemed -more shapely than usual. Pan Stanislav, looking at her, thought that -she might have a heart which was dry enough, and a dry enough head, -but she could be a genteel wife, especially for Mashko, who valued -social gentility above everything else. Their manner toward each other -seemed like a cool and pale day, in which the sun does not burn, but -in which also a storm is not threatening. They were sitting at the end -of the drawing-room, not too near, but also not too far, from the rest -of the company; they occupied themselves with each other no more and -no less than was proper. In his conversation with her as much feeling -was evident as was required, but, above all, the wish to appear a -"correct" betrothed; she paid him on her part in the same coin. They -smiled at each other in a friendly way. He, as the future leader and -head of the house, spoke more than she; sometimes they looked into each -other's eyes,--in a word, they formed the most correct and exemplary -couple of betrothed people that could be imagined, in the society -sense of the term. "I should not have held out," said Pan Stanislav to -himself. Suddenly he remembered that while she was sitting there in -conventional repose, white, smiling, the poor little doctor, who could -not "tear his soul from her," was in equal repose somewhere between -the tropics turning to dust, under the ground, forgotten, as if he had -never existed; and anger bore him away. Not only did he feel contempt -for the heart of Mashko's betrothed, but that repose of hers seemed -now bad taste to him,--a species of spiritual deadness, which once had -been fashionable, and which, since they saw in it something demonic, -the poets had struck with their thunderbolts, and which, in time, had -grown vulgar, and dropped to be moral nonentity and folly. "First of -all, she is a goose, and, moreover, a goose with no heart," thought -Pan Stanislav. At that moment Mashko's alarm at the noble conduct of -those ladies grew clear to him to such a degree that Mashko rose in his -esteem as a man of acuteness. - -Then he fell to comparing his own betrothed with Panna Kraslavski, -and said to himself with great satisfaction, "Marynia is a different -species altogether." He felt that he was resting mentally while looking -at her. In so much as the other seemed, as it were, an artificial -plant, reared, not in broad fresh currents of air, but under glass, -in that much did there issue from this one life and warmth, and still -the comparison came out to the advantage of Marynia, even in respect -to society. Pan Stanislav did not overlook altogether "distinction," -so-called, understanding that, if not always, it frequently answers to -a certain mental finish, especially in women. Looking now at one, now -at the other, he came to the conviction that that finish which Panna -Kraslavski had was something acquired and enslaving, with Marynia -it was innate. In the one it was a garment thrown on outside; in -the other, the soul,--a kind of natural trait in a species ennobled -through long ages of culture. Taking from Bukatski's views as many -as he needed,--that is, as many as were to the point,--Pan Stanislav -remembered that he had said frequently that women, without reference -to their origin, are divided into patricians, who have culture, -principles, and spiritual needs, which have entered the blood, and -parvenues, who dress in them, as in mantillas, to go visiting. At -present, while looking at the noble profile of Marynia, Pan Stanislav -thought, with the vanity of a little townsman who is marrying a -princess, that he was taking a patrician in the high sense of the word; -and, besides, a very beautiful patrician. - -Frequently women need only some field, and a little luck, to bloom -forth. Marynia, who seemed almost ugly to Pan Stanislav when he was -returning from the burial of Litka, astonished him now, at times, with -her beauty. Near her Panna Kraslavski seemed like a faded robe near a -new one; and if the fortune of Panna Plavitski had been on a level with -her looks, she would have passed, beyond doubt, for a beauty. As it -was, the five brothers, putting their glasses on their equine noses, -looked at her with a certain admiration; and Baron Kot, of Dembna, -declared confidentially that her betrothal was real luck, for had it -not taken place, who knows but he might have rushed in. - -Pan Stanislav could note also that evening one trait of his own -character which he had not suspected,--jealousy. Since he was convinced -that Marynia was a perfectly reliable woman, who might be trusted -blindly, that jealousy was simply illogical. In his time he had been -jealous of Mashko, and that could be understood; but now he could -not explain why Kopovski, for example, with his head of an archangel -and his brains of a bird, could annoy him, just because he sat next -to Marynia, and doubtless was asking her more or less pertinent -questions, to which she was answering more or less agreeably. At first -he reproached himself. "Still, it would be difficult to ask her not to -speak to him!" Afterward he found that Marynia turned to Kopovski too -frequently, and answered too agreeably. At supper, while sitting next -her, he was silent and irritated; and when she asked the reason, he -answered most inappropriately,-- - -"I have no wish to spoil the impression which Pan Kopovski produced on -you." - -But she was pleased that he was jealous; contracting the corners of her -mouth to suppress laughter, and looking at him sedately, she answered,-- - -"Do you find, too, that there is something uncommon in Pan Kopovski?" - -"Of course, of course! When he walks the streets even, it seems that he -is carrying his head into fresh air, lest the moths might devour it." - -The corners of Marynia's mouth bore the test, but her eyes laughed -evidently; at last, unable to endure, she said, in a low voice,-- - -"Outrageously jealous!" - -"I? Not the least!" - -"Well, I will give you an extract from our conversation. You know that -yesterday there was a case of catalepsy during the concert; to-day -they were talking of that near us; then, among other things, I asked -Pan Kopovski if he had seen the cataleptic person. Do you know what he -answered? 'Each of us may have different convictions.' Well, now, isn't -he uncommon?" - -Pan Stanislav was pacified, and began to laugh. - -"But I tell you that he simply doesn't understand what is said to him, -and answers anything." - -They passed the rest of the evening with each other in good agreement. -At the time of parting, when the Plavitskis, having a carriage with -seats for only two persons, were unable to take Pan Stanislav, Marynia -turned to him and inquired,-- - -"Will the cross, whimsical man come to-morrow to dine with us?" - -"He will, for he loves," answered Pan Stanislav, covering her feet with -the robe. - -She whispered into his ear, as it were great news, "And I too." - -And although he at the moment of speaking was perfectly sincere, she -spoke more truth. Mashko conducted Pan Stanislav home. On the road they -talked of the reception. Mashko said that before the arrival of guests -he had tried to speak to Pani Kraslavski of business, but had not -succeeded. - -"There was a moment," said he, "when I thought to put the question -plainly, dressing it of course in the most delicate form. But I was -afraid. Finally, why have I doubts of the dower of my betrothed? Only -because those ladies treat me with more consideration than I expected. -As a humor, that is very good; but I fear to push matters too far, for -suppose that my fears turn out vain, suppose they have money really, -and are incensed because my curiosity is too selfish. It is necessary -to count with this also, for I may be wrecked at the harbor." - -"Well, then," answered Pan Stanislav, "admit this, and for that matter -it is likely that they have; but if it should turn out that they -have not, what then? Hast a plan ready? Wilt thou break with Panna -Kraslavski, or wilt thou marry her?" - -"I will not break with her in any case, for I should not gain by it. If -my marriage does not take place, I shall be a bankrupt. But if it does, -I will state my financial position precisely, and suppose that Panna -Kraslavski will break with me." - -"But if she does not, and has no money?" - -"I shall love her, and come to terms with my creditors. I shall cease -to 'pretend,' as thy phrase is, and try to win bread for us both; I am -not a bad advocate, as thou knowest." - -"That is fairly good," answered Pan Stanislav, "but that does not -pacify me touching the Plavitskis and myself." - -"Thou and they are in a better position than others, for ye have a lien -on Kremen. In a given case thou wilt take everything in thy firm grasp, -and squeeze out something. It is worse for those who have trusted my -word; and I tell thee to thy eyes that I am concerned more for them. I -had, and I have great credit even now. That is my tender point. But if -they give me time, I will come out somehow. If I had a little happiness -at home, and a motive there for labor--" - -They came now to Pan Stanislav's house, so Mashko did not finish his -thought. At the moment of parting, however, he said suddenly,-- - -"Listen to me. In thy eyes I am somewhat crooked; I am much less so -than seems to thee. I have _pretended_, as thou sayst, it is true! I -had to wriggle out, like an eel, and in those wrigglings I slipped -sometimes from the beaten road. But I am tired, and tell thee plainly -that I wish a little happiness, for I have not had it. Therefore I -wanted to marry thy betrothed, though she is without property. As to -Panna Kraslavski, dost thou know that there are moments when I should -prefer that she had nothing, but, to make up, that she would not drop -me when she knows that I too have nothing. I say this sincerely--and -now good-night." - -"Well," said Pan Stanislav to himself, "this is something new in -Mashko." And he entered the gate. Standing at the door, he was -astonished to hear the piano in his apartments. The servant said that -Bigiel had been waiting two hours for him. - -Pan Stanislav was alarmed, but thought that if something unfavorable -had caused his presence, he would not play on the piano. In fact, it -turned out that Bigiel was in haste merely to get Pan Stanislav's -signature for an affair which had to be finished early next morning. - -"Thou mightest have left the paper, and gone to bed," said Pan -Stanislav. - -"I slept awhile on thy sofa, then sat at the piano. Once I played on -the piano as well as on the violin, but now my fingers are clumsy. Thy -Marynia plays probably; such music in the house is a nice thing." - -Pan Stanislav laughed with a sincere, well-wishing laugh. - -"My Marynia? My Marynia possesses the evangelical talent: her left hand -does not know what her right hand is doing. Poor dear woman! She has no -pretensions; and she plays only when I beg her to do so." - -"Thou art as it were laughing at her," said Bigiel; "but only those who -are in love laugh in that way." - -"Because I am in love most completely. At least it seems so now to me; -and in general I must say that it seems so to me oftener and oftener. -Wilt thou have tea?" - -"Yes. Thou hast come from Pani Kraslavski's?" - -"I have." - -"How is Mashko? Will he struggle to shore?" - -"I parted with him a moment ago. He came with me to the gate. He says -things at times that I should not expect from him." - -Pan Stanislav, glad to have some one to talk with, and feeling the need -of intimate converse, began to tell what he had heard from Mashko; and -how much he was astonished at finding a man of romantic nature under -the skin of a person of his kind. - -"Mashko is not a bad man," said Bigiel. "He is only on the road to -various evasions; and the cause of that is his vanity and respect for -appearances. But, on the other hand, that respect for appearances saves -him from final fall. As to the man of romance, which thou hast found in -him--" - -Here Bigiel cut off the end of a cigar, lighted it with great -deliberation, wrinkling his brows at the same time, and, sitting down -comfortably, continued,-- - -"Bukatski would have given on that subject ten ironical paradoxes about -our society. Now something stuck in my head that he told me, when he -attacked us because always we love some one or something. It seems to -him that this is foolish and purposeless; but I see in this a great -trait. It is necessary to become something in the world; and what have -we? Money we have not; intellect, so-so; the gift of making our way -in a position, not greatly; management, little. We have in truth this -yet--that almost involuntarily, through some general disposition, we -love something or somebody; and if we do not love, we feel the need -of love. Thou knowest that I am a man of deliberation and a merchant, -hence I speak soberly. I call attention to this because of Bukatski. -Mashko, for instance, in some other country, would be a rogue from -under a dark star; and I know many such. But here even beneath the -trickster thou canst scratch to the man; and that is simple, for, in -the last instance, while a man has some spark in his breast yet, he is -not a beast utterly; and with us he has the spark, precisely for this -reason, that he loves something." - -"Thou bringest Vaskovski to my mind. What thou art saying is not far -from his views concerning the mission of the youngest of the Aryans." - -"What is Vaskovski to me? I say what I think. I know one thing: take -that from us, and we should fly apart, like a barrel without hoops." - -"Well, listen to what I will tell thee. This is a thing decided in my -mind rather long since. To love, or not to love some one, is a personal -question; but I understand that it is needful to love something in -life. I too have meditated over this. After the death of that child, -I felt that the devil had taken certain sides of me; sometimes I feel -that yet. Not to-day; but there are times--how can I tell thee?--times -of ebb, exhaustion, doubts. And if, in spite of this, I marry, it is -because I understand that it is necessary to have a living and strong -foundation under a more general love." - -"For that, and not for that," answered Bigiel the inexorable in -judgment, "for thou are marrying not at all from purely mental reasons. -Thou art taking a comely and honest young woman, to whom thou art -attracted; and do not persuade thyself that it is otherwise, or thou -wilt begin to pretend. My dear friend, every man has these doubts -before marrying. I, as thou seest, am no philosopher; but ten times -a day I asked myself before marriage, if I loved my future wife well -enough, if I loved her as was necessary, had I not too little soul in -the matter, and too many doubts? God knows what! Afterward I married a -good woman, and it was well for us. It will be well for you too, if ye -take things simply; but that endless searching in the mind and looking -for certain secrets of the heart is folly, God knows." - -"Maybe it is folly. I too have no great love for lying on my back and -analyzing from morn in till night; but I cannot help seeing facts." - -"What facts?" - -"Such facts, for example, as this, that my feeling is not what it was -at first. I think that it will be; I acknowledge that it is going to -that. I marry in spite of these observations, as if they did not exist; -but I make them." - -"Thou art free to do so." - -"And see what I think besides: still it is necessary that the windows -of a house should look out on the sun; otherwise it will be cold in the -dwelling." - -"Thou hast said well," answered Bigiel. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - - -Meanwhile winter began to break; the end of Lent was approaching, and -with it the time of marriage for Pan Stanislav, as well as Mashko. -Bukatski, invited as a groomsman to the former, wrote to him among -other things as follows,-- - - "To thrust forth the all-creative energy from its universal - condition,--that is, from a condition of perfect repose,--and - force it by means of marriages concluded on earth to incarnate - itself in more or less squalling particulars which require cradles - and which amuse themselves by holding the great toe in the mouth, - is a crime. Still I will come, because stoves are better with you - than in this place." - -In fact, he came a week before the holidays, and brought as a gift to -Pan Stanislav a sheet of parchment ornamented splendidly with something -in the style of a grave hour-glass, on which was the inscription, -"Stanislav Polanyetski, after a long and grievous bachelorhood." - -Pan Stanislav, whom the parchment pleased, took it next day about noon -to Marynia. He forgot, however, that it was Sunday, and felt, as it -were, disappointed, at finding Marynia with her hat on. - -"Are you going out?" inquired he. - -"Yes. To church. To-day is Sunday." - -"Ah, Sunday! True. But I thought that we should sit here together. It -would be so agreeable." - -She raised her calm blue eyes to him, and said with simplicity, "But -the service of God?" - -Pan Stanislav received these words at once as he would have received -any other, not foreseeing that, in the spiritual process which he was -to pass through later on, they would play a certain rôle by reason of -their directness, and said as if repeating mechanically,-- - -"You say the service of God. Very well! I have time; let us go -together." - -Marynia received this offer with great satisfaction. - -"I am the happier," said she, on the way, "the more I love God." - -"That, too, is the mark of a good nature; some persons think of God -only as a terror." - -And in the church that came again to his mind of which he had thought -during his first visit to Kremen, when he was at the church in Vantory, -with old Plavitski: "Destruction takes all philosophies and systems, -one after another; but Mass is celebrated as of old." It seemed to -him that in that there was something which passed comprehension. He -who, because of Litka, had come in contact with death in a manner most -painful, returned to those dark problems whenever he happened to be in -a cemetery, or a church at Mass, or in any circumstances whatever in -which something took place which had no connection with the current -business of life, but was shrouded in that future beyond the grave. He -was struck by this thought,--how much is done in this life for that -future; and how, in spite of all philosophizing and doubt, people live -as if that future were entirely beyond question; how much of petty -personal egotisms are sacrificed for it; how many philanthropic deeds -are performed; how asylums, hospitals, retreats, churches are built, -and all on an account payable beyond the grave only. - -He was struck still more by another thought,--that to be reconciled -with life really, it is necessary to be reconciled with death -first; and that without faith in something beyond the grave this -reconciliation is simply impossible. But if you have faith the question -drops away, as if it had never existed. "Let the devils take mourning; -let us rejoice;" for if this is true, what more can be desired? Is -there before one merely the view of some new existence, in the poorest -case, wonderfully curious,--even that certainty amounts to peace and -quiet. Pan Stanislav had an example of that, then, in Marynia. Because -she was somewhat short-sighted, she held her head bent over the book; -but when at moments she raised it, he saw a face so calm, so full of -something like that repose which a flower has, and so serene, that -it was simply angelic. "That is a happy woman, and she will be happy -always," said he to himself. "And, besides, she has sense, for if, on -the opposite side, there were at least certainty, there would be also -that satisfaction which truth gives; but to torture one's self for the -sake of various marks of interrogation is pure folly." - -On the way home, Pan Stanislav, thinking continually of this expression -of Marynia's, said,-- - -"In the church you looked like some profile of Fra Angelico; you had a -face which was indeed happy." - -"For I am happy at present. And do you know why? Because I am -better than I was. I felt at one time offended in heart, and I was -dissatisfied; I had no hope before me, and all these put together -formed such suffering that it was terrible. It is said that misfortune -ennobles chosen souls, but I am not a chosen soul. For that matter, -misfortune may ennoble, but suffering, offence, ill-will, destroy. They -are like poison." - -"Did you hate me much then?" - -Marynia looked at him and answered, "I hated you so much that for whole -days I thought of you only." - -"Mashko has wit; he described this once thus to me: 'She would rather -hate you than love me.'" - -"Oi! that I would rather, is true." - -Thus conversing, they reached the house. Pan Stanislav had time then to -unroll his parchment hour-glass and show it to Marynia; but the idea -did not please her. She looked on marriage not only from the point -of view of the heart, but of religion. "With such things there is no -jesting," said she; and after a while she confessed to Pan Stanislav -that she was offended with Bukatski. - -After dinner Bukatski came. During those few months of his stay in -Italy he had become still thinner, which was a proof against the -efficacy of "chianti" for catarrh of the stomach. His nose, with its -thinness, reminded one of a knife-edge; his humorous face, smiling with -irony, had become, as it were, porcelain, and was no larger than the -fist of a grown man. He was related both to Pan Stanislav and Marynia; -hence he said what he pleased in their presence. From the threshold -almost, he declared to them that, in view of the increasing number of -mental deviations in the world at present, he could only regret, but -did not wonder, that they were affianced. He had come, it is true, in -the hope that he would be able to save them, but he saw now that he was -late, and that nothing was left but resignation. Marynia was indignant -on hearing this; but Pan Stanislav, who loved him, said,-- - -"Preserve thy conceit for the wedding speech, for thou must make one; -and now tell us how our professor is." - -"He has grown disturbed in mind seriously," replied Bukatski. - -"Do not jest in that way," said Marynia. - -"And so much without cause," added Pan Stanislav. - -But Bukatski continued, with equal seriousness: "Professor Vaskovski -is disturbed in mind, and here are my proofs for you: First, he -walks through Rome without a cap, or rather, he walked, for he is in -Perugia at present; second, he attacked a refined young English lady, -and proved to her that the English are Christians in private life -only,--that the relations of England to Ireland are not Christian; -third, he is printing a pamphlet, in which he shows that the mission of -reviving and renewing history with the spirit of Christ is committed to -the youngest of the Aryans. Confess that these are proofs." - -"We knew these ways before his departure; if nothing more threatens the -professor, we hope to see him in good health." - -"He does not think of returning." - -Pan Stanislav took out his note-book, wrote some words with a pencil, -and, giving them to Marynia, said,-- - -"Read, and tell me if that is good." - -"If thou write in my presence, I withdraw," said Bukatski. - -"No, no! this is no secret." - -Marynia became as red as a cherry from delight, and, as if not wishing -to believe her eyes, asked,-- - -"Is that true? It is not." - -"That depends on you," answered Pan Stanislav. - -"Ah, Pan Stas! I did not even dream of that. I must tell papa. I must." - -And she ran out of the room. - -"If I were a poet, I would hang myself," said Bukatski. - -"Why?" - -"For if a couple of words, jotted down by the hand of a partner in the -house of Bigiel and Company, can produce more impression than the most -beautiful sonnet, it is better, to be a miller boy than a poet." - -But Marynia, in the rapture of her joy, forgot the notebook, so Pan -Stanislav showed it to Bukatski, saying, "Read." - -Bukatski read:-- - - "After the wedding Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples. Is that well?" - -"Then it's a journey to Italy?" - -"Yes. Imagine, she has not been abroad in her life; and Italy has -always seemed to her an enchanted land, which she has not even dreamed -of seeing. That is an immense delight for her; and what the deuce -wonder is there, if I think out a little pleasure for her?" - -"Love and Italy! O God, how many times Thou hast looked on that! All -that love is as old as the world." - -"Not true! Fall in love, and see if thou'lt find something new in it." - -"My beloved friend, the question is not in this, that I do not love -yet, but in this,--that I love no longer. Years ago I dug that sphinx -out of the sand, and it is no longer a riddle to me." - -"Bukatski, get married." - -"I cannot. My sight is too faint, and my stomach too weak." - -"What hindrance in that?" - -"Oh, seest thou, a woman is like a sheet of paper. An angel writes on -one side, a devil on the other; the paper is cut through, the words -blend, and such a hash is made that I can neither read nor digest it." - -"To live all thy life on conceits!" - -"I shall die, as well as thou, who art marrying. It seems to us that we -think of death, but it thinks more of us." - -At that moment Marynia came in with her father, who embraced Pan -Stanislav, and said,-- - -"Marynia tells me that 't is thy wish to go to Italy after the wedding." - -"If my future lady will consent." - -"Thy future lady will not only consent," answered Marynia, "but she has -lost her head from delight, and wants to jump through the room, as if -she were ten years of age." - -To which Plavitski answered, "If the cross of a solitary old man can be -of use in your distant journey, I will bless you." - -And he raised his eyes and his hand toward heaven, to the unspeakable -delight of Bukatski; but Marynia drew down the raised hand, and, -kissing it, said with laughter,-- - -"There will be time for that, papa; we are going away only after the -wedding." - -"And, speaking plainly," added Bukatski, "then there will be a buying -of tickets, and giving baggage to be weighed, and starting,--nothing -more." - -To this Plavitski turned to the cynic, and said, with a certain -unction,-- - -"Have you come to this,--that you look on the blessing of a lonely old -man and a father as superfluous?" - -Bukatski, instead of an answer, embraced Plavitski, kissed him near the -waistcoat, and said,-- - -"But would the 'lonely old man' not play piquet, so as to let those two -mad heads talk themselves out?" - -"But with a rubicon?" asked Plavitski. - -"With anything you like." Then he turned to the young couple: "Hire me -as a guide to Italy." - -"I do not think of it," answered Pan Stanislav. "I have been in Belgium -and France, no farther. Italy I know not; but I want to see what will -interest us, not what may interest thee. I have seen men such as thou -art, and I know that through over-refinement they go so far that they -love not art, but their own knowledge of it." - -Here Pan Stanislav continued the talk with Marynia. - -"Yes, they go so far that they lose the feeling of great, simple art, -and seek something to occupy their sated taste, and exhibit their -critical knowledge. They do not see trees; they search simply for -knots. The greatest things which we are going to admire do not concern -them, but some of the smallest things, of which no one has heard; they -dig names out of obscurity, occupy themselves in one way or another, -persuade themselves and others that things inferior and of less use -surpass in interest the better and more perfect. Under his guidance we -might not see whole churches, but we might see various things which -would have to be looked at through cracks. I call all this surfeit, -abuse, over-refinement, and we are simply people." - -Marynia looked at him with pride, as if she would say, "Oh, that is -what is called speaking!" Her pride increased when Bukatski said,-- - -"Thou art quite right." - -But she was indignant when he added,-- - -"And if thou wert not right, I could not win before the tribunal." - -"I beg pardon," said Marynia; "I am not blinded in any way." - -"But I am not an art critic at all." - -"On the contrary, you are." - -"If I am, then, I declare that knowledge embraces a greater number of -details, but does not prevent a love of great art; and believe not Pan -Stanislav, but me." - -"No; I prefer to believe him." - -"That was to be foreseen." - -Marynia looked now at one, now at the other, with a somewhat anxious -face. Meanwhile Plavitski came with cards. The betrothed walked through -the rooms hand in hand; Bukatski began to be wearied, and grew more and -more so. Toward the end of the evening the humor which animated him -died out; his small face became still smaller, his nose sharper, and -he looked like a dried leaf. When he went out with Pan Stanislav, the -latter inquired,-- - -"Somehow thou wert not so vivacious?" - -"I am like a machine: while I have fuel within, I move; but in the -evening, when the morning supply is exhausted, I stop." - -Pan Stanislav looked at him carefully. "What is thy fuel?" - -"There are various kinds of coal. Come to me: I will give thee a cup of -good coffee; that will enliven us." - -"Listen! this is a delicate question, but some one told me that thou -hast been taking morphine this long time." - -"For a very short time," answered Bukatski; "if thou could only know -what horizons it opens." - -"And it kills--Fear God!" - -"And kills! Tell me sincerely, has this ever occurred to thee, that it -is possible to have a yearning for death?" - -"No; I understand just the opposite." - -"But I will give thee neither morphine nor opium," said Bukatski, at -length; "only good coffee and a bottle of honest Bordeaux. That will be -an innocent orgy." - -After some time they arrived at Bukatski's. It was the dwelling of a -man of real wealth, seemingly, somewhat uninhabited, but full of small -things connected with art and pictures and drawings. Lamps were burning -in a number of rooms, for Bukatski could not endure darkness, even in -time of sleep. - -The "Bordeaux" was found promptly, and under the machine for coffee a -blue flame was soon burning. Bukatski stretched himself on the sofa, -and said, all at once,-- - -"Perhaps thou wilt not admit, since thou seest me such a filigree, that -I have no fear of death." - -"This one thing I have at times admitted, that thou art jesting and -jesting, deceiving thyself and others, while really the joke is not in -thee, and this is all artificial." - -"The folly of people amuses me somewhat." - -"But if thou think thyself wise, why arrange life so vainly?" Here Pan -Stanislav looked around on bric-ŕ-brac, on pictures, and added, "In all -this surrounding thou art still living vainly." - -"Vainly enough." - -"Thou art of those who _pretend_. What a disease in this society! Thou -art posing, and that is the whole question." - -"Sometimes. But, for that matter, it becomes natural." - -Under the influence of "Bordeaux" Bukatski grew animated gradually, and -became more talkative, though cheerfulness did not return to him. - -"Seest thou," said he, "one thing,--I do not pretend. All which I -myself could tell, or which another could tell me, I have thought out, -and said long since to my soul. I lead the most stupid and the vainest -life possible. Around me is immense nothingness, which I fear, and -which I fence out with this lumber which thou seest in this room; I do -this so as to fear less. Not to fear death is another thing, for after -death there are neither feelings nor thoughts. I shall become, then, -a part also of nothingness; but to feel it, while one is alive, to -know of it, to give account to one's self of it, as God lives, there -can be nothing more abject. Moreover, the condition of my health is -really bad, and takes from me every energy. I have no fuel in myself, -therefore I add it. There is less in this of posing and pretending than -thou wilt admit. When I have given myself fuel, I take life in its -humorous aspect; I follow the example of the sick man, who lies on the -side on which he lies with most comfort. For me there is most comfort -thus. That the position is artificial, I admit; every other, however, -would be more painful. And see, the subject is exhausted." - -"If thou would undertake some work." - -"Give me peace. To begin with, I know a multitude of things, but I -don't understand anything; second, I am sick; third, tell a paralytic -to walk a good deal when he cannot use his legs. The subject is -exhausted! Drink that wine there, and let us talk about thee. That is a -good lady, Panna Plavitski; and thou art doing well to marry her. What -I said to thee there in the daytime does not count. She is a good lady, -and loves thee." - -Here Bukatski, enlivened and roused evidently by the wine, began to -speak hurriedly. - -"What I say in the daytime does not count. Now it is night; let us -drink wine, and a moment of more sincerity comes. Dost wish more wine, -or coffee? I like this odor; one should mix Mocha and Ceylon in equal -parts. Now comes a time of more sincerity! Knowest thou what I think -at bottom? I have no clear idea of what happiness fame may give, for I -do not possess it; and since the Ephesian temple is fired, there is no -opening to fame before me. I admit, however, so, to myself, that the -amount of it might be eaten by a mouse, not merely on an empty stomach, -but after a good meal in a pantry. But I know what property is for I -have a little of it; I know what travelling is, for I have wandered; -I know what freedom is, for I am free; I know what women are--oi, -devil take it!--too well, and I know what books are. Besides, in this -chamber, I have a few pictures, a few drawings, a little porcelain. Now -listen to what I will say to thee: All this is nothing; all is vanity, -folly, dust, in comparison with one heart which loves. This is the -result of my observations; only I have come to it at the end, while -normal men reach it at the beginning." - -Here he began to stir the coffee feverishly with a spoon; and Pan -Stanislav, who was very lively, sprang up and said,-- - -"And thou, O beast! what didst thou say some months since,--that thou -wert going to Italy because there no one loved thee, and thou didst -love no one? Dost remember? Thou'lt deny, perhaps." - -"But what did I say this afternoon to thy betrothed? That thou and she -had gone mad; and now I say that thou art doing well. Dost wish logic -of me? To talk and to say something are two different things. But now I -am more sincere, for I have drunk half a bottle of wine." - -Pan Stanislav began to walk through the room and repeat: "But, as God -lives, it is fabulous! See what the root of the matter is, and what -they all say when cornered." - -"To love is good, but there is something still better,--that is, to -be loved. There is nothing above that! As to me, I would give for it -all these; but it is not worth while to talk of me. Life is a comedy -badly written, and without talent: even that which pains terribly is -sometimes like a poor melodrama; but in life, if there be anything -good, it is to be loved. Imagine to thyself, I have not known that, and -thou hast found it without seeking." - -"Do not say so, for thou knowest not how it came to me." - -"I know; Vaskovski told me. That, however, is all one. The question is -this,--thou hast known how to value it." - -"Well, what dost thou wish? I understand that I am loved a little; -hence I marry, and that is the end of the matter." - -Thereupon Bukatski put his hand on Pan Stanislav's shoulder. - -"No, Polanyetski; I am a fool in respect to myself, but not a bad -observer of what is passing around me. That is not the end, but the -beginning. Most men say, as thou hast, 'I marry,--that is the end;' and -most men deceive themselves." - -"That philosophy I do not understand." - -"But thou seest what the question is? It is not enough to take a woman; -a man should give himself to her also, and should feel that he does so. -Dost understand?" - -"Not greatly." - -"Well, thou art feigning simplicity. She should not only feel herself -owned, but an owner. A soul for a soul! otherwise a life may be lost. -Marriages are good or bad. Mashko's will be bad for twenty reasons, and -among others for this, of which I wish to speak." - -"He is of another opinion. But, as God lives, it is a pity that thou -art not married, since thou hast such a sound understanding of how -married life should be." - -"If to understand and to act according to that understanding were the -same, there would not be the various, very various events, from which -the bones ache in all of us. For that matter, imagine me marrying." - -Here Bukatski began to laugh with his thin little voice. Joyfulness -returned to him on a sudden, and with it the vision of things on the -comic side. - -"Thou wilt be ridiculous; but what should I be? Something to split -one's sides at. What a moment that is! Thou wilt see in two weeks. For -instance, how thou wilt dress for church. Here, love, beating of the -heart, solemn thoughts, a new epoch in life; there, the gardener, with -flowers, a dress-coat, lost studs, the tying of a cravat, the drawing -on of patent-leather boots,--all at one time, one chaos, one confusion. -Deliver me, angels of paradise! I have compassion on thee, my dear -friend; and do thou, I beg, not take seriously what I say. There is a -new moon now, and I have a mania for uttering commonplace sentiment at -the new moon. All folly!--the new moon, nothing more! I have grown as -soft-hearted as a ewe who has lost her first lamb; and may the cough -split me, if I haven't uttered commonplace!" - -But Pan Stanislav attacked him: "I have seen many vain things; but -knowest thou what seems to me vainest in thee and those like thee? Thou -and they, who absolve yourselves from everything, recognize nothing -above you, and fear like fire every honest truth, for the one reason -that some one might sometime declare it. How bad this is words cannot -tell. As to thee, my dear friend, thou wert sincerer a while since than -now. Again, thou'rt a poodle, dancing on two legs; but I tell thee that -ten like thee could not show me that I have not won a great prize in -the lottery." - -He took farewell of Bukatski with a certain anger; on the road home, -however, he grew pacified and repeated continually: "See where the -truth is; see what Mashko, and even Bukatski, says, when ready to be -sincere; but I have won simply a great prize, and I will not waste what -I have won." - -When he entered his lodgings and saw Litka's photograph, he exclaimed, -"My dearest kitten!" Up to the moment of sleeping he thought of Marynia -with pleasure, and with the calmness of a man who feels that some great -problem of life has been settled decisively, and settled well. For, in -spite of Bukatski's words, he was convinced that, since he was going to -marry, all would be decided and ended by that one act. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - - -The "catastrophe," as Bukatski called it, came at last. Pan Stanislav -learned by experience that if in life there are many days in which a -man cannot seize his own thoughts, to such belong above all the day -of his marriage. At times a number of these thoughts circled in his -brain at one moment, and were so indefinite, that, speaking accurately, -they were rather unconscious impressions than thoughts. He felt -that a new epoch in life was beginning, that he was assuming great -obligations which he ought to fulfil conscientiously and seriously; -and at the same time, but exactly at the same time, he wondered that -the carriage wasn't coming yet, and expressed his astonishment in the -form of a threat: "If those scoundrels are late, I'll break their -necks for them." At moments a solemn, and, as it were, noble fear of -that future for which he had assumed responsibility was mastering -him; he felt within him a certain elevation, and in this feeling of -elevation he began to lather his beard, and he thought whether on such -an exceptional day it would not be exceptionally worth while to bring -in a barber to his somewhat dishevelled hair. Marynia at the same time -was at the basis of all his impressions. He saw her, as if present. -He thought: "At this moment, she too is dressing, she is standing in -her chamber in front of the mirror, she is talking to her maid, her -soul is flying toward me, and her heart beats unquietly." That instant -tenderness seized him and he said to himself, "But have no fear, honest -soul, for, as God lives, I will not wrong thee;" and he saw himself in -the future, kind, considerate, so that he began to look with a certain -emotion at the patent-leather boots standing near the armchair, on -which his wedding-suit was lying. He repeated from time to time too, -"If to marry, then marry!" He said to himself that he was stupid to -hesitate, for another such Marynia there was not on earth; he felt -that he loved her, and thought at the same time that the weather was -not bad, but that perhaps rain might fall; that it might be cold in -the Church of the Visitation; that in an hour he would be kneeling -by Marynia, that a white necktie is safer knotted than pinned; that -marriage is indeed the most important ceremony in life; that there is -in it something sacred, and that one must not lose one's head anyhow, -for in an hour it will be over; to-morrow they will depart, and then -the normal quiet life of husband and wife will begin. - -These thoughts, however, flew away at moments like a flock of sparrows, -into which some one has fired from behind a hedge suddenly, and it grew -empty in Pan Stanislav's head. Then phrases of this kind came to his -lips mechanically: "The eighth of April--to-morrow will be Wednesday! -to-morrow will be Wednesday! my watch! to-morrow will be Wednesday!" -Later he roused himself, repeated, "One must be an idiot!" and the -scattered birds flew back again in a whole flock to his head, and began -to whirl around in it. - -Meanwhile Abdulski, the agent of the house of Polanyetski, Bigiel, and -Company came in. He was to be the second groomsman, with Bukatski as -first. Being a Tartar by origin and a man of dark complexion, though -good-looking, he seemed so handsome in the dress-coat and white cravat -that Pan Stanislav expressed the hope that surely he would marry soon. -Abdulski answered,-- - -"The soul would to paradise;" then he commenced a pantomime, intended -to represent the counting of money, and began to speak of the Bigiels. -All their children wanted to be at the marriage. The Bigiels decided -to take only the two elder ones; from this arose disagreements and -difference of opinion, expressed on Pani Bigiel's side by means of -slaps. Pan Stanislav, who was a great children's man, was exceedingly -indignant at this, and said,-- - -"I'll play a trick on the Bigiels. Have they gone already?" - -"They were just going." - -"That is well; I will run in there on the way to Plavitski's, take all -the children, and pour them out before Pani Bigiel and my affianced." - -Abdulski expressed the conviction that Pan Stanislav would not do so; -but he merely confirmed him thereby in his plan all the more. In fact, -when he entered the carriage, they drove for the children directly. The -governess, knowing Pan Stanislav's relations with the family, dared -not oppose him; and half an hour later, Pan Stanislav, to the great -consternation of Pani Bigiel, entered Plavitski's lodgings at the head -of a whole flock of little Bigiels, in their every-day clothing, with -collars awry, hair disarranged for the greater part, and faces half -happy, half frightened, and, hurrying up to Marynia, he said, kissing -her hands already enclosed in white gloves,-- - -"They wanted to wrong the children. Say that I did well." - -This proof of his kind heart entertained and pleased Marynia; hence -she was glad from her whole soul to see the children, and even glad -of this,--that the assembled guests considered her future husband an -original,--and glad because Pani Bigiel, straightening the crooked -collars hurriedly, said in her worry,-- - -"What's to be done with such a madman?" - -Somewhat of this opinion too was old Plavitski. But Pan Stanislav and -Marynia were occupied for the moment with each other so exclusively -that everything else vanished from their eyes. The hearts of both -beat a little unquietly. He looked at her with a certain admiration. -All in white, from her slippers to her gloves, with a green wreath on -her head, and a long veil, she seemed to him other than usual. There -was in her something uncommonly solemn, as in the dead Litka. Pan -Stanislav did not make, it is true, that comparison; but he felt that -this white Marynia, if not more remote from him, made him hesitate more -than she of yesterday, arrayed in her ordinary costume. Withal she -seemed less comely than usual, for the wedding wreath is becoming to -women only exceptionally, and, besides, disquiet and emotion reddened -her face; which, with the white robe, seemed still redder than it -was in reality. But a wonderful thing! Just this circumstance moved -Pan Stanislav. In his heart, rather kind by its nature, there rose a -certain feeling resembling compassion or tenderness. He understood -that Marynia's heart must be panting then like a captive bird, and he -began to calm her; to speak to her with such good and kind words that -he was astonished himself where he could find them in such numbers, -and how they came to him so easily. But they came to him easily just -because of Marynia. It was to be seen that she gave herself to him -with a panting of the heart, but also with confidence; that she gave -him her heart, her soul, and her whole being, her whole life, and that -not only for good, but for every moment of her life--and to the end -of it. In this regard no shadow rose in Pan Stanislav's mind, and -that certainty made him better at that moment, more sensitive and -eloquent, than he was ordinarily. At last they held each the other's -hand and looked into each other's eyes, not only with love, but with -the greatest friendship and confidence. Both felt the double reality. -Yet a few moments, and that future will begin. But now the thoughts -of both began to grow clear; and that internal disquiet, from which -they had not been free, yielded more and more and turned into a solemn -concentration of thought, as the religious ceremony drew near. Pan -Stanislav's thoughts did not fly apart like sparrows; there remained -to him only a certain astonishment, as it were, that he with all his -scepticism had such a feeling even of the religious significance of the -act which was about to be accomplished. At heart he was not a sceptic. -In his soul there was hidden even a certain yearning for religious -sensations; and if he had not returned to them it was only through a -loss of habit and through spiritual negligence. Scepticism, at most, -had shaken the surface of his thoughts, just as wind roughens the -surface of water; the depths of which are still calm. He had lost, too, -familiarity with forms; but to regain it was a work for the future and -Marynia. Meanwhile this ceremony to which he must yield seemed to him -so important, so full of solemnity and sacredness, that he was ready to -proceed to it with bowed head. - -But first he had another ceremony, which, equally solemn in itself, -was disagreeable enough to Pan Stanislav; namely, to kneel before Pan -Plavitski, whom he considered a fool, receive his blessing and hear -an exhortation, which, as was known, Plavitski would not omit. Pan -Stanislav had said in his mind, however, "Since I am to marry, I must -pass through all which precedes it, and with a good face; little do I -care what expression that monkey, Bukatski, will have at such moments." -Therefore he knelt with all readiness at Marynia's side before her -father, and listened to his blessing with an exhortation, which, by the -way, was not long. Plavitski himself was moved really; his voice and -his hands trembled; he was barely able to pronounce something in the -nature of an adjuration to Pan Stanislav, not to prevent Marynia from -coming even occasionally to pray at his grave before it was grown over -completely with grass. - -Finally, the solemnity of the moment affected Yozio Bigiel. Seeing Pan -Plavitski's tears, seeing Marynia and Pan Stanislav on their knees -(kneeling at Bigiel's house was not only a punishment, but frequently -the beginning of more vigorous instruction), Yozio gave expression -to his sympathy and fear by closing his eyes, opening his mouth, and -breaking into as piercing a wail as he could utter. When the rest of -the little Bigiels followed his example in great part, and all began -to move, for the time to pass to the church had arrived, the grave of -Pan Plavitski grown over with grass could not call forth an impression -sufficiently elegiac. - -Sitting in the carriage between Abdulski and Bukatski, Pan Stanislav -hardly answered their questions in half words; he took no part in -the conversation, but kept up a monologue with himself. He thought -that in a couple of minutes that would come to pass of which he had -been dreaming whole months; and which till the death of Litka he had -desired with the greatest earnestness of his life. Here for the last -time he was roused by a feeling of the difference between that past -which not long since had vanished, and the present moment; but there -was a difference. Formerly he strove and desired; to-day he only wished -and consented. That thought pierced him like a shudder, for it shot -through his head that perhaps there was lacking in his own personality -that basis on which one may build. But he was a man able to keep -his alarms in close bonds, and to scatter them to the four winds at -a given moment. He said to himself, therefore: "First, there is no -time to think of this; and second, reality does not answer always to -imaginings; this is a simple thing." Then what Bukatski had said pushed -again into his memory: "It is not enough to take, a man must give;" but -he thought this a fabric of such fine threads that it had no existence -whatever, and that life should be taken more simply, that there is -no obligation to come to terms with preconceived theories. Here he -repeated what he had said to himself frequently, "I marry, and that is -the end." Then reality embraced him, or rather the present moment; he -had nothing in his head but Marynia, the church, and the ceremony. - -She on the way meanwhile implored God in silence to help her to make -her husband happy; for herself she begged also a little happiness, -being certain, moreover, that her dead mother would obtain that for her. - -Then they went arm in arm between the lines of invited and curious -people, seeing somewhat as through a mist lights gleaming in the -distance on the altar, and at the sides faces known and unknown. -Both saw more distinctly the face of Pani Emilia, who wore the white -veil of a Sister of Charity, her eyes at once smiling and filled with -tears. Litka came to the minds of both; and it occurred to them that it -was precisely she who was conducting them to the altar. After a while -they knelt down; before them was the priest, higher up the gleaming of -the candles, the glitter of gold, and the holy face of the principal -image. The ceremony commenced. They repeated after the priest the usual -phrases of the marriage vow; and Pan Stanislav, holding Marynia's hand, -was seized suddenly by emotion such as he had not expected, and such as -he had not felt since his mother had brought him to first communion. He -felt that that was not a mere every-day legal act, in virtue of which -a man receives the right to a woman; but in that binding of hands, -in that vow, there is present a certain mysterious power from beyond -this world,--that it is simply God before whom the soul inclines and -the heart trembles. The ears of both were struck then in the midst of -silence by the solemn words, "_Quod Deus junxit, homo non disjungat_;" -but Pan Stanislav felt that that Marynia whom he had taken becomes his -body and blood, and a part of his soul, and that for her too he must -be the same. That moment a chorus of voices in the choir burst out -with "_Veni Creator_," and a few moments after the Polanyetskis went -forth from the church. On the way out, the arms of Pani Emilia embraced -Marynia once again: "May God bless you!" and when they drove to the -wedding reception, she went to the cemetery to tell Litka the news, -that Pan Stas was married that day to Marynia. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - - -Two weeks later, in Venice, the doorkeeper of the Hotel Bauer gave Pan -Stanislav a letter with the postmark of Warsaw. It was at the moment -when he and his wife were entering a gondola to go to the church of -Santa Maria della Salute, where on that day, the anniversary of her -death, a Mass was to be offered for the soul of Marynia's mother. Pan -Stanislav, who expected nothing important from Warsaw, put the letter -in his pocket, and asked his wife,-- - -"But is it not a little too early for Mass?" - -"It is; a whole half hour." - -"Then perhaps it would please thee to go first to the Rialto?" - -Marynia was always ready to go. Never having been abroad before, she -simply lived in continual rapture, and it seemed to her that all which -surrounded her was a dream. More than once, in the excess of her -delight, she threw herself on her husband's neck, as if he had built -Venice, as if she ought to thank him alone for its beauty. More than -once she repeated,-- - -"I look and I see, but cannot believe that this is real." - -So they went to the Rialto. There was little movement yet, because of -the early hour; the water was as if sleeping, the day calm, clear, but -not very bright,--one of those days in which the Grand Canal with all -its beauty has the repose of a cemetery; the palaces seem deserted -and forgotten, and in their motionless reflection in the water is -that peculiar deep sadness of dead things. One looks at them then in -silence, and as if in fear, lest by words the general repose may be -broken. - -Thus did Marynia look. But Pan Stanislav, less sensitive, remembered -that he had a letter in his pocket, hence he drew it forth, and began -to read. After a time he exclaimed,-- - -"Ah! Mashko is married; their wedding was three days after ours." - -But Marynia, as if roused from a dream, inquired, while blinking, "What -dost thou say?" - -"I say, dreaming head, that Mashko's wedding is over." - -She rested her head on his shoulder, and, looking into his eyes, -inquired,-- - -"What is Mashko to me? I have my Stas." - -Pan Stanislav smiled like a man who kindly permits himself to be loved, -but does not wonder that he is loved; then he kissed his wife on the -forehead, with a certain distraction, for the letter had begun to -occupy him, and read on. All at once he sprang up, as if something had -pricked him, and cried,-- - -"Oh, that is a real catastrophe!" - -"What has happened?" - -"Panna Kraslavski has a life annuity of nine thousand rubles, which her -uncle left her; beyond that, not a copper." - -"But that is a good deal." - -"A good deal? Hear what Mashko writes:-- - - "'In view of this, my bankruptcy is an accomplished fact, and the - declaration of my insolvency a question of time.' - -"They deceived each other; dost understand? He counted on her property, -and she on his." - -"At least they have something to live on." - -"They have something to live on; but Mashko has nothing with which -to pay his debts, and that concerns us a little,--me, thee, and thy -father. All may be lost." - -Here Marynia was alarmed in earnest. "My Stas," said she, "perhaps thy -presence is needed there; let us return, then. What a blow this will be -to papa!" - -"I will write Bigiel immediately to take my place, and save what is -possible. Do not take this business to heart too much, my child. I have -enough to buy a bit of bread for us both, and for thy father." - -Marynia put her arms around his neck. "Thou, my good--With such a man -one may be at rest." - -"Besides, something will be saved. If Mashko finds credit, he will -pay us; he may find a purchaser, too, for Kremen. He writes me to ask -Bukatski to buy Kremen, and to persuade him to do so. Bukatski is going -to Rome this evening, and I have invited him to lunch. I will ask him. -He has a considerable fortune, and would have something to do. I am -curious to know how Mashko's life will develop. He writes at the end of -the letter: - - "'I discovered the condition of affairs to my wife; she bore - herself passively, but her mother is wild with indignation.' #/ - -"Finally he adds that at last he has fallen in love with his wife, and -that if they should separate, it would be the greatest unhappiness in -life for him. That lyric tale gives me little concern; but I am curious -as to how all this will end." - -"She will not desert him," said Marynia. - -"I do not know; I thought myself once that she would not, but I like to -contradict. Wilt thou bet?" - -"No; for I do not wish to win. Thou ugly man, thou hast no knowledge of -women." - -"On the contrary, I know them; and I know them because all are not like -this little one who is sailing now in a gondola." - -"In a gondola in Venice, with her Stas," answered Marynia. - -They were now at the church. When they went from Mass to the hotel, -they found Bukatski, dressed for the road, in a cross-barred gray -suit,--which, on his frail body, seemed too large,--in yellow shoes and -a fantastic cravat, tied as fancifully as carelessly. - -"I am going to-day," said he, after he had greeted Marynia. "Do you -command me to prepare a dwelling in Florence for you? I can engage some -palace." - -"Then you will halt on the road to Rome?" - -"Yes. First, to give notice in the gallery of your coming, and to put -a sofa on the stairs for you; second, I halt for black coffee, which -is bad throughout Italy in general, but in Florence, at Giacosa's, Via -Tornabuoni, it is exceptionally excellent. That, however, is the one -thing of value in Florence." - -"What pleasure is there for you in always saying something different -from what you think?" - -"But I am thinking seriously of engaging nice lodgings on Lung-Arno for -you." - -"We shall stop at Verona." - -"For Romeo and Juliet? Of course; of course! Go now; later you would -shrug your shoulders if you thought of them. In a month it would be too -late for you to go, perhaps." - -Marynia started up at him like a cat; then, turning to her husband, -said,-- - -"Stas, don't let this gentleman annoy me so!" - -"Well," answered Pan Stanislav, "I will cut his head off, but after -lunch." - -Bukatski began to declaim:-- - - "It is not yet near day: - It was the nightingale, and not the lark, - That pierc'd the fearful hollow of thine ear." - -Then, turning to Marynia, he inquired, "Has Pan Stanislav written a -sonnet for you?" - -"No." - -"Oh, that is a bad sign. You have a balcony on the street; has it never -come once to his head to stand under your balcony with a guitar?" - -"No." - -"Oh, very bad!" - -"But there is no place to stand here, for there is water." - -"He might go in a gondola. With us it is different, you see; but here -in Italy the air is such that if a man is in love really, he either -writes sonnets, or stands under a balcony with a guitar. It is a thing -perfectly certain, resulting from the geographical position, the -currents of the sea, the chemical make-up of the air and the water: -if a man does not write sonnets, or stand out of doors with a guitar, -surely he is not in love. I can bring you very famous books on this -subject." - -"It seems that I shall be driven to cut his head off before lunch," -said Pan Stanislav. - -The execution, however, did not come, for the reason that it was just -time for lunch. They sat down at a separate table, but in the same hall -was a general one, which for Marynia, whom everything interested, was a -source of pleasure, too, for she saw _real_ English people. This made -on her such an impression as if she had gone to some land of exotics; -for since Kremen is Kremen, not one of its inhabitants had undertaken a -similar journey. For Bukatski, and even Pan Stanislav, her delight was -a source of endless jokes, but also of genuine pleasure. The first said -that she reminded him of his youth; the second called his wife a "field -daisy," and said that one was not sorry to show the world to a woman -like her. Bukatski noticed, however, that the "field daisy" had much -feeling for art and much honesty. Many things were known to her from -books or pictures; not knowing others, she acknowledged this openly, -but in her expressions there was nothing artificial or affected. When a -thing touched her heart, her delight had no bounds, so that her eyes -became moist. At one time Bukatski jested with her unmercifully; at -another he persuaded her that all the connoisseurs, so called, have a -nail in the head, and that she, as a sensitive and refined nature, and -so far unspoiled, was for him of the greatest importance in questions -of art; she would be still more important if she were ten years of age. - -At lunch they did not talk of art, because Pan Stanislav remembered his -news from Warsaw, and said,-- - -"I had a letter from Mashko." - -"And I, too," answered Bukatski. - -"And thou? They must be hurried there; Mashko must be pressed in real -earnest. Is the question known to thee?" - -"He persuades me, or rather, he implores me, to buy--dost thou know -what?" - -Bukatski avoided Kremen, knowing well what trouble it had caused, and -was silent through delicacy toward Marynia. - -But Pan Stanislav, understanding his intention, said,-- - -"Oh, my God! Once we avoided that name as a sore spot, but now, before -my wife, it is something different. It is hard to be tied up a whole -lifetime." - -Bukatski looked at him quickly; Marynia blushed a little, and said,-- - -"Stas is perfectly right. Besides, I know that it is a question of -Kremen." - -"Yes, it is of Kremen." - -"Well, and what?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"I should not buy it even because of this,--that the lady might have -the impression that people are tossing it about like a ball." - -"If I do not think at all of Kremen?" said Marynia, blushing still -more. She looked at her husband; and he nodded in sign of praise and -satisfaction. - -"That is a proof," answered he, "that thou art a child of good -judgment." - -"At the same time," continued Marynia, "if Pan Mashko does not hold -out, Kremen will either be divided, or go into usurers' hands, and that -to me would be disagreeable." - -"Ah, ha!" said Bukatski, "but if you do not think at all of Kremen?" - -Marynia looked again at her husband, and this time with alarm; he began -to laugh, however. - -"Marynia is caught," said he. - -Then he turned to Bukatski. "Evidently Mashko looks on thee as the one -plank of salvation." - -"But I am not a plank; look at me! I am a straw, rather. The man who -wishes to save himself by such a straw will drown. Mashko has said -himself more than once to me, 'Thou hast blunted nerves.' Perhaps I -have; but I need strong impressions for that very reason. If I were -to help Mashko, he would work himself free, stand on his feet, give -himself out as a lord still further; his wife would personate a great -lady, they would be terribly _comme il faut_, and I should have the -stupid comedy, which I have seen already, and which I have yawned at. -If, on the other hand, I do not help him, he will be ruined, he will -perish, something interesting will happen, unexpected events will come -to pass, something tragic may result, which will occupy me more. Now, -think, both of you, I must pay for a wretched comedy, and dearly; the -tragedy I can have for nothing. How is a man to hesitate in this case?" - -"Fi! how can you say such things?" exclaimed Marynia. - -"Not only can I say them, but I shall write them to Mashko; besides, he -has deceived me in the most unworthy manner." - -"In what?" - -"In what? In this, that I thought: 'Oh, that is a regular snob! that -is material for a dark personage; that is a man really without heart -or scruples!' Meanwhile, what comes out? That at bottom of his soul he -has a certain honesty; that he wants to pay his creditors; that he is -sorry for that puppet with red eyes; that he loves her; that for him -separation from her would be a terrible catastrophe. He writes this to -me himself most shamelessly. I give my word that in our society one can -count on nothing. I will settle abroad, for I cannot endure this." - -Now Marynia was angry in earnest. - -"If you say such things, I shall beg to break relations with you." - -But Pan Stanislav shrugged his shoulders, and added: "In fact, thy talk -is ever on some conceit to amuse thyself and others, and never wilt -thou think with judgment and in human fashion. Dost understand, I do -not persuade thee to buy Kremen, and all the more because I might have -a certain interest to do so; but there would be some occupation for -thee there, something to do." - -Here Bukatski began to laugh, and said after a while,-- - -"I told thee once that I like, above all, to do what pleases me, and -that it pleases me most to do nothing; hence it is that doing nothing -I do what pleases me most. If thou art wise, prove that I have uttered -nonsense. Take the second case: Suppose me a buckwheat sower; that, -however, simply passes imagination. I, for whom rain or fine weather is -merely the question of choosing a cane or an umbrella, would have, in -my old age, to stand on one leg, like a stork, and look to see whether -it pleases the sun to shine, or the clouds to drop rain. I should have -to tremble as to whether my wheat is likely to grow, or my rape-seed -shed, or rot fall on the potatoes; whether I shall be able to stake my -peas, or furnish his Worship of Dogweevil as many bushels as I have -promised; whether my plough-horses have the glanders, and my sheep the -foot-rot. I should, in my old age, come to this,--that from blunting of -faculties I would interject after every three words: 'Pan Benefactor,' -or 'What is it that I wanted to say?' _Voyons! pas si bęte!_ I, a free -man, should become a _glebć adscriptus_, a 'Neighbor,' a 'Brother -Lata,' a 'Pan Matsyei,' a 'Lechit.'"[5] - -Here, roused a little by the wine, he began to quote in an undertone -the words of Slaz in "Lilla Weneda":-- - - "Am I a Lechit? What does this mean? Are boorishness, - Drunkenness, gluttony, gazing from my eyes - With the seven deadly sins, a passion for uproar, - Pickled cucumbers, and escutcheons?" - -"Argue with him," said Pan Stanislav, "especially when at the root of -the matter he is partly right." - -But Marynia, who as soon as Bukatski had begun to speak of work in the -country, grew somewhat thoughtful, shook thoughtfulness now from her -forehead, and said,-- - -"When papa was not well,--and never in Kremen has he been so well as -recently,--I saved him a little in management, and later that work -became for me a habit. Though God knows there was no lack of troubles, -it gave me a pleasure that I cannot describe. But I did not understand -the cause of this till Pan Yamish explained it. 'That,' said he, 'is -the real work on which the world stands, and every other is either the -continuation of it, or something artificial.' Later I understood even -things which he did not explain. More than once, when I went out to -the fields in spring, and saw that all things were growing, I felt that -my heart, too, was growing with them. And now I know why that is: In -all other relations that a man holds there may be deceit, but the land -is truth. It is impossible to deceive the land; it either gives, or -gives not, but it does not deceive. Therefore land is loved, as truth; -and because one loves it, it teaches one to love. And the dew falls not -only on grain, and on meadows, but on the soul, as it were; and a man -becomes better, for he has to deal with truth, and he loves,--that is, -he is nearer God. Therefore I loved my Kremen so much." - -Here Marynia became frightened at her own speech, and at this, what -would "Stas" think; at the same time reminiscences had roused her. All -this was reflected in her eyes as the dawn, and on her young face; and -she was herself like the dawn. - -Bukatski looked at her as he would at some unknown newly discovered -master-piece of the Venetian school; then he closed his eyes, and -hid half of his small face in his enormous fantastic cravat, and -whispered,-- - -"_Délicieuse!_" - -Then, thrusting forth his chin from his cravat, he said,-- - -"You are perfectly right." - -But the logical woman would not let herself be set aside by a -compliment. - -"If I am right, you are not." - -"That is another matter. You are right because it becomes you; a woman -in that case is always right." - -"Stas!" said Marynia, turning to her husband. But there was so much -charm in the woman at that moment, that he also looked on her with -delight, his eyes smiled, his nostrils moved with a quick motion; for a -moment he covered her hand with his, and said,-- - -"Oh, child, child!" - -Then he inclined to her, and whispered,-- - -"If we were not in this hall, I would kiss those dear eyes and that -mouth." - -And, speaking thus, Pan Stanislav made a great mistake, for at that -moment it was not enough to feel the physical charm of Marynia, to be -roused at the color of her face, her eyes, or her mouth, but it was -necessary to feel the soul in her; to what an extent he did not feel it -was shown by his fondling words, "O child, child!" She was for him at -that moment only a charming child-woman, and he thought of nothing else. - -Just then coffee was brought. To end the conversation, Pan Stanislav -said,-- - -"So Mashko has come out a lover, and that after marriage." - -Bukatski swallowed a cup of boiling coffee, and answered, "In this is -the stupidity, that Mashko is the man, not in this,--that the love -was after marriage. I have not said anything sensible. If I have, I -beg pardon most earnestly, and promise not to do so a second time. I -have burned my tongue evidently with the hot coffee! I drink it so hot -because they tell me that it is good for headache; and my head aches, -aches." - -Here Bukatski placed his palm on his neck and the back of his head, and -blinked, remaining motionless for a few seconds. - -"I am talking and talking," said he, then, "but my head aches. I should -have gone to my lodgings, but Svirski, the artist, is to come to me -here. We are going to Florence together; he is a famous painter in -water-colors, really famous. No one has brought greater force out of -water-colors. But see, he is just coming!" - -In fact, Svirski, as if summoned by a spell, appeared in the hall, and -began to look around for Bukatski. Espying him at last, he approached -the table. - -He was a robust, short man, with hair as black as if he were an -Italian. He had an ordinary face, but a wise, deep glance, and also -mild. While walking, he swayed a little because of his wide hips. - -Bukatski presented him to Marynia in the following words,-- - -"I present to you Pan Svirski, a painter, of the genus genius, who -not only received his talent, but had the most happy idea of not -burying it, which he might have done as well, and with equal benefit -to mankind, as any other man. But he preferred to fill the world with -water-colors and with fame." - -Svirski smiled, showing two rows of teeth, wonderfully small, but white -as ivory, and said,-- - -"I wish that were true." - -"And I will tell you why he did not bury his talent," continued -Bukatski; "his reasons were so parochial that it would be a shame for -any decent artist to avow them. He loves Pognembin, which is somewhere -in Poznan, or thereabouts, and he loves it because he was born there. -If he had been born in Guadeloupe he would have loved Guadeloupe, and -love for Guadeloupe would have saved him in life also. This man makes -me indignant; and will the lady tell me if I am not right?" - -To this Marynia answered, raising her blue eyes to Svirski, "Pan -Bukatski is not so bad as he seems, for he has said everything that is -good of you." - -"I shall die with my qualities known," whispered Bukatski. - -Svirski was looking meanwhile at Marynia, as only an artist can permit -himself to look at a woman, and not offend. Interest was evident in his -eyes, and at last he muttered,-- - -"To see such a head all at once, here in Venice, is a genuine surprise." - -"What?" asked Bukatski. - -"I say, that the lady is of a wonderfully well-defined type. Oh, this, -for example" (here he drew a line with his thumb along his nose, mouth, -and chin). "And also what purity of outline!" - -"Well, isn't it true?" asked Pan Stanislav, with excitement. "I have -always thought the same." - -"I will lay a wager that thou hast never thought of it," retorted -Bukatski. - -But Pan Stanislav was glad and proud of that interest which Marynia -roused in the famous artist; hence he said,-- - -"If it would give you any pleasure to paint her portrait, it would give -me much more to have it." - -"From the soul of my heart," answered Svirski, with simplicity; "but -I am going to Rome to-day. There I have begun the portrait of Pani -Osnovski." - -"And we shall be in Rome no later than ten days from now." - -"Then we are agreed." - -Marynia returned thanks, blushing to her ears. But Bukatski began to -take farewell, and drew Svirski after him. When they had gone out, he -said,-- - -"We have time yet. Come to Floriani's for a glass of cognac." - -Bukatski did not know how to drink, and didn't like spirits; but since -he had begun to take morphine, he drank more than he could endure, -because some one had told him that one neutralized the other. - -"What a delightful couple those Polanyetskis are!" said Svirski. - -"They are not long married." - -"It is evident that he loves her immensely. When I praised her, his -eyes were smiling, and he rose as if on yeast." - -"She loves him a hundred times more." - -"What knowledge hast thou in such matters?" - -Bukatski did not answer; he only raised his pointed nose, and said, as -if to himself,-- - -"Oh, marriage and love have disgusted me; for it is always profit on -one side, and sacrifice on the other. Polanyetski is a good man, but -what of that? She has just as much sense, just as much character, -but she loves more; therefore life will fix itself for them in this -way,--he will be the sun, he will be gracious enough to shine, to warm, -will consider her as his property, as a planet made to circle around -him. All this is indicated to-day. She has entered his sphere. There -is in him a certain self-confidence which angers me. He will have her -with an income, but she will have him alone without an income. He will -permit himself to love, considering his love as virtue, kindness, and -favor; she will love, considering her love as a happiness and a duty. -Look, if you please, at him, the divine, the resplendent! I want to go -back and tell them this, in the hope that they will be less happy." - -Meanwhile the two men had taken seats in front of Floriani's, and -soon cognac was brought to them. Svirski thought some time over the -Polanyetskis, and then inquired,-- - -"But if the position is pleasant for her?" - -"I know that she has short sight; she might be pleased quite as well to -wear glasses." - -"Go to the deuce! glasses on a face like hers--" - -"This makes thee indignant; but the other makes me--" - -"Yes, for thou hast a kind of coffee-mill in thy head, which grinds, -and grinds everything till it grinds it into fine dust. What dost thou -want of love in general?" - -"I, of love? I want nothing of love! Let the devil take him who wants -anything of love! I have sharp pains in my shoulder-blades from it. But -if I were other than I am, if I had to describe what love ought to be, -if I wanted anything of it, then I should wish--" - -"What? hop! jump over!" - -"That it were composed in equal parts of desire and reverence." - -Then he drank a glass of cognac, and added after a while,-- - -"It seems to me that I have said something which may be wise, if it is -not foolish. But it is all one to me." - -"No! it is not foolish." - -"As God lives, it is all one to me." - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [5] Polish noble. - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - - -After a stay of one week in Florence, Pan Stanislav received his -first letter from Bigiel concerning the business of the house, and -news so favorable that it almost surpassed his expectations. The law -prohibiting export of grain because of the famine was proclaimed. -But the firm had enormous supplies bought and exported previously; -and because prices, especially at the first moment, had risen -excessively abroad, Bigiel and Polanyetski began to do perfect -business. Speculation, planned and carried through on a great scale, -turned out so profitable that from well-to-do people, which they were -before, they had become almost rich. For that matter Pan Stanislav -had been sure of his business from the beginning, and entertained no -fears; the news, however, pleased him both with reference to profit -and his own self-love. Success intoxicates a man and strengthens his -self-confidence. So, in talking with Marynia, he was not able to -refrain from giving her to understand that he had an uncommon head, -unquestionably higher than all those around him, like a tree the -loftiest in the forest; that he is a man who always reaches the place -at which he has aimed,--in a word, a kind of phoenix in that society, -abounding in men who know not how to help themselves. In the whole -world he could not have found a listener more willing and ready to -accept everything with the deepest faith. - -"Thou art a woman," said he, not without a shade of loftiness; -"therefore why tell thee the affair from the beginning, and enter into -details. To thee, as a woman, I can explain all best if I say thus: -I was not in a condition yesterday to buy the medallion with a black -pearl which I showed thee at Godoni's; to-day I am, and will buy it." - -Marynia thanked him, and begged that he would not do so; but he -insisted, and said that nothing would restrain him, that that was -resolved on, and Marynia must consider herself the owner of the great -black pearl, which, on such a white neck as hers, would be beautiful. -Then he fell to kissing that neck; and when finally he had satisfied -himself, but still felt the need of a listener of some sort, he began -to walk in the room, smiling at his wife and at his own thoughts, -saying,-- - -"I do not mention those who do nothing: Bukatski, for instance, who is -known to be good for nothing, nor asses like Kopovski, who is known to -have a cat's head; but take even men who do something,--men of mind -seemingly. Never would Bigiel seize a chance on the wing: he would set -to thinking over it, and to putting it off; to-day he would decide, and -to-morrow be afraid, and the time would be gone. What is the point in -question? First, to have a head, and second, to sit down and calculate. -And if one decides to act, then act. It is needful, too, to be cool, -and not pose. Mashko is no fool, one might think; but see what he has -worked out! I have not gone his way, and shall not follow him." - -Thus speaking, he continued to walk and to shake his thick, dark hair; -and Marynia, who, in every case, would have listened to his words with -faith, received them now as an infallible principle, all the more that -they rested on tangible success. - -He stopped before her at last, and said,-- - -"Knowest what I think? that coolness is judgment. It is possible to -have an intelligent head, to take in knowledge as a sponge absorbs -liquid, and still not to have sound, sober judgment. Bukatski is for me -a proof of this. Do not think me vain; but if I, for instance, knew as -much about art as he does, I should have a sounder judgment concerning -it. He has read so much, and caught up so many opinions, that at -last he has none of his own. Surely, from the materials which he has -collected, I should have squeezed out something of my own." - -"Oh, that is sure," said Marynia, with perfect confidence. - -Pan Stanislav might have been right in a certain view. He was not a -dull man by any means, and it may be that his intelligence was firmer -and more compact than Bukatski's; but it was less flexible and less -comprehensive. This did not occur to him. He did not think, also, that -in that moment, under the influence of boastfulness, he was saying -things before Marynia which the fear of ridicule and criticism would -have restrained him from saying before strangers, sceptical persons. -But he did not restrain himself before Marynia; he judged that if he -could permit himself such little boastfulness before any one, it was -before his wife. Besides, as he himself said, "He had taken her, and -all was over." Moreover, she was his own. - -In general, he had not felt so happy and satisfied at any time in -life as then. He had experienced material success, and considered the -future as guaranteed; he had married a woman, young, charming, and -clever, for whom he had become a dogma,--and the position could not -be otherwise, since her lips were not dry for whole days from his -kisses,--and whose healthy and honest heart was filled with gratitude -for his love. What could be lacking to him? What more could he wish? He -was satisfied with himself, for he ascribed in great part to his own -cleverness and merit, his success in so arranging life that everything -promised, peace and prosperity. He saw that life was bitter for other -men, but pleasant for him, and he interpreted the difference to his own -advantage. He had thought once that a man wishing peace had to regulate -his connection with himself, with mankind, with God. The first two he -looked on as regulated. He had a wife, a calling, and a future; hence -he had given and secured to himself all that he could give and secure. -As to society, he permitted himself sometimes to criticise it, but he -felt that in the bottom of his soul he loved it really; that even if -he wished, he could not do otherwise; that if in a given case it were -necessary to go into water or fire for society, he would go,--hence he -considered everything settled on that side too. His relation with God -remained. He felt that should that become clear and certain, he might -consider all life's problems settled, and say to himself definitely, "I -know why I have lived, what I wanted, and why I must die." While not a -man of science, he had touched enough on science to know the vanity of -seeking in philosophy so-called explanations or answers which are to -be sought rather in intuition, and, above all, in feeling, in so far -as the one and the other of these are simple,--otherwise they lead to -extravagance. At the same time, since he was not devoid of imagination, -he saw before him, as it were, the image of an honest, well-balanced -man, a good husband, a good father, who labors and prays, who on Sunday -takes his children to church, and lives a life wonderfully wholesome -from a moral point of view. That picture smiled at him; and in life -so much is done for pictures. He thought that a society which had a -great number of such citizens would be stronger and healthier than -a society which below was composed of boors, and above of sages, -dilettanti, decadents, and all those forbidden figures with sprained -intellects. One time, soon after his acquaintance with Marynia, he had -promised himself and Bigiel that on finishing with his own person, and -with people, he would set about this third relation seriously. Now the -time had come, or at least was approaching. Pan Stanislav understood -that this work needed more repose than is found on a bridal trip, and -among the impressions of a new life and a new country, and that hurry -of hotels and galleries in which he lived with Marynia. But, in spite -of these conditions, in the rare moments when he was with his own -thoughts, he turned at once to that problem, which for him was at that -time the main one. He was subject meanwhile to various influences, -which, small in themselves, exercised a certain action, even because -he refrained purposely from opposing them. Of these was the influence -of Marynia. Pan Stanislav was not conscious of it, and would not have -owned to its existence; still the continual presence of that calm soul, -sincerely and simply pious, extremely conscientious in relation to -God, gave him an idea of the rest and peace to be found in religion. -When he attended his wife to church, he remembered the words which -she said to him in Warsaw, "Of course; it is the service of God." And -he was drawn into it, for at first he went to church with her always -not to let her go alone, and later because it gave him also a certain -internal pleasure,--such, for example, as the examination of phenomena -gives a scientist specially interested in them. In this way, in spite -of unfavorable conditions, in spite of journeys, and a line of thought -interrupted by impressions of every sort, he advanced on the new road -continually. His thoughts had at times great energy and decisiveness -in this direction. "I feel God," said he to himself. "I felt Him at -Litka's grave; I felt Him, though I did not acknowledge it, in the -words of Vaskovski about death; I felt Him at marriage; I felt Him at -home, in the plains, and in this country, in the mountains above the -snow; and I only ask yet how I am to glorify Him, to honor and love -Him? Is it as pleases me personally, or as my wife does, and as my -mother taught me?" - -In Rome, however, he ceased at first to think of these things; so -many external impressions were gathered at once in his mind that there -was no room for reflection. Moreover, he and Marynia came home in the -evening so tired that he remembered almost with terror the words of -Bukatski, who, at times, when serving them as cicerone for his own -satisfaction, said, "Ye have not seen the thousandth part of what is -worth seeing; but that is all one, for in general it is not worth while -to come here, just as it is not worth while to stay at home." - -Bukatski was then in a fit of contradiction, overturning in one -statement what he had seemed to affirm in the preceding one. - -Professor Vaskovski came, too, from Perugia to greet them, which -pleased Marynia so much that she met him as she would her nearest -relative. But, after satisfying her first outbursts of delight, she -observed in the professor's eyes, as it were, a kind of melancholy. - -"What is the matter?" inquired she. "Do you not feel well in Italy?" - -"My child," answered he, "it is pleasant in Perugia, and pleasant in -Rome--oh, how pleasant! Know this, that here, while walking on the -streets, one is treading on the dust of the world. This, as I repeat -always, is the antechamber to another life--but--" - -"But what?" - -"But people--you see, that is, not from a bad heart, for here, as well -as everywhere, there are more good than bad people; but sometimes I am -sad, for here, as well as at home, they look on me as a little mad." - -Bukatski, who was listening to the conversation, said,-- - -"Then the professor has more cause for sadness here than at home." - -"Yes," answered Vaskovski; "I have so many friends there, like you, who -love me--but here, no--and therefore I am homesick." - -Then he turned to Pan Stanislav: "The journals here have printed an -account of my essay. Some scoff altogether. God be with them! Some -agree that a new epoch would begin through the introduction of Christ -and His spirit into history. One writer confessed that individuals -treat one another in a Christian spirit, but that nations lead a pagan -life yet. He even called the thought a great one; but he and all -others, when I affirm this to be a mission which God has predestined to -us, and other youngest of the Aryans, seize their sides from laughter. -And this pains me. They give it to be understood also that I have a -little here--" - -And poor Vaskovski tapped his forehead with his finger. After a while, -however, he raised his head and said,-- - -"A man sows the seed in sadness and often in doubt; but the seed falls -on the field, and God grant that it spring up!" - -Then he began to inquire about Pani Emilia; at last he turned to them -his eyes, which were as if wakened from sleep, and asked naďvely,-- - -"But it is pleasant for you to be with each other?" - -Marynia, instead of answering, sprang to her husband, and, nestling her -head up to his shoulder, said,-- - -"Oh, see, Professor, this is how we are together,--so!" - -And Pan Stanislav stroked her dark head with his hand. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - - -A week later Pan Stanislav took his wife to Svirski's on Via Margutta. -Svirski they saw almost daily. They had grown accustomed to the artist -and liked him; now he was to paint Marynia's portrait. At the studio -they found the Osnovskis, with whom acquaintance was made the more -easily since the ladies had met some years before at a party, and Pan -Stanislav had been presented on a time to Pani Osnovski, at Ostend; -he needed merely to remember her now. Pan Stanislav, it is true, did -not recollect whether at that epoch, when, after looking at every -young and presentable woman, he asked himself, "Is it this one?" he -had asked this touching the present Pani Osnovski; he might have done -so, however, for she had the reputation then of being a comely, though -rather flighty young person. Now she was a woman of six or seven and -twenty, very tall, a fresh, though dark brunette, with cherry lips, -dishevelled forelock, and somewhat oblique violet eyes, which gave her -face a resemblance to Chinese faces, and at the same time a certain -expression of malice and wit. She had a strange way of bearing herself, -which consisted in thrusting back her shoulders and pushing forward her -body; in consequence of this, Bukatski said of her that she carried her -bust _en offrande_. - -Almost immediately she told Marynia that, as they were sitting in the -same studio, they ought to consider each other as colleagues; and told -Pan Stanislav that she remembered him, from the ball at Ostend, as a -good dancer and _causeur_, and therefore that she would not delay in -taking advantage of that knowledge now. To both she said that it was -very agreeable to her, that she was delighted with Rome, that she was -reading "Cosmopolis," that she was in love with the Villa Doria, with -the view from the Pincian, that she hoped to see the catacombs in -company with them, and that she knew the works of Rossi, in Allard's -translations. Then, pressing Svirski's hand, and smiling coquettishly -at Pan Stanislav, she went out, declaring that she gave way to one -worthier than herself, and left the impression of a whirlwind, a -Chinese woman, and a flower. Pan Osnovski, a very young man, with a -light blond face without significance, but kindly, followed her, and -hardly had he been able to put in a word. - -Svirski drew a deep breath. - -"Oh, she is a storm!" said he; "I have a thousand difficulties in -keeping her at rest two minutes." - -"But what an interesting face!" said Marynia. "Is it permitted to look -at the portrait?" - -"It lacks little of being finished; you may look at it." - -Marynia and Pan Stanislav approached the portrait, and could express -admiration without excess of politeness. That head, painted in -water-colors, had the strength and warmth of an oil painting, and at -the same time the whole spiritual essence of Pani Osnovski was in -it. Svirski listened to the praises calmly; it was clear that he was -pleased with his work. He covered the picture, and carried it to a -dark corner of the studio, seated Marynia in an armchair already in -position, and began to study her. - -His persistent gaze confused her somewhat,--her cheeks began to flush; -but he smiled with pleasure, muttering,-- - -"Yes; this is another type,--earth and heaven!" - -At moments he closed one eye, which confused Marynia still more; at -moments he approached the cardboard, and again drew back, and again -studied her; and again he said, as if to himself,-- - -"In the other case, one had to bring out the devil, but here -womanliness." - -"As you have seen that immediately, I feel sure of a masterpiece," said -Pan Stanislav. - -All at once Svirski stopped looking at the paper and at Marynia, and, -turning to Pan Stanislav, smiled joyously, showing his sound teeth. - -"Yes, womanliness! and her own womanliness, that is the main -characteristic of the face." - -"And seize it, as you seized the devil in the other one." - -"Stas!" exclaimed Marynia. - -"It is not I who invented that, but Pan Svirski." - -"If you wish, we will say imp, not devil,--a comely imp, but a -dangerous one. While painting, I observe various things. That is a -curious type,--Pani Osnovski." - -"Why?" - -"Have you observed her husband?" - -"Somehow I was so occupied with her that I had no time." - -"There it is: she hides him in such a degree that he is hardly visible; -and, what is worse, she herself does not see him. At the same time -he is one of the most worthy men in the world, uncommonly well-bred, -considerate to others in an unheard-of degree, very rich, and not at -all stupid. Moreover, he loves her to distraction." - -Here Svirski began to paint, and repeated, as if in forgetfulness,-- - -"Lo-ves her to dis-trac-tion. Be pleased to arrange your hair a little -about the ear. If your husband is a talker, he will be in despair, for -Bukatski declares that when I begin work my lips never close, and that -I let no one have a word. She, do you see, may be thus far as pure -as a tear, but she is a coquette. She has an icy heart with a fiery -head. A dangerous species,--oh, dangerous! She devours books by whole -dozens,--naturally French books. She learns psychology in them, learns -of feminine temperaments, of the enigma of woman, seeks enigmas in -herself, which do not exist at all in her, discovers aspirations of -which yesterday she knew nothing. She is depraving herself mentally; -this mental depravation she considers wisdom, and makes no account of -her husband." - -"But you are a terrible man," remarked Marynia. - -"My wife will hide to-morrow from fear, when the hour for sitting -comes," said Pan Stanislav. - -"Let her not hide; hers is a different type. Osnovski is not at all -dull; but people, and especially, with your permission, women, are so -unwise, that if a man's cleverness does not hit them on the head, if a -man lacks confidence in himself, if he does not scratch like a cat and -cut like a knife, they do not value him. As God lives, I have seen this -in life a hundred times." - -After a while he closed one eye again, gazed at Marynia, and -continued,-- - -"In general, how foolish human society is! More than once have I put to -myself this question: Why is honesty of character, heart, and such a -thing as kindness, less valued than what is called mind? Why, in social -life, are two categories pre-eminent, wise and foolish? It is not the -custom, for example, to say, virtuous and unvirtuous; to such a degree -is it not the custom, that the very expressions would seem ridiculous." - -"Because," said Pan Stanislav, "mind is the lantern with which virtue -and kindness and heart must light the way for themselves, otherwise -they might break their noses, or, what is worse, break the noses of -other people." - -Marynia did not utter, it is true, a single word; but in her face it -was possible to read distinctly, "How wise this Stas is--terribly wise!" - -"Wise Stas" added meanwhile,-- - -"I am not speaking of Osnovski now, for I do not know him." - -"Osnovski," said Svirski, "loves his wife as his wife, as his child, -and as his happiness; but she has her head turned, God knows with what, -and does not repay him in kind. Women interest me, as an unmarried -man, immensely; more than once have I talked whole days about women, -especially with Bukatski, when they interested him more than they do -now. Bukatski divides women into plebeian souls, by which he means poor -and low spirits, and into patrician souls,--that is, natures ennobled, -full of the higher aspirations, and resting on principles, not phrases. -There is a certain justice in this, but I prefer my division, which is -simply into grateful and ungrateful hearts." - -Here he withdrew from the sketch for a moment, half closed his eyes, -then, taking a small mirror, placed it toward the picture, and began to -look at the reflection. - -"You ask what I mean by grateful and ungrateful hearts," said he, -turning to Marynia, though she had not asked about anything. "A -grateful heart is one which feels when it is loved, and is moved by -love; and in return for the loving, loves more and more, yields itself -more and more, prizes the loving, and honors it. The ungrateful heart -gets all it can from the love given; and the more certain it feels of -this love, the less it esteems it, the more it disregards and tramples -it. It is enough to love a woman with an ungrateful heart, to make her -cease loving. The fisherman is not concerned for the fish in the net; -therefore Pani Osnovski does not care for Pan Osnovski. In the essence -of the argument this is the rudest form of egotism in existence,--it -is simply African; and therefore God guard Osnovski, and may the Evil -One take her, with her Chinese eyes of violet color, and her frizzled -forelock! To paint such a woman is pleasant, but to marry--we are not -such fools. Will you believe it, I am in so much dread of an ungrateful -heart that I have not married so far, though my fortieth year has -sounded distinctly?" - -"But it is so easy to recognize such a heart," said Marynia. - -"May the Evil One take what is bad!" answered Svirski. "Not so easy, -especially when a man has lost sense and reason." - -Bending his athletic form, he looked at the sketch some time, and -said,-- - -"Well, enough for to-day. As it is, I have talked so continuously -that flies must have dropped from the walls. To-morrow, if you hear -too much, just clap your hands. I do not talk so with Pani Osnovski, -because she herself likes to talk. But how many titles of books have -I heard? Enough of this! I wanted to say something more, but have -forgotten. Ah! this is it,--you have a grateful heart." - -Pan Stanislav laughed, and invited Svirski to dinner, promising him the -society of Bukatski and Vaskovski. - -"With great delight," answered Svirski; "I am as much alone here as a -wild beast. As the weather is clear and the moon full, we will go later -to see the Colosseum by moonlight." - -The dinner took place, however, without Bukatski's mental hobbies, for -he felt out of health, and wrote that he could not come. But Svirski -and Vaskovski suited each other excellently, and became friends right -away. Only while he was working did Svirski let no one have a word; -in general, he liked to hear others, knew how to listen, and, though -the professor and his views seemed to him comical sometimes, so much -sincerity and kindness was evident in the old man that it would have -been difficult for him not to win people. His mystic face and the -expression of his eyes struck the artist. He sketched him a little -in his mind; and, while listening to his talk about the Aryans, he -thought how that head would look if all that was in it were brought out -distinctly. - -Toward the end of the dinner the professor asked Marynia if she would -like to see the Pope. He said that in three days a Belgian pilgrimage -was to arrive, and that she might join it. Svirski, who knew all Rome -and all the monsignores, guaranteed to effect this with ease. When he -heard this, the professor looked at him, and inquired,-- - -"Then you are almost a Roman?" - -"Of sixteen years' standing." - -"Is it possible!" - -Here the professor was somewhat confused, fearing lest he had committed -some indiscretion, but still wishing to know what to think of a man so -sympathetic, he overcame his timidity, and inquired,-- - -"But of the Quirinal, or the Vatican?" - -"From Pognembin," answered Svirski, frowning slightly. - -The end of the dinner interrupted further explanations and converse. -Marynia could scarcely sit still at the thought that she would see the -Capitol, the Forum, and the Colosseum by moonlight. In fact, somewhat -later they were driving toward the ruins along the Corso, which was -lighted by electricity. - -The night was calm and warm. Around the Forum and Colosseum the -place was completely deserted; as, for that matter, it is in the day -sometimes. Near the church of Santa Maria Liberatrice some person in an -open window was playing on a flute, and one could hear every note in -the stillness. On the front of the Forum a deep shadow fell from the -height of the Capitol and its edifices; but farther on it was flooded -with clear, greenish light, as was also the Colosseum, which seemed -silver. When the carriage halted at the arches of the gigantic circus, -Pan Stanislav, Svirski, and Vaskovski entered the interior, and pushed -toward the centre of the arena, avoiding the fragments of columns, -friezes, piles of bricks, stones, and bases of columns standing here -and there, and fragments piled up near the arches. Under the influence -of silence and loneliness, words did not rise to their lips. Through -the arched entrances came to the interior sheaves of moonlight, which -seemed to rest quietly on the floor of the arena, on the opposite -walls, on the indentations, on openings in the walls, on breaks, on the -silvered mosses and ivy, covering the ruin here and there. Other parts -of the building, sunk in impenetrable darkness, produced the impression -of black and mysterious gulleys. From the low-placed cunicula came the -stern breath of desolation. Reality was lost amidst that labyrinth and -confusion of walls, arches, bright spots, bright stripes, and deep -shadows. The colossal ruin seemed to lose its real existence, and -to become a dream vision, or rather, a kind of wonderful impression -composed of silence, night, the moon, sadness, and the remembrance of a -past, mighty, but full of blood and suffering. - -Svirski began to speak first, and in a subdued voice,-- - -"What pain, what tears, were here! what a measureless tragedy! Let -people say what they please, there is something beyond human in -Christianity; and that thought cannot be avoided." - -Here he turned to Marynia, and continued,-- - -"Imagine that might: a whole world, millions of people, iron laws, -power unequalled before or since, an organization such as has never -been elsewhere, greatness, glory, hundreds of legions, a gigantic city, -possessing the world,--and that Palatine hill over there, possessing -the city; it would seem that no earthly power could overturn it. -Meanwhile two Jews come,--Peter and Paul, not with arms, but a word; -and see, here is a ruin, on the Palatine a ruin, in the Forum a ruin, -and above the city crosses, crosses, crosses and crosses." - -Again there was silence; but from the direction of Santa Maria -Liberatrice the sound of the flute came continually. - -After a while Vaskovski said, pointing to the arena,-- - -"There was a cross here, too, but they have borne it away." - -Pan Stanislav was thinking, however, of Svirski's words; for him -they had a more vital interest than they could have for a man who -had finished the spiritual struggle with himself. At last he said, -following his own course of thought,-- - -"Yes, there is something beyond human in this; some truth shines into -the eyes here, like that moon." - -They were going slowly toward the entrance, when a carriage rattled -outside. Then in the dark passage leading to the centre of the circus, -steps were heard; two tall, figures issued from the shade into the -light. One of these, dressed in gray stuff, which gleamed like steel in -the moonlight, approached a number of steps to distinguish the visitors -better, and said all at once,-- - -"Good-evening! The night is so beautiful that we, too, came to the -Colosseum. What a night!" - -Pan Stanislav recognized the voice of Pani Osnovski. - -Giving her hand, she spoke with a voice as soft as the sound of that -flute which came from the direction of the church,-- - -"I shall begin to believe in presentiments, for really something told -me that here I should find acquaintances. How beautiful the night is!" - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - - -On returning to the hotel, Pan Stanislav and Marynia were surprised -somewhat to find the Osnovskis' cards; and their astonishment rose -from this, that, being newly married, it was their duty to make the -first visit. For this unusual politeness it was needful to answer with -equal politeness, hence they returned the visit on the following day. -Bukatski, who saw them before they made it, though he was very unwell, -and could barely drag his feet along, brought himself still to one of -his usual witticisms, and said to Pan Stanislav, when they were alone -for a moment,-- - -"She will play the coquette; but if thou suppose that she will fall in -love with thee, thou art mistaken. She is a little like a razor,--she -needs a strap to sharpen herself; in the best event, thou wilt be a -strap for her." - -"First, I do not wish to be her strap," answered Pan Stanislav; "and -second, it is too early." - -"Too early? That means that thou art reserving the future for thyself." - -"No; it means that I am thinking of something else, and also that I -love my Marynia more and more. And when that ends, too early will be -too late, and that Pani Osnovski might dent, but not sharpen herself, -on me." - -And Pan Stanislav, in saying this, was sincere: he had his thoughts -occupied really with something else; he was too honorable to betray his -wife at any time, but even if not, it was too early to begin. - -He was so greatly sure of his strength that he felt a certain readiness -to expose himself to trial. In other words, it would have given the man -a kind of pleasure if Pani Osnovski had dented herself on him. - -After lunch he went with Marynia to sit to Svirski; the sitting, -however, was short, since the artist was judge in some exhibition, and -had to hasten to a meeting. They returned home, and Pan Osnovski came -to them a quarter of an hour later. - -Pan Stanislav, after his conversation with Svirski, had a kind of -compassion for Osnovski, but also a sort of small opinion. Marynia, -however, felt for him a living sympathy; she was won by what she had -heard of his kindness and delicacy, as well as his attachment to his -wife. It seemed to her now that all these qualities were as if written -on his face,--a face by no means ugly, though it had pimples here and -there. - -After the greeting, Osnovski began to speak with the confident freedom -of a man accustomed to good society: - -"I come at the instance of my wife with a proposal. Praise to God, -visiting ceremonies are ended between us, though abroad it is not worth -while to reckon too precisely in this matter. The affair is this: We -are going to St. Paul's to-day, and then to the Three Fountains. That -is outside the city; there is an interesting cloister in the place, and -a beautiful view. It would be very agreeable to us if you would consent -to make the trip in our company." - -Marynia was always ready for every trip, especially in company, and -with pleasant conversation; in view of this she looked at her husband, -waiting for what he would say. Pan Stanislav saw that she wished to -go, and, besides, he thought in his soul, "If the other wants to dent -herself, let her do it." And he answered,-- - -"I would consent willingly, but this depends on my superior power." - -His "superior power" was not sure yet whether the obedient subordinate -meant that really; but, seeing on his face a smile and good-humor, she -made bold to say at last,-- - -"With much thankfulness; but shall we not cause trouble?" - -"Not trouble, but pleasure," answered Osnovski. "In that event the -matter is ended. We'll be here in a quarter of an hour." - -In fact, they set out a quarter of an hour later. Pani Osnovski's -Chinese eyes were full of satisfaction and repose. Wearing an -iris-colored robe, in which she might pass for the eighth wonder of the -world, she looked really like a rusalka.[6] And before they had reached -St. Paul's, Pan Stanislav did not know how Pani Osnovski, who had not -spoken on this subject to him, had been able somehow to say to him, -or at least to give him to understand, more or less as follows: "Thy -wife is a pleasant little woman from the country; of my husband nothing -need be said. We two only are able to understand each other and share -impressions." - -But he resolved to torment her. When they arrived at St. Paul's, which -Pani Osnovski did not mention otherwise than as "San Poolo fuori le -Mura,"[7] her husband wished to stop the carriage, but she said,-- - -"We will stop when returning, for we shall know then how much time is -left for this place; but now we'll go straight to the Three Fountains." - -Turning to Pan Stanislav, she continued, "There are in this famous -place various things, about which I should like to ask you." - -"Then you will do badly, for I know nothing at all of these matters." - -It appeared soon, on passing various monuments, that of the whole party -Pan Osnovski knew most. The poor man had been studying the guide-books -from morning till evening, so that he might be a guide for his wife, -and also to please her with his knowledge. But she cared nothing for -explanations which her husband could give, precisely because they came -from him. The insolent self-assurance with which Pan Stanislav had -confessed that he had no idea of antiquities was more to her taste. - -Beyond St. Paul's opened out a view on the Campagna with its aqueducts, -which seemed to run toward the city in haste, and on the Alban hills, -veiled, as they were, with the blue haze of distance,--a view at once -calm and bright. Pani Osnovski gazed for some time with a dreamy look, -and then inquired,-- - -"Have you been in Albani or Nemi?" - -"No," answered Pan Stanislav; "sitting to Svirski breaks the day so for -us that we cannot make long excursions till the portrait is finished." - -"We have been there; but when you are going, take me with you, take -me with you! Is it agreed? Will you permit?" added she, turning to -Marynia. "I shall be a fifth wheel to some extent, but never mind. -Besides, I shall sit quietly, very quietly, in a corner of the -carriage, and not give out one mru mru! Is it agreed?" - -"Oi! little one, little one," said Pan Osnovski. - -But she continued, "My husband will not believe that I am in love with -Nemi; but I am. When I was there, it seemed to me that Christianity had -not reached the place yet; that in the night certain priests come out -and celebrate pagan rites on the lake. Silence and mystery! there you -have Nemi. Will you believe that when I was there the wish came to me -to be a hermit, and it has not left me to this moment? I would build a -cell on the bank of the lake for myself, and wear a robe long and gray, -like the habit of Saint Francis of Assisi, and go barefoot. What would -I give to be a hermit! I see myself at the lake--" - -"Anetka,[8] but what would become of me?" inquired Osnovski, half in -jest, half in earnest. - -"Oh, thou wouldst console thyself," said she, curtly. - -"Thou wouldst be a hermitess," thought Pan Stanislav, "if on the other -side of the lake there were a couple of dozen dandies gazing through -glasses to see what the hermitess was doing, and how she looked." - -He was too well-bred to tell her this directly; but he told her -something similar, and which could be understood. - -"Naturally," said she, laughing; "I should live by alms, and should -have to see people sometimes; if you came to Nemi, I should come to you -too and repeat in a very low voice, 'Un soldo! un soldo!'" - -Saying this, she stretched her small hands to him, and shook them, -repeating humbly,-- - -"Un soldo per la povera! un soldo!" - -And she looked into his eyes. - -Pan Osnovski spoke meanwhile to Marynia. - -"This is called Three Fountains," said he, "for there are three springs -here. Saint Paul's head was cut off at this place; and there is a -tradition that the head jumped three times, and that on those places -springs burst forth. The place belongs now to the Trappists. Formerly -people could not pass a night here, there was such fever; now there -is less, for they have planted a whole forest of eucalyptuses on the -hills. Oh, we can see it already." - -But Pani Osnovski, bending back somewhat, half closed her eyes for a -moment, and said to Pan Stanislav,-- - -"This Roman air intoxicates me. I am as if beside myself. At home -I cannot force from life more than it gives me; but here I am -demoralized, I feel that something is wanting to me. Do I know what? -Here one feels something, divines something, yearns for something. -Maybe that is bad. Maybe it is not right for me to say this. But I say -always what passes through my mind. At home, when a child, they called -me Little Sincerity. I shall beg my husband to take me hence. It may be -better to live in my own narrow shell, like a nut, or a snail." - -"It may be pleasant in shells for nuts or snails," answered Pan -Stanislav, with gravity, "but not for birds, and besides birds of -paradise, of which there is a tradition that they have no legs and can -never rest, but must fly and fly." - -"What a beautiful tradition!" exclaimed Pani Osnovski. And, raising -her hands, she began to move them, imitating the motion of wings, and -repeating,-- - -"This way, forever through the air." - -The comparison flattered her, though she was astonished that Pan -Stanislav had uttered it with a serious voice, but with an inattentive -and, as it were, ironical face. He began to interest her, for he seemed -very intelligent, and more difficult to master than she had expected. - -Meanwhile they arrived at Three Fountains. They visited the garden, -the church, and the chapel, in the basement of which three springs -were flowing. Pan Osnovski explained, in his kind, somewhat monotonous -voice, what he had read previously. Marynia listened with interest; but -Pan Stanislav thought,-- - -"Still to live three hundred and sixty-five days in a year with him, -must be a little tiresome." - -That justified Pani Osnovski in his eyes for the moment; she, taking -upon herself now the new role of bird of paradise, did not rest for -a moment, not merely on the ground, but on any subject. First she -drank eucalyptus liquor, which the cloister prepared as a means -against fever; then she declared decisively that if she were a man she -would be a Trappist. Later, however, she remembered that her sailing -career would be agreeable "ever between sea and sky, as if living -in endlessness;" at last the wish to become a great, a very great -writer, gained the day against everything else,--a writer describing -the minutest movements of the soul, half-conscious feelings, desires -incompletely defined, all forms, all colors, all shades. The party -learned also, as a secret, that she was writing her memoirs, which -"that honest Yozio" considers a masterpiece; but she knows that that is -nothing, she has not the least pretensions, and she ridicules Yozio and -the memoirs. - -"Yozio" looks at her with loving eyes, and with great affection on his -pimpled face, and says with a protest,-- - -"As to the memoirs, I beg pardon greatly." - -They drove away about sundown. There were long shadows from the trees; -the sun was large and red. The distant aqueducts and the Alban hills -were gleaming in rose-color. They were halfway when the "Angelus" was -sounded in the tower of St. Paul's, and immediately after were heard a -second, a third, a tenth. Each church gave the signal to the succeeding -one; and such a mighty chorus was formed as if the whole air were -ringing, as if the "Angelus" had been sounded not merely by the city, -but the whole region, the plains, and the mountains. - -Pan Stanislav looked on Marynia's face, lighted by the golden gleams. -There was great calm in it and attention. It was evident that she -was repeating the "Angelus" now, as she had repeated it in Kremen, -when it was sounded in Vantory. Always and everywhere the same. Pan -Stanislav remembered again the "service of God." It seemed to him more -simple and pacifying than ever. But now, while approaching the city, -he understood the permanence, the vitality, the immensity, of those -beliefs. "All this," thought he, "has endured thus for a thousand and a -half of years; and the strength and certainty of this city is only in -those towers, those bells, that permanence of the cross, which endures -and endures." Again Svirski's words came to him: "Here a ruin, on -the Palatine a ruin, in the Forum a ruin, but over the city crosses, -crosses, crosses and crosses." It seemed to him beyond a doubt that in -that very permanence there is something superhuman. Meanwhile the bells -sounded, and the heavens above the city were covered with twilight. -Under the impression produced by the praying Marynia, and the bells, -and that vesper feeling, which seemed to hover over the city and the -whole land, the following thought began to take form in Pan Stanislav, -who had much mental directness: "What an idiot and vain fool should I -be, in view of the needs of faith and that feeling of God, were I to -seek some special forms of love and reverence of my own, instead of -accepting those which Marynia calls 'service of God,' and which still -must be the best, since the world has lived nearly two thousand years -in them!" Then the reasoning side of this thought struck him as a -practical man, and he continued to himself, almost joyously: "On one -side the traditions of a thousand years, the life of God knows how many -generations and how many societies, for which there was and is delight -in those forms, the authority for God knows how many persons who -consider them as the only forms; on the other side, who? I, a partner -in the commission house of Bigiel and Polanyetski; and I had the -pretension to think out something better into which the Lord God would -fit Himself more conveniently. For this it is needful at least to be a -fool! I, besides, am a man sincere with myself; and I could not endure -it if from time to time the thought came to me,--I am a fool. But my -mother believed in this, and my wife believes; and I have never seen -greater peace in any one than in them." - -Here he looked at Marynia once and a second time; she had finished -evidently her "Angelus," for she smiled at him in answer, and -inquired,-- - -"Why so silent?" - -"We are all silent," he answered. - -And so it was, but for various reasons. While Pan Stanislav was -occupied with his thoughts, Pani Osnovski attacked him a number of -times with her eyes and her words. He answered her words with something -disconnected, and did not notice her glances in any way. He simply -offended her: she might have forgiven him, she might have been pleased -even, if to her statement that she wished to be a nun, he had answered -with impudence concealed in polished words; but he wounded her mortally -when he ceased to notice her, and in punishment she ceased also to -notice him. - -But as a person of good breeding she became all the politer to Marynia. -She inquired touching her plans on the following day; and, learning -that they were to be at the Vatican, she announced that she and her -husband had tickets of admission, and would use the opportunity also. - -"You know the dress?" inquired she. "A black robe, and black lace on -the head. One looks a little old in them, but no matter." - -"I know; Pan Svirski forewarned me," answered Marynia. - -"Pan Svirski always talks of you to me when I am sitting to him. He has -great regard for you." - -"And I for him." - -During this conversation they arrived at the hotel. Pan Stanislav -received such a slight and cool pressure of the hand from the fair lady -that, though his head was occupied with something else, he noticed it. - -"Is that a new method," thought he, "or have I said something that -displeased her?" - -"What dost thou think of Pani Osnovski?" asked he of Marynia in the -evening. - -"I think that Pan Svirski may be right in some measure." - -And Pan Stanislav answered: "She is writing at this moment 'memoirs,' -which 'Yozio' considers a masterpiece." - -FOOTNOTES: - - [6] River-maiden among the Slavs. - - [7] Thus printed to show her style of Italian. - - [8] A diminutive of Aneta. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - - -Next morning when Marynia came out to her husband he hardly knew her. -Dressed in black, and with a black lace veil on her head, she seemed -taller, more slender, darker, and older. But he was pleased by a -certain solemnity in her which recalled the ceremony of their marriage. -Half an hour later they started. On the road Marynia confessed to fear, -and a beating of the heart. He pacified her playfully, though he, too, -was moved somewhat; and when, after a short drive, they entered the -gigantic half-circle in front of St. Peter's, he felt also that his -pulse was not beating as every day, and, besides, he had a strange -feeling of being smaller than usual. Near the steps, where stood a -number of Swiss guards, arrayed in the splendid uniform invented by -Michael Angelo, they found Svirski, who led them up with a throng of -people, mostly Belgians. Marynia, who was somewhat dazed, did not -know herself when she entered a very spacious hall, in which the -throng was still denser, excepting on a space in the centre, where the -Swiss guards were posted in lines, and kept a broad passage open. The -crowd, among which the French and Flemish languages were to be heard, -whispered in low voices, and turned their heads and eyes toward a -passage, in which, from time to time, appeared, through the adjoining -hall, forms in remarkable costumes, which reminded Pan Stanislav of -galleries in Antwerp or Brussels. It seemed to him that the Middle Ages -were rising from the dead: now it was some knight of those ages, in a -helmet, different indeed from helmets on the ancient portraits, but -with steel on his breast; now a herald in a short red dalmatica, and -with a red cap on his head; at times through the open door appeared -purple cardinals, or violet bishops, ostrich feathers, lace on black -velvet, and heads immensely venerable, white hair and faces, as if -from a sarcophagus. But it was evident that the glances of the throng -were falling on those peculiar dresses and colors and faces, as if, in -passing, that their eyes were waiting for something beyond, something -higher, some other heart; it was clear that in people's minds attention -was fixed as was feeling in their souls, in waiting for a moment which -comes once in a lifetime, and is memorable ever after. Pan Stanislav, -holding Marynia by the hand, so as not to lose her in the throng, felt -that hand tremble from emotion; as to him, in the midst of those silent -crowds and beating hearts, before that historical dignity of former -ages rising from the dead, as it were, in the midst of that attention -and expectation, he felt a second time the wonderful impression of -becoming smaller and smaller, till he was the smallest that he had ever -been in life. - -At that moment a low and rather panting voice whispered near them,-- - -"I have been looking for you, and found you with difficulty. The -ceremony will begin at once, it seems." - -But it was not to begin at once. The monsignor acquaintance greeted -Svirski meanwhile, and, speaking a few words to him, conducted the -whole party politely to the adjoining hall, which was fitted in crimson -damask. Pan Stanislav saw with astonishment that this hall, too, was -full of people, with the exception of one end, which was reserved by -a guard of honor, and in which was an armchair on an elevation, and -before it a number of prelates and bishops conversing confidentially. -Here expectation and attention were more expressly visible. It was -evident that people were holding their breath; and all faces had a -solemn, mysterious expression. The azure clearness of the day, mingled -with the purple reflections of the tapestry, filled that hall with a -kind of unusual light, in which the rays of the sun, breaking in here -and there through the window-panes, appeared very ruddy and of a deeper -red. - -They waited some time yet; at last, in the first hall a murmur was -heard, then a muttering, then a shout, and, finally, in the open side -door appeared a white figure borne by the noble guard. Marynia's hand -pressed Pan Stanislav's nervously; he returned the pressure; and swift -impressions, merged in one general feeling of the exceptional and -solemn import of the moment, flashed through their minds, as during the -ceremony of their marriage. - -One of the cardinals began to speak, but Pan Stanislav neither heard -nor understood what he said. His eyes, his thoughts, his whole soul, -were with the figure clothed in white. Nothing in it escaped his -attention,--its unparalleled emaciation, its frailness, its thinness, -and its face as pale, and at the same time as transparent, as faces of -the dead are. There was in it something which had no physical strength, -or in every case it seemed to him simply half body, half apparition, -as it were, a light shining through alabaster; a spirit, fixed in some -transparent matter; an intermediate link between two worlds; a link -human yet, though already preterhuman, earthly so far, but also above -earthly things. And through a marvellous antithesis the matter in it -seemed to be something apparitional, and the spirit something material. - -Afterward, when people began to approach it for a blessing; when Pan -Stanislav saw his Marynia at its feet; when he felt that to those -knees, already half empyrean, one might still incline as to those of a -father,--an emotion surpassing everything seized him; his eyes were as -if mist-covered; never in life had he felt himself such a small grain -of sand, but at the same time he felt himself a grain of sand in which -the grateful heart of a little child was throbbing. - -After they had gone out, all were silent. Marynia had eyes as if roused -from sleep; Vaskovski's hands were trembling. Bukatski dragged himself -in to lunch; but, being ill, he could not excite conversation in any -one. Svirski, strange to say, talked little while Marynia was sitting, -and returned continually to the same subject; from time to time he -repeated,-- - -"Yes, yes; whoever has not seen that can have no conception of it. That -will remain." - -In the evening Pan Stanislav and Marynia went to see the sunset from -Trinitŕ dei Monti. The day ended very beautifully. The whole city was -buried in a kind of hazy golden gleam; under their feet, far down -in the valley, on the Piazza di Spagna, darkness was beginning, but -a darkness yet lighted, in the mild tones of which irises and white -lilies were visible among the flowers set out on both sides of the -Via Condotti. In the whole picture there was great and undisturbed -repose,--a kind of soothing announcement of night and sleep. Then the -Piazza di Spagna began to sink more and more in the shade, but the -Trinitŕ was shining continually in purple. - -Pan Stanislav and Marynia felt this calmness reflected in themselves; -they descended the giant stairs then with a wonderful feeling of peace -in their souls. All the impressions of the day settled down in them -in lines as great and calm as those twilight belts, which were still -shining above them. - -"Knowest thou," said Pan Stanislav, "what I remember yet from -childhood's years? That with us at home they always said the evening -rosary together." And he looked with an inquiring glance into Marynia's -eyes. - -"Oh, my Stas!" said she, with a voice trembling from emotion, "I did -not dare to mention this--my best." - -"'Service of God,'--dost thou remember?" - -But she had said that formerly with such simplicity, and as a thing so -self-evident, that she remembered nothing whatever about it. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. - - -But Pan Stanislav was in permanent disfavor with Pani Osnovski. Meeting -him at Svirski's, between one sitting and another, she spoke to him -only in so far as good breeding and politeness demanded. He saw this -perfectly, and asked himself sometimes, "What does that woman want of -me?" but troubled himself little. He would have troubled himself still -less if "that woman," instead of being eight and twenty, had been eight -and fifty years of age; if she had been without those violet eyes and -those cherry lips. And such is human nature that, in spite of the fact -that he wanted nothing of her, and expected nothing, he could not -refrain from thinking what might happen should he strive really for her -favor, and how far would she be capable of going. - -They had another trip of four to the catacombs of St. Calixtus, for -Pan Stanislav wished to repay politeness with politeness,--that is, a -carriage with a carriage. But this trip did not bring reconciliation; -they only conversed so far as not to call attention to themselves. -At last this began to anger Pan Stanislav. In fact, Pani Osnovski's -bearing developed a special relation between them, unpleasant in a way, -but known only to them, hence something between them exclusively,--a -kind of secret, to which no one else was admitted. Pan Stanislav -considered that all this would end with the work on her portrait; -but though the face had been finished some time, there remained many -little details, for which the presence of the charming model was -indispensable. Even for the simple reason that Svirski did not wish -to lose time, it happened that when Pan Stanislav and his wife came, -the Osnovskis were in the studio. Sometimes they stopped a little for -greeting and a short talk touching yesterday's impressions; sometimes -Osnovski was sent by his wife on an errand, or for some news. In that -event he went out first, leaving the carriage for her before the studio. - -And it happened once that when Marynia had taken her place for a -sitting, Pani Osnovski had not gone yet; after a while, learning that -Marynia had been at the theatre the evening before, she, while putting -on her hat and gloves before the mirror, inquired about singers and the -opera, then, turning to Pan Stanislav, she said,-- - -"And now, I pray you, conduct me to the carriage." - -She threw on her wrap, and began to look for the ribbons sewn behind -to the lining, so as to fasten it around her waist, but she stopped -suddenly at the entrance,-- - -"I cannot find the ribbons because I have my gloves on; take pity on -me." - -Pan Stanislav had to look for the ribbons, but in doing so he was -forced to put his arm almost around her; after a moment the brewing of -desire poured about him, all the more since she bent toward him, and -the warmth of her face and body struck him. - -"But why are you angry with me?" inquired she, in an undertone; "that -is bad. I am in such need of friendly souls. What have I done to you?" - -He found the ribbons, recovered himself, and with that somewhat -coarse satisfaction of a rude man, who desires to use his triumph, -and to signify that he has not yielded, answered simply, with an -impertinence,-- - -"You have done nothing to me, and you can do nothing." - -But she repulsed the impoliteness, as if it were a ball at tennis. - -"Because sometimes I notice persons so little that I hardly see them." - -They went in silence to the carriage. - -"But is it that way?" thought Pan Stanislav, returning to the studio; -"a man might advance there as far as he pleased;" and a quiver passed -through him. "As far as he pleased," repeated he. - -Herewith he was not conscious that he had made such a mistake as is -made daily by dozens of men who are lovers of hunting in other men's -grounds. Pani Osnovski was a coquette: she had a dry heart, and her -thought was dishonorable already; but she was hundreds of miles yet -from complete physical fall. - -Meanwhile Pan Stanislav returned to the studio feeling that he had made -an immense sacrifice for Marynia, and with a certain regret in his -heart, first, because she would not know what had happened, and second, -if she should know, she would consider his action as perfectly simple. -This feeling angered him; and when he looked at her, at her clear eyes, -her calm face, and her fair, honest beauty, a comparison of those two -women urged itself into his mind in spite of him, and in his soul he -said,-- - -"Ah, Marynia! such as she would rather sink through the earth; of her -it is possible to be certain." - -And--singular thing--there was in this an undoubted recognition, but -there was also a shade of regret, and as it were, of irritation, that -that was a woman so greatly his own that he did not feel bound to a -continual admiration of her worthiness. - -And for the rest of the sitting he turned his thought to Pani Osnovski. -He supposed that in future she would simply cease to give her hand to -him, and it turned out that he was mistaken again. On the contrary, -wishing to show that she attached no importance to him or to his words, -she was more polite to him than hitherto. Pan Osnovski, however, had an -offended look, and became more and more icy every day toward him. This -was caused, undoubtedly, by conversations with "Anetka." - -A few days later, however, impressions of another sort effaced that -adventure from Pan Stanislav's mind. Bukatski had long been ill; he -complained more and more of a pain in the back of his head, and a -strange feeling of separating from his own muscles. His humor revived -still at moments, but it shot up and went out like fireworks. He came -to the _table d'hôte_ more rarely. At last Pan Stanislav received his -card one morning; on it these words were written with a very uncertain -hand,-- - - MY DEAR,--After to-night it seems that I am about to get - on horseback. If thou wish to see my departure, come, especially - in lack of anything better to do. - -Pan Stanislav hid the card from Marynia, but went straightway. He found -Bukatski in bed, and a doctor with him, whom Bukatski sent away that -moment. - -"Thou hast frightened me terribly," said Pan Stanislav. "What ails -thee?" - -"Nothing great,--a little paralysis of the lower part of the body." - -"Have the fear of God!" - -"Thou speakest wisely, if there were time for it; but now I have no -power in my left arm, in my left leg, and I cannot rise. Thus did I -wake this morning. I thought that I had lost speech, too, and began to -declaim to myself, 'Per me si va;' but, as thou seest, I have not lost -speech. My tongue remained, and now I am trying to find calmness of -thought." - -"But art thou sure that it is paralysis? It may be a temporary -numbness." - -"What is life?--Ah, only a moment," Bukatski began to declaim; "I -cannot move, and that is the end, or, if thou prefer, the beginning." - -"That would be a terrible thing, but I do not believe it; any one may -be benumbed for a time." - -"There are moments in life which are somewhat bitter, as the carp said -when the cook was scraping his scales off with a knife. I confess that -at first terror took hold of me. Hast thou ever felt the hair rising -on thy head? It is not to be reckoned altogether among feelings of -delight. But I have recovered my balance, and now, at the end of three -hours, it seems to me that I have lived ten years with my paralysis. It -is a question of habit! as the mushroom said when in the frying-pan. -I am chatting much, for I haven't much time. Dost thou know, my dear -friend, that I shall die in a couple of days?" - -"Indeed, thou art chatting! Paralyzed people live thirty years." - -"Even forty," answered Bukatski. "Paralysis in that case is a luxury -which some may permit themselves, but not men like me. For a strong -man, who has a good neck, good shoulders, good breast, and proper -legs, it may be even a species of rest, a kind of vacation after a -frolicsome youth, and an opportunity for meditation; but for me! Dost -remember how thou wert laughing at my legs? Well, I tell thee that they -were elephantine at that time if compared with what they are to-day. -It is not true that every man is a clod; I am only a line,--I am not -joking,--and, moreover, a line vanishing _in infinity_." - -Pan Stanislav began to shrug his shoulders, to contradict, and to quote -known examples; but Bukatski resisted. - -"Stop! I feel and know that in a couple of days paralysis of the brain -will set in. I have been expecting this a whole year, but told no one, -and for a year have been reading books on medicine. A second attack -will come, and that will be final." - -Here he was silent, but after a time continued,-- - -"And, believe me, I do not like this. Think of it: I am as much alone -as a finger cut off from its hand; I have no one. Here, and even -in Warsaw, only people who are paid would take care of me. Life is -terribly wretched when a man is without power of movement, and without -a living soul who is related. When I lose speech, as I have lost power -of motion, any woman in attendance, or any man, may strike me on the -face as much as she or he pleases. But thou must know one thing. I -feared paralysis at the first moment; but in my weak body there is a -brave spirit. Remember what I said to thee,--that I fear not death; and -I do not fear it." - -Here there gleamed in Bukatski's eyes a certain pale reflection of -daring and energy, hidden somewhere in the bottom of that disjointed -and softened soul. - -But Pan Stanislav, who had a good heart, put his hand on the palm -already paralyzed, and said, with great feeling,-- - -"My Adzia! But do not suppose that we will leave thee thus, desert thee -as thou art; and do not say that thou hast no one. Thou hast me, and -besides me, my wife, and Svirski, Vaskovski, and the Bigiels. For us -thou art not a stranger. I will take thee to Warsaw, I will put thee in -the hospital, and we will care for thee, and no attendant will strike -thee on the face,--first, because I should break the bones of such a -person; secondly, we have Sisters of Charity, and among them is Pani -Emilia." - -Bukatski was silent, and grew pale a little; he was more moved than he -wished to show. A shadow passed over his eyes. - -"Thou art a good fellow," said he, after a prolonged silence. "Thou -knowest not what a miracle thou hast worked, for thou hast brought it -about that I wish something yet. Yes; I should like wonderfully to go -to Warsaw, to be among you all. I should be immensely pleased there." - -"Here thou must go at once to some hospital, and be under constant -care. Svirski must know where the best one is. Yield thyself to me, -wilt thou? Let me arrange for thee." - -"Do what may please thee," answered Bukatski, whom consolation began to -enter now, in view of the new plans and the energy of his friend. - -Pan Stanislav wrote to Svirski and to Vaskovski, and sent out -messengers immediately. Half an hour later both appeared, Svirski with -a famous local physician. Before mid-day Bukatski found himself in a -hospital, in a well-lighted and cheerful chamber. - -"What a pleasant and warm tone!" said he, looking at the golden color, -and the walls and ceiling. "This is nice." Then, turning to Pan -Stanislav, he said, "Come to me in the evening, but go now to thy wife." - -Pan Stanislav took farewell of him, and went out. When he reached -home he told Marynia the whole story cautiously, for he did not wish -to frighten her with sudden news, giving the idea that he was in a -dangerous condition. Marynia begged him to take her to Bukatski, if not -in the evening, in the morning early, which he promised to do. They -went immediately after lunch, for that day there was no sitting in the -studio. - -But before they arrived, Vaskovski was there, and he did not leave -Bukatski for a moment. When the patient had settled himself well in the -new bed, the old man told him how once he had thought himself dying, -but after confession and receiving the sacraments, he grew better, as -if by a miracle. - -"A well-known method, dear professor," said Bukatski, with a smile; "I -divine what thy object is." - -The professor was as confused as if caught in some evil deed, and -crossed his hands. - -"I will lay a wager that it would help thee," said he. - -Bukatski answered with a gleam of his former humor, "Very well. In a -couple of days I shall convince myself, on the other side of the river, -how much it will help me." - -The arrival of Marynia pleased him, all the more that it was -unexpected. He said that he had not thought to see any woman on this -side of the river, and, moreover, one of his own. Therewith he began to -scold them all a little, but with evident emotion. - -"What sentimentalists they are!" said he. "It is simply a judgment to -be occupied with such a skeleton grandfather as I am. Ye will never -have reason. What is this for? What good in it? See, even before -death, I am forced to be grateful; and I am sincerely, very sincerely -grateful." - -But Marynia did not let him talk about death; on the contrary, she -said with great firmness that he must go to Warsaw, and be among his -friends. She spoke of this as a thing the execution of which was not -subject to the least doubt, and she succeeded gradually in convincing -Bukatski of it. She told him how to prepare, and at last he listened -to her eagerly. His thoughts passed into a certain condition of -yielding, in which they let themselves be led. He felt like a child, -and, besides, a poor child. - -That same day Osnovski visited him, and also showed as much interest -and feeling as if he had been his own brother. Bukatski had out and -out not expected all this, and had not counted on anything similar. -Therefore, when later in the evening Pan Stanislav came a second time, -and no others were present, he said to him,-- - -"I tell thee sincerely that never have I felt with such clearness that -I made life a stupid farce, that I have wasted it like a dog." And soon -after he added, "And if I had found a real pleasure in that method by -which I was living; but I had not even that satisfaction. How stupid -is our epoch! A man makes two of himself; all that is best in him he -hides away, shuts in somewhere in corners, and becomes a kind of ape. -He rather persuades himself of the uselessness of life than feels it. -How wonderful this is! One thing consoles me,--that in truth death is -the only thing real in life, though, on the other hand, this again is -not a reason why, before it comes, we should say of it as a fool says -of wine, that it is vinegar." - -"My dear friend," answered Pan Stanislav, "thou hast always tortured -thyself with this endless winding of thought around some bobbin. Do not -do that at present." - -"Thou art right. But I am unable not to think that while I was walking -around and was well in a fashion, I jeered at life; and now--I tell -thee as a secret--I want to live longer." - -"Thou wilt live longer." - -"Give use peace. Thy wife was persuading me of that, but now again -I do not believe it. And it is painful to me,--I have thrown myself -away. But hear why I wanted to speak with thee. I know not whether any -account is waiting for me; I say sincerely that I know not, but still I -feel a kind of strange alarm, as if I were afraid. And I will tell thee -something: during life I did nothing for my fellows, and I was able! I -was able! In presence of this thought fear seizes me; I give thee my -word! That is an unworthy thing. I did nothing; I ate bread without -paying for it, and now--death. If there are any whips beyond, and if -they are waiting for me, it is to punish that; and listen, Stas, it is -painful to me." - -Here, although he spoke with the careless tone usual to him, his face -expressed real dread, his lips grew pale somewhat, and on his forehead -drops of sweat appeared. - -"But stop!" said Pan Stanislav; "see what comes to his head. Thou art -injuring thyself." - -But Bukatski spoke on: "Listen! wait! I have property which is rather -considerable; let even that do something for me. I will leave thee a -part of it, and do thou use the remainder for something useful. Thou -art practical, so is Bigiel. Think of something, thou and he, for I do -not believe that I shall have time. Wilt thou do this?" - -"That, and thy every wish." - -"I thank thee. How wonderful are fears and reproaches of this kind! -And still I cannot escape a feeling of guilt. The conditions are such -that I am not right! One should do something honorable even just before -death. But it is no joke,--death. If that were something visible, but -it is so dark. And one must decay, corrupt, and rot _in the dark_. Art -thou a believer?" - -"Yes." - -"But I, neither yes nor no. I amused myself with Nirvana, as with other -things. Dost thou know, were it not for the feeling of guilt, I should -be more at rest? I had no idea that this would pain me so; I have the -impression that I am a bee which has robbed its hive, and that is a low -thing. But at least my property will remain after me. This is true, -is it not? I have spent a little, but very little, on pictures, which -will remain, too; isn't this true? But now, how I should like to live -longer, even a year, even long enough not to die here!" - -He meditated a while, and then said,-- - -"I understand one thing now: life may be bad, for a man may order it -foolishly; but existence is good." - -Pan Stanislav went away late in the night. Through the following -week the health of the patient was wavering. The doctors were unable -to foresee anything; they judged, however, that a journey was not -dangerous in any case. Svirski and Vaskovski volunteered to go to -Warsaw with the sick man, who was yearning for home more and more, and -who mentioned Pani Emilia, the Sister of Charity, almost daily. But on -the eve of the day on which he was to go he lost speech suddenly. Pan -Stanislav's heart was bleeding when he looked at his eyes, in which at -moments a terrible alarm was depicted, and at moments a kind of great, -silent prayer. He tried to write, but could not. In the evening came -paralysis of the brain, and he died. - -They buried him in the Campo Santo temporarily. Pan Stanislav thought -that his looks uttered a prayer to be carried to his own country, and -Svirski confirmed that thought. - -Thus vanished that bubble which gleamed sometimes with the colors of -the rainbow, but was as empty and evanescent as any bubble. - -Pan Stanislav was sincerely afflicted by his death, and meditated -afterward for whole hours on that strange life. He did not share these -thoughts with Marynia, for somehow it had not become a custom with him -yet to confide to her anything that took place in his mind. Finally, as -happens often with people who are thinking of the dead, he drew from -these thoughts various conclusions to his own advantage. - -"Bukatski," said he to himself, "was never able to come to harmony with -his own mind: he lacked the understanding of life; he could not fix his -position in that forest, and he travelled always according to the fancy -of the moment. But if he had felt contented with that system, if he had -squeezed something out of life, I should own that he had sense. But it -was unpleasant for him. It is really a foolish thing to persuade one's -self, before death comes, that wine is vinegar. But I look at matters -more clearly, and, besides, I have been far more sincere with myself. -Happen what may, I am almost perfectly in order with God and with life." - -There was truth in this, but there was also illusion. Pan Stanislav -was not in order with his own wife. He judged that if he gave her -protection, bread, good treatment, and put kisses on her lips from -time to time, he was discharging all possible duties assumed with -regard to her. Meanwhile their relations began to be more definitely -of this sort,--that he only deigned to love and receive love. In -the course of his observations of life this strange phenomenon had -struck him more than once,--that when, for example, a man well-known -for honor does some noble deed, people wave their hands as if with a -certain indifference, saying, "Oh, that is Pan X----; from him this is -perfectly natural!" When, however, some rogue chanced to do something -honorable, these same people said with great recognition, "But there is -something in the man." A hundred times Pan Stanislav observed that a -copper from a miser made more impression than a ducat from a generous -giver. He did not notice, however, that with Marynia he followed the -same method of judgment and recognition. She gave him all her being, -all her soul. "Ah, Marynia! that is natural!" and he waved his hand -too. Had her love not been so generous, had it come to him with supreme -difficulty, with the conviction that it was a treasure, and given as -such, with the conviction that she was a divinity demanding a bowed -head and honor, Pan Stanislav would have received it with a bowed head, -and would have rendered the honor. Such is the general human heart; and -only the choicest natures, woven from rays, have power to rise above -this level. Marynia had given Pan Stanislav her love as his right. -She considered his love as happiness, and he gave it as happiness; he -felt himself the idol on the altar. One ray of his fell on the heart -of the woman and illumined it: the divinity kept the rest of the rays -for itself; taking all, it gave only a part. In his love there was not -that fear which flows from honor, and there was not that which in every -fondling says to the woman beloved, "at thy feet." - -But they did not understand this yet, either of them. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. - - -"I do not ask if thou art happy," said Bigiel to Pan Stanislav after -his return to Warsaw; "with such a person as thy wife it is not -possible to be unhappy." - -"True," answered Pan Stanislav; "Marynia is such an honest little woman -that it would be hard to find a better." Then, turning to Pani Bigiel, -he said,-- - -"We are both happy, and it cannot be otherwise. You remember, dear -lady, our former conversations about love and marriage? You remember -how I feared to meet a woman who would try to hide the world from her -husband with herself, to occupy all his thoughts, all his feelings, to -be the single object of his life? You remember how I proved to you and -Pani Emilia that love for a woman could not and should not in any case -be for a man everything; that beyond it there are other questions in -the world?" - -"Yes; but I remember also how I told you that domestic occupations do -not hinder me in any way from loving my children; for I know in some -fashion, as it seems to me, that these things are not like boxes, for -example, of which, when you have put a certain number on a table, there -is no room for others." - -"My wife is right now," said Bigiel. "I have noticed that people often -deceive themselves when they transfer feelings or ideas into material -conditions. When it is a question of feelings or ideas, space is not to -be considered." - -"Oh, stop! Thou art conquered to the country," said Pan Stanislav, -humorously. - -"But if the position is pleasant for me?" said Bigiel, promptly. -"Moreover, thou, too, wilt be conquered." - -"I?" - -"Yes; with honesty, kindness, and heart." - -"That is something different. It is possible to be conquered, and not -be a slipper. Do not hinder me in praising Marynia; I have succeeded in -a way that could not be improved, and specially for this reason,--that -she is satisfied with the feeling which I have for her, and has no -wish to be my exclusive idol. For this I love her. God has guarded me -from a wife demanding devotion of the whole soul, whole mind, whole -existence; and I thank Him sincerely, since I could not endure such a -woman. I understand more easily that all may be given of free will, and -when not demanded." - -"Believe me, Pan Stanislav," answered Pani Bigiel, "that in this regard -we are all equally demanding; but at first we take frequently that part -for the whole which they give us, and then--" - -"And then what?" interrupted Pan Stanislav, rather jokingly. - -"Then those who have real honesty in their hearts attain to something -which for you is a word without meaning, but for us is often life's -basis." - -"What kind of talisman is that?" - -"Resignation." - -Pan Stanislav laughed, and added, "The late Bukatski used to say that -women put on resignation frequently, as they do a hat, because it -becomes them. A resignation hat, a veil of light melancholy,--are they -ugly?" - -"No, not ugly. Say what you please; they may be a dress, but in such a -dress it is easier to reach heaven than in another." - -"Then my Marynia is condemned to hell, for she will never wear that -dress, I think. But you will see her in a moment, for she promised to -come here after office hours. She is late, the loiterer; she ought to -be here now." - -"Her father is detaining her, I suppose. But you will stay to dine with -us, will you not?" - -"We will stay to dine. Agreed." - -"And some one else has promised us to-day, so the society will only be -increased. I will go now to tell them to prepare places for you." - -Pani Bigiel went out; but Pan Stanislav asked Bigiel,-- - -"Whom hast thou at dinner?" - -"Zavilovski, the future letter-writer of our house." - -"Who is he?" - -"That poet already famous." - -"From Parnassus to the desk? How is that?" - -"I do not remember, now, who said that society keeps its geniuses on -diet. People say that this man is immensely capable, but he cannot earn -bread with verses. Our Tsiskovski went to the insurance company; his -place was left vacant, and Zavilovski applied. I had some scruples, -but he told me that for him this place was a question of bread, and -the chance of working. Besides, he pleased me, for he told me at -once that he writes in three languages, but speaks well in none of -them; and second, that he has not the least conception of mercantile -correspondence." - -"Oh, that is nonsense," answered Pan Stanislav; "he will learn in a -week. But will he keep the place long, and will not the correspondence -be neglected? Business with a poet!" - -"If he is not right, we will part. But when he applied, I chose to -give the place to him. In three days he is to begin. Meanwhile, I have -advanced a month's salary; he needed it." - -"Was he destitute?" - -"It seems so. There is an old Zavilovski,--that one who has a daughter, -a very wealthy man. I asked our Zavilovski if that was a relative of -his; he said not, but blushed, so I think that the old man is his -relative. But how it is with us? A balance in nothing. Some deny -relationship because they are poor; others, because they are rich. -All through some fancy, and because of that rascally pride. But he'll -please thee; he pleased my wife." - -"Who pleased thy wife?" asked Pani Bigiel, coming in. - -"Zavilovski." - -"For I read his beautiful verses entitled, 'On the Threshold.' At the -same time he looks as if he were hiding something from people." - -"He is hiding poverty, or rather, poverty was hiding him." - -"No; he looks as if he had passed through some severe disappointment." - -"Thou wert able to see in him a romance, and to tell me that he had -suffered much. Thou wert offended when I put forth the hypothesis -that it might be from worms in childhood, or scald-head. That was not -poetical enough for her." - -Pan Stanislav looked at his watch, and was a little impatient. - -"Marynia is not coming," said he; "what a loiterer!" - -But the "loiterer" came at that moment, or rather, drove up. The -greeting was not effusive, for she had seen the Bigiels at the railway. -Pan Stanislav told his wife that they would stay to dine, to which she -agreed willingly, and fell to greeting the children, who rushed into -the room in a swarm. - -Now came Zavilovski, whom Bigiel presented to Pan Stanislav and -Marynia. He was a man still young,--about seven or eight and twenty. -Pan Stanislav, looking at him, considered that in every case his mien -was not that of a man who had suffered much; he was merely ill at -ease in a society with which he was more than half unacquainted. He -had a nervous face, and a chin projecting prominently, like Wagner's, -gladsome gray eyes, and a very delicate forehead, whiter than the rest -of his face; on his forehead large veins formed the letter _Y_. He was, -besides, rather tall and somewhat awkward. - -"I have heard," said Pan Stanislav to him, "that in three days you will -be our associate." - -"Yes, Pan Principal," answered the young man; "or rather, I shall serve -in the office." - -"But give peace to the 'principal,'" said Pan Stanislav, laughing. -"With us it is not the custom to use the words 'grace,' or 'principal' -unless perchance such a title would please my wife by giving her -importance in her own eyes. But listen, Pani Principal_ess_," said he, -turning to Marynia, "would it please thee to be called principal_ess_? -It would be a new amusement." - -Zavilovski was confused; but he laughed too, when Marynia answered,-- - -"No; for it seems to me that a principal_ess_ ought to wear an enormous -cap like this" (here she showed with her hands how big), "and I cannot -endure caps." - -It grew pleasanter for Zavilovski in the joyous kindness of those -people; but he was confused again when Marynia said,-- - -"You are an old acquaintance of mine. I have read nothing of late, for -we have just returned home; has anything appeared while we were gone?" - -"No, Pani," answered he; "I occupy myself with that as Pan Bigiel does -with music,--in free moments, and for my own amusement." - -"I do not believe this," said Marynia. - -And she was right not to believe, for it was not true at all. -Zavilovksi's reply was lacking also in candor, for he wished to let it -be known that he desired beyond all to pass as the correspondent of -a commercial house, and to be considered an employee, not a poet. He -gave a title to Bigiel and Pan Stanislav, not through any feeling of -inferiority, but to show that when he had undertaken office work he -considered it as good as any other, that he accommodated himself to -his position, and would do so in the future. There was in this also -something else. Zavilovski, though young, had observed how ridiculous -people are, who, when they have written one or two little poems, pose -as seers, and insist on being considered such. His great self-esteem -trembled before the fear of the ridiculous; hence he fell into the -opposite extreme, and was almost ashamed of his poetry. Recently, when -suffering great want, this feeling became almost a deformity, and the -least reference by any one to the fact that he was a poet brought him -to suppressed anger. - -But meanwhile he felt that he was illogical, since for him the simplest -thing would have been not to write and publish poems; but he could not -refrain. His head was not surrounded with an aureole yet, but a few -gleams had touched it; these illuminated his forehead at one moment, -and then died, in proportion as he created, or neglected. After each -new poem the gleam began again to quiver; and Zavilovski, as capable -as he was ambitious, valued in his heart those reflections of glory -more than aught else on earth. But he wanted people to talk of him -only among themselves, and not to his eyes. When he felt that they -were beginning to forget him, he suffered secretly. There was in him, -as it were, a dualism of self-love, which wanted glory, and at the -same time rejected it through a certain shyness and pride, lest some -one might say that too much had been given. And many contradictions -besides inhered in him, as a man young and impressionable, who takes -in and feels exceptionally, and who, amidst his feelings, is not able -frequently to distinguish his own personal _I_. For this reason it is -that artists in general seem often unnatural. - -Now came dinner, during which conversation turned on Italy, and people -whom the Polanyetskis had met there. Pan Stanislav spoke of Bukatski -and his last moments, and also of the dead man's will, by which he -became the heir to a fairly large sum of money. By far the greater -part was to be used for public objects, and touching this he had to -confer with Bigiel. They loved Bukatski, and remembered him with -sympathy. Pani Bigiel had even tears in her eyes when Marynia stated -that before death he had confessed; and that he died like a Christian. -But this sympathy was of the kind that one might eat dinner with; and -if Bukatski had, in truth, sighed sometimes for Nirvana, he had what -he wanted at present, since he had become for people, even those near -him, and who loved him, a memory as slight as it was unenduring. A week -longer, a month, or a year, and his name would be a sound without an -echo. He had not earned, in fact, the deep love of any one, and had not -received it; his life flowed away from him in such fashion that after -even a child like Litka, there remained not only a hundred times more -sorrow, but also love and memorable traces. His life roused at first -the curiosity of Zavilovski, who had not known him; but when he had -heard all that Pan Stanislav narrated, he said, after thinking a while, -"An additional copy." Bukatski, who joked at everything, would have -been pained by such an epitaph. - -Marynia, wishing to give a more cheerful turn to conversation, began to -tell of the excursions they had made in Rome and the environs, either -alone, with Svirski, or the Osnovskis. Bigiel, who was a classmate of -Osnovski, and who from time to time saw him yet, said,-- - -"He has one love,--his wife; and one hatred,--his corpulence, or -rather, his inclination to it. As to other things, he is the best man -on earth." - -"But he seems quite slender," said Marynia. - -"Two years ago he was almost fat; but since he began to use a bicycle, -fence, follow the Banting system, drink Karlsbad in summer, and go -in winter to Italy or Egypt to perspire, he has made himself slender -again. But I have not said truly that he has a hatred for corpulence; -it is his wife who has, and he does this through regard for her. He -dances whole nights, too, at balls, for the same reason." - -"He is a _sclavus saltans_," said Pan Stanislav. "Svirski has told us -of this already." - -"I understand that it is possible to love a wife," said Bigiel; "it is -possible to consider her, according to the saying, as the apple of the -eye. Very well! But, as I love God, I have heard that he writes verses -to his wife; that he opens books with his eyes closed, marks a verse -with his finger, and divines to himself from what he reads whether he -is loved. If it comes out badly, he falls into melancholy. He is in -love like a student,--counts all her glances, strives to divine what -this or that word is to mean, kisses not only her feet and hands, but -when he thinks that no one is looking, he kisses her gloves. God knows -what it is like! and that for whole years." - -"How much in love!" said Marynia. - -"Would it be to thy liking were I such?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -She thought a while, and answered, "No; for in that case thou wouldst -be another man." - -"Oh, that is a Machiavelli," said Bigiel. "It would be worth while to -write down such an answer, for that is at once a praise, and somewhat -of a criticism,--a testimony that as it is, is best, and that it -would be possible to wish for something still better. Manage this for -thyself, man." - -"I take it for praise," said Pan Stanislav, "though you" (here he -turned to Pani Bigiel), "will say surely that it is resignation." - -"The outside is love," answered Pani Bigiel, laughing; "resignation may -come in time, as lining, if cold comes." - -Zavilovski looked on Marynia with curiosity; she seemed to him comely, -sympathetic, and her answer arrested his attention. He thought, -however, that only a woman could speak so who was greatly in love, and -one for whom there was never enough of feeling. He began to look at Pan -Stanislav with a certain jealousy; and because he was a great hermit, -the words of the song came at once to his head, "My neighbor has a -darling wife." - -Meanwhile, since he had been silent a whole hour, or had spoken a -couple of words merely, it seemed to him that he ought to engage in -the conversation somehow. But timidity restrained him, and, besides, a -toothache, which, when the sharpest pain had passed, was felt yet at -moments acutely enough. This pain had taken all his courage; but he -rallied finally, and asked,-- - -"But Pani Osnovski?" - -"Pani Osnovski," said Pan Stanislav, "has a husband who loves for two; -therefore she has no need to fatigue herself, so Svirski, at least, -insists. She has Chinese eyes; she is Aneta by name; has filling in -her upper teeth, which is visible when she laughs much, therefore she -prefers to smile; in general, she is like a turtle-dove,--she turns in -a circle, and cries, 'Sugar! sugar!'" - -"That is a malicious man," said Marynia. "She is beautiful, lively, -witty; and Pan Svirski cannot know how much she loves her husband, -for surely he hasn't mentioned the matter to her. All these are simply -suppositions." - -Pan Stanislav thought two things: first, that they were not -suppositions; and second, that he had a wife who was as naďve as she -was honest. - -But Zavilovski said,-- - -"I am curious to know what would happen were she as much in love with -him as he is with her." - -"It would be the greatest double egotism that the world has ever -witnessed," said Pan Stanislav. "They would be so occupied with each -other that they would see no other thing or person on earth." - -Zavilovski smiled, and said, "Light does not prevent heat; it produces -it." - -"Taking matters strictly, that is rather a poetical than a physical -comparison," said Pan Stanislav. - -But Zavilovski's answer pleased the two ladies, so both supported him -ardently; and when Bigiel joined them, Pan Stanislav was outvoted. - -After that they talked of Mashko and his wife. Bigiel said that Mashko -had taken up an immense case against Panna Ploshovski's million-ruble -will, in which a number of rather distant heirs appeared. Pan Plavitski -had written of this to Marynia while she was in Italy; but, considering -the whole affair such an illusion as were aforetime the millions -resting on the marl of Kremen, she barely mentioned it to her husband, -who waved his hand on the whole question at once. Now, as Mashko had -taken up the affair, it seemed more important. Bigiel supposed that -there must be some informality in the will, and declared that if Mashko -won, he might stand on his feet right away, for he had stipulated -an immense fee for himself. The whole affair roused Pan Stanislav's -curiosity greatly. - -"But Mashko has the elasticity of a cat," said he; "he always falls on -his feet." - -"And this time thou shouldst pray that he may not break his back," -answered Bigiel; "for it is a question of no small amount, both for -thee and thy father-in-law. Ploshov alone with all its farms is valued -at seven hundred thousand rubles; and, besides, there is much ready -money." - -"That would be wonderful, such unexpected gain!" said Pan Stanislav. - -But Marynia heard with pain that her father had indeed appeared among -the other heirs in the suit against the will. "Stas" was for her a rich -man, and she had blind faith that he could make millions if he wished; -her father had an income, and, besides, she had given him the life -annuity from Magyerovka; hence poverty threatened no one. It would have -been pleasant indeed for her to be able to buy Kremen, and take "Stas" -there in summer, but not for money got in this way. - -"I am only pained by this," said she, with great animation. "That money -was bequeathed so honestly. It is not right to change the will of the -dead; it is not right to take bread from the poor, or schools. Panna -Ploshovski's brother's son shot himself; it may have been for her a -question of saving his soul, of gaining God's mercy. This breaking of -the will is not right. People should think and feel differently." - -She grew even flushed somewhat. - -"How determined she is!" said Pan Stanislav. - -But she pushed forward her somewhat too wide mouth, and called out with -the expression of a pouting child,-- - -"But say that I am right, Stas; say that I am right. 'T is thy duty to -say so." - -"Without doubt," answered Pan Stanislav; "but Mashko may win the case." - -"I wish him to lose it." - -"How determined she is!" repeated Pan Stanislav. - -"And how honest, what a noble nature!" thought Zavilovski, framing in -his plastic mind conceptions of goodness and nobility in the form of a -woman with dark hair, blue eyes, a lithe form, and mouth a trifle too -wide. - -After dinner Bigiel and Pan Stanislav went for a cigar and black -coffee to the office, where they had to hold meanwhile the first -consultation concerning the objects for which Bukatski's property had -been bequeathed. Zavilovski, as a non-smoker, remained with the ladies -in the drawing-roam. Then Marynia, who, as lady principal_ess_, felt -it her duty to give courage to the future employee of the "house," -approached him, and said,-- - -"I, as well as Pani Bigiel, wish that we should all consider one -another as members of one great family; therefore I hope that you will -count us too as your good acquaintances." - -"With the greatest readiness, if you permit me," answered Zavilovski. -"As it is, I would have testified my respect." - -"I made the acquaintance of all the gentlemen in the office only at my -wedding. We went abroad immediately after; but now it will come to a -nearer acquaintance. My husband told me that he should like to have us -meet one week at Pan Bigiel's, and the next week at our house. This is -a very good plan, but I make one condition." - -"What is that?" asked Pani Bigiel. - -"Not to speak of any mercantile matter at those meetings. There will -be a little music, for I hope that Pan Bigiel will attend to that; -sometimes we'll read something, like 'On the Threshold.'" - -"Not in my presence," said Zavilovski, with a forced smile. - -"Why not?" inquired she, looking at him with her usual simplicity. -"We have spoken of you more than once in presence of people really -friendly, and thought of you before it came to an acquaintance; and why -should we not all the more now?" - -Zavilovski felt wonderfully disarmed. It seemed to him that he had -fallen among exceptional persons, or at least that Pani Polanyetski -was an exceptional woman. The fear, which burned him like fire, that -he might appear ridiculous with his poetry, his over-long neck, and -his pointed elbows, began to decrease. He felt in a manner free in -her presence. He felt that she said nothing for the mere purpose -of talking, or for social reasons, but only that which flowed from -her kindness and sensitiveness. At the same time her face and form -delighted him, as they had delighted Svirski in Venice. And since he -was accustomed to seek forms for all his impressions, he began to seek -them for her too; and he felt that they ought to be not only sincere, -but exquisite, charming, and complete, just as her own beauty was -exquisite and complete. He recognized that he had a theme, and the -artist within him was roused. - -She began now to ask with great friendliness about his family -relations; fortunately the appearance of Bigiel and Pan Stanislav in -the drawing-room freed him from more positive answers, which would have -been disagreeable. His father had been a noted gambler and roisterer on -a time, and for a number of years had been suffering in an institution -for the insane. - -Music was to interrupt that dangerous conversation. Pan Stanislav had -finished the discussion with Bigiel, who said,-- - -"That seems to me a perfect project, but it is necessary to think the -matter over yet." - -Then, leaning on his violin, he began to meditate really, and said at -last,-- - -"A wonderful thing! When I play, it is as if there were nothing else in -my head, but that is not true. A certain part of my brain is occupied -with other things; and it is exactly then that the best thoughts come -to me." - -Saying this, he sat down, took the violoncello between his knees, -closed his eyes, and began the "Spring Song." - -Zavilovski went home that day enchanted with the people and their -simplicity, with the "Spring Song," and especially with Pani -Polanyetski. - -She did not even suspect that in time she might enrich poetry with a -new thrill. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII. - - -The Mashkos visited the Polanyetskis in a week after their return. -She, in a gray robe, trimmed with marabout feathers of the same color, -looked better than ever before. Inflammation of the eyes, from which -she had suffered formerly, had disappeared. Her face had its usual -indifferent, almost dreamy mildness, but at present this only enhanced -her artistic expression. The former Panna Kraslavski was about five -years older than Marynia; and before marriage the lady looked still -older, but now it seemed as if she had grown young. Her slender form, -really very graceful, was outlined in a closely fitting dress as firmly -as a child's form. It was strange that Pan Stanislav, who did not like -the lady, found in her something attractive, and whenever he looked -at her said to himself, "But there is something in her." Even her -monotonous and somewhat childlike voice had a certain charm for him. -At present he said to himself plainly that she looked exceptionally -charming, and had improved more than Marynia. - -Mashko, on his part, had unfolded like a sunflower. Distinction was -just beaming from him; and at her side self-confidence and pride were -softened by affability. It seemed impossible that he could visit all -his lands within one day,--in a word, he _pretended_ more than ever. -But he did not pretend love for his wife, since it was evident from -every look of his that he felt it really. In truth, it would have -been difficult to find a woman who could answer better to his idea -of refinement, good taste, and the elegance of high society. Her -indifference, her, as it were, frozen manner with people, he considered -as something simply unapproachable. She never lost this "distinction" -at any time, even when she was alone with him. And he, as a genuine -parvenu who had won a princess, loved her precisely because she seemed -a princess, and because he possessed her. - -Marynia inquired where they had passed the honeymoon. Pani Mashko -answered on "my husband's estate," in such a tone as if that "husband's -estate" had been entailed during twenty generations; wherewith she -added that they were not going abroad till next year, when her husband -would finish certain affairs. Meanwhile they would go again to her -"husband's estate" for the summer months. - -"Do you like the country?" inquired Marynia. - -"Mamma likes the country," answered Pani Mashko. - -"And does Kremen please your mamma?" - -"Yes. But the windows in the house are like those in a conservatory. So -many panes!" - -"That is somewhat needed," said Marynia; "for when one of those panes -is broken, any glazier of the place can put in a new one, but for large -panes it would be necessary to send to Warsaw." - -"My husband says that he will build a new house." - -Marynia sighs in secret, and the conversation is changed. Now they -talk of mutual acquaintances. It appears that Pani Mashko had taken -lessons in dancing once, together with "Anetka" Osnovski and her young -relative, Lineta Castelli; that they are well acquainted; that Lineta -is more beautiful than Anetka, and, besides, paints, and has a whole -album of her own poems. Pani Mashko has heard that Anetka has returned -already and that Lineta is to live in the same villa till June together -with her aunt Bronich, "and that will be very pleasant, for they are so -nice." - -Pan Stanislav and Mashko make their way to the adjoining room, and talk -over Panna Ploshovski's will. - -"I can inform thee that I have sailed out very nearly," said Mashko. -"I was almost over the precipice; but that action put me on my feet, -by this alone, that I began it. For years there has not been such a -one. The question is one of millions. Ploshovski himself was richer -than his aunt; and before he shot himself, he willed his property to -Pani Krovitski's mother, and when she didn't accept it, the whole -fortune went to old Panna Ploshovski. Thou wilt understand now how much -property the woman must have left." - -"Bigiel mentioned something like seven hundred thousand rubles." - -"Tell thy Bigiel, since he has such love for giving figures, that it -is more than twice that amount. Well, in justice it should be said -that I have strength to save myself, and that it is easier to throw me -into water than to drown me. But I will tell thee something personal. -Knowest thou whom I have to thank for this? Thy father-in-law. Once he -mentioned the affair to me, but I waved my hand at it. Afterward I fell -into the troubles of which I wrote thee. I had a knife at my throat. -Well, three weeks since I chanced to meet Pan Plavitski, who mentioned -among other persons Panna Ploshovski, and invented against her all -that he could utter. Suddenly I slap my forehead. What have I to lose? -Nothing. I ask Vyshynski, clerk of the court, to bring the will to me. -I find informalities,--small ones, but they are there. In a week I have -power of attorney from the heirs, and begin an action. And what shall I -say? At a mere report of the fee which I am to get in case of success, -confidence returns to people, patience returns to my creditors, credit -returns to me, and I am firm. Dost remember? there was a moment when I -was lowering my tone, when through my head were passing village ideas -of living by an ant-like industry, of limiting my style of living. -Folly! That is difficult, my dear. Thou hast reproached me because I -pretend; but with us pretence is needful. To-day I must give myself out -as a man who is as sure of his property as he is of victory." - -"Tell me sincerely, is this a good case?" - -"How a good case?" - -"Simply will it not be needful to pull the matter too much by the ears -against justice?" - -"Thou must know that in every case there is something to be said in -its favor, and the honor of an advocate consists just in saying this -something. In the present case the special questions are, who are to -inherit, and is the will so drawn as to stand in law; and it was not I -who made the law." - -"Then thou hast hopes of gaining?" - -"When it is a question of breaking a will, there are chances almost -always, because generally the attack is conducted with a hundred -times more energy than is the defence. Who will defend against me? -Institutions; that is, bodies unwieldy by nature, of small self-help, -whose representatives have no personal interest in the defence. They -will find an advocate; well! but what will they give him, what can they -give him? As much as is allowed by law; now that advocate will have -more chances of profit in case I win, for that may depend on a personal -bargain between him and me. In general, I tell thee that in legal -actions, as in life, the side wins which has the greater wish to win." - -"But public opinion will grind thee into bran, if thou break such -wills. My wife is interested a little, thou seest." - -"How a little?" interrupted Mashko. "I shall be a genuine benefactor to -both of you." - -"Well, my wife is indignant, and opposed to the whole action." - -"Thy wife is an exception." - -"Not altogether; it is not to my taste either." - -"What's this? Have they made thee a sentimentalist also?" - -"My dear friend, we have known each other a long time; use that -language with some other man." - -"Well, I will talk of opinions only. To begin with, I tell thee that a -certain unpopularity for a man genuinely _comme il faut_ rather helps -than harms him; second, it is necessary to understand those matters. -People would grind me into bran, as thou hast said, should I lose the -case; but if I win, I shall be considered a strong head--and I shall -win." - -After a while he continued, "And from an economical point of view, what -is the question? The money will remain in the country; and, as God -lives, I do not know that it will be put to worse use. By aid of it a -number of sickly children might be reared to imbecility and help dwarf -the race, or a number of seamstresses might get sewing-machines, or a -number of tens of old men and women live a couple of years longer; not -much good could come to the country of that. Those are objects quite -unproductive. We should study political economy some time. Finally, I -will say in brief, that I had the knife at my throat. My first duty is -to secure life to myself, my wife, and my coming family. If thou art -ever in such a position as I was, thou'lt understand me. I chose to -sail out rather than drown; and such a right every man has. My wife, as -I wrote thee, has a considerable income, but almost no property, or, at -least, not much; besides, from that income she allows something to her -father. I have increased the allowance, for he threatened to come here, -and I didn't want that." - -"So thou art sure, then, that Pan Kraslavski exists? Thou hast -mentioned him, I remember." - -"I have; and for that very reason I make no secret of the matter now. -Besides, I know that people talk to the prejudice of my father-in-law -and my wife, that they relate God knows what; hence I prefer to tell -thee, as a friend, how things are. Pan Kraslavski lives in Bordeaux. -He was an agent in selling sardines, and was earning good money, but -he lost the position, for he took to drinking, and drinks absinthe; -besides, he has created an illegal family. Those ladies send him three -thousand francs yearly; but that sum does not suffice him, and, between -remittance and remittance, need pinches the man. Because of this he -drinks more, and torments those poor women with letters, threatening to -publish in newspapers how they maltreat him; and they treat him better -than he deserves. He wrote to me, too, immediately after my marriage, -begging me to increase his allowance a thousand francs. Of course he -informs me that those women have 'eaten him up;' that he hasn't had -a copper's worth of happiness in life; that their selfishness has -gnawed him, and warns me against them." Here Mashko laughed. "But -the beast has a nobleman's courage. Once, from want, he was going to -sell handbills in the corridor of the theatre; but the authorities -ordered him to don a kind of helmet, and he could not endure that. He -wrote to me as follows: 'All would have gone well, sir, but for the -helmet; when they gave me that, I could not.' He preferred death by -hunger to wearing the helmet! My father-in-law pleases me! I was in -Bordeaux on a time, but forget what manner of helmets are worn by the -venders of handbills; but I should like to see such a helmet. Thou wilt -understand, of course, that I preferred to add the thousand francs, -if I could keep him far away, with his helmet and his absinthe. This -is what pains me, however: people say that even here he was a sort of -tipstaff, or notary; and that is a low fiction, for it is enough to -open the first book on heraldry to see who the Kraslavskis were. Here -connections are known; and the Kraslavskis are in no lack of them. The -man fell; but the family was and is famous. Those ladies have dozens of -relatives who are not so and so; and if I tell this whole story, I do -so because I wish thee to know what the truth is." - -But the truth touching the Kraslavskis concerned Pan Stanislav little; -so he returned to the ladies, and all the more readily that Zavilovski -had just come. Pan Stanislav had invited the young man to after-dinner -tea, so as to show him photographs brought from Italy. In fact, piles -of them were laid out on the table; but Zavilovski was holding in his -hand the frame containing the photograph of Litka's head, and was so -enchanted that immediately after they made him acquainted with Mashko, -he looked again at the portrait, and continued to speak of it. - -"I should have thought it the idea of an artist rather than a portrait -of a living child. What a wonderful head! What an expression! Is this -your sister?" - -"No," answered Marynia; "that is a child no longer living." - -In the eyes of Zavilovski, as a poet, that tragic shadow increased his -sympathy and admiration for that truly angelic face. He looked at the -photograph for some time in silence, now holding it away from his eyes, -and now drawing it nearer. - -"I asked if it was your sister," said he, "because there is something -in the features, in the eyes rather; indeed, there is something." - -Zavilovski seemed to speak sincerely; but Pan Stanislav had such a -respect for the dead child, a respect almost religious, that, in spite -of his recognition of Marynia's beauty, the comparison seemed to him -a kind of profanation. Hence, taking the photograph from Zavilovski's -hands, he put it back on the table, and began to speak with a certain -harsh animation,-- - -"Not the least; not the least! There is not one trait in common. How is -it possible to compare them! Not one trait in common." - -This animation touched Marynia somewhat. - -"I am of that opinion, too," said she. - -But her opinion was not enough for him. - -"Did you know Litka?" asked he, turning to Pani Mashko. - -"I did." - -"True; you saw her at the Bigiels'." - -"I did." - -"Well, there wasn't a trace of likeness, was there?" - -"No." - -Zavilovski, who adored Marynia, looked at Pan Stanislav with a certain -astonishment; then he glanced at the tall form of Pani Mashko, outlined -through the gray robe, and thought,-- - -"How elegant she is!" - -After a while the Mashkos rose to take farewell. Mashko, when kissing -Marynia's hand at parting, said,-- - -"Perhaps I shall go to St. Petersburg soon; at that time remember my -wife a little." - -During tea Marynia reminded Zavilovski of his promise to bring at his -first visit, and read to her, the variant of "On the Threshold;" he had -grown so attached to the Polanyetskis already that he gave not only the -variant, but another poem, which he had written earlier. It was evident -that he was amazed himself at his own self-confidence and readiness; so -that when he had finished reading, and heard the praises, which were -really sincere, he said,-- - -"I declare truly that with you, after the third meeting, it seems -as though we were acquainted from of old. So true is this that I am -astonished." - -Pan Stanislav remembered that once he had said something similar to -Marynia in Kremen; but he received this now as if it included him also. - -But Zavilovski had her only in mind; she simply delighted him with her -straightforward kindness, and her face. - -"That beast is really capable," said Pan Stanislav, when Zavilovski had -gone. "Hast thou noticed that he is changed a little in the face?" - -"He has cut his hair," answered Marynia. - -"Ah, ha! and his chin sticks out a trifle more." - -Thus speaking, Pan Stanislav rose and began to put away the photographs -on the shelves above the table; finally, he took Litka's portrait, and -said,-- - -"I will take this to my study." - -"But thou hast that one there with the birches, colored." - -"True; but I do not want this here so much in view. Every one makes -remarks, and sometimes that angers me. Wilt thou permit?" - -"Very well, my Stas," answered Marynia. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX. - - -Bigiel persuaded Pan Stanislav emphatically not to extend the house, -and not to throw himself too hurriedly into undertakings of various -sorts. "We have created," said he, "an honorable mercantile firm of a -kind rare in this country; hence we are useful." He maintained that -from gratitude alone they ought to continue a business through which -they had almost doubled their property. At the same time he expressed -the conviction that they would show more sense if at this juncture -specially they managed matters with care and solidly, and that their -first bold speculation, though it had been fortunate, should not only -not entice them to others, but should be the last. - -Pan Stanislav agreed that it was necessary to show moderation, -especially in success; but he complained that he could not find a -career in the house, and that he wanted to produce something. He had -common-sense enough not to think yet of a factory on his own capital. -"I do not wish to carry on a small one," said he, "since a large one -producing _en gros_ attracts me, and I have not capital for it; one -with shares, I should be working not for myself, but for others." He -understood, too, that it was not easy to find shareholders among the -local elements, and he did not want strangers; he knew, moreover, that -he could not rouse confidence in them, and that his name alone would -be a hindrance. Bigiel, for whom it was a question of the "house," was -sincerely pleased with this sobriety of view. - -In Pan Stanislav was roused still another desire, which is as old as -man,--the desire of possession. After the lucky grain speculation and -the will of Bukatski, he was quite wealthy; but with all his real -sobriety, he had a certain strange feeling that that wealth, consisting -even of the most reliable securities shut up in fire-proof safes, was -just paper, and would remain so till he owned something real, of which -he could say, "This is mine." That strange desire was seizing him with -growing force. For him it was not a question of anything great, but -of some corner of his own, where he might feel at home. He tried to -philosophize over this, and to explain to Bigiel that such a desire -of ownership must be some inborn passion which might be repressed, -but which, in riper age, would appear with new strength. Bigiel -acknowledged that that might be true, and said,-- - -"That is proper. Thou art married, hence hast the wish to have thy own -hearth, not a hired one; and since thou hast the means, then make such -a hearth for thyself." - -Pan Stanislav had been thinking for some time of building a large house -in the city,--a house which would satisfy his desire of ownership, -and also bring income. But one day he noted a bad side in this -practical project,--namely, it had no charm. It is necessary to love -that something of which he said, "It is mine;" and how love a brick -building, in which any one may live who will hire lodgings. At first he -was ashamed of this thought, for it seemed sentimental; but afterward -he said to himself, "No; since I have means, it is not only not -sentimental to use them in a way which will assure satisfaction, but a -proof of judgment." He was more attracted by the thought of a smaller -house in the city, or outside the city,--one in which only he and his -wife would live. But he wanted with it even a piece of land on which -something would grow; he felt, for example, that the sight of trees -growing in his garden or before his house, on his land, would cause him -great pleasure; he was astonished himself that this was so, but it was. -At last he came to the conviction that it would be more agreeable to -have some little place near the city, something in the style of that -summer house which Bigiel owned, but with a piece of land, a piece of -forest, some acres of garden, finally, with grounds, and with a stork's -nest somewhere on an old linden-tree. - -"Since I have means to get it, I prefer it to be thus, not -otherwise,--that is, to be beautiful, not ugly," said he. - -And he began to consider the affair on every side. He understood that -since it was a question of a nest in which he was to live out his -life, he ought to select with care; hence he did not hurry. Meanwhile -meditation over this occupied all his hours free from counting-house -toil, and caused him real pleasure. Various people learned soon that -Pan Stanislav was seeking to buy with ready money; hence propositions -came from various sides, often strange, but at times attractive. -On occasions he had to drive to villas in the city, or outside it. -Frequently, after his return from the counting-house, or after dinner, -Pan Stanislav shut himself in with plans, with papers, and came out -only in the evening. In those days Marynia had much leisure. She noted -at last that something occupied him unusually, and tried to learn what -it was by questioning; but he answered,-- - -"My child, when there is a result, I will tell thee; but while I know -nothing, it would be difficult to talk about nothing. That is so -opposed to my nature." - -She learned at last what the question was from Pani Bigiel, who had -learned it from her husband, to whose nature it was not repugnant to -speak with his wife about all undertakings and plans for the future. -For Marynia it would have been also immensely agreeable to speak with -her husband of everything, and especially of the chance of a nest. -Her eyes laughed at the very thought of that; but since "Stas's" -disposition stood in the way, she preferred through delicacy not to -inquire. - -He had no ill-will in this, but simply it did not occur to him to -initiate her into any affair in which there was a question of money. It -might have been otherwise had she brought him a considerable dower, or -had he been forced to manage her property. In such affairs he was very -scrupulous. But since he was managing only his own, he did not feel -now any more than in his past unmarried years any need of confessing, -especially while nothing was determined. With Bigiel alone did he talk, -because he was accustomed to talk with him of business. - -With his wife he spoke of things which, according to him, "pertained to -her;" hence, among other things, of the acquaintances which they should -make. Toward the end of his single life he had been scarcely anywhere; -but he felt that at present he could not act thus. They returned, -therefore, visits to the Mashkos; and on a certain evening they began -to consider whether they ought to visit the Osnovskis, who had returned -from abroad, and would remain in Warsaw till the middle of June. -Marynia said that they ought, because they should see them at Pani -Mashko's; and she wished to make a visit, for she liked Pan Osnovski, -who had moved her sympathy. Pan Stanislav seemed less willing, and -the decision was according to his wish at first; but some days later -the Osnovskis met Marynia and greeted her so cordially, Pani Osnovski -repeated so often, "We Roman women," and both put such emphasis on the -hope of seeing and meeting her, that it was not possible to avoid the -visit. - -When the visit was made, politeness was shown first of all to Marynia. -The husband vied with his wife in this regard. Like well-bred people, -they were faultlessly polite to Pan Stanislav, but colder. He -understood that Marynia played the first, and he only the second rôle, -and that irritated him a little. Pan Osnovski, for that matter, had no -need to make an effort in being polite to Marynia; for, feeling that -she had for him earnest sympathy, he repaid her with interest, though, -in general, to act thus was not his habit. - -He seemed to her more in love with his wife than ever. It was -evident that his heart beat with more life when he was looking at -her. When speaking to her, he seemed to offer his expressions with a -certain fear, as it were, lest he might offend her with something. -Pan Stanislav looked on with a kind of pity; but the sight was also -touching. In his struggle with corpulence, however, Pan Osnovski had -gained such a crushing victory that his clothing seemed too large for -him. The pimples on his blond face had vanished, and, in general, he -was more presentable than he had been. - -But the lady had, as ever, her incomparable, sloping violet eyes, -and thoughts, which, like birds of paradise, were playing in the air -continually. - -The Polanyetskis made new acquaintances at the Osnovskis,--namely, -Pani Bronich and her sister's daughter, Panna Castelli; these ladies -had arrived for the "summer carnival" in Warsaw, and were living in -the same villa, which the late Pan Bronich had sold to the Osnovskis, -with the reservation of one pavilion for his wife. Pani Bronich was a -widow after Pan Bronich, whom she mentioned as the last relative of the -Princes Ostrogski, and as the last descendant of Rurik. She was known -in the city also under the title of "Sweetness;" for this name she was -indebted to the fact that, when talking, especially to persons whom she -needed, she became so pleasing that it seemed as if she were speaking -through a lump of sugar held in her mouth. Marvels were told of her -lies. Panna Castelli was the daughter of Pani Bronich's sister, who, in -her day, to the great offence of her family and of society, married an -Italian, a music-teacher, and died in labor, leaving a daughter. When, -a year later, Pan Castelli was drowned at Venice, in the Lido, Pani -Bronich took her niece, and reared her. - -Panna Lineta was a beauty, with very regular features, blue eyes, -golden hair, and a complexion too fair, for it was almost like -porcelain. Her eyelids were rather heavy; this gave her a dreamy look, -but that dreaminess might seem also concentration. It might be supposed -that she was a person who led an immensely developed inner life, and -hence bore herself indifferently toward all that surrounded her. If -any man had not come on that idea unaided, he might be sure that Pani -Bronich would help him. Pani Osnovski, who had passed through the -grades of enchantment over her cousin, said of Lineta's eyes, "They are -as deep as lakes." The only question was what is at the bottom; and it -was precisely this secret which gave her charm to the young lady. - -The Osnovskis came with the intention of remaining in Warsaw; but Pani -Aneta had not seen Rome in vain. "Art, and art!" said she to Pani -Marynia; "I wish to know of nothing else." Her professed plan was to -open an "Athenian" salon; but her secret one was to become the Beatrice -of some Dante, the Laura of some Petrarch, or, at least, something in -the nature of Vittoria Colonna for some Michael Angelo. - -"We have a nice garden with the villa," said she. "The evenings will -be beautiful, and we shall pass them in such Roman and Florentine -conversations. You know" (here she raised her hands to the height -of her shoulders, and began to move them), "the gray hour, a little -twilight, a little moonlight, a few lamps, a few shadows from the -trees; we shall sit and talk in an undertone about everything,--life, -feelings, art. In truth, that is worth more than gossip! My Yozio, -perhaps thou wilt be annoyed; but be not angry, do this for my sake, -and, believe me, it will be very nice." - -"But, my Anetka, can I be annoyed by what pleases thee?" - -"Especially now, while Lineta is with us; she is an artist in every -drop of her blood." - -Here she turned to Lineta. "What fine thread is that head spinning now? -What dost thou say of such Roman evenings?" - -Lineta smiled dreamily; and the widow of "Rurik's last descendant" -began to speak, with an expression of indescribable sweetness, to Pan -Stanislav,-- - -"You do not know that Victor Hugo blessed her when she was yet a little -girl." - -"Then did you ladies know Victor Hugo?" asked Marynia. - -"We? no! I would not know him for anything in the world; but once, when -we were going through Passy, he stood on a balcony, and I know not -whether through something prophetic, or through inspiration, the moment -he set eyes on Lineta, he raised his hand and blessed her." - -"Aunt!" said Panna Castelli. - -"When it is true, my child; and what is true, is true! I called at -once to her, 'See, see! he is raising his hand!' and Pan Tsardyn, the -consul, who was sitting on the front seat, saw also that he raised his -hand, and gave a blessing. I tell this freely, for perhaps the Lord God -forgave him his sins, of which he had many, because of this blessing. -He was of such perverse mind; and still, when he saw Lineta, he blessed -her." - -There was in the tale this much truth,--those ladies, while going -through Passy, really saw Victor Hugo on a balcony. As to the blessing -which they said he gave Lineta, malicious tongues in Warsaw declared -that he raised his hand because he was yawning at the moment. - -Meanwhile Pani Aneta continued,-- - -"We'll make for ourselves here a little Italy; and should the attempt -fail, next winter we'll escape to the great one. It has entered my head -already to open a house in Rome. Meantime Yozio has bought a number of -nice copies of statues and paintings. That was so worthy on his part, -for he doesn't care much about them; he did this only for me. There -are very good things among them; for Yozio had the wit not to trust -himself, and begged the aid of Pan Svirski. It is a pity that they -are not here; it is a pity, too, that Pan Bukatski died, as it were, -through perversity, for he would have been useful. At times he was very -nice; he had a certain subtlety, snake-like, and that in conversation, -gives life. But" (here she turned to Marynia) "do you know that you -have conquered Pan Svirski utterly? After you had left Rome, he talked -of no one else, and he has begun a Madonna with your features. You'll -become a Fornarina! Evidently you have luck with artists; and when my -Florentine evenings begin, Lineta and I must be careful,--if not, we -shall go to the corner." - -But Pani Bronich, casting hostile glances at Marynia, said,-- - -"If it is a question of faces which make an impression on artists, I'll -tell the company what happened once in Nice." - -"Aunt!" interrupted Panna Castelli. - -"But if it is true, my child; and what's true, is true! A year ago--no! -two years ago--Oh, how time flies!--" - -But Pani Aneta, who had heard more than once, surely, what had happened -at Nice, began to inquire of Marynia,-- - -"But have you many acquaintances in the world of artists?" - -"My husband has," answered Marynia, "I have not; but we know Pan -Zavilovski." - -Pani Aneta fell into real enthusiasm at this news. It was her dream -to know Zavilovski, and let "Yozio" say if it was not her dream. Not -long before, she and Lineta had read his verses entitled "Ex imo;" -and Lineta, who, at times, knows how to describe an impression with -one word, as no one else can, said,--what is it that she said so -characteristic? - -"That there was in that something bronze-like," added Pani Bronich. - -"Yes, something bronze-like; I imagined to myself also Pan Zavilovski -as something cast. How does he look in reality?" - -"He is short, fat, fifty years old," said Pan Stanislav, "and has no -hair on his head." - -At this the faces of Pani Aneta and Lineta took on such an expression -of disenchantment that Marynia laughed, and said,-- - -"Do not believe him, ladies; he is malicious, and likes to torment. Pan -Zavilovski is young, somewhat shy, a little like Wagner." - -"That means that he has a chin like Punch," added Pan Stanislav. - -But Pani Aneta paid no heed to Pan Stanislav's words, and obtained from -Marynia a promise to make her acquainted with Pan Zavilovski, and soon, -"very soon, for summer is at the girdle!" - -"We will try to make it pleasant for him among us, and that he -shouldn't be shy; though, if he is a little shy, that is no harm, for -he ought to be, and, like an eagle in a cage, withdraw when people -approach him. But we will come to an understanding with Lineta; she, -too, is wrapped up in herself, and is as mysterious as a sphinx." - -"It seems to me that every uncommon soul--" began Aunt Sweetness. - -But the Polanyetskis rose to go. In the entrance they met the wonderful -Kopovski, whose shoes the servants were dusting, and who was arranging -meanwhile the hair on his statuesque head, which was as solid as -marble. When outside, Pan Stanislav remarked,-- - -"He, too, will be useful for their 'Florentine' evenings; he, too, is a -sphinx." - -"If he were to stand in a niche," said Marynia. "But what beautiful -women they are!" - -"It is a wonderful thing," answered Pan Stanislav, "though Pani -Osnovski is good-looking, I, for example, prefer Pani Mashko as a -beauty. As to Castelli, she is, in truth, beautiful, though too tall. -Hast thou noticed how they speak of her all the time, but she not a -word?" - -"She has a very intelligent opinion," answered Marynia, "but is, -perhaps, a little timid, like poor Zavilovski." - -"It is necessary to think of arranging for that acquaintance." - -But an accident disturbed these plans of making the acquaintance. -Marynia, on the day following this visit, slipped on the stone stairs, -and struck her knee against the step with such violence that she had to -lie in bed several days. Pan Stanislav, on returning from the office, -learned what had happened. Alarmed at first, then pacified by the -doctor, he upbraided his wife rather sharply. - -"Thou shouldst remember that it may be a question not of thee alone," -said he. - -She suffered severely from the fall and from these words, which seemed -to her too unsparing; for she considered that with him it should above -all be a question of her, especially as other fears were baseless so -far. Aside from this, he showed great attention; neither on the next -nor the following day did he go to the counting-house, but remained -to take care of her. In the forenoon he read to her; after lunch, he -worked in the adjoining room with open doors, so that she might call -him at any moment. Affected by this care, she thanked him very warmly; -in return he kissed her, and said,-- - -"My child, it is a simple duty. Thou seest that even strangers inquire -about thee daily." - -In fact, strangers did inquire daily. Zavilovski inquired in the -counting-house, "How does the lady feel?" Pani Bigiel came in the -forenoon, and Bigiel in the evening; without going to the chamber of -the sick woman, he played on the piano in the next room to entertain -her. The Mashkos and Pani Bronich left cards twice. Pani Osnovski, -leaving her husband in the carriage below, broke into Marynia a little -by violence, and sat with her about two hours, talking, with her usual -gift of jumping from subject to subject, of Rome, of her intended -evenings, of Svirski, of her husband, of Lineta, and of Zavilovski, who -didn't let her sleep. Toward the end of the visit, she declared that -they ought to say _thou_ to each other, and that she invited Marynia -to give aid in one plan: "that is, not a plan, but a conspiracy;" or, -rather, in a certain thing which had so struck into her head that it -was burning, and burning to such a degree that her whole head was on -fire. - -"That Zavilovski has so stuck in my mind that Yozio has begun to be -jealous of him; but in the end of the affair, Yozio, poor fellow, -doesn't know himself what to think. I am sure that he and Lineta are -created for each other,--not Yozio and Lineta, but Zavilovski and -Lineta. That poetry, that poetry! And don't laugh, Marynia; don't think -me moonstruck. Thou dost not know Lineta. She needs some uncommon man. -She wouldn't marry Kopovski for anything, though Kopovski looks like an -archangel. Such a face as Kopovski has, I have never seen in life. In -Italy, perhaps, in some picture, and even then not. Knowest thou what -Lineta says of him?--'C'est un imbécile.' But still she looks at him. -Think how beautiful that would be, if they should become acquainted, -and love, and take each other,--that is, not Kopovski and Lineta, -but Zavilovski and Lineta. That would be a couple! Lineta, with her -aspirations, whom can she find? Where is there a man for her? What we -have seen, that we have seen. I imagine how they would live. It is so -wearisome in the world that when it is possible to have such a plan, it -is worth while to work for it. Moreover, I know that that will succeed -without difficulty, for Aunt Bronich is wringing her hands,--where can -she find a husband for Lineta? I am afraid that I have worn thee out, -and surely I have tormented thee; but it is so nice to talk, especially -when one is making some plan." - -In fact, Marynia felt, as it were, a turning of the head after Pani -Aneta had gone. Still when Pan Stanislav came in, she told him of the -plans prepared against Zavilovski, and, laughing a little at the -eagerness of Pani Aneta, said at last,-- - -"She must have a good heart, and she pleases me; but what an -enthusiast! What is there that doesn't rush through her head?" - -"She is impetuous, but no enthusiast," answered Pan Stanislav; "and see -what the difference is,--enthusiasm comes almost always from the warmth -of a good heart, while impetuousness frequently agrees with a dry -heart, and often comes even from this, that the head is hot, and the -heart is asleep." - -"Thou hast no liking for Pani Aneta," said Marynia. - -Pan Stanislav did not indeed like her; but this time, instead of -confirming or contradicting, he looked at his wife with a certain -curiosity, and that moment her beauty struck him,--her hair flowing -in disorder on the pillow, and her small face coming out of the dark -waves, just like a flower. Her eyes seemed bluer than usual; through -her open mouth was to be seen the row of small white teeth. Pan -Stanislav approached her, and said in an undertone,-- - -"How beautiful thou art to-day!" - -And, bending over her, with changed face, he fell to kissing her eyes -and mouth. - -But every kiss moved her, and each movement caused pain. It was -disagreeable, besides, that he had noticed her beauty as if by -accident; his expression of face was distasteful to her, and his -inattention; therefore she turned away her head. - -"Stas, do not kiss me so roughly; thou knowest that I am suffering." - -Then he stood erect, and said with suppressed anger,-- - -"True; I beg pardon." - -And he went to his room to examine the plan of a certain summer house -with a garden, which had been sent to him that morning. - - - - -CHAPTER XL. - - -But Marynia's illness was not lasting, and a week later she and her -husband were able to visit the Bigiels, who had moved to their summer -residence; for the weather, notwithstanding the early season, was fine, -and in the city summer heats were almost beginning. Zavilovski, who had -grown accustomed to them, went also, taking an immense kite, which he -was to fly in company with Pan Stanislav and the children. The Bigiels, -too, liked Zavilovski, since he was simple, and, except his shyness, -a pleasant man, on occasions even childlike. Pani Bigiel maintained, -moreover, that he had a peculiar head; which was in so far true, that -he had a scar on his eyelid, and that his prominent chin gave him an -expression of energy which was contradicted utterly by his upper face, -which was delicate, almost feminine. At first Pani Bigiel sought in him -an original; but he mastered everything, and therefore himself, too -quickly. He was simply a great enthusiast of unequal temper, because he -was timid; and he was not without hidden pride. - -At dinner they mentioned the Osnovskis to him, and the projected -Athenian-Roman-Florentine evenings, Panna Castelli, and the curiosity -which he had roused in the ladies. When he heard this, he said,-- - -"Oh, it is well to know that; I shall not go there now for anything in -the world." - -"You will make their acquaintance first at our house," said Marynia. - -"I shall escape from the entrance," said he, clasping his hands. - -"Why?" asked Pan Stanislav. "It is needful to have the courage not only -of one's convictions, but of one's verses." - -"Evidently," said Pani Bigiel. "What is there to be ashamed of? I -should look people in the eyes boldly and say: I write; yes, I write." - -"I write; yes, I write," repeated Zavilovski, raising his head and -laughing. - -But Marynia continued: "You will make their acquaintance at our house; -then you will leave your card with them, and after that we will visit -them some evening." - -"I cannot hide my head in snow," said he, "because there is none; but -I'll find some place of hiding." - -"But if I entreat you greatly?" - -"Then I will go," answered Zavilovski, after a while, blushing -slightly; and he looked at her. - -Her face, somewhat pale after protracted lying in bed, had become more -delicate, and looked like the face of a maiden of sixteen. She seemed -so wonderful to the young man that he could refuse her nothing. - -In the evening, Pan Stanislav was to take him back to the city; but -before that Marynia said to him,-- - -"Now you must be constrained, for you have not seen Panna Lineta -Castelli; but as soon as you have seen her, you will fall in love." - -"I, Pani?" cried Zavilovski, putting his hand on his breast; "I, with -Panna Castelli?" - -And there was so much sincerity in his question that he was confused -again; but this time Marynia herself was confused somewhat. - -Meantime Pan Stanislav has finished his conversation with Bigiel about -the dangers of investing capital in land, and they drive away. Marynia -remembers how once she returned with her father, Pani Emilia, Litka, -and Pan Stanislav from the Bigiels, in a moonlight night such as this; -how "Pan Stanislav" was in love with her then; how unhappy he was; how -severe she was with him; and her heart begins to beat with pity for -that "Pan Stanislav," who suffered so much on a time. She wants to -nestle up to him and implore pardon for those evil moments of the past; -and but for the presence of Zavilovski, she would do so. - -But that old-time Pan Stanislav is sitting there calm and -self-confident at her side, and smoking his cigar. Moreover, she is -his; he has taken her and has her; all is over. - -"Of what art thou thinking, Stas?" inquired she. - -"Of the business of which I was talking with Bigiel." - -And, shaking the ashes from his cigar, he replaced it in his mouth, and -drew so vigorously that a ruddy gleam lighted his mustache and a part -of his face. - -Zavilovski, looking at Marynia's face, thought in his young soul that -if she were his wife he would not smoke a cigar, nor think of business -of which he had been talking with Bigiel, but might kneel before her -and adore her on his knees. - -And gradually, under the influence of the night and that sweet womanly -face, which he glorified, exaltation possessed him. After a time he -began to declaim, at first in silence, as if to himself, then more -audibly, his verses entitled, "Snows on the Mountains." There was in -that poem, as it were, an immense yearning for something unapproachable -and immaculate. Zavilovski himself did not know when they arrived in -the city, and when lamps began to gleam on both sides of the street. At -Pan Stanislav's house Marynia said,-- - -"To-morrow, then, to a five o'clock." - -"Yes," answered he, kissing her hand. - -Marynia was sunk somewhat in revery under the influence of the ride, -the night, and maybe the verses. But from the time of their stay -in Rome, she and her husband had repeated the rosary together. And -after these prayers a great tenderness possessed her suddenly,--as it -were, an influx of feeling, hidden for a time by other impressions. -Approaching him, she put her arms around his neck, and whispered,-- - -"My Stas, but we feel so pleasant together, do we not?" - -He drew her toward him, and answered with a certain careless -boastfulness,-- - -"But do I complain?" - -And it did not occur to him that there was in her question something -like a shade of doubt and sorrow, which she did not like to admit to -her soul, and desired him to calm and convince her. - -Next morning in the office Zavilovski gave Pan Stanislav a cutting from -some paper of "Snows on the Mountains;" he read it during dinner, but -with the sound of forks the verses seemed less beautiful than amid the -night stillness and in moonlight. - -"Zavilovski told me," said Pan Stanislav, "that a volume would be -issued soon; but he has promised to collect first everything printed in -various journals, and bring it to thee." - -"No," said Marynia; "he should keep them for Lineta." - -"Ah, they are to meet to-morrow for the first time. Ye wish absolutely -to make an epoch in Zavilovski's life?" - -"We do," answered Marynia, with decisiveness. "Aneta astonished me at -first; but why not?" - -Indeed, the meeting took place. The Osnovskis, Pani Bronich, and Panna -Castelli came very punctually at five; Zavilovski had come still -earlier, to avoid entering a room in presence of a whole society. But -as it was he was not only frightened, but more awkward than usual, -and never had his legs seemed so long to him. There was, however, a -certain distinction even in his awkwardness; and Pani Aneta was able to -see that. The first scenes of the human comedy began, in which those -ladies, as well-bred persons, guarding against every rudeness and -staring at Zavilovski, did not, however, do anything else; he, feigning -not to see this, was not thinking of anything else than how they were -looking at him and judging him. This caused him great constraint, which -he strove to hide by artificial freedom; he had so much self-love, -however, that he was interested in having the judgment favorable. But -the ladies were so attuned previously that the decision could not be -unfavorable; and even had Zavilovski turned out flat and dull it would -have been taken for wisdom and poetic originality: More indifferent was -the bearing of Lineta, who was somewhat astonished that for the moment, -not she was the sun, and Zavilovski the moon, but the contrary. The -first impression which he made on her was: "What comparison with that -stupid Kopovski!" - -And the incomparable, wonderful face of that "stupid" stood before -her eyes as if living; therefore her lids became dreamier still, and -the expression of her face called to mind a sphinx in porcelain more -than ever. She is irritated, however, that Zavilovski turns almost no -attention to her form of a Juno, nor to that something "mysterious and -poetic," which, as Pani Bronich insists, fetters one from the first -glance. She begins to observe him gradually; and, having, besides -her poetic inclination, the sense of social observation developed -powerfully, she sees that he has much expression indeed, but that his -coat fits badly, that he dresses, of course, at a poor tailor's, and -that the pin in his cravat is mauvais genre simply. Meanwhile he casts -occasional glances at Marynia, as the one near and friendly soul, and -converses with Pani Aneta, who considers it as the highest tact not -to mention poetry on first acquaintance, and, knowing that Zavilovski -had passed the early years of his childhood in the country, begins to -chatter about her inclinations for rural life. Her husband prefers -the city always, having his friends and pleasures in the city, but as -to her!--"Oh, I am sincere, and I confess at once that I cannot endure -land management and accounts; for this I have been scolded more than -once. Besides, I am a trifle lazy; therefore I should like work in -which I could be lazy. What should I like, then?" - -Here she spreads out her extended fingers so as to count more easily -the occupations which would suit her taste: - -"First, I should like to herd geese!" - -Zavilovski laughs; she seems to him natural, and, besides, the picture -of Pani Osnovski herding geese amuses him. - -Her violet eyes begin to laugh also; and she falls into the tone of a -free and joyous maiden, who talks of everything which runs through her -head. - -"And you would like that?" inquires she of Zavilovski. - -"Passionately." - -"Ah, you see! What else? I should like to be a fisherman. The morning -dawn must be reflected beautifully in the water. Then the damp nets -before the cottage, with films of water between the meshes of the net. -If not a fisherman, I should like to be at least a heron, and meditate -in the water on one leg, or a lapwing in the fields. But no! the -lapwing is a sad kind of bird, as if in mourning." - -Here she turned to Panna Castelli,-- - -"Lineta, what wouldst thou like to be in the country?" - -Panna Lineta raised her lids, and answered after a while,-- - -"A spider-web." - -The imagination of Zavilovski as a poet was touched by this answer. -Suddenly a great yellow sweep of stubble stood before his eyes, with -silver threads floating in the calm blue and in the sun. - -"Ah, what a pretty picture!" said he. - -He looked more carefully at Lineta; and she smiled, as if in -thankfulness that he had felt the beauty of the image. - -But at that moment the Bigiels came. Pani Bronich took Zavilovski into -her sphere of influence, and so hemmed him in with her chair that he -had no chance to escape. It was easy to divine the subject of their -dialogue, for Zavilovski raised his eyes from time to time to Lineta, -as if to convince himself that he was looking at that about which he -was hearing. At last, though the conversation was conducted in subdued -tones, those present heard these words, spoken as if through sugar,-- - -"Do you know that Napoleon--that is, I wanted to say Victor -Hugo--blessed her?" - -In general, Zavilovski had heard so many uncommon things that he might -look at Lineta with a certain curiosity. She had been, according to -those narratives, the most marvellous child in the world, always very -gentle, and not strong. At ten years she had been very ill; sea air was -prescribed, and those ladies dwelt a long time on Stromboli. - -"The child looked at the volcano, at the sea, and clapped her little -hands, repeating, 'Beautiful, beautiful!' We went there by chance, -wandered in on a hired yacht, without object; it was difficult to stay -long, for that is an empty island. There was no proper place to live -in, and not much to eat; but she, as if with foreknowledge that she -would regain her health there, would not leave for anything. In fact, -in a month, and if not in a month, in two, she began to be herself, and -see what a reed she is." - -In fact, Lineta, though shapely and not too large, in stature was -somewhat taller than Pani Aneta. Zavilovski looked at her with growing -interest. Before the guests separated, when he was freed at last from -imprisonment, he approached her, and said,-- - -"I have never seen a volcano, and I have no idea what impression it may -make." - -"I know only Vesuvius," answered she; "but when I saw it there was no -eruption." - -"But Stromboli?" - -"I do not know it." - -"Then I have heard incorrectly, for--your aunt--" - -"Yes," answered Lineta, "I don't remember; I was small, I suppose." - -And on her face displeasure and confusion were reflected. - -Before she took leave, Pani Aneta, without destroying her rôle of -charming prattler, invited Zavilovski for some evening, "without -ceremony and without a dress-coat, for such a spring might be -considered summer, and in summer freedom is the most agreeable. That -such a man as you does not like new acquaintances, I know, but for that -there is a simple remedy: consider us old acquaintances. We are alone -most generally. Lineta reads something, or tells what passes through -her head; and such various things pass through her head that it is -worth while to hear her, especially for a person who beyond others is -in a position to feel and understand her." - -Panna Lineta pressed his hand at parting with unusual heartiness, as -if confirming the fact that they could and should understand each -other. Zavilovski, unused to society, was a little dazed by the words, -the rustle of the robes, the eyes of those ladies, and by the odor -of iris which they left behind. He felt besides some weariness, for -that conversation, though free and apparently natural, lacked the -repose which was always found in the words of Pani Polanyetski and -Pani Bigiel. For a time there remained with him the impression of a -disordered dream. - -The Bigiels were to stay to dinner. Pan Stanislav therefore kept -Zavilovski. They began to talk of the ladies. - -"Well, and Panna Castelli?" asked Marynia. - -"They have much imagination," answered Zavilovski, after a moment's -hesitation. "Have you noticed how easy it is for them to speak in -images?" - -"But really, what an interesting young lady Lineta is!" - -Lineta had not made a great impression on Pan Stanislav; besides, he -was hungry and in a hurry for dinner, so he said somewhat impatiently,-- - -"What do you see in her? Interesting until she becomes an every-day -subject." - -"No; Lineta will not become an every-day person," said Marynia. "Only -those ordinary, simple beings become every-day subjects who know how to -do nothing but love." - -To Zavilovski, who looked at her that moment, it seemed that he -detected a shade of sadness. Perhaps, too, she was weak, for her face -had lily tones. - -"Are you wearied?" inquired he. - -"A little," answered she, smiling. - -His young, impressionable heart beat with great sympathy for her. "She -is in truth a lily," thought he; and in comparison with her sweet charm -Pani Osnovski stood before him as a chattering nut-cracker, and Panna -Castelli as the inanimate head of a statue. At first, after sight of -Marynia, he was dreaming of a woman like her; this evening he began to -dream, not of one like her, but of her. And since he was quickly aware -of everything that happened in him, he noticed that she was beginning -to be a "field flower," but a beloved one. - -Pan Stanislav, meeting him next day in the counting-room, asked,-- - -"Well, did the dreamy queen come to you in a vision?" - -"No," answered Zavilovski, blushing. - -Pan Stanislav, seeing that blush, laughed, and said,-- - -"Ha! it's difficult! Every one must pass that; I, too, have passed it." - - - - -CHAPTER XLI. - - -Marynia did not complain even to herself of her husband. So far there -had not been the least misunderstanding between them. But she was -forced to confess that genuine, very great happiness, and especially -very great love, such as she had imagined when Pan Stanislav was her -betrothed, she had imagined as different. Of this each day convinced -her: her hopes had been of one kind; reality proved to be of another. -Marynia's honest nature did not rebel against this reality; but a -shade of sadness came over her, and the feeling that that shade might -in time be the basis of her life. With a soul full of good-will, she -tried to explain to herself at the beginning that those were her own -fancies. What was lacking to her, and in what could Pan Stanislav have -disappointed her? He had never caused her pain purposely; as often as -it occurred to him that a given thing might please her, he tried to -obtain it; he was liberal, careful of her health; at times he covered -her face and hands with kisses,--in a word, he was rather kind than -ill-natured. Still there was something lacking. It was difficult for -Marynia to describe this in one word, or in many; but her mind was too -clear not to understand what her heart felt every day more distinctly, -every day with more sadness. Something was wanting! After a great and -solemn holiday of love, a series of common days had set in, and she -regretted the holiday; she would have it last all her life; she saw -now, with sorrow, that to her husband this common life seemed precisely -what was normal and wished for. It was not bad, such as it was; but -it was not that high happiness which "such a man" should be able to -feel, create, and impart. But there was a question of other things -also. She felt, for example, that she was more his than he was hers; -and that though she gave him her whole soul, he returned to her only -that part of his which he had designed in advance for home use. It -is true that she said to herself, "He is a man; besides me he has a -whole world of work and thought." But she had hoped once that he would -take her by the hand and lead her into that world,--that in the house, -at least, he would share it with her; at present she could not even -flatter herself that he would do so. And the reality was worse than -she had imagined. Pan Stanislav, as he expressed himself, took her, -and had her; and when their mutual feeling became at the same time a -simple mutual obligation, he judged that it was not needful otherwise -to care for her, or otherwise to be occupied with her than with any -duty of every-day life. It did not come to his head simply that to -such a fire it was not enough to bring common fuel, such as is put in -a chimney, but that there was need to sprinkle on it frankincense and -myrrh, such as is sprinkled before an altar. If a man were to tell him -something like this, he would shrug his shoulders, and look on him as -a sentimentalist. Hence there was in him the carefulness of a husband, -perhaps, but not the anxiety of a lover,--concern, watching, or awe of -that kind which, in the lower circles of earthly feelings, corresponds -to fear of God in religion. On a time when, after the sale of Kremen, -Marynia was indifferent to him, he felt and passed through all this; -but now, and even beginning with Litka's death, when he received the -assurance that she was his property, he thought no more of her than was -necessary to think of property. His feeling, resting pre-eminently on -her physical charm, possessed what it wanted, and was at rest; while -time could only vulgarize, cool, and dull it. - -Even now, though still vivid, it lacks the alert and careful tenderness -which existed, for example, in his feeling for Litka. And Marynia -noticed this. Why was it so? To this she could not answer; but still -she saw clearly that she was for this man, to whom she wished to be -everything, something more common and less esteemed than the dead Litka. - -It did not occur to her, and she could not imagine by any means, that -the only reason was this,--that that child was not his, while she had -given him soul and body. She judged that the more she gave, the more -she ought to receive and have. But time brought her in this regard many -disappointments. She could not but notice, too, that all are under a -certain charm of hers; that all value her, praise her; that Svirski, -Bigiel, Zavilovski, and even Pan Osnovski, look on her, not only with -admiration, but with enthusiasm almost; while "Stas" regards her -distinguishing traits less than any man. It had not occurred to her -for a moment that he could be incapable of seeing in her and valuing -that which others saw and valued so easily. What was the cause, then, -of this? These questions tormented her night and day now. She saw that -Pan Stanislav feigned to have in all cases a character somewhat colder -and more serious than he had in reality, but to her this did not seem -a sufficient answer. Unfortunately only one answer remained: "He does -not love me as he might, and therefore does not value me as others do." -There was in this as much truth as disappointment and sadness. - -The instinct of a woman, which, in these cases, never deceives her, -warned Marynia that she had made an uncommon impression on Zavilovski; -that that impression increased with every meeting. And this thought did -not make her indignant; she did not burst out with the angry question, -"How dare he?" since, for that matter, he had not dared anything,--on -the contrary, it gave her a certain comfort, certain confidence in -her own charm, which at moments she had begun to lose, but withal it -roused the greater sorrow that such honor, such enthusiasm, should -be shown her by some stranger, and not by "Stas." As to Zavilovski, -she felt nothing for him save a great sympathy and good-will; hence -her thoughts remained pure. She was incapable of amusing herself -through vanity by the suffering of another; and for that reason, not -wishing him to go too far, she associated herself willingly with the -plan of Pani Aneta of bringing him into more intimate relations with -Panna Castelli, though that plan seemed to her as abrupt as it was -unintelligible. Moreover, her heart and mind were occupied thoroughly -with the questions: Why does that kind, wise, beloved "Stas" not go to -the heights with her? why does he not value her as he might? why does -he only love her, but is not in love with her? why does he consider -her love as something belonging to him, but not as something precious? -whence is this, and where lies the cause of it? - -Every common, selfish nature would have found all the fault in him; -Marynia found it in herself. It is true that she made the discovery -through foreign aid; but she was always so eager to remove from "Stas" -every responsibility, and take it on herself, that though it caused -fear, this discovery brought her delight almost. - -Once, on an afternoon, she was sitting by herself, with her hands on -her knees, lost in thoughts and questions to which she could find no -answer, when the door opened, and in it appeared the white head-dress -and dark robe of a Sister of Charity. - -"Emilka!" cried Marynia, with delight. - -"Yes; it is I," said the Sister. "This is a free day for me, and I -wished to visit thee. Where is Pan Stanislav?" - -"Stas is at the Mashkos, but he will return soon. Ah, how glad he will -be! Sit down and rest." - -Pani Emilia sat down and began to talk. "I should run in oftener," said -she, "but I have no time. Since this is a free day, I was at Litka's. -If you could see how green the place is, and what birds are there!" - -"We were there a few days ago. All is blooming; and such rest! What a -pity that Stas is not at home!" - -"True; besides, he has a number of Litka's letters. I should like to -ask him to lend them to me. Next week I'll run in again and return -them." - -Pani Emilia spoke calmly of Litka now. Maybe it was because there -remained of herself only the shadow of a living person, which was soon -to be blown away; but for the time there was in it undisturbed calm. -Her mind was not absorbed so exclusively now by misfortune, and that -previous indifference to everything not Litka had passed. Having become -a Sister of Charity, she appeared again among people, and had learned -to feel everything which made their fortune or misfortune, their joy or -their sorrow, or even pleasure or suffering. - -"But how nice it is in this house! After our naked walls, everything -here seems so rich to me. Pan Stanislav was very indolent at one time: -he visited the Bigiels and us, never wished to be elsewhere; but now I -suppose he bestirs himself, and you receive many people?" - -"No," answered Marynia; "we visit only the Mashkos, Pani Bronich, and -the Osnovskis." - -"But wait! I know Pani Osnovski; I knew her before she was married. -I knew the Broniches, too, and their niece; but she had not grown up -then. Pan Bronich died two years ago. Thou seest how I know every one." - -Marynia began to laugh. "Really, more people than I do. I made the -acquaintance of the Osnovskis in Rome only." - -"But I lived so many years in Warsaw, and everything came to my ears. I -was in the house apparently, but the world occupied me. So frivolous -was I in those days! For that matter, thy present Pan Stas knew Pani -Osnovski." - -"He told me so." - -"They met at public balls. At that time she was to marry Pan Kopovski. -There were tears and despair, for her father opposed it. But she -succeeded well, did she not? Pan Osnovski was always a very good man." - -"And to her he is the very best. But I did not know that she was to -marry Kopovski; and that astonishes me, she is so intelligent." - -"Praise to God, she is happy, if she would think so! Happiness is a -rare thing, and should be used well. I have learned now to look at -the world quite impartially, as only those can who expect nothing for -themselves from it; and knowest thou what comes more than once to my -head? That happiness is like eyes,--any little mote, and at once tears -will follow." - -Marynia laughed a little sadly, and said,-- - -"Oi! that's a great truth." - -A moment of silence ensued; then Pani Emilia, looking attentively at -Marynia, laid her transparent hand on her hand mildly, and asked,-- - -"But thou, Marynia, art happy, art thou not?" - -Such a desire to weep seized Marynia on a sudden that she resisted it -only with the utmost effort; that lasted, however, one twinkle. Her -whole honest soul trembled suddenly at the thought that her tears or -sorrow would be a kind of complaint against her husband; therefore she -mastered her emotion by strength of will, and said,-- - -"If only Stas is happy!" And she raised her eyes, now perfectly calm, -to Pani Emilia, who said,-- - -"Litka will obtain that for thee. I inquired only because thou wert in -appearance somehow gloomy, as I entered. But I know best how he loved -thee, and how unhappy he was when thou wert angry with him because of -Kremen." - -Marynia's face was bright with a smile. So pleasant to her was every -word of his former love that she was ready to listen to that kind of -narrative, even if it went on forever. - -Pani Emilia continued, while touching her hand: "But thou, ugly child, -wert so cruel as neither to value nor regard his true attachment, and -I was angry at times with thee. At times I feared for the honest Pan -Stanislav; I was afraid that he would grow sick of life, lose his -mind, or become misanthropic. For seest thou when one wrinkle is made -in the depth of the heart, it may not be smoothed for a lifetime." - -Marynia raised her head, and began to blink as if some light had struck -her eyes suddenly. - -"Emilka, Emilka!" cried she, "how wise thy discourse is!" - -Pani Emilia was called now "Sister Aniela;" but Marynia always gave her -her old name. - -"What! wise? I am just talking of old times. But Litka will implore for -thee happiness, which God will grant, for thou and Stas deserve it, -both of you." - -And she made ready to go. Marynia tried to detain her till "Stas" came, -but in vain, for work was awaiting her in the institution. She chatted, -however, at the door, fifteen minutes longer, in the manner of women; -at last she went away, promising to visit them again the coming week. - -Marynia returned to her armchair at the window, and, resting her head -on her hand, fell to meditating on Pani Emilia's words; after a while -she said, in an undertone,-- - -"The fault is mine." - -It seemed to her that she had the key to the enigma,--she had not known -how to respect a power so true and so mighty as love is. And now, in -her terrified heart, that love seemed a kind of offended divinity which -punishes. In the old time Pan Stanislav had been on his knees in her -presence. As often as they met, he had looked into her eyes, watching -for forgiveness from her heart, and from those memories, pleasant, -departed, but dear, which connected them. If at that time she had -brought herself to straightforwardness, to magnanimity; if she had -extended her hands to him, as her secret feeling commanded,--he would -have been grateful all his life, he would have honored her, he would -have honored and loved with the greater tenderness, the more he felt -his own fault and her goodness. But she had preferred to swaddle and -nurse her feeling of offence, and coquet at the same time with Mashko. -When it was necessary to forget, she would not forget; when it was -necessary to forgive, she would not forgive. She preferred to suffer -herself, provided he suffered also. She had given her hand to Pan -Stanislav when she could not do otherwise, when not to give it would -have been simply dishonorable and stupid stubbornness. That stifled -love, it is true, rose up in its whole irrepressible might then, -and she loved, heart and soul, but too late. Love had been injured; -something had broken, something had perished. In his heart there had -come an ill-omened wrinkle like that of which Pani Emilia had spoken; -and now she, Marynia, was harvesting only what she had sown with her -own hand. - -He is not guilty of anything in this case, and if any one has spoiled -another's life, it is not he who has spoiled her life; it is she who -has spoiled his. - -Such a terror possessed her at this thought, and such sorrow, that -for a moment she looked at the future with perfect amazement. And she -wished to weep, too, and weep like a little child. If Pani Emilia had -not gone, she would have done so on her shoulder. She was so penetrated -with the weight of her own offences that if at that moment some one -had come and tried to free her of this weight, if this one had said -to her, "Thou art as guilty as a dove," she would have considered the -speech dishonest. The most terrible point in her mental conflict was -this,--that at the first moment the loss seemed irreparable, and that -in the future it might be only worse and worse, because "Stas" would -love her less and less, and would have the right to love her less and -less,--in one word, she saw no consolation before her. - -Logic said this to her: "To-day it is good in comparison with what it -may be to-morrow; after to-morrow, a month, or a year. And here it is a -question of a lifetime!" - -And she began to exert her poor tortured head to discover, if not a -road, at least some path, by which it would be possible to issue from -those snares of unhappiness. At last, after a long effort, after God -knows how many swallowed tears, it seems to her that she sees a light, -and that that light, in proportion as she looks at it, increases. - -There is, however, something mightier than the logic of misfortune, -mightier than committed offences, mightier than an offended divinity, -which knows nothing but vengeance,--and this is the mercy of God. - -She has offended; therefore she ought to correct herself. It is -needful, then, to love "Stas," so that he may find all which has -perished in his heart; it is needful to have patience, and not only not -to complain of her present lot, but to thank God and "Stas" that it is -such as it is. If greater griefs and difficulties should come, it is -necessary to hide them in her heart in silence, and endure long, very -long, even whole years, till the mercy of God comes. - -The path began to change then into a highway. "I shall not go astray," -said Marynia to herself. She wanted to weep from great joy then; but -she judged that she could not permit that. Besides, "Stas" might return -at any moment, and he must find her with dry eyes. - -In fact, he returned soon. Marynia wished at the first moment to throw -herself on his neck, but she felt such guilt in reference to him that -some sudden timidity stopped her; and he, kissing her on the forehead, -inquired,-- - -"Was any one here?" - -"Emilia was, but she could not stay longer. She will come next week." - -He was irritated at this. - -"But, my God! thou knowest that it is such a pleasure for me to see -her; why not let me know? Why didst thou not think of me, knowing where -I was?" - -She, like a child explaining itself, spoke with a voice in which tears -were trembling, but in which there was at the same time a certain -trust,-- - -"No, Stas, on the contrary, as I love, I was thinking all the time of -thee." - - - - -CHAPTER XLII. - - -"But you see I was there," said Zavilovski, joyously, at the Bigiels'. -"They looked on me somewhat as they might on a panther, or a wolf, -but I turned out a very tame creature; I tore no one, killed no one, -answered with more or less presence of mind. No; I have long since -considered that it is easier to live with people than it seems, and -only in the first moments have I a wish always to run away. But those -ladies are indeed very free." - -"I beg you not to put us off, but tell exactly how it was," said Pani -Bigiel. - -"How it was? Well, first, I entered the inclosure of the villa, and -did not know what to do further, or where the Osnovskis lived, or -Pani Bronich; whether to pay them a visit at once, or whether it was -necessary to visit both separately." - -"Separately," said Pan Stanislav; "Pani Bronich has separate -apartments, though they have one drawing-room, which they use in -common." - -"Well, I found all in that drawing-room; and Pani Osnovski first -brought me out of trouble, for she said that she would share me with -Pani Bronich, and that I should make two visits at one time. I found -Pani Mashko there and Pan Kopovski; and he is such a man, so beautiful -that he ought to have on his head one of those velvet-crowned caps -which jewellers wear. Who is Kopovski?" - -"An idiot!" answered Pan Stanislav. "In that is contained his name, his -manner of life, his occupation, and personal marks. Another description -of the man would not be needed even in a passport." - -"Now I understand," said Zavilovski; "and certain words which I heard -have become clear for me. That gentleman was sitting, and the young -ladies were painting him. Pani Osnovski, his full face in oil; Panna -Castelli, his profile in water-colors. Both had print skirts over their -dresses, and both were beautiful. Evidently Pani Osnovski is just -beginning to paint, but Panna Castelli has had much practice." - -"Of what did they talk?" - -Zavilovski turned to Marynia. "First, those ladies asked about your -health; I told them that you looked better and better." - -He did not say, however, that on that occasion he had blushed like a -student, and that at present he consoled himself only with the thought -that all had been so occupied in painting that they did not notice him, -in which he was mistaken. He was confused now a little, and, wishing to -hide this, continued,-- - -"Later we spoke of painting, of course, and portraits. I observed that -Panna Castelli took something from the head of Kopovski; she answered -me,-- - -"'It is not I, but nature.' - -"She is a witty young lady; she said this in a perfectly audible voice. -I began to laugh, all the others too, and with us Kopovski himself. He -must have an accommodating character. He declared later on that if he -looked worse to-day than usual, it was because he had not slept enough, -and that he was in a hurry for the embraces of Orpheus." - -"Orpheus?" - -"That's what he said. Pan Osnovski corrected him without ceremony; -but he did not agree to the correction, saying Orpheus at least ten -times, and that he remembered well. Those ladies amused themselves a -little with him, but he is such a fine-looking fellow that they are -glad to paint him. But what an artist Panna Castelli is! When she went -to showing me various plain surfaces with the brush, and lines on the -portraits of Pan Kopovski, which she had begun, she touched colors, -'What a line, that is! and what tones these are!' I must do her the -justice to say that she looked at the time like one of the Muses. She -told me that it pleases her beyond everything to paint portraits, and -that she meditates on a face to begin with, as on a model, and that she -dreams of those heads in which there is anything uncommon." - -"Oh, ho! and you will appear to her in a dream first, and then sit for -her, I am sure," said Marynia. "And that will be well." - -Zavilovski added with a voice somewhat uncertain,-- - -"She told me, it is true, that that is a tribute which she likes and -extorts from good acquaintances; she did not turn to me, however, -directly, with this request. Had it not been for Pani Bronich, there -would have been no talk of it." - -"Pani Bronich saved the Muse the trouble," said Pan Stanislav. - -"But that will be well," said Marynia. - -"Why?" inquired Zavilovski; and he looked at her with a glance at once -submissive and alarmed. The idea that she might push him to another -woman purposely, because she divined what was passing in his heart, -attracted him, and at the same time filled him with fear. - -"Because," answered Marynia, "I, indeed, am almost unacquainted with -Panna Lineta, and judge only from my first impressions and from what I -hear of her; but it seems to me that hers is an uncommon nature, and -that there is something deep in her heart. It is well, then, that you -should become acquainted." - -"I also judge from first impressions," answered Zavilovski, quieted; -"and it is true that Pani Castelli seems to me less shallow than -Pani Osnovski. In general, those are beautiful and pleasant ladies; -but--maybe I cannot define it, because I am not acquainted enough with -society--but, coming away from them, I had a feeling as if I had been -travelling on the railway with exceedingly charming foreign ladies, -who amused themselves by conversing very wittily--but nothing more. -Something foreign is felt in them. Pani Osnovski, for example, is -exactly like an orchid,--a flower very peculiar and beautiful, but a -kind of foreign flower. Panna Castelli is also that way, and in her -there is nothing homelike. With them there is no feeling that one grew -up on the same field, under the same rain and same sunshine." - -"What intuition this poet has!" said Pan Stanislav. - -Zavilovski became so animated that on his delicate forehead the veins -in the form of the letter Y became outlined more distinctly. He felt -that his blame of those ladies was also praise for Marynia, and that -made him eloquent. - -"Besides," continued he, "there exists a certain instinct which divines -the real good wishes of people; it is not divined in that house. They -are pleasant, agreeable, but their society has the appearance of form -only; therefore I think that an earnest man, who becomes attached to -people easily, might experience there many deceptions. It is a bitter -and humiliating thing to mistake social tares for wheat. As to me, that -is just why I fear people; for though Pan Stanislav says that I have -intuition, I know well that at the root of the matter I am simple. And -such things pain me tremendously. Simply my nerves cannot endure them. -I remember that when still a child I noticed how people acted toward -me in one way before my parents, and in another when my parents were -absent; that was one of the great vexations of my childhood. It seemed -to me contemptible, and pained me, as if I myself had done something -contemptible." - -"Because you have an honest nature," said Pani Bigiel. - -He stretched forth his long arms, with which he gesticulated, when, -forgetting his timidity, he spoke freely, and said,-- - -"O sincerity! in art and in life, that is the one thing!" - -But Marynia began, in defence of those ladies: "People, and especially -men, are frequently unjust, and take their own judgments, or even -suppositions, for reality. As to Pani Osnovski and Lineta, how is -it possible to suspect them of insincerity? They are joyful, kind, -cordial, and whence should that come if not from good hearts?" Then, -turning to Zavilovski, she began at him, partly in earnest, partly in -jest, "You have not such an honest nature as Pani Bigiel says, for -those ladies praise you, and you criticise them--" - -But Pan Stanislav interrupted her with his usual vivacity: "Oh, thou -art an innocent, and measurest all things with thy own measure. Wilt -thou understand this, that petty cordiality and kindness may flow also -from selfishness, which likes to be cosey and comfortable. - -"If you," said he, turning to Zavilovski, "pay such homage to -sincerity, it is sitting before you! You have here a real type of it." - -"I know that! I know that!" said Zavilovski, with warmth. - -"But is it thy wish to have me otherwise?" inquired Marynia, laughing. - -He laughed also, and answered: "No, I would not. But, by the way, -what a happiness it is that thou are not too small, and hast no need -of heels; for shouldst thou wear them, chronic inflammation of the -conscience would strike thee for deceiving people." - -Marynia, seeing that Zavilovski's eyes were turned toward her feet, hid -them under the table involuntarily, and, changing the subject, said,-- - -"But your volume is coming out these days, I think?" - -"It would have been published already, but I added one poem; that -causes delay." - -"And may we know what the poem is called?" - -"Lilia" (Lily). - -"Is it not Lilia-Lineta?" - -"No; it is not Lilia-Lineta." - -Marynia's face grew serious. For her, it was easy to divine from the -answer that the poem was to her and about her; hence she felt a sudden -vexation, because she alone and one other, Zavilovski, knew this, -and that there had arisen between them, for this cause, a sort of -secret known to them only. This seemed to her not in accord with that -honesty of hers mentioned a moment earlier, and a kind of sin against -"Stas." For the first time, she saw the mental trouble into which a -woman may fall, even though she be most in love with her husband and -most innocent, if only the not indifferent look of another man fall -on her. It seemed to her impossible, in any case, to lead her husband -into the secret of her supposition. For the first time, she was seized -by a certain anger at Zavilovski, who felt this straightway with -his nerves of an artist, just as the barometer reflects a change of -atmosphere; and, being a man without experience, he took the matter -tragically. He imagined that Marynia would close her doors on him, -would hate him, that he would not be able to see her; and the world -appeared in mourning colors all at once to him. In his artistic nature -there existed a real mixture of selfishness and fantasy with genuine -tenderness, well-nigh feminine, which demanded love and warmth. Having -become acquainted with Marynia, he cleaved to her with the selfishness -of a sybarite, to whom such a feeling is precious, and who thinks -of nothing else; next, his fancy raised her to poetic heights, and -enhanced her charm a hundredfold, made her a being almost beyond the -earth; and, finally, his native sensitiveness, to which loneliness -and the want of a near heart caused actual pain, was so moved by the -goodness with which he was received, that from all this was produced -something having every appearance of love. A physical basis was lacking -to this feeling, however. Besides his capacity for impulses, as ideal -as the soul itself is, Zavilovski, like most artists, had the thoughts -of a satyr. Those thoughts were sleeping at that time. He arrayed -Marynia in so many glories and so much sacredness that he did not -desire her; and if, against every likelihood, she were to cast herself -on his neck unexpectedly, she would cease to be for him ćsthetically -that which she was, and which he wished her to be in future,--that -is, a stainless being. All the more, therefore, did he judge that he -could permit himself such a feeling, and all the more was he grieved -now to part with that intoxication which had lulled his thought in -such a beautiful manner, and filled the void of his life. It had been -so pleasant for him, on returning home, to have a womanly figure at -whose feet he had placed his soul,--to have one of whom to dream, and -to whom he might write verses. Now he understands that if she discovers -definitely what is taking place in him, if he does not succeed in -hiding this better than hitherto, their relations cannot endure, and -the former void, more painful than ever, will surround him a second -time. He began then to think how he was to escape this, and how, not -only not to lose anything of what he had enjoyed so far, but to see -Marynia still oftener. In his quick imagination, there was no lack of -methods. When he had made a hasty review, he found and chose one which, -as it seemed to him, led directly to his object. - -"I will fall in love, as it were, with Panna Castelli," said he to -himself, "and will confess to Pani Polanyetski my torments. That not -only will not separate us, but will bring us nearer. I will make her my -patroness." - -And straightway he begins to arrange the thing as if he were arranging -objects. He imagines that he is in love with that "dreamy queen;" that -he is unhappy, and that he will confess his secret to Marynia, who will -listen to him willingly, with eyes moist from pity, and, like a real -sister, will place her hand on his head. This play of fancy seemed to -him so actual, and his sensitiveness was so great, that he composed -expressions with which he would confess to Marynia; he found simple and -touching ones, and he did this with such occupation that he himself was -moved sincerely. - -Marynia, returning home with her husband, thought of that poem entitled -"Lilia," which had delayed the issue of the book. Like a real woman, -she was somewhat curious about it, and feared it a little. She feared -too in general the difficulty which the future might bring in the -relation with Zavilovski. And under the influence of these fears she -said,-- - -"Knowest thou of what I am thinking? That Lineta would be a great prize -for Zavilovski." - -"Tell me," answered Pan Stanislav, "what shot this Zavilovski and that -girl into thy head." - -"I, my Stas, am not a matchmaker, I say only that it would not be bad. -Aneta Osnovski is rather a hot head, it is true; but she is so lively, -such a fire spark." - -"Abrupt, not lively; but believe me that she is not so simple as she -seems, and that she has her own little personal plan in everything. -Sometimes I think that Panna Lineta concerns her as much as she does -me, and that at the root of all this something else is hidden." - -"What could it be?" - -"I don't know, and I don't know, perhaps, because I don't care much. In -general, I have no faith in those women." - -Their conversation was interrupted by Mashko, who was just driving in -by the road before their house; and, seeing them, he hastened to greet -Marynia, and said then to Pan Stanislav,-- - -"It is well that we have met, for to-morrow I am going away for a -couple of days, and to-day is my time for payment, so I bring thee the -money." - -"I have just been at your father's," said he, turning to Marynia. "Pan -Plavitski seems in perfect health; but he told me that he yearns for -the country and land management, therefore he is thinking whether to -buy some little place near the city, or not. I told him that if we win -the will case he can stay at Ploshov." - -Marynia did not like this conversation, in which there was evident, -moreover, a slight irony; hence she did not wish to continue it. After -a while Pan Stanislav took Mashko to his study,-- - -"Then is all going well?" asked he. - -"Here is the instalment due on my debt," answered Mashko; "be so kind -as to give a receipt." - -Pan Stanislav sat down at his desk, and wrote a receipt. - -"But now there is another affair," continued Mashko: "I sold some oak -in Kremen once, on condition that I might redeem it, returning the -price and a stipulated interest. Here is the price and the interest. I -trust that thou hast nothing to add; I can only thank thee for a real -service rendered, and shouldst thou ever need something of me, I beg -thee,--without any ceremony, I beg thee to come to me, service for -service. As is known to thee, I like to be grateful." - -"This monkey is beginning to patronize me," thought Pan Stanislav. And -if he had not been in his own house, he might have uttered the silent -remark aloud; but he restrained himself and said,-- - -"I have nothing to add; such was the contract. Besides, I have never -considered that as business." - -"All the more do I esteem it," answered Mashko, kindly. - -"Well, what is to be heard in general?" inquired Pan Stanislav. "Thou -art moving with all sails, I see. How is it with the will?" - -"On behalf of the benevolent institutions a young little advocate is -appearing named Sledz (herring). A nice name, isn't it? If I should -call a cat by that name, she would miau for three days. But I'll -pepper that herring and eat him. As to the lawsuit? It stands this -way, that at the end of it I shall be able to withdraw from law in all -likelihood, which, moreover, is not an occupation befitting me--and I -will settle in Kremen permanently." - -"With ready money in thy pocket?" - -"With ready money in my pocket, and in plenty. I have enough of law. Of -course, whoso came from the country is drawn to it. That is inherited -with the blood. But enough of this matter, for the present. To-morrow, -as I told thee, I am going away; and I recommend my wife to thee, -all the more that Pani Kraslavski has gone just now to an oculist -in Vienna. I am going besides to the Osnovskis' to ask them too to -remember her." - -"Of course we shall think of her," said Pan Stanislav. Then the -conversation with Marynia occurred to him, and he asked,-- - -"Thy acquaintance with the Osnovskis is of long standing?" - -"Rather long, though my wife knows them better. He is a very rich man; -he had one sister who died, and a miserly uncle, after whom he received -a great fortune. As to her, what shall I say to thee? she read when -still unmarried all that came to her hand; she had pretensions to wit, -to art,--in a word, to everything to which one may pretend,--and in her -way fell in love with Kopovski: here she is for thee _in toto_." - -"And Pani Bronich and Panna Castelli?" - -"Panna Castelli pleases women rather than men; moreover, I know nothing -of her, except that it is said that this same Kopovski tried for her, -or is trying now, but Pani Bronich--" - -Here Mashko began to laugh. "Pani Bronich the Khedive conducted in -person over the pyramid of Cheops; the late Alphonso of Spain said -every day to her in Cannes, 'Bon jour, Madame la Comtesse.' In the year -56, Musset wrote verses in her album, and Moltke sat with her on a -trunk in Karlsbad,--in one word, she has been at every coronation. Now, -since Panna Castelli has grown up, or rather luxuriated up to five feet -and some inches, Aunt 'Sweetness' makes those imaginary journeys, not -on her own account, but her niece's, in which for some time past Pani -Osnovski helps her so zealously that it is difficult to understand what -her object is. This is all, unless it is thy wish to know something of -the late Pan Bronich, who died six years ago, it is unknown of what -disease, for Pani Bronich finds a new one every day for him, adding, -besides, that he was the last of the descendants of Rurik, not stating, -however, that the second last descendant--that is, his father--was -manager for the Rdultovskis, and made his property out of them. Well, -I have finished,--'Vanity fair!' Be well, keep well, and in case of -need count on me. If I were sure that such a need would come quickly, I -would make thee promise to turn to no one but me. Till we meet!" - -When he had said this, Mashko pressed his friend's hand with -indescribable kindness; and when he had gone, Pan Stanislav, shrugging -his shoulders, said,-- - -"Such a clever man apparently, and doesn't see the very same vanity in -himself that he is laughing at in others! How different he was such a -little while ago! He had almost ceased to pretend; but when trouble -passed, the devil gained the upper hand." - -Here he remembered what Vaskovski had said once about vanity and -playing a comedy; then he thought,-- - -"And still such people have success in this country." - - - - -CHAPTER XLIII. - - -Pani Osnovski forgot her "Florentine-Roman" evenings so thoroughly -that she was astonished when her husband reminded her once of them. -Such evenings are not even in her head now; she has other occupations, -which she calls "taming the eagle." If any one does not see that the -_eagle_ and Lineta are created for each other, then, with permission -of my husband and lord, he has very short sight; but there is no help -for that. In general, men fail to understand many things, for they -lack perception. Zavilovski may be an exception in this regard; but if -Marynia Polanyetski would tell him, through friendship, to dress with -more care and let his beard grow, it would be perfect! "Castelka"[9] is -so thoroughly ćsthetic that the least thing offends her, though on the -other hand he carries her away,--nay, more, he hypnotizes her simply. -And with her nature that is not wonderful. - -Pan Osnovski listened to this chattering, and, dissolving from ecstasy, -watched the opportunity to seize his wife's hands, and cover them, and -her arms to the elbow, with kisses; once, however, he put the perfectly -natural question, which Pan Stanislav too had put to Marynia,-- - -"Tell me what concern thou hast in this?" - -But Pani Aneta said coquettishly,-- - -"_La reine s'amuse!_ It is not a trick to write books. If there be -only a little talent, that's enough; but to bring into life that which -is described in books is a far greater trick, and, besides, what -amusement!" - -And after a while she added,-- - -"I may have some personal object; and if I have, let Yozio guess it." - -"I'll tell it in thy ear," answered Osnovski. - -She put out her ear with a cunning mien, blinking her violet eyes with -curiosity. But Osnovski only brought his lips to her ear to kiss it; -for the whole secret he repeated simply,-- - -"_La reine s'amuse!_" - -And there was truth in this. Pani Aneta might have her own personal -object in bringing Zavilovski near "Castelka;" but in its own way that -development of a romance in life and the rôle of a little Providence -occupied and amused her immensely. - -With these providential intentions she ran in often to Marynia, to -learn something of the "eagle," and returned in good spirits usually. -Zavilovski, wishing to lull Marynia's suspicions, spoke more and more -of Lineta; his diplomacy turned out so effectual that once, when Pani -Aneta inquired of Marynia directly if Zavilovski were not in love with -her, she answered, laughing,-- - -"We must confess that he is in love, my Anetka, but not with me, nor -with thee. The apple is adjudged to Lineta, and nothing is left to us -but to cry or be comforted." - -On the other hand, feelings and thoughts were talked into and -attributed continually to Lineta which self-love itself would not let -her deny. From morning till evening she heard that this "eagle" of -wide wings was in love with her; that he was at her feet; and that -such a chosen one, such an exceptional being, as she was, could not be -indifferent to this. It flattered her also too much to make it possible -for her to be indifferent. While painting Kopovski, she admired always, -it is true, the "splendid plain surfaces" on his face, and liked him -because he offered her a field for various _successes_, which were -repeated later as proofs of her wit and cleverness; she liked him for -various reasons. Zavilovski, too, was not an ill-looking man, though he -did not wear a beard, and did not dress with due care. Besides, so much -was said of his wings, and of this,--that a soul such as hers should -understand him. All said this, not Pani Aneta only. Pani Bronich, -who, on a time, did not understand how any one could avoid falling -in love with herself, transferred later on to her niece this happy -self-confidence, and accepted the views of Pani Aneta, ornamenting at -the same time the canvas of reality with flowers from her own mind. At -last Pan Osnovski, too, joined the chorus. Out of love for his wife, -he loved "Castelka" and Pani Bronich, and was ready to love whatever -had remote or near relation to "Anetka," hence he took the matter -seriously. Zavilovski was for him sympathetic; the information which he -collected touching him was favorable. In general, he learned only that -he was misanthropic, ambitious, and pursued stubbornly whatever he -aimed at; besides, he was secretive, and greatly gifted. Since all this -pleased the ladies, Osnovski began to think with perfect seriousness -"if that were not well." Zavilovski justified so far the serious view -of affairs,--he had begun for some time to visit more frequently the -"common drawing-room," and to speak oftener with Lineta. The first, it -is true, he did always at the cordial invitation of Pani Aneta, but -the other flowed from his will. Pani Aneta noticed, also, that his -glance rested more and more on the golden hair and the dreamy lids -of "Castelka," and his eyes followed her when she passed through the -drawing-room. Indeed, he began to survey her more carefully, a little -through diplomacy, a little through curiosity. - -The affair became much more important when the first volume of his -poetry was issued. The poems had won attention already and were much -spoken of; but the effect was weakened through this,--that they had -appeared at considerable intervals, and unconnected. Now the book -struck people's eyes; it was brilliant, strong, sincere. The language -had freshness and metallic weight, but still bent obediently, and -assumed the most subtile forms. The impression increased. Soon the -murmur of praise changed to a roar filled with admiration. With the -exaggeration usual in such cases, the work was exalted above its -value, and in the young poet people began to foresee the coming heir -of great glory and authority; his name passed from newspaper offices -to publicity. People spoke of him everywhere, were occupied with him, -sought him; curiosity became the greater that he was little known -personally. The old rich Zavilovski, Panna Helena's father, who said -that the two greatest plagues existing were perhaps the gout and poor -relatives, repeated now to every one who asked him, "_Mais oui, mais -oui,--c'est mon cousin_;" and such testimony had also its social weight -for many persons, and, among others, weight of first order for Pani -Bronich. Pani Aneta and Lineta ceased even to suffer because of the pin -of "poor taste" in Zavilovski's necktie, for now everything about him -might pass as original. She was pained yet that his name was Ignatsi. -They would have preferred another more in keeping with his fame and -his poetry; but when Osnovski, who from Metz had brought home a little -Latin, explained to them that it meant "fiery," they answered that if -that were true, it was another thing; and they were reconciled with -Ignatsi. - -Sincere and great joy reigned at Bigiel's, at Pan Stanislav's, and in -the counting-house, because the book had won such fame; they were not -envious in the counting-house. The old cashier, the agent, and the -second book-keeper were proud of their colleague, as if his glory had -brightened the counting-house also. The cashier even said, "But we -have shown the world what our style is!" Bigiel was thinking for two -days whether in view of all this Zavilovski should remain in a modest -position in the house of Polanyetski and Bigiel; but Zavilovski, when -questioned by him, answered,-- - -"This is very good of you, kind sir. Because people are talking a -little about me, you want to take my morsel of bread from me, and my -pleasant associates. I found no publishers; and had it not been for -your book-keeper, I could not have published the volume." - -To such an argument there was no answer, and Zavilovski remained in -the counting-house. But he was a more frequent guest both at Bigiel's -and at Pan Stanislav's. At the Osnovskis' he had not shown himself for -a whole week after the volume was published, just as if something had -happened. But Pani Bigiel and Marynia persuaded him to go; he had a -secret desire, too,--hence one evening he went. - -But he found the company just going to the theatre. They wished to -remain at home absolutely, but he would not consent; and to the evident -delight of Pani Osnovski and Lineta, it ended in this,--that he went -with them. "Let Yozio buy a ticket for a chair if he wishes." And Yozio -took a ticket for a chair. During the play Zavilovski sat in the front -of the box with Lineta, for Pani Aneta had insisted that Pani Bronich -and she would play "mother" for them. "You two can say what you please; -and if any one comes, I will so stun him that he'll not have power to -trouble you." The eyes of people were turned frequently to that box -when it was known who were sitting there, and Lineta felt that a kind -of halo surrounded her; she felt that people not only were looking at -him, but at the same time inquiring, "Whose is that head with golden -hair and dreamy lids, to whom he is inclining and speaking?" She, on -her part, looking at him sometimes, said to herself, "Were it not -for the too prominent chin, he would be perfectly good-looking; his -profile is very delicate, and a beard might cover his chin." Pani Aneta -carried out her promise nobly; and when Kopovski appeared, she occupied -him so much that he could barely greet Lineta, and say to Zavilovski,-- - -"Ah, you write verses!" - -After this happy discovery he succeeded in adding, but rather as a -monologue, "I should like verses immensely; but, a wonderful thing, the -moment I read them I think of something else right away." - -Lineta, turning her face, cast a long glance at him; and it is unknown -which was stronger in this glance, the maliciousness of the woman, or -the sudden admiration of the artist, for that head without brains, -which, issuing from the depth of the box, seemed, on the red background -of the wall, like some masterly thought of an artist. - -After the theatre, Pani Aneta would not let Zavilovski go home; and all -went to drink tea. Hardly had they reached the house, when Pani Bronich -began to make reproaches. - -"You are an evil man; and if anything happens to Lineta, it will be on -your conscience. The child doesn't eat, doesn't sleep; she only reads -you, and reads." - -Pani Aneta added immediately,-- - -"True! I, too, have cause of complaint: she seized your book, and will -not give it to any one for an instant; and when we are angry, do you -know what she answers? 'This is mine! this is mine!'" - -And Lineta, though she had not the book in her hands at that moment, -pressed them to her bosom, as if to defend something, and said in a -low, soft voice,-- - -"For it is mine, mine!" - -Zavilovski looked at her and felt that something had, as it were, -thrilled in him. But on returning home late he passed by Pan -Stanislav's windows, in which light was still shining. After the -theatre and conversation at the Osnovskis' he felt a certain turning -of the head. Now the sight of those windows brought him to himself; -he felt suddenly such a pleasant impression as one experiences on -thinking of something very good and very dear. His immense, pure homage -for Marynia arose in him with its former power: he was possessed by -that kind of mild exaltation in which the desires fall asleep, and a -man becomes almost entirely a spirit; and he returned home, muttering -passages from the poem "Lilia," the most full of exaltation of any -which he had written in his life yet. - -There was light at Pan Stanislav's because something had happened, -which seemed to Marynia that mercy of God expected and hoped for. - -In the evening, after tea, she was sitting breaking her head, as usual, -over daily accounts, when she put the pencil down on a sudden. After a -while she grew pale, but her face became clear; and she said, with a -voice slightly changed,-- - -"Stas!" - -Her voice surprised him somewhat; therefore he approached her, and -asked,-- - -"What is the matter? Thou art a little pale." - -"Come nearer; I'll tell thee something." - -And, taking his head with her hands, she whispered into his ear, and he -listened; then, kissing her on the forehead, he said,-- - -"Only be not excited, lest thou hurt thyself." - -But in his words emotion was evident. He walked through the room, -looked at her a while, kissed her again on the forehead; at last he -said,-- - -"Usually people wish a son first, but remember that it be a daughter. -We'll call her Litka." - -Neither of them could sleep that night for a long time, and that was -why Zavilovski saw light in the windows. - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [9] Familiar for Castelli. - - - -CHAPTER XLIV. - - -In a week, when probability had become certainty, Pan Stanislav gave -the news to the Bigiels. Pani Bigiel flew the same day to Marynia, who -fell to weeping with gladness on her honest shoulders. - -"It seems to me," said she, "that Stas will love me more now." - -"How more?" - -"I wished to say still more," answered Marynia. "Seest thou, for that -matter, I have never enough." - -"He would have to settle with me if there were not enough." - -The tears dried on Marynia's sweet face, and only a smile remained. -After a time she clasped her hands, as if in prayer, and said,-- - -"Oh, my God, if it is only a daughter! for Stas wants a daughter." - -"And what wouldst thou like?" - -"I--but don't tell Stas--I should like a son; but let it be a daughter." - -Then she grew thoughtful, and asked,-- - -"But there is no help, is there?" - -"There is not," answered Pani Bigiel, laughing; "for that they have not -found yet any remedy." - -Bigiel, on his part, gave the news to every one whom he met; and in the -counting-house he said, in Pan Stanislav's presence, with a certain -unction in his voice,-- - -"Well, gentlemen, it seems that the house will be increased by one -member." - -The employees turned inquiring glances on him; he added,-- - -"Thanks to Pan and Pani Polanyetski." - -Then all hurried to Pan Stanislav with good wishes, excepting -Zavilovski, who, bending over his desk, began to look diligently at -columns of figures; and only after a while, when he felt that his -conduct might arrest attention, did he turn with a changed face to -Pan Stanislav, and, pressing his hand, repeat, "I congratulate, I -congratulate!" - -It seemed to him then that he was ridiculous, that something had fallen -on his head; that he felt empty, boundlessly stupid; and that the whole -world was fabulously trivial. The worst, however, was the feeling -of his own ridiculousness; for the affair was so natural and easily -foreseen that even such a man as Kopovski might foresee it. At the same -time, he, an intelligent man, writing poetry, pervaded with enthusiasm, -grasping everything which happened around, slipped into such an -illusion that it seemed to him then as if a thunderbolt had struck him. -What overpowering ridiculousness! But he had made the acquaintance of -Marynia as Pani Polanyetski, and imagined to himself unconsciously that -she had always been, and would be, Pani Polanyetski in the future as -she was in the present, and simply it had not occurred to him that any -change might supervene. And behold, observing lily tones once on her -face, he called her Lily, and wrote lily verses to her. And now that -lost sense, which to vexation adds something of ridicule, whispered -in his ear, "Ah, a pretty lily!" And Zavilovski felt more and more -crushed, more and more ridiculous; he wrote verses, but Pan Stanislav -did not write any. In that apposition there was a gnawing bitterness, -and something idiotic; he took deep draughts from that cup, so as not -to lose one drop in the drinking. If his feelings had been betrayed; if -he had made them known to Marynia; if she had repulsed him with utter -contempt, and Pan Stanislav had thrown him downstairs,--there would -have been something in that like a drama. But such an ending,--"such -flatness!" He had a nature feeling everything ten times more keenly -than common men; hence the position seemed to him simply unendurable, -and those office hours, which he had to sit out yet, a torture. His -feeling for Marynia had not sunk in his heart deeply; but it occupied -his imagination altogether. Reality now struck its palm on his head -without mercy; the blow seemed to him not only painful and heavy, but -also given sneeringly. The desperate thought came to his head to seize -his cap, go out, and never come back again. Fortunately, the usual hour -for ending work came at last, and all began to separate. - -Zavilovski, while passing through the corridor, where, at a hat-rack, a -mirror was fixed, saw his projecting chin and tall form in it, and said -to himself, "Thus looks an idiot." He did not go to dine that day with -the second book-keeper, as usual; he would have been even glad to flee -from his own person. Meanwhile he shut himself in at home, and with -the exaggeration of a genuine artist, heightened to impossible limits -his misfortune and ridiculous position. After some days he grew calm, -however; he felt only a strange void in his heart,--precisely as if it -were a dwelling vacated by some one. He did not show himself at Pan -Stanislav's for a fortnight; but at the end of that time he saw Marynia -at the Bigiels', and was astonished. - -She seemed to him almost ugly. That was by no means his prejudice, -for, though it was difficult to notice a change in her form, still -she had changed greatly. Her lips were swollen; there were pimples -on her forehead; and she had lost freshness of color. She was calm, -however, but somewhat melancholy, as if some disappointment had met -her. Zavilovski, who, in truth, had a good heart, was moved greatly by -her ugliness. Before, it seemed to him that he would disregard her; now -that seemed to him stupid. - -But her face only had changed, not her kindness or good-will. Nay, -feeling safe now from superfluous enthusiasms on his part, she showed -him more cordiality than ever. She asked with great interest about -Lineta; and when she found that a subject on which he, too, spoke -willingly, she began to laugh with her former laughter, full of -indescribable sweetness, and said almost joyously,-- - -"Well, well! People wonder there why you have not visited them for so -long a time; and do you know what Aneta and Pani Bronich told me? They -told me--" - -But here she stopped, and after a while said,-- - -"No; I cannot tell this aloud. Let us walk in the garden a little." - -And she rose, but not with sufficient care, so that, stumbling at the -first step, she almost fell. - -"Be careful!" cried Pan Stanislav, impatiently. - -She looked at him with submission, almost with fear. - -"Stas," said she, blushing, "as I love thee, that was inadvertent." - -"But do not frighten her so," said Pani Bigiel, quickly. - -It was so evident that Pan Stanislav cared more at that moment for the -coming child than Marynia, that even Zavilovski understood it. - -As to Marynia, this was known to her long before that day; she had -passed through a whole mental battle with herself just because of -it. Of that battle she had not spoken to any one; and it was the more -difficult, the more the state of her health advised against excitement, -unquiet, and an inclination to gloomy brooding. She had passed through -grievous hours before she said to herself, "It must be as it is." - -Pan Stanislav would have been simply astonished had any one told him -that he did not love, and especially that he did not value, his wife as -duty demanded. He loved her in his own way, and judged at once that, if -ever, it was then that the child should be for both a question beyond -every other. Vivacious and impulsive by nature, he pushed this care at -moments too far, but he did not account this to himself as a fault; -he did not even stop to think of what might take place in the soul of -Marynia. It seemed to him that among other duties of hers one of the -first was the duty of giving him children; that it was a simple thing, -therefore, that she should accomplish this. Hence he was thankful to -her, and imagined that, being careful of a child, he was by that very -act careful of her, and careful in a degree that few husbands are. -If he had considered it proper to call himself to account touching -his treatment of her, he would have considered it a thing perfectly -natural also that her charm, purely feminine, attracted him now less -than it had hitherto. With each day she became uglier, and offended his -ćsthetic sense sometimes; he fancied that, concealing this from her, -and trying to show her sympathy, he was as delicate as a man could well -be to a woman. - -She, on her part, had the impression that the hope on which she had -counted most had deceived her; she felt that she had descended to the -second place, that she would descend more and more. And in spite of all -her affection for her husband, in spite of the treasures of tenderness -which were collecting in her for the future child, rebellion and regret -seized her soul at the first moment. But this did not last long; she -battled with these feelings also, and conquered. She said to herself -that here it was no one's fault; life is such that this issues from the -natural condition of things, which, again, is a result of God's will. -Then she began to accuse herself of selfishness, and crush herself -with the weight of this thought: Has she a right to think of herself, -not of "Stas," and not of her future child? What can she bring against -"Stas"? What is there wonderful in this, that he, who had loved even a -strange child so much, has his soul occupied now, above all, with his -own; that his heart beats first for it? Is there not an offence against -God in this,--that she permits herself to bring forward first of all -rights of her own, happiness of her own, she, who has offended so much? -Who is she, and what right has she to an exceptional fate? And she was -ready to beat her breast. The rebellion passed; there remained only -somewhere in the very depths of her heart a little regret that life -is so strange, and that every new feeling, instead of strengthening a -previous one, pushes it into the depths. But when that sorrow went from -her heart to her eyes, under the form of tears, or began to quiver on -her lips, she did not let it have such an escape. - -"I shall be calm in a moment," thought she, in her soul. "Such it is, -such it will be, and such is right; for such is life, and such is God's -will, with which we must be reconciled." And at last she was reconciled. - -By degrees she found repose even, not giving an account to herself that -the basis of this was resignation and sadness. It was sadness, however, -which smiled. Being young, it was almost bitter at times to her, when -all at once, in the eyes of her husband, or of even some stranger, she -read clearly, "Oh, how ugly thou hast grown!" But because Pani Bigiel -had said that "afterward" she would be more beautiful than ever, she -said in her soul to them, "Wait!"--and that was her solace. - -She answered also something similar to Zavilovski. She was at once -glad, and not glad, of the impression she had made on him; for if on -the one hand her self-love had suffered a little, on the other she felt -perfectly safe, and could speak with him freely. She wished to speak, -and speak with full seriousness, for a few days before, Pani Aneta had -told her directly that "The Column" was in love to the ears, and that -Zavilovski had every chance with her. - -This forging the iron while hot disquieted her somewhat; she could not -understand why it was so, even taking into consideration the innate -impetuosity of Pani Aneta. For Zavilovski, who had become somehow the -Benjamin of both houses, she, as well as the Bigiels and Pan Stanislav, -had great friendship; and, besides, she was grateful to him, for, be -things as they might, he had appreciated her. He had known her truly, -hence she would help him with gladness in that which seemed to her -a great opportunity; but she thought also, "Suppose it should be bad -for him." She feared responsibility a little, and her own previous -diplomacy. Now, therefore, she wishes to learn first what he thinks -really, and then give him to understand how things are, and finally -advise him to examine and weigh with due care in the given case. - -"They are wondering there, because you have not called for a long -time," said she, when they had gone to the garden. - -"What did Pani Osnovski say?" inquired Zavilovski. - -"I will tell you only one thing, though I am not sure that I ought to -repeat it. Pani Aneta told me--that--but no! First, I must learn why -you have not called there this long time." - -"I was not well, and I had a disappointment. I made no visits; I could -not! You have stopped talking." - -"Yes, for I wished to know if you were not angry at those ladies for -some cause. Pani Aneta told me that Lineta supposed you were, and that -she saw tears in her eyes a number of times, for that reason." - -Zavilovski blushed; on his young and impressionable face real -tenderness was reflected. - -"Ah, my God!" answered he; "I angry, and at a lady like Panna Lineta? -Could she offend any one?" - -"I repeat what was said to me, though Pani Aneta is so impulsive that -I dare not guarantee all she says to be accurate. I know that she is -not lying; but, as you understand, very impulsive people see things -sometimes as if through a magnifying-glass. Satisfy yourself. Lineta -seems to me agreeable, very uncommon, and very kind--but judge for -yourself; you have such power of observation." - -"That she is kind and uncommon is undoubted. You remember how I said -that they produced the impression of foreign women; that is not true -altogether. Pani Osnovski may, but not Panna Lineta." - -"You must look yourself, and look again," said Marynia. "You understand -that I persuade you to nothing. I should have a little fear, even of -Stas, who does not like those ladies. But I say sincerely that when I -heard of Lineta's tears, my heart was touched. The poor girl!" - -"I cannot even tell you how the very thought of that stirs me," replied -Zavilovski. - -Further conversation was interrupted by the coming of Pan Stanislav, -who said,-- - -"Well? always matchmakers! But these women are incurable. Knowest thou, -Marynia, what I will tell thee? I should be most happy wert thou to -refrain from such matters." - -Marynia began to explain; but he turned to Zavilovski, and said,-- - -"I enter into nothing in this case, and know only this,--that I have -not the least faith in those ladies." - -Zavilovski went home full of dreams. All the strings of his imagination -had been stirred and sounded, so that the wished-for sleep fled from -him. He did not light a lamp, so that nothing might prevent him from -playing on those quivering strings; he sat in the moonlight and mused, -or rather, created. He was not in love yet; but a great tenderness -had possessed him at thought of Lineta, and he arranged images as if -he loved already. He saw her as distinctly as though she were before -him; he saw her dreamy eyes, and her golden head, bending, like a cut -flower, till it reached his breast. And now it seems to him that he is -placing his fingers on her temples, and that he is feeling the satin -touch of her hair, and, bending her head back a little, he looks to -see if the fondling has not dried her tears; and her eyes laugh at -him, like the sky still wet from rain, but sunny. Imagination moves -his senses. He thinks that he is confessing his love to her; that he -presses her to his bosom, and feels her heart beating; that he kneels -with his head on her knees, from which comes warmth through the silk -garment to his face. And he began in reality to shiver. Hitherto she -had been for him an image; now he feels her for the first time as a -woman. There is not in him even one thought which is not on her; and he -so forgets himself in her that he loses consciousness of where he is, -and what is happening within him. - -Some kind of hoarse singing on the street roused him; then he lighted a -lamp, and began to think more soberly. A kind of alarm seized him now, -because one thing seemed undoubted,--if he did not cease to visit Pani -Bronich and the Osnovskis altogether, he would fall in love with that -maiden past memory. - -"I must choose, then," said he to himself. - -And next day he went to see her, for he had begun to yearn; and that -same night he tried to write a poem with the title of "Spider-web." - -He dared not go to Pani Bronich herself, so he waited till the hour -when he could find all at tea, in the common drawing-room. Pani -Aneta received him with uncommon cordiality, and outbursts of joyous -laughter; but he, after greeting her, began to look at Lineta's face, -and his heart beat with more force when he saw in her a great and deep -joy. - -"Do you know what?" cried Pani Aneta, with her usual vivacity. "Our -'Poplar' likes beards so much that I thought this of you: 'he is -letting his beard grow, and does not show himself.'" - -"No, no!" said the "Poplar," "stay as you were when I made your -acquaintance." - -But Pan Osnovski put his arm around Zavilovski, and said, in that -pleasant tone of a man of good breeding, who knows how to bring people -at once to more intimate and cordial relations,-- - -"Did Pan Ignas hide himself from us? Well, I have means to compel him. -Let Lineta begin his portrait, then he must come to us daily." - -Pani Aneta clapped her hands. - -"How clever that Yozio is, wonderfully clever!" - -His face was radiant because he had said a thing pleasing to his wife, -and he repeated,-- - -"Of course, my Anetka, of course." - -"I have promised already to paint it," said Lineta, with a soft voice, -"but I was afraid to be urgent." - -"Whenever you command," answered Pan Ignas. - -"The days are so long now that about four, after Pan Kopovski; for that -matter, I shall finish soon with that insufferable Kopovski." - -"Do you know what she said about Pan Kopovski?" began Pani Aneta. - -But Lineta would not permit her to say this for anything; she was -prevented, moreover, by Pan Plavitski, who came in at that moment, and -broke up the conversation. Pan Plavitski, on making the acquaintance of -Pani Aneta at Marynia's, lost his head for her, and acknowledged this -openly; on her part, she coquetted with him unsparingly, to the great -delight of herself and of others. - -"Let papa sit near me here," said she; "we will be happy side by side, -won't we?" - -"As in heaven! as in heaven!" replied Plavitski, stroking his knees -with his palms time after time, and thrusting out the tip of his tongue -from enjoyment. - -Zavilovski drew up to Lineta and said,-- - -"I am so happy to be able to come every day. But shall I not occupy -your time, really?" - -"Of course you will occupy it," answered she, looking him in the eyes; -"but you will occupy it as no one else can. I was really too timid to -urge, because I am afraid of you." - -Then he looked into the depth of her eyes, and answered with emphasis,-- - -"Be not afraid." - -Lineta dropped her eyelids, and a moment of rather awkward suspense -followed; then the lady inquired, in a voice somewhat lowered,-- - -"Why did you not come for such a long time?" - -He had it on his tongue to say, "I was afraid," but he had not the -daring to push matters that far; hence he answered,-- - -"I was writing." - -"A poem?" - -"Yes, called 'Spider-web;' I will bring it to-morrow. You remember that -when I made your acquaintance, you said that you would like to be a -spider-web. I remembered that; and since then I see continually such a -snowy thread sporting in the air." - -"It sports, but not with its own power," answered Lineta, "and cannot -soar unless--" - -"What? Why do you not finish?" - -"Unless it winds around the wing of a Soarer." - -When she had said this, she rose quickly and went to help Osnovski, who -was opening the window. - -Zavilovski remained alone with mist in his eyes. It seemed to him -that he heard the throbbing of his temples. The honeyed voice of Pani -Bronich first brought him to his senses,-- - -"A couple of days ago old Pan Zavilovski told me that you and he -are related; but that you are not willing to visit him, and that he -cannot visit you, since he has the gout. Why not visit him? He is a -man of such distinction, and so pleasant. Go to him; it is even a -disappointment to him that you do not go. Go to visit him." - -"Very well; I can go," answered Zavilovski, who was ready that moment -to agree to anything. - -"How kind and good you must be! You will see your cousin, Panna Helena. -But don't fall in love with her, for she too is very distinguished." - -"No, there is no danger," said Zavilovski, laughing. - -"They say besides that she was in love with Ploshovski, who shot -himself, and that she wears eternal mourning in her heart for him. But -when will you go?" - -"To-morrow, or the day after. When you like." - -"You see, they are going away. The summer is at our girdles! Where will -you be in the summer?" - -"I do not know. And you?" - -Lineta, who during this time had returned and sat down not far away, -stopped her conversation with Kopovski, and, hearing Pan Ignas's -question, replied,-- - -"We have no plan yet." - -"We were going to Scheveningen," said Pani Bronich, "but it is -difficult with Lineta." And after a while she added in a lower voice: -"She is always so surrounded by people; she has such success in society -that you would not believe it. Though why should you not? It is enough -to look at her. My late husband foretold this when she was twelve years -of age. 'Look,' said he, 'what trouble there will be when she grows -up.' And there is trouble, there is! My husband foresaw many things. -But have I told you that he was the last of the Rur--Ah, yes! I have -told you. We had no children of our own, for the first one didn't come -to birth, and my husband was fourteen years older than I; later on he -was to me more,--a father." - -"How can that concern me?" thought Pan Ignas. But Pani Bronich -continued,-- - -"My late husband always grieved over this, that he had no son. That is, -there was a son, but he came halfway too early" (here tears quivered -in the voice of Pani Bronich). "We kept him some time in spirits. And, -if you will believe it, when there was fair weather he rose, and when -there was rain he sank down. Ah, what a gloomy remembrance! How much -my husband suffered because he was to die,--the last of the Rur--. -But a truce to this; 't is enough that at last he was as attached to -Lineta as to a relative,--and surely she was his nearest relative,--and -what remains after us will be hers. Maybe for that reason people -surround her so. Though--no! I do not wonder at them. If you knew -what a torment that is to her, and to me. Two years ago, in Nice, a -Portuguese, Count Jao Colimaçao, a relative of the Alcantaras, so lost -his head as to rouse people's laughter. Or that Greek of last year, in -Ostend!--the son of a banker, from Marseilles, a millionnaire. What was -his name? Lineta, what was the name of that Greek millionnaire, that -one who, thou knowest?" - -"Aunt!" said Lineta, with evident displeasure. - -But the aunt was in full career already, like a train with full steam. - -"Ah, ha! I recollect," said she,--"Kanafaropulos, Secretary of the -French Embassy in Brussels." - -Lineta rose and went to Pani Aneta, who was talking at the principal -table with Plavitski. The aunt, following her with her eyes, said,-- - -"The child is angry. She hates tremendously to have any one speak of -her successes; but I cannot resist. Do you understand me? See how tall -she is! How splendidly she has grown! Anetka calls her sometimes the -column, and sometimes the poplar; and really, she is a poplar. What -wonder that people's eyes gaze at her! I haven't mentioned yet Pan -Ufinski. That's our great friend. My late husband loved him immensely. -But you must have heard of Pan Ufinski? That man who cuts silhouettes -out of paper. The whole world knows him. I don't know at how many -courts he has cut silhouettes; the last time he cut out the Prince of -Wales. There was also a Hungarian." - -Osnovski, who sat near by amusing himself with a pencil at his -watch-chain, now drawing it out, now pushing it back, grew impatient at -last, and said,-- - -"A couple of more such, dear aunt, and there would be a masquerade -ball." - -"Precisely, precisely!" answered Pani Bronich. "If I mention them, -it is because Lineta doesn't wish to hear of any one. She is such a -chauviniste! You have no idea what a chauviniste that child is." - -"God give her health!" said Pan Ignas. - -Then he rose to take farewell. At parting, he held for some time the -hand of Lineta, who answered also with an equally prolonged pressure. - -"Till to-morrow," said he, looking into her eyes. - -"Till to-morrow--after Pan Kopovski. And do not forget 'Spider-web.'" - -"No, I will not forget--ever," answered Zavilovski, with a voice -somewhat moved. - -He went out with Plavitski; but they had scarcely found themselves -on the street, when the old man, tapped him lightly on the arm, and -stopping, said,-- - -"Young man, do you know that I shall soon be a grandfather?" - -"I know." - -"Yes, yes!" repeated Plavitski with a smile of delight, "and in -addition to that, I will tell you only this much: there is nothing to -surpass young married women!" - -And, laughing, he began to clap Pan Ignas time after time on the -shoulder; then he put the ends of his fingers to his lips, took -farewell, and walked off. - -But his voice, slightly quivering, came to Pan Ignas from a distance,-- - -"There is nothing to surpass young married women." Noise on the street -drowned the rest. - - - - -CHAPTER XLV. - - -From that time Pan Ignas went every day to Aunt Bronich's. He found -Kopovski there frequently, for toward the end something had been -spoiled in the portrait of "Antinoüs." Lineta said that she had not -been able to bring everything out of that face yet; that the expression -in the picture was not perhaps what it should be,--in a word, she -needed time for reflection. With Pan Ignas her work went more easily. - -"With such a head as Pan Kopovski's," said she once, "it is enough to -change the least line, it is enough to have the light wrong, to ruin -everything. While with Pan Zavilovski one must seize first of all the -character." - -On hearing this, both were satisfied. Kopovski declared even that it -was not his fault; that God had created him so. Pani Bronich said later -on that Lineta had said apropos of that: "God created him; the Son of -God redeemed him; but the Holy Ghost forgot to illuminate him." That -witticism on poor Kopovski was repeated throughout Warsaw. - -Pan Ignas liked him well enough. After a few meetings he seemed to -him so unfathomably stupid that it did not occur to him that any one -could be jealous of the man. On the contrary, it was always pleasant -to look at him. Those ladies too liked him, though they permitted -themselves to jest with him; and sometimes he served them simply as a -ball, which they tossed from hand to hand. Kopovski's stupidity was not -gloomy, however, nor suspicious. He possessed a uniform temper and a -smile really wonderful; of this last he was aware, perhaps, hence he -preferred to smile rather than frown. He was well-bred, accustomed to -society, and dressed excellently; in this regard he might have served -as a model to Pan Ignas. - -From time to time he put astonishing questions, which filled the young -ladies with merriment. Once, hearing Pani Bronich talk of poetic -inspirations, he asked Pan Ignas, "If anything was taken for it or -not," and at the first moment confused him, for Pan Ignas did not know -what to answer. - -Another time Pani Aneta said to him,-- - -"Have you ever written poetry? Make some rhyme, then." - -Kopovski asked time till next day; but next day he had forgotten the -request, or could not make the verses. The ladies were too well-bred to -remind him of his promise. It was always so agreeable to look at him -that they did not wish to cause him unpleasantness. - -Meanwhile spring ended, and the races began. Pan Ignas was invited for -the whole time of their continuance to the carriage of the Osnovskis. -They gave him a place opposite Lineta; and he admired her with all his -soul. In bright dresses, in bright hats, with laughter in her dreamy -eyes, with her calm face flushing somewhat under the breath of fresh -breezes, she seemed to him spring and paradise. Returning home, he had -his eyes full of her, his mind and his heart full. In that world in -which they lived, in the society of those young men, who came up to the -carriage to entertain the ladies, he was not at home, but the sight of -Lineta recompensed him for everything. Under the influence of sunny -days, fair weather, broad summer breezes, and that youthful maiden, -who began to be dear to him, he lived, as it were, in a continuous -intoxication; he felt youth and power in himself. In his face there was -at times something truly eagle-like. At moments it seemed to him that -he was a ringing bell, sounding and sounding, heralding the delight of -life, the delight of love, the delight of happiness,--a great jubilee -of loving. - -He wrote much, and more easily than ever before; there was besides in -his verses that which recalled the fresh odor of newly ploughed fields, -the vigor of young leaves, the sound of wings of birds flying on to -fallow land to the immense breadth of plains and meadows. He felt his -own power, and ceased to be timid about poetry even before strangers, -for he understood that there was something about him, something within -him, and that he had something to lay at the feet of a loved one. - -Pan Stanislav, who, in spite of his mercantile life, had an -irrestrainable passion for horses, and never neglected the races, saw -Pan Ignas every day with the Osnovskis and Panna Castelli, and gazing -at the latter as at a rainbow; when he teased him in the counting-house -for being in love, the young poet answered,-- - -"It is not I, but my eyes. The Osnovskis will go soon, those ladies -too; and all will disappear like a dream." - -But he did not speak truth, for he did not believe that all could -disappear like a dream. On the contrary, he felt that for him a new -life had begun, which with the departure of Panna Lineta might be -broken. - -"And where are Pani Bronich and Panna Castelli going?" continued Pan -Stanislav. - -"For the rest of June and during July they will remain with the -Osnovskis, and then go, as they say, to Scheveningen; but this is not -certain yet." - -"Osnovski's Prytulov is fifteen miles from Warsaw," said Pan Stanislav. - -For some days Pan Ignas had been asking himself, with heart beating, -whether they would invite him or not; but when they invited him, and -besides very cordially, he did not promise to go, and with all his -expressions of gratitude held back, excusing himself with the plea of -occupation and lack of time. Lineta, who was sitting apart, heard him, -and raised her golden brows. When he was going, she approached him and -asked,-- - -"Why will you not come to Prytulov?" - -He, seeing that no one could hear them, said, looking into her eyes,-- - -"I am afraid." - -She began to laugh, and inquired, repeating Kopovski's words,-- - -"Is it necessary to take anything for that?" - -"It is," answered he, with a voice somewhat trembling; "I need to take -the word, come, from you!" - -She hesitated a moment; perhaps she did not dare to tell him directly -in that form which he required, but she blushed suddenly and -whispered;-- - -"Come." - -Then she fled, as if ashamed of those colors on her face, which, in -spite of the darkness, were increasingly evident. - -On the way home it seemed to Pan Ignas that a shower of stars was -raining down on him. - -The departure of the Osnovskis was to take place in ten days only. -Up to that time, the painting of portraits was to continue its usual -course, and to go on in the same fashion till the last day, for Lineta -did not wish to lose time. Pani Aneta persuaded her to paint Pan Ignas -exclusively, since Kopovski would need only as many sittings as could -be arranged in Prytulov just before their departure for Scheveningen. -For Pan Ignas those sittings had become the first need of his life, as -it were; and if by chance there was any interruption, he looked on that -day as lost. Pani Bronich was present at the sittings most frequently. -But he divined in her a friendly soul; and at last the manner in which -she spoke of Lineta began to please him. They both just composed hymns -in honor of Lineta, whom in confidential conversation Pani Bronich -called "Nitechka."[10] This name pleased Pan Ignas the more clearly he -felt how that "Nitechka" (thread) was winding around his heart. - -Frequently, however, it seemed to him that Pani Bronich was narrating -improbable things. It was easy to believe that Lineta was and could be -Svirski's most capable pupil; that Svirski might have called her "La -Perla;" that he might have fallen in love with her, as Pani Bronich -gave one to understand. But that Svirski, known in all Europe, and -rewarded with gold medals at all the exhibitions, could declare with -tears, while looking at some sketch of hers, that saving technique, he -ought rather to take lessons of her, of this even Pan Ignas permitted -himself to doubt. And somewhere, in some corner of his soul, in which -there was hidden yet a small dose of sobriety, he wondered that Panna -"Nitechka" did not contradict directly, but limited herself to her -words usual on such occasions: "Aunt! thou knowest that I do not wish -you to repeat such things." - -But at last he lost even those final gleams of sobriety, and began to -have feelings of tenderness even over the late Bronich, and almost fell -in love with Pani Bronich, for this alone,--that he could talk with her -from morning till night of Lineta. - -In consequence of this repeated insistence of Pani Bronich, he visited -also, at this time, old Pan Zavilovski, that Croesus, at whose house -he had never been before. The old noble, with milk-white mustaches, a -ruddy complexion, and gray hair closely trimmed, received him with his -foot in an armchair, and with that peculiar great-lord familiarity of a -man accustomed to this,--that people count more with him than he with -them. - -"I beg pardon for not standing," said he, "but the gout is no joke. Ha, -what is to be done! An inheritance! It seems that this will be attached -to the name for the ages of ages. But hast thou not a twist in thy -thumb sometimes?" - -"No," answered Pan Ignas, who was a little astonished, as well at the -manner of reception as that the old noble said _thou_ to him from the -first moment. - -"Wait; old age will come." - -Then, calling his daughter, he presented Pan Ignas to her, and began to -speak of the family, explaining to the young man how they were related. -At last he said,-- - -"Well, I have not written verses, for I am too dull; but I must tell -thee that thou hast written them for me, and that I was not ashamed, -though I read my name under the verses." - -But the visit was not to end successfully. Panna Zavilovski, a person -of thirty years, good-looking, but, as it were, untimely faded and -gloomy, wishing to take some part in the conversation, began to inquire -of her "cousin" whom he knew, and where he visited. To every name -mentioned, the old noble appended, in one or two words, his opinion. -At mention of Pan Stanislav, he said, "Good blood!" at Bigiel's, he -inquired, "How?" and when the name was repeated, he said, "_Connais -pas_;" Pani Aneta he outlined with the phrase, "Crested lark!" at -mention of Pani Bronich he muttered, "Babbler;" at last, when the young -man named, with a certain confusion, Panna Castelli, the noble, whose -leg twitched evidently at that moment, twisted his face terribly, and -exclaimed, "Ei! a Venetian _half-devil_!" - -At this, it grew dark in the eyes of Pan Ignas, who, notwithstanding -his shyness, was impulsive; his lower jaw came forward more than ever, -and, rising, he measured with a glance the old man from his aching foot -to his crown, and said,-- - -"You have a way of giving sharp judgments, which does not suit me; -therefore it is pleasant to take farewell." - -And, bowing, he took his hat and departed. - -Old Pan Zavilovski, who permitted himself everything, and to whom -everything was forgiven, looked at his daughter some time with -amazement, and only after long silence exclaimed,-- - -"What! has he gone mad?" - -The young man did not tell Pani Bronich what had happened. He said -merely that he had made a visit, and that father and daughter alike -did not please him. She learned everything, however, from the old -man himself, who, for that matter, did not call Lineta anything but -"Venetian half-devil," even to her eyes. - -"But to make the matter perfect, you have sent me a full devil," said -he; "it is well that he did not break my head." - -Still in his voice one might note a species of satisfaction that it was -a _Zavilovski_ who had shown himself so resolute; but Pani Bronich did -not note it. She took the affair somewhat to heart, and, to the great -astonishment of the "full-devil," said to him,-- - -"He is wild about Lineta, and with him this is a sort of term of -tenderness; besides, one should forgive a man much who has such -a position, and in this age. It must be that you haven't read -Krashevski's novel, 'Venetian Half-Devil.' This is a title in which -there is a certain poetry ever since that author used it. When the old -man grows good-natured, write him a couple of words, will you not? Such -relations should be kept up." - -"Pani," answered Pan Ignas, "I would not write to him for anything in -the world." - -"Even if some one besides me should ask?" - -"That is--again, I am not a stone." - -Lineta laughed when she heard these words. In secret she was pleased -that Pan Ignas, at one word touching her which to him seemed offensive, -sprang up as if he had heard a blasphemy. So that during the sitting, -when for a while they were alone, she said,-- - -"It is wonderful how little I believe in the sincerity of people. So -difficult is it for me to believe that any one, except aunt, should -wish me well really." - -"Why?" - -"I don't know. I cannot explain it to myself." - -"But, for example, the Osnovskis? Pani Aneta?" - -"Pani Aneta?" repeated Lineta. - -And she began to paint diligently, as if she had forgotten the question. - -"But I?" asked Pan Ignas, in a lower voice. - -"You--yes. You, I am sure, would not let any one speak ill of me. I -feel that you are sincerely well-wishing, though I know not why, for in -general I am of so little worth." - -"You of little worth!" cried Pan Ignas, springing up. "Remember that, -in truth, I will let no one speak ill of you, not even you yourself." - -Lineta laughed and said,-- - -"Very well; but sit down, for I cannot paint." - -He sat down; but he looked at her with a gaze so full of love and -enchantment that it began to confuse her. - -"What a disobedient model!" said she; "turn your head to the right a -little, and do not look at me." - -"I cannot! I cannot!" answered Pan Ignas. - -"And I, in truth, cannot paint, for the head was begun in another -position. Wait!" - -Then she approached him, and, taking his temples with her fingers, -turned his head toward the right slightly. His heart began to beat like -a hammer; everything went around in his eyes; and, holding the hand of -Lineta, he pressed her warm palm to his lips, and made no answer,--he -only pressed it more firmly. - -"Talk with aunt," said she, hurriedly. "We are going to-morrow." - -They could not say more, for that moment Osnovski, Kopovski, and Pani -Aneta, who had been sitting in the drawing-room adjoining, came into -the studio. - -Pani Aneta, seeing Lineta's blushing cheeks, looked quickly at Pan -Ignas, and asked,-- - -"How is it going with you to-day?" - -"Where is aunt?" inquired Lineta. - -"She went out to make visits." - -"Long since?" - -"A few minutes ago. How has it gone with you?" - -"Well; but enough for to-day." - -Lineta put down her brush, and after a moment went to wash her hands. -Pan Ignas remained there, answering, with more or less presence -of mind, questions put to him; but he wanted to go. He feared the -conversation with Pani Bronich, and, with the habit of cowards, he -wished to defer it till the morrow; he wanted, besides, to remain a -while with his own thoughts, to arrange them, to estimate better the -significance of what had happened. For at that moment he had in his -head merely a certain chaos of indefinite thoughts; he understood that -something unparalleled had happened,--something from which a new epoch -in life would begin. At the very thought of this, a quiver of happiness -passed through him, but also a quiver of fear, for he felt that now it -was too late to withdraw; through love, through confession, through -declaration to the lady and to her family, he must advance to the -altar. He desired this with his whole soul; but he was so accustomed -to consider everything that was happiness as a poetic imagining, as -something belonging exclusively to the world of thought, art, and -dreams, that he almost lacked daring to believe that Lineta could -become his wife really. Meanwhile he had barely endurance to sit out -the time; and when Lineta returned, he rose to take leave. - -She gave him her hand, cooled by fresh water, and said,-- - -"Will you not wait for aunt?" - -"I must go; and to-morrow I will take farewell of you and Pani Bronich." - -"Then till our next meeting!" - -This farewell seemed to Pan Ignas, after what had happened, so -inappropriate and cold that despair seized him; but he had not the -daring to part before people otherwise, all the more that Pani Aneta -was looking at him with uncommon attention. - -"Wait! I have something to do in the city; we'll go together," said -Osnovski, as he was going out. - -And they went together; but barely were they outside the gate of the -villa, when Pan Osnovski stopped, and put his hand on the poet's arm. - -"Pan Ignas, have you not quarrelled a little with Lineta?" - -Pan Ignas looked at him with great eyes. - -"I? with Panna Lineta?" - -"Yes, for you parted somehow coldly. I thought you were as far, at -least, as hand-kissing." - -Pan Ignas's eyes grew still larger; Osnovski laughed, and said,-- - -"Well, I'll tell you the truth. My wife, as a woman who is curious, -looked at you, and said that something had happened. My Pan Ignas, you -have in me a great friend, who, besides, knows what it is to love. I -can say to you only one thing,--God grant you to be as happy as I am!" - -When he had said this, he began to shake his guest's hand; and Pan -Ignas, though confused to the highest degree, was barely able to -refrain from falling on his neck. - -"Have you really some work to-day? Why did you go?" - -"I will tell you sincerely. I wanted to collect my thoughts, and, -besides, fear of Pani Bronich seized me." - -"Then you do not know aunt? Her head, too, is warm with the question. -Come with me a bit of the road, and then go back without ceremony. -On the way you will collect your thoughts; by that time Pani Bronich -will be at home, and you will tell her your little story, at which she -will weep. Nothing else threatens you. Remember, too, that if you are -fortunate you are to thank mainly my Aneta, for, as God lives, she -has filled Castelka's head, as your own sister might. She has such an -impetuous head, and at the same time such an honest heart. Equally good -women there may be, but a better there is not on earth. It seemed to us -a little that that fool Kopovski was inclined to Castelka, and Aneta -was tremendously angry. They like Kopovski; but to let her marry such a -man--that would be too much." - -Thus talking, he took Pan Ignas by the hand, and after a moment, -continued, "We are to be relatives soon; let us drop ceremony and -say _thou_ to each other. I must tell thee further: I have no doubt -Castelka loves thee with her whole heart, for she is a true woman -also. Besides, they have turned her head with thee greatly; but she -is so young yet that I tell thee to throw fuel on the fire--throw it! -Dost understand? What is begun should become rooted; this can happen -easily, for hers is really an uncommon nature. Do not think that I -wish to forewarn or to frighten thee. No; it is a question only of -making things permanent. That she loves thee is not subject to doubt. -If thy eyes had but seen her when she was carrying thy book around, -or what happened when she and thou were returning from the theatre. A -stupid thought came to my head then. I spoke of having heard that old -Zavilovski wished to make thy acquaintance because he had planned to -marry thee to his daughter, so that his property might not leave the -name; and imagine to thyself, that poor girl, when she heard this, -became as pale as paper, so that I was frightened, and took back my -words in all haste. What is thy answer to this?" - -Pan Ignas wanted to laugh and to weep; but he merely pressed to his -side, and pressed with all his force, Osnovski's hand, which he held -under his arm, and said, after a while,-- - -"I am not worthy of her, no." - -"Well, and after that 'no' perhaps thou wilt say, 'No, I do not love -her properly.'" - -"That may be true," answered Pan Ignas, raising his eyes. - -"Well, go back now, and tell thy little story to Aunt Bronich. Do not -fear being too pathetic; she likes that. Till we meet again, Ignas! I -shall be back myself in an hour or so, and we shall have a betrothal -evening." - -They pressed each other's hands, and Osnovski said, with a feeling -which was quite brotherly,-- - -"I repeat once more: God grant thee to find in Castelka such a wife as -my Anetka!" - -On the way back Pan Ignas thought that Osnovski was an angel, Pani -Osnovski another, Pani Bronich a third, and Lineta, soaring above them -all on the wings of an archangel, something divine and sacred. He -understood at that moment that a heart might love to pain. In his soul -he was kneeling at her knees, bowing to the earth at her feet; he loved -her, deified her, and to all these feelings, which were playing in him -one great hymn, as it were, to greet the dawn, was joined a feeling of -such tenderness, as if that magnified woman was also a little child, -alone, and wonderfully loved, but a little thing, needing care. He -recalled Osnovski's story of how she had grown pale when they told -her that there was a plan to marry him to another; and in his soul he -repeated, "Ah, but thou art mine, thou art mine!" He grew tender beyond -measure, and gratitude so filled his heart that it seemed to him that -he could not repay her in a lifetime for that one moment of paleness. -He felt happier than ever before; and at moments the immensity of this -happiness almost frightened him. Hitherto he had been a theoretical -pessimist, but now reality gave the lie to those passing theories with -such power that it was hard for him to believe that he could have -deceived himself to such a degree. - -Meanwhile he was returning to the villa, inhaling along the way the -odor of blooming jasmines, and having some species of dim feeling that -that intoxicating odor was nothing external, but simply a part and -component of his happiness. "What people! what a house! what a family!" -said he to himself; "only among them could my White One be reared!" -Then he looked on the sun, setting in calmness; he looked at the golden -curtains of evening, bordered with purple; and that calmness began -to possess him. In those immense lights he felt boundless love and -kindness, which look on the world, cherish, and bless it. He did not -pray in words, it is true; but everything was singing one thanksgiving -prayer in his soul. - -At the gate of the villa he recovered as if from a dream; he saw an old -serving-man of the Osnovskis, who was looking at the passing carriages. - -"Good-evening, Stanislav," said he; "but has not Pani Bronich returned?" - -"I am just looking, but I do not see her." - -"Are the ladies in the drawing-room yet?" - -"They are; and Pan Kopovski, too." - -"But who will open for me?" - -"The door is open. I've come out only this minute." - -Pan Ignas went up; but, finding no one in the common drawing-room, he -went to the studio. There, too, he found no one; but in the adjoining -smaller chamber certain low voices reached him through the portičre -dividing that room from the studio. Thinking to find there both ladies -and Kopovski, he drew aside the portičre slightly, and, looking in, was -stupefied. - -Lineta was not in the room; but Kopovski was kneeling before Pani -Osnovski, who, holding her hands thrust into his abundant hair, was -bending his head back, inclining her face at the same time, as if to -place a kiss on his forehead. - -"Anetka, if thou love me--" said Kopovski, with a voice stifled from -passion. - -"I love--but no! I don't want that," answered Pani Osnovski, pushing -him away somewhat. - -Pan Ignas dropped the portičre with an involuntary movement; for a -moment he stood before it as if his feet had grown leaden. Finally, -without giving himself a clear account of what he was doing, he passed -through the studio, where the sound of his steps was deadened on the -thick carpet, as it had been when he entered; he passed the main -drawing-room, the entrance, the front steps, and came to himself at the -gate of the villa. - -"Is the serene lord going out?" inquired the old serving-man. - -"Yes," answered Pan Ignas. - -He walked away as quickly as if escaping from something. After a time, -however, he stopped, and said aloud to himself,-- - -"Why have I not gone mad?" - -And suddenly madness seemed to him possible, for he felt that he was -losing the thread of his thoughts; that he could not give himself an -account of anything; that he understood nothing, believed nothing. -Something began to tear in him, fall away. How was it? That house -which a moment before he thought to be some kind of blessed retreat of -exceptional souls, conceals the usual falsehood, the usual wickedness, -the usual vileness of life,--a wretched and shameful comedy. And his -Lineta, his White One, is breathing such an atmosphere, living in -such an environment, existing with such beings! Here Osnovski's words -occurred to him: "God grant thee to find in Castelka such a wife as I -have in my Anetka!" "I thank thee," thought Pan Ignas, and he began -to laugh, in spite of himself. Neither evil nor vileness were to him -a novelty: he had seen them, and he knew that they existed; but for -the first time life showed them to him with such a merciless irony, as -that through which Pan Osnovski,--a man who had shown him the heart -of a brother; a man honest, just, kind as few people in the world -are--turned out to be also a fool, a kind of exalted idiot, exalted -through his faith and his feeling; an idiot through a woman. And for -the first time, too, he saw clearly what a bad and contemptible woman -may make of a man, without any fault of his. On a sudden new, dreadful -horizons of life opened before him,--whole regions, the existence of -which he had not suspected; he had understood before that an evil -woman, like a vampire, may suck the life out of a man, and kill him, -and that seemed to him demonic, but he had not imagined that she could -make a fool of him also. He could not master that thought. But still, -Osnovski was ridiculous when he wished him to be as happy with his -future wife as he with Anetka; there was no help for this case either. -One should not so love as to grow blind to that degree. - -Here his thoughts passed to Lineta. At the first moment he had a -feeling that from that vileness in the house of the Osnovskis, and -from that doubt which was born in his heart, a certain shadow fell on -her also. After a while he began, however, to cast out that feeling as -though it were profanation, treason against innocence, treason against -a being as pure as she was beloved, and defiling in thought her and -her angelic plumage. Indignation at himself seized him. "Does such a -dove even think evil?" asked he, in his soul. And his love rose still -more at the thought that "such a super-pure child" must come in contact -with such depravity. He would take her with the utmost haste possible -from Pani Osnovski's, guard her from that woman's influence, seize -her in his arms, and bear her from that house, in which her innocent -eyes might be opened on evil and depravity. A certain demon whispered -at moments to his ear, it is true, that Osnovski, too, believes as -he does, and that he would give his own blood in pledge for his -wife's honesty; he too would count every doubt a profanation of her -sacredness. But Pan Ignas drove away those whisperings with dread. "It -is enough to look into her eyes," said he; and at the mere thought of -those eyes, he was ready to beat his own breast, as if lie had sinned -most grievously. He was also angry at himself because he had come out, -because he had not waited for Pani Bronich, and had not strengthened -himself with the sight of Lineta. He remembered now how he had pressed -her hand to his lips; how she, changing from emotion, said to him, -"Speak with aunt." How much angelic simplicity and purity there was in -those words! what honesty of a soul, which, loving, wishes to be free -to love before the whole world! Pan Ignas, when he thought of this, was -seized by a desire to return; but he felt that he was too much excited, -and that he could not explain his former presence if the servant should -mention it. - -Then again the picture rose before his eyes of Kopovski kneeling to -Pani Osnovski; and he fell to inquiring of himself what he was to do in -view of this, and how he was to act. Warn Osnovski? he rejected this -thought at once with indignation. Shut himself in with Pani Osnovski, -and give her a sermon, eye to eye? She would show him the door. After -a time it came to his head to threaten Kopovski, and force from him a -promise to cease visiting the Osnovskis. But soon he saw that that, -too, was useless. Kopovski, if he had even a small share of courage, -would give him the lie, challenge him; in such a case he would have -to be silent, and people would think that the scandal rose because of -Panna Castelli. Pan Ignas was sorry for Osnovski; he had conceived for -the man a true friendship, and, on the other hand, he was too young to -be reconciled at once with the thought that evil and human crookedness -were to continue unpunished. Ah! but if at that juncture he could have -counselled with some one,--for instance, with Pan Stanislav or Marynia. -But that could not be. And after long thought he resolved to bury all -in himself, and be silent. - -At the same time, from the passionate prayer of Kopovski and the answer -of Pani Aneta, he inferred that the evil might not have passed yet into -complete fall. He did not know women; but he had read no little about -them. He knew that there exists some for whom the form of evil has more -charm than the substance; that there are women devoid of moral sense, -but also of passion, who have just as much desire for a prohibited -adventure as they have repugnance to complete fall,--in a word, those -who are incapable of loving anybody, who deceive their lovers as well -as their husbands. He recalled the words of a certain Frenchman: "If -Eve had been Polish, she would have plucked the apple, but not eaten -it." A similar type seemed to him Pani Aneta; vice might be in her as -superficial as virtue, and in such case the forbidden relation might -annoy her very soon, especially with a man like Kopovski. - -Here, however, Pan Ignas lost the basis of reasoning and the key to the -soul of Pani Aneta. He would have understood relations with any other -man more readily than with Kopovski,--that archangel with the brains of -an idiot. "A poodle understands more of what is said to him," thought -Pan Ignas; "and a woman with such aspirations to reason, to science, -to art, to the understanding of every thought and feeling, could lower -herself for such a head!" He could not explain this to himself, even -with what he had read about women. - -And still reality said more definitely than all books that it was so. -Suddenly Pan Ignas remembered what Osnovski had said to him about their -fear lest that fool might have plans against Castelka, that the mention -of this had angered Pani Aneta immensely, and that she filled Lineta's -head with feeling for another. So then, for Pani Aneta the question -consisted in this, that Kopovski should not pay court to Lineta. She -wanted to save him for herself. Here Pan Ignas shivered all at once, -for the thought struck him, that if that were true, Kopovski must have -had some chance of success; and again a shadow pursued the bright -form of Lineta. If that were true, she would fall in his eyes to the -level of Pani Aneta. After a time he felt bitterness in his mouth and -fire in his brain. Anger sprang upon him, like a tempest; he could -not forgive her this, and the very suspicion would have poisoned him. -Halting again on the street, he felt that he must throttle that thought -in himself, or go mad from it. - -In fact, he put it down so effectively that he recognized himself -as the lowest fool for this alone,--that the thought could come to -him. That Lineta was incapable of loving Kopovski was shown best by -this,--that she had fallen in love with him, Pan Ignas; and the fears -and suspicions of Pani Aneta flowed only from the self-love of a -vain woman, who was afraid that another might be recognized as more -attractive and beautiful than she was. Pan Ignas had the feeling of -having pushed from his breast a stone, which had oppressed him. He -began then in spirit to implore on his knees pardon of the unspotted -one; and thenceforth his thoughts touching her were full of love, -homage, and contrition. - -Now he made the remark to himself that evil, though committed by -another, bears evil; how many foul thoughts had passed through his mind -only because he had seen a fool at the feet of a giddy head! He noted -that consideration down in his memory. - -When near his lodgings he met Pan Stanislav with Pani Mashko on his -arm; and that day had so poisoned him that a sudden suspicion flashed -through his mind. But Pan Stanislav recognized him in the light of the -moon and a lamp, and had no desire to hide evidently, for he stopped -him. - -"Good-evening," said he. "Why home so early to-day?" - -"I was at Pani Bronich's, and I am just strolling about, for the -evening is beautiful." - -"Then step in to us. As soon as I conduct this lady home, I will -return. My wife has not seen you this long time." - -"I will go," said Pan Ignas. - -And a desire to see Pani Marynia had seized him really. So many -thoughts and feelings had rushed through him that he was weary; and he -knew that the calm and kind face of Marynia would act on him soothingly. - -Soon he rang the bell at Pan Stanislav's. When he had entered, he -explained, after the greeting, that he came at the request of her -husband, to which she answered,-- - -"Of course! I am very glad. My husband at this moment is escorting -home Pani Mashko, who visited me, but he will return to tea. The -Bigiels will be here surely, and perhaps my father will come, if he has -not gone to the theatre." - -Then she indicated a place at the table to him, and, straightening -the lamp shade, began on the work with which she was occupied -previously,--making little rosettes of narrow red and blue ribbons, of -which there was a pile lying before her. - -"What are you making?" asked Pan Ignas. - -"Rosettes. They are sewed to various costumes." - -After a while she added,-- - -"But this is far more interesting,--what are you doing? Do you know -that all Warsaw is marrying you to Lineta Castelli? They have seen you -both in the theatre, at the races; they see you at the promenades; -and it is impossible to persuade them that the affair is not decided -already." - -"Since I have spoken with you so openly, I will tell you now that it is -almost decided." - -Marynia raised to him eyes enlivened with a smile and with curiosity. - -"Is that true? Ah, that is a perfect piece of news! May God give you -such happiness as we wish you!" - -Then she stretched her hand to him, and afterward inquired with roused -curiosity,-- - -"Have you spoken with Lineta?" - -Pan Ignas told her how it was, and acknowledged his conversation with -Lineta and with Osnovski; then, letting himself be borne away in the -narrative, he confessed everything that had happened to him--how, from -the beginning, he had observed, criticised, and struggled with himself; -how he had not dared to hope; how he had tried to drive that feeling -from his head, or rather, from his heart, and how he could not resist -it. He assured her that he had promised himself a number of times to -cut short the acquaintance and the visits, but strength failed him each -time; each time he saw with amazement that the whole world, the whole -object of his life, was there; that without her, without Lineta, he -would not know what to do with his life--and he went back to her. - -Pan Ignas had not observed himself less truthfully, but he criticised -and struggled less than he said. He spoke sincerely, however. He added -at the end that he knew with certainty that he loved, not his own -feelings involved in Lineta, but Lineta herself, for herself, and that -she was the dearest person on earth to him. - -"Think," said he, "others have families, mothers, sisters, brothers; I, -except my unfortunate father, have no one, and therefore my love for -the whole world is centred in her." - -"True," said Marynia; "that had to come." - -"This seems a dream to me," continued he; "it cannot find place in my -head that she will be my wife really. At times it seems to me that this -cannot happen; that something will intervene; that all will be lost." - -In fact, this feeling was strengthened in him by exaltation, to which -he was more inclined than other men, and at last he began to tremble -nervously; then he covered his eyes with his hands, and said,-- - -"You see I must shield my eyes to imagine this properly. Such -happiness! such fabulous happiness! What does a man seek in life, -and in marriage? Just that, and in its own course that exceeds his -strength. I do not know whether I am so weak or what? but I say -sincerely that at times breath fails me." - -Marynia placed her rosette on the table, and, putting her hands on it, -looked at him for a while, then said,-- - -"You are a poet, and are carried away too much; you should look more -calmly. Listen to what I will tell you. I have a little book from my -mother, in which, while she was sick and without hope of recovery, -she wrote for me what she thought was good. About marriage she wrote -down something which later I have not heard from any one, and have not -read in any book,--that is, that one should not marry to be happy, but -to accomplish those duties which God imposes at marriage; and that -happiness is only an addition, a gift of God. You see how simple this -is; and still it is true that not only have I not heard it since, but I -have not seen any woman or any man about to marry who thought more of -duty than of happiness. Remember this, and repeat it to Lineta,--will -you?" - -Pan Ignas looked at her with astonishment. - -"Do you know this is so simple that really it will never come to any -one's mind?" - -She laughed a little sadly, and, taking her rosette, began again to -sew. After a while she repeated,-- - -"Tell that to Lineta." - -And she sewed on, drawing out with quick movement her somewhat thin -hand, together with the needle. - -"You will understand that if one has such a principle in the heart, one -has perpetual peace, more joyous, or sadder, as God grants, but still -deep. But without that there is only a kind of feverish happiness, -and deceptions always at hand, even if only for this reason,--that -happiness may be different from what we imagine it." And she sewed on. - -He looked at her inclined head, at her moving hand, at her work; he -heard her voice; and it seemed to him that that peace of which she had -spoken was floating above her, was filling the whole atmosphere, was -suspended above the table, was burning mildly in the lamp, and finally, -was entering him. - -He was so occupied with himself, with his love, that it did not even -occur to him that her heart could be sad. Meanwhile he was penetrated, -as it were, by a double astonishment: first, that these truths which -she had told him were such an _a_, _b_, _c_, that they ought to lie on -the very surface of every thought; and second, that in spite of this, -his own thought had not worked them out of itself, or, at least, had -not looked at them. "What is that," thought he, "our wisdom, bookish in -comparison with that simple wisdom of an honest woman's heart?" Then, -recalling Pani Aneta, and looking at Marynia, he began this monologue -in his soul, "That woman and this woman!" And suddenly there came to -him immense solace; all his disturbed thoughts settled down to their -level. He felt that he was resting while looking at that noble woman. -"In Lineta," said he to himself, "there is the same calmness, the same -simplicity, and the same honesty." - -Now Pan Stanislav came, a little later the Bigiels, after which the -violoncello was brought. At tea Pan Stanislav spoke of Mashko. Mashko -conducted the suit against the will with all energy, and it advanced, -though there were difficulties at every step. The advocate on the side -of the benevolent institutions--that young Sledz (herring), whom Mashko -promised to sprinkle with pepper, cover with oil, and swallow--turned -out not to be so easily eaten as had seemed. Pan Stanislav heard that -he was a man cool, resolute, and at the same time a skilled lawyer. - -"What is amusing, withal," said he, "is, that Mashko, as Mashko, -considers himself a kind of patrician, who is fighting with a -plebeian, and says this will be a test of whose blood is thicker. It is -a pity that Bukatski is not living; this would give him amusement." - -"But is Mashko in St. Petersburg all this time?" asked Bigiel. - -"He returns to-day; for that reason she could not stay for the -evening," answered Pan Stanislav; after a while he added, "I had in my -time a prejudice against her; but I have convinced myself that she is -not a bad woman, and, besides, is poor." - -"How poor? Mashko hasn't lost the case yet," said Pani Bigiel. - -"But he is always from home. Pani Mashko's mother is in an optical -hospital in Vienna, and will lose her eyes, perhaps. Pani Mashko is -alone whole days, like a hermitess. I say that I had a prejudice -against her, but now I am sorry for her." - -"It is true," said Marynia, "that since marriage she has become far -more sympathetic." - -"Yes," answered Pan Stanislav; "and besides she has lost no charm. Red -eyes injured her formerly; but now the redness has vanished, and she is -as maiden-like as ever." - -"But it is unknown whether Mashko is equally pleased with that," -remarked Bigiel. - -Marynia was anxious to tell those present the news about Pan Ignas; -but since he was not betrothed yet officially, she did not know that -it might be mentioned. When, however, after tea, Pani Bigiel began -to inquire of him how the matter stood, he himself said that it was -as good as finished, and Marynia put in her word announcing that the -matter stood in this form,--that they might congratulate Pan Ignas. -All began then to press his hand with that true friendship which they -had for him, and genuine gladness possessed all. Bigiel, from delight, -kissed Pani Bigiel; Pan Stanislav commanded to bring glasses and a -bottle of champagne, to drink the health of the "most splendid couple" -in Warsaw; Pani Bigiel began to joke with Pan Ignas, predicting what -the housekeeping of a poet and an artist would be. He laughed; but was -really moved by this, that his dreams were beginning to be real. - -A little later, Pan Stanislav punched him, and said,-- - -"The happiness of God, but I will give you one advice: what you have -in poetry, put into _business_, into work; be a realist in life, and -remember that marriage is no romance." - -But he did not finish, for Marynia put her hand suddenly over his -mouth, and said, laughing, "Silence, thou wise head!" - -And then to Pan Ignas, "Don't listen to this grave pate: make no -theories beforehand for yourself; only love." - -"True, Pani, true," answered Pan Ignas. - -"In that case, buy a harp for yourself," added Pan Stanislav, jeeringly. - -At mention of the harp, Bigiel seized his violoncello, saying that they -ought to end such an evening with music. Marynia sat at the piano, and -they began one of Handel's serenades. Pan Ignas had the impression that -the soul was going out of him. He took those mild tones into himself, -and was flying amid the night, lulling Lineta to sleep with them. Late -in the evening, he came out, as if strengthened with the sight of those -worthy people. - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [10] "Nitechka" (little thread) is the diminutive of "Nitka," itself a - diminutive of "Nits," which means thread. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVI. - - -Marynia had such peace "as God gave," but really deep. A great aid to -finding it was that voice from beyond the grave,--the little book, -yellowed by years, in which she read "that a woman should not marry -to be happy, but to fulfil the duties which God imposes on her then." -Marynia, who looked frequently into this little book, had read more -than once those lines before that; but real meaning they had taken on -for her only of late, in that spiritual process through which she had -passed after her return from Italy. It ended in this way, that she was -not only reconciled with fate, but at present she did not admit even -the thought that she was unhappy. She repeated to herself that it was a -happiness different, it is true, from what she had imagined, but none -the less real. It is certain that, if God had given her the power of -arranging people's hearts, she would have wished "Stas" to show her, -not more honor, but more of that tenderness of which he was capable, -and which he had shown in her time to Litka; that his feeling for -her might be less sober, and have in it a certain kernel of poetry -which her own love had. But, on the other hand, she cherished always -somewhere, in some little corner of her heart,--first, the hope that -that might come to pass; and, second, she thought in her soul that, -even if it did not, then, as matters stood, she ought to thank God for -having given her a brave and honest man, whom she could not only love, -but esteem. More than once she stopped to compare him with others, and -could not find any one to sustain the comparison. Bigiel was worthy, -but he had not that dash; Osnovski, with all his goodness, lacked -practical knowledge of life and work; Mashko was a person a hundred -times lower in everything; Pan Ignas seemed to her rather a genial -child than a man,--in a word, from every comparison "Stas" came out -always victorious, and the one result was that she felt for him an -increasing trust as to vital questions, and loved him more and more. At -the same time, while denying herself, subjecting to him her own _I_, -bringing in sacrifice her imaginings and her selfishness, she had the -feeling that she was developing more and more in a spiritual sense, -that she was perfecting herself, that she was becoming better, that she -was not descending to any level, but rising to some height, whence the -soul would be nearer to God; and all at once she saw that in such a -feeling lies the whole world of happiness. Pan Stanislav at that time -was away from home often, therefore she was alone frequently; and, more -than once, she reasoned with the great simplicity of an honest woman: -"People should strive to be better and better; but if I am not worse -than I was, it is well. Were it otherwise, maybe I should be spoiled." -She did not come, however, to the thought that there was more wisdom -in this than in all the ideas and talks of Pani Osnovski. It seemed to -her natural, too, that she had less charm at that time for "Stas" than -formerly. Looking into her mirror, she said to herself: "Well, the eyes -do not change, but what a figure! what a face! If I were Stas, I would -run out of the house!" And she thought an untruth, for she would not -have run out; but it seemed to her that in this way she was increasing -"Stas's" merit. She got comfort, too, from Pani Bigiel, who said that -afterward she would be fairer than ever, "just like some young girl." -And, at times, joy and thankfulness rose in her heart, because all is -so wisely arranged; and if, at first, one is a little uglier and must -suffer a little, not only does all return, but, as a reward, there -is a beloved "bobo" which attaches one to life, and creates a new -bond between wife and husband. In this way, she had times, not only -of peace, but simply of joyfulness, and sometimes she said to Pani -Bigiel,-- - -"Dost thou know what I think?--it is possible to be happy always, only -we must fear God." - -"What has one to do with the other?" asked Pani Bigiel, who from her -husband had gained a love of clear thinking. - -"This," answered Marynia,--"that we should rest with what He gives us, -and not importune Him, because He hasn't given that which seems to us -better." - -Then she added joyously, "We mustn't tease for happiness." And both -began to laugh. - -Frequently, too, in the tenderness almost exaggerated which Pan -Stanislav showed his wife, it was clearly evident that he was thinking -chiefly of the child; but Marynia did not take that ill of him now. In -truth, she never had; but at present she was willing to count it a -merit in him, for she thought it the duty of both to care above all for -the child, as for their future mutual love. Yielding up daily in this -way something of her own care for self, she gained more and more peace, -more and more calmness; these feelings were reflected in her eyes, -which were more beautiful than ever. Her main anxiety now was that it -should be a daughter. She was ready even in this to yield to the will -of God, but she feared "Stas" a little; and one day she asked him in -jest,-- - -"Stas, and thou wilt not kill me if it is a son?" - -"No," answered he, laughing and kissing her hand; "but I should prefer -a daughter." - -"But I have heard from Pani Bigiel that men always prefer sons." - -"But I am such a man that I prefer a daughter." - -Not always, however, were her thoughts so joyous. At times it came to -her head that she might die, for she knew that death happens in such -cases; and she prayed earnestly that it should not happen, for first -she feared it, second, she would be sorry to go away, even to heaven, -when she had such a prospect of loving, and finally she imagined to -herself that "Stas" would mourn for her immensely. And at that thought -she grew as tender over him as if he had been at that moment a man more -deserving of pity than all other unfortunates living. Never had she -spoken to him of this, though it seemed to her that sometimes he had -feared it. - -But she deceived herself thoroughly. The doctor, who came to Marynia -weekly, assured both her and her husband after each visit that all was -and would be most regular; hence Pan Stanislav had no fear for his -wife's future. The cause of his alarm was something quite different, -which happily for herself Marynia had not suspected, and which Pan -Stanislav himself had not dared even to name in his own mind. For some -time something had begun to go wrong in his life calculations, of which -he had been so proud, and which had given him such internal security. -A little while before he had considered that his theories of life were -like a house built of firm timbers, resting on solid foundations. In -his soul he was proud of that house, and in secret exalted himself -above those who had not the skill to build anything like it. Speaking -briefly, he thought himself a better life architect than others. He -judged that the labor was finished from foundation to summit, only go -in, live, and rest there. He forgot that a human soul, like a bird when -it has soared to a given height, not only is not free to rest, but -must work its wings hard to support itself, otherwise the very first -temptation will bring it to the earth again. - -The worse and vainer the temptation, the more was he enraged at himself -because he gave way to it. A mean desire, a low object,--he had not -even anything to explain to himself; and still the walls of his -house had begun to crack. Pan Stanislav was a religious man now, and -that from conviction; he was too sincere with himself to enter into -a compromise with his own principles, and say to himself that such -things happen even to the firmest of believers. No! He was by nature -a man rather unsparing, and logic said to him "either, or;" hence he -felt that speaking thus it spoke justly. Hitherto he had not given -way to temptation; but still he was angry because he was tempted, for -temptation brought him to doubt his own character. Considering himself -as better than others, he stood suddenly in face of the question, was -he not worse than others, for not only had temptation attacked him, but -he felt that in a given case he might yield to it. - -More than once, while looking at Pani Osnovski, he repeated to himself -the opinion of Confucius: "An ordinary woman has as much reason as -a hen; an extraordinary woman as much as two hens." In view of Pani -Mashko, it occurred to him that there are women with reference to whom -this Chinese truth, which makes one indignant, is flattery. Had it been -at least possible to say of Pani Mashko that she was honestly stupid, -it would become a certain individual trait of hers; but she was not. -A few, or a few tens of formulas had made of her a polite nonentity. -Just as two or three hundred phrases make up the whole language of -the inhabitants of New Guinea, and satisfy all their wants, so those -formulas satisfied Pani Mashko as to social relations, thoughts, and -life. For that matter, she was as completely passive within that shade -of automatic dignity which narrowness of mind produces, and a blind -faith that if proper formalities are observed, there can be no error. -Pan Stanislav knew her as such, and as such ridiculed her more than -once while she was unmarried. He called her a puppet, a manikin; he -felt enraged at her because of that doctor who had perished for her -in some place where pepper grows; he disregarded her and did not like -her. But even then, as often as he saw her, whether at the Bigiels', -or when on Mashko's business he went to Pani Kraslavski, he always -returned under the physical impression which she made on him, of -which he gave himself an account. That quenched face, that passive, -vegetable calm of expression, that coldness of bearing, that frequent -reddening of the eyes, that slender form, had in them something which -affected him unusually. He explained that to himself then by some law -of natural selection; and when he had outlined the thing technically, -he stopped there, for the impression which Marynia had made on him was -still greater, hence he had followed it. At present, however, Marynia -was his, and he had grown used to her beauty, which, moreover, had -disappeared for a period. It so happened that because of Mashko's -frequent journeys, he saw Pani Mashko almost daily, in consequence -of which former impressions not only revived, but, in the conditions -in which Pan Stanislav found himself with reference to Marynia, they -revived with unexpected vigor. And it happened finally that he who -would not consent to be in leading strings for the ten times more -beautiful and charming Pani Osnovski; he, who had resisted her Roman -fantasies; he, who had looked on himself as a man of principles, -stronger in character and firmer in mind than most people,--saw now -that if Pani Mashko wished to push that edifice with her foot, all its -bindings might be loosened, and the ceiling tumble on his head. Of a -certainty, he would not cease to love his wife, for he was sincerely -and profoundly attached to her; but he felt that he might be in a -condition to betray her,--and then not only her, but himself, his -principles, his conceptions of what an honest and a moral man should -be. With a certain terror as well as anger, he found in himself not -merely the human beast, but a weak beast. He was alarmed by this, he -rebelled against this weakness; but still he could not overcome it. -It was a simple thing in view of this, not to see Pani Mashko, or to -see her as seldom as possible; meanwhile he was finding reasons to -see her the oftenest possible. At first he wanted to lull himself -with these reasons; but, in view of his innate consistency, that was -impossible, and it ended with this, that he merely invented them. -Straightway, he deceived with them his wife, and whomever he wished. -When in company with Pani Mashko, he could not refrain from looking -at her, from embracing with his glance her face and whole person. A -sickly curiosity seized him as to how she would bear herself in case -he appeared before her with what was happening within him. What would -she say then? And he took pleasure in spite of himself in supposing -that she would bear herself with perfect passiveness. He despised her -beforehand for this; but she became the more desired by him thereby. In -himself he discovered whole mountains of depravity, which he referred -to long stay in foreign countries; and, having considered himself up -to that time a fresh and healthy nature, he began to grow alarmed. Had -he not been deceived in himself, and was not that wonderful impression -produced on him by a being so little attractive the appearance of some -neurosis consuming him without his knowledge? It had not occurred to -him that there might exist even such conditions in which the soul of a -man simply despises a woman, but the human beast longs for her. - -In her, instinct had taken the place of mental keenness; besides, she -was not so naďve as not to know what his glance meant as it slipped -over her form, or what his eyes said when talking, especially when they -were alone, and he looked into her face with a certain persistence. -At first she felt a kind of satisfaction for her self-love, which it -is difficult for even an honest woman to resist when she sees the -impression produced by her; when she feels herself distinguished, -desired beyond others,--in a word, victorious. Besides, she was ready -not to recognize and not to see the danger, just as a partridge does -not wish to see it, when it hides its head in the snow, on feeling the -hawk circling above it. For Pani Mashko appearances were this snow; -and Pan Stanislav felt that. He knew also from his experience as a -single man that there are women for whom it is a question above all of -preserving certain, frequently even strange, appearances. He remembered -some who burst out in indignation when he said to them in Polish that -which they heard in French with a smile; he had met even those who were -unapproachably firm at home and in the city, and so free in summer -residences, at watering, or bathing places, and others who endured an -attempt, but could not endure words, and others for whom the decisive -thing was light or darkness. In all places where virtue did not come -from the soul, and from principles ingrafted like vaccination into the -blood, resistance or fall depended on accident or surroundings, or -external, frequently favoring circumstances, personal ideas of polite -appearances. He judged that it might be thus with Pani Mashko; and -if hitherto he had not entered the road of testing and trying, it was -simply because he was battling with himself, because he did not wish -to give way, and, despising her in the bottom of his soul, he wished -to escape the position of despising himself. Attachment to Marynia -restrained him too, and sympathy, as it were, mingled with respect for -her condition and gratitude to her, and the hope of fatherhood, which -moved him, and a remembrance of the shortness of the time which they -had lived together, and honesty, and a religious feeling. These were -chains, as it were, at which the human beast was still tugging. - -They did not hold, however, with equal strength always. Once, and, -namely, that evening on which Pan Ignas had met them, he had almost -betrayed himself. At the thought that Mashko was returning and that -Pani Mashko was hastening home, therefore, a low, purely physical -jealousy seized him; and he said with a certain anger, repressed, but -visible,-- - -"True! I understand your haste! Ulysses is coming, and Penelope must be -at home, but--" - -Here he felt a desire to curse. - -"But what?" inquired Pani Mashko. - -Pan Stanislav answered without any hesitation,-- - -"Just to-day I wished to detain you longer." - -"It is not proper," answered she briefly, with a voice as thin as -though strained through a sieve. - -And in that, "It is not proper," was her whole soul. - -He returned, cursing earnestly her and himself. When he reached home he -found in the clear, peaceful room Marynia and Pan Ignas, she proving to -the poet that when they marry, people should not look for some imagined -happiness, but the duties which God imposes at that time. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVII. - - -"What is Pani Osnovski to me, and what are all her affairs to me?" said -Pan Ignas to himself next morning on the way to Pani Bronich's: "I am -not going to marry her, but _my own one_. Why did I so tear and torment -myself yesterday?" - -And when he had said this "to his lofty soul," he began to think only -of what he would say to Pani Bronich; for in spite of Osnovski's -assurances, in spite of every hope that that conversation would be -merely a certain form for observance, in spite of his confidence in -Lineta's heart and the kindness of Pani Bronich, the "lofty soul" was -in fear. - -He found aunt and niece together; and, emboldened by yesterday, he -pressed to his lips the hand of the young lady, who said, blushing -slightly,-- - -"But I will run away." - -"Nitechka, stop!" said Pani Bronich. - -"No," answered she; "I fear this gentleman, and I fear aunt." - -Thus speaking, she began to rub her golden head, like a petted kitten, -against the shoulder of Pani Bronich, saying,-- - -"Do not wrong him aunt; do not wrong him." - -And looking at him, she ran away really. Pan Ignas, from emotion and -excess of love, was as pale as linen; Pani Bronich had tears on her -lids. And, seeing that his throat was so pressed that it would have -been easier for him to cry than to talk, she said,-- - -"I know why you have come. I have noticed this long time what was -passing between you, my children." - -Pan Ignas seized her hands, and began to press them to his lips one -after the other; she on her part continued,-- - -"Oh, I myself have felt too much in life not to know real feelings; I -will say more: it is my specialty. Women live only by the heart, and -they know how to divine hearts. I know that you love Nitechka truly; -and I am certain that if she did not love you, or if I should refuse -her to you, you would not survive. Is it not true?" - -Here she gazed at him with an inquiring glance, and he said with -effort,-- - -"Beyond doubt! I know not what would happen to me." - -"I guessed that at once," answered she, with radiant face. "Ah, my dear -friend, a look is enough for me; but I shall not be an evil spirit as -your genius. No, I shall not, I cannot be that. Whom shall I find for -Nitechka? Where a man worthy of her? Who would have in him all that she -loves and esteems chiefly? I cannot give her to Kopovski, and I will -not. You perhaps do not know Nitechka as I do; but I cannot and will -not give her." - -In spite of all his emotion, that energy with which Pani Bronich -refused "Nitechka's" hand to Kopovski astonished Pan Ignas, just as if -he had declared for Kopovski, not for himself; and the aunt continued, -moved, but evidently enjoying her own words and delighted with the -position,-- - -"No! there can be no talk of Kopovski. You alone can make Nitechka -happy. You alone can give her what she needs. I knew yesterday that -you would talk with me to-day. I did not close an eye the whole -night. Do not wonder at that. Here it is a question of Nitechka, and -I was hesitating yet; therefore fear seized me in view of to-day's -conversation, for I knew in advance that I would not resist you, -that you would bear me away with your feeling and your eloquence, as -yesterday you bore away Nitechka." - -Pan Ignas, who neither yesterday nor to-day was able to buzz out one -word, could not explain somehow to himself in what specially lay the -power of his eloquence, or when he had time to exhibit it; but Pani -Bronich did not permit him to hesitate longer on this question. - -"And do you know what I did? This is what I do always in life's most -serious moments. Speaking yesterday with Nitechka, I went early this -morning to the grave of my husband. He is lying here in Warsaw--I -know not whether I have told you that he was the last descendant of -Rurik--Ah, yes, I have! Oh, dear friend, what a refuge for me that -grave is; and how many good inspirations I have brought from it! -Whether it was a question of the education of Nitechka, or of some -journey, or of investing capital which my husband left me, or of a loan -which some one of my relatives or acquaintances wished to make, I went -there directly at all times. And will you believe me? More than once -a mortgage is offered: it seems a good one; the business is perfect; -more than once my heart even commands me to give or to lend,--but my -husband, there in the depth of his eternal rest, answers: 'Do not -give,' and I give not. And never has evil resulted. Oh, my dear, you -who feel and understand everything, you will understand how to-day I -prayed, how I asked with all the powers of my soul, 'Give Nitechka, or -not give Nitechka?'" - -Here she seized Pan Ignas's temples with her hands, and said through -her tears,-- - -"But my Teodor answered, 'Give;' therefore I give her to thee, and my -blessing besides." - -Tears quenched indeed further conversation in Pani Bronich. Pan Ignas -knelt before her; "Nitechka," who came in, as if at a fixed moment, -dropped on her knees at his side; Pani Bronich stretched her hands and -said sobbing,-- - -"She is thine, thine! I give her to thee; I and Teodor give her." - -Then the three rose. Aunt Bronich covered her eyes with her -handkerchief, and remained some time without motion; gradually, -however, she slipped away the handkerchief, looking from one side at -the two young people. Suddenly she laughed, and, threatening with her -finger, said,-- - -"Oi! I know what you would like now,--you would like to be alone. -Surely you have something to say to each other. Is it not true?" - -And she went out. Pan Ignas took Lineta's hands that moment, and looked -into her eyes with intoxication. - -They sat down; and she, leaving her hands in his, rested her temple on -his shoulder. It was like a song without words. Pan Ignas inclined his -head toward her bright face. Lineta closed her eyes; but he was too -young and too timid, he respected too much and he loved, hence he did -not venture yet to touch her lips with his. He only kissed her golden -hair, and even that caused the room in which they were sitting to spin -with him; the world began to whirl round. Then all vanished from his -eyes; he lost memory of where he was, and what was happening; he heard -only the beating of his own heart; he felt the odor of the silken hair, -which brushed his lips, and it seemed to him that in that was the -universe. - -But that was only a dream from which he had to wake. After a certain -time the aunt began to open the door gently, as if wishing to lose -the least possible of the romance, in which, with Teodor's aid, she -was playing the rôle of guardian spirit; in the adjoining chamber -were heard the voices of the Osnovskis; and a moment later Lineta -found herself in the arms of her aunt, from which she passed into the -embraces of Pani Aneta. Osnovski, pressing Ignas's hands with all his -power, said,-- - -"But what a joy in the house, what a joy! for we have all fallen in -love with thee,--I, and aunt, and Anetka, not to speak of this little -one." - -Then he turned to his wife and said,-- - -"Knowest, Anetka, what I wished Ignas, even yesterday? that they should -be to each other as we are." And, seizing her hands, he began to kiss -them with vehemence. - -Pan Ignas, though he knew not in general what was happening to him, -found still presence of mind enough to look into the face of Pani -Aneta; but she answered joyously, withdrawing her hands from her -husband,-- - -"No, they will be happier; for Castelka is not such a giddy thing as I, -and Pan Ignas will not kiss her hands so stubbornly before people. But, -Yozio, let me go!" - -"Let him only love her as I thee, my treasure, my child," answered the -radiant Yozio. - -Pan Ignas stayed at Pani Bronich's till evening, and did not go to the -counting-house. After lunch he drove out in the carriage with the aunt -and Lineta, for Pani Bronich wanted absolutely to show them to society. -But their drive in the Alley was not a success altogether, because of a -sudden hard shower, which scattered the carriages. On their return, Pan -Osnovski, good as he ever was, made a new proposition which delighted -Pan Ignas. - -"Prytulov will not escape us," said he. "We live here as if we were -half in the country; and since we have remained till the end of June, -we may stay a couple of days longer. Let that loving couple exchange -rings before our departure, and at the same time let it be free to -Aneta and me to give them a betrothal party. Is it well, aunt? I see -that they have nothing against it, and surely it will be agreeable -for Ignas to have at the betrothal his friends the Polanyetskis and -the Bigiels. It is true that we do not visit the latter, but that is -nothing! We will visit them to-morrow, and the affair will be settled. -Is it well, Ignas; is it well, aunt?" - -Ignas was evidently in the seventh heaven; as to aunt, she didn't know -indeed what Teodor's opinion would be in this matter, and she began to -hesitate. But she might inquire of Teodor yet; and then she remembered -that he had answered, "Give," with such a great voice from his place of -eternal rest that it was impossible to doubt his good wishes,--hence -she agreed at last to everything. - -After dinner Kopovski, the almost daily guest, came; and it turned out -that he was the only being in the villa to whom news of the feelings -and betrothal of the young couple did not cause delight. For a time his -face expressed indescribable astonishment; at last he said,-- - -"I never should have guessed that Panna Lineta would marry Pan Ignas." - -Osnovski pushed Pan Ignas with his elbow, blinked, and whispered, with -a very cunning mien,-- - -"Hast noticed? I told thee yesterday that he was making up to Castelka." - -Pan Ignas left the villa of the Osnovskis late in the evening. When -he reached home he did not betake himself to verses, however, though -it seemed to him then that he was a kind of harp, the strings of -which played of themselves, but to the counting-house, to unfinished -correspondence and accounts. - -At the counting-house all were so pleased with this that when the -Bigiels returned the visit of the Osnovskis, and at the same time made -the first visit to Pani Bronich, Bigiel said,-- - -"The worth of Pan Zavilovski's poetry is known to you ladies, but -perhaps you do not know how conscientious a man he is. I say this -because that is a rare quality among us. Since he remained all day with -you here, and could not be at the counting-house, he asked to have it -opened by the guard in the night; he took home the books and papers in -his charge, and did what pertained to him. It is pleasant to think that -one has to do with such a man, for such a man may be trusted." - -Here, however, the honorable partner of the house of Bigiel and -Polanyetski was astonished that such high praise from his lips made so -little impression, and that Pani Bronich, instead of showing gladness, -replied,-- - -"Ah, we hope that in future Pan Zavilovski will be able to give himself -to labor more in accordance with his powers and position." - -In general, the impression which both sides brought away from their -acquaintance showed that somehow they were not at home with each -other. Lineta pleased the Bigiels, it is true; but he, in going away, -whispered to his wife, "How comfortably they live for themselves in -this place!" He had a feeling that the spirit of that whole villa was -a sort of unbroken holiday, or idling; but he was not able at once to -express that idea, for he had not the gift of ready utterance. - -But Pani Bronich, after their departure, said to "Nitechka,"-- - -"Of course, of course! They must be excellent people--true, perfect -people! I am certain--yes, certain--" - -And somehow she did not finish her thought; but "Nitechka" must have -understood her, however, for she said,-- - -"But they are no relatives of his." - -A few days later the relatives, too, made themselves heard. Pan Ignas, -who, in spite of the wishes of Pani Bigiel, had not gone yet with -excuses to old Zavilovski, received the following letter from him,-- - - PAN WILDCAT!--Thou hast scratched me undeservedly, for I - had no wish to offend thee; and if I say always what I think, it - is permitted me because I am old. They must have told thee, too, - that I never name, even to her eyes, thy young lady otherwise than - Venetian half-devil. But how was I to know that thou wert in love - and about to marry? I heard of this only yesterday, and only now - do I understand why thou didst spring out of my sight; but since I - prefer water-burners to dullards, and since through this devil of - a gout I cannot go myself to thee to congratulate, do thou come to - the old man, who is more thy well-wisher than seems to thee. - -After this letter Pan Ignas went that same day, and was received -cordially, though with scolding, but so kindly that this time the old -truth-teller pleased him, and he felt in him really a relative. - -"May God and the Most Holy Lady bless thee!" said the old man. "I know -thee little; but I have heard such things of thee that I should be glad -to hear the like touching all Zavilovskis." - -And he pressed his hand; then, turning to his daughter, he said,-- - -"He's a genial rascal, isn't he?" - -And at parting he inquired,-- - -"But 'Teodor,' didn't he trouble thee too much? Hei?" - -Pan Ignas, who, as an artist, possessed in a high degree the sense -of the ridiculous, and to whom in his soul that Teodor, too, seemed -comical, laughed and answered,-- - -"No. On the contrary, he was on my side." - -The old man began to shake his head. - -"That is a devil of an accommodating Teodor! Be on the lookout for him; -he is a rogue." - -Pani Bronich had so much genuine respect for the property and social -position of old Zavilovski that she visited him next day, and began -almost to thank him for his cordial reception of his relative; but the -old man grew angry unexpectedly. - -"Do you think that I am some empty talker?" asked he. "You have heard -from me that poor relatives are a plague; and you think that I take it -ill of them that they are poor. No, you do not know me! But, know this, -when a noble loses everything, and is poor, he becomes almost always a -sort of shabby fellow. Such is our character, or rather, its weakness. -But this Ignas, as I hear from every side, is a man of honor, though -poor; and therefore I love him." - -"And I love him," answered Pani Bronich. "But you will be at the -betrothal?" - -"_C'est décidé._ Even though I had to be carried." - -Pani Bronich returned radiant, and at lunch could not restrain herself -from expressing suppositions which her active fancy had begun to create. - -"Pan Zavilovski," said she, "is a man of millions, and greatly attached -to the name. I should not be astonished at all were he to make our -Ignas his heir, if not of the chief, of a considerable part of his -property, or if he were to entail some of his estates in Poznan on him. -I should not be surprised at all." - -No one contradicted her, for events like that in the world had been -seen; therefore after lunch, Pani Bronich, embracing Nitechka, -whispered in her ear,-- - -"Oi, thou, thou, future heiress!" - -But in the evening she said to Pan Ignas,-- - -"Be not astonished if I so mix up in everything, but I am your mamma. -So mamma is immensely curious to know what kind of ring you are -preparing for Nitechka? It will be something beautiful, of course. -There will be so many people at the betrothal. And, besides, you have -no idea what a fastidious girl! She is so ćsthetic even in trifles; and -she has her own taste, but what a taste! ho, ho!" - -"I should like," answered Pan Ignas, "the stones to be of colors -denoting faith, hope, and love, for in her is my faith, my hope, and my -love." - -"A very pretty idea! have you said this to Nitechka? Do you know what? -Let there be a pearl in the middle, as a sign that she is a pearl. -Symbols are in fashion now. Have I told you that Pan Svirski, when he -gave her lessons, called her 'La Perla'? Ah, yes, I did. You do not -know Pan Svirski? He, too--Yozio Osnovski told me that he would come -to-morrow. Well, then, a sapphire, a ruby, an emerald, and in the -middle a pearl? Oh, yes! Pan Svirski, too--Will you be at the funeral?" - -"Whose funeral?" - -"Pan Bukatski's. Yozio Osnovski told me that Pan Svirski brought home -his body." - -"I did not know him; I have never seen him in my life." - -"That is better; Nitechka would prefer that you had not known him. God -in His mercy forgive him in spite of this,--that for me he was never a -sympathetic person, and Nitechka could not endure him. But the little -one will be glad of the ring; and when she is glad, I am glad." - -The "Little One" was glad not only of the ring, but of life in general. -The rôle of an affianced assumed for her increasing charm. Beautiful -nights came, very clear, during which she and Pan Ignas sat together on -the balcony. Nestling up to each other, they looked at the quivering -of light on the leaves, or lost their gaze in the silver dust of the -Milky Way, and the swarms of stars. From the acacia, growing under the -balcony, there rose a strong and intoxicating odor, as from a great -censer. Their powers seemed to go to sleep in them; their souls, lulled -by silence, turned into clear light, were scattered in some way amidst -the depth of night, and were melted into unity with the soft moonlight; -and so the two, sitting hand in hand, half in oblivion, half in sleep, -lost well-nigh the feeling of separate existence and life, preserving -a mere semi-consciousness of some sort of general bliss and general -"exaltation of hearts." - -Pan Ignas, when he woke and returned to real life, understood that -moments like those, in which hearts melt in that pantheism of love, -and beat with the same pulsation with which everything quivers that -loves, unites, and harmonizes in the universe, form the highest -happiness which love has the power to give, and so immeasurable -that were they to continue they would of necessity destroy man's -individuality. But, having the soul of an idealist, he thought that -when death comes and frees the human monad from matter, those moments -change into eternity; and in that way he imagined heaven, in which -nothing is swallowed up, but everything simply united and attuned in -universal harmony. - -Lineta, it is true, could not move with his flight; but she felt a -certain turning of the head, as it were, a kind of intoxication from -his flight, and she felt herself happy also. A woman even incapable -of loving a man is still fond of her love, or, at least, of herself, -and her rôle in it; and, therefore, most frequently she crosses the -threshold of betrothal with delight, feeling at the same time gratitude -to the man who opens before her a new horizon of life. Besides, they -had talked love into Lineta so mightily that at last she believed in it. - -And once, when Pan Ignas asked her if she was sure of herself and her -heart, she gave him both hands, as if with effusion, and said,-- - -"Oh, truly; now I know that I love." - -He pressed her slender fingers to his lips, to his forehead, and his -eyes, as something sacred; but he was disquieted by her words, and -asked,-- - -"Why 'now' for the first time, Nitechka? Or has there been a moment in -which thou hast thought that thou couldst not love me?" - -Lineta raised her blue eyes and thought a moment; after a while, in the -corners of her mouth and in the dimples of her cheeks, a smile began to -gather. - -"No," said she; "but I am a great coward, so I was afraid. I understand -that to love you is another thing from loving the first comer." And -suddenly she began to laugh. "Oh, to love Pan Kopovski would be as -simple as _bon jour_; but you--maybe I cannot express it well, but more -than once it seemed to me that that is like going up on some mountain -or some tower. When once at the top, a whole world is visible; but -before that one must go and go, and toil, and I am so lazy." - -Pan Ignas, who was tall and bony, straightened himself, and said,-- - -"When my dear, lazy one is tired, I'll take her in my arms, like a -child, and carry her even to the highest." - -"And I will shrink up and make myself the smallest," answered Lineta, -closing her arms, and entering into the rôle of a little child. - -Pan Ignas knelt before her, and began to kiss the hem of her dress. - -But there were little clouds, too, on that sky; the betrothed were -not the cause, however. It seemed to the young man at times that his -feelings were too much observed, and that Pani Bronich and Pani Aneta -examined too closely whether he loves, and how he loves. He explained -this, it is true, by the curiosity of women, and, in general, by the -attention which love excites in them; but he would have preferred more -freedom, and would have preferred that they would not help him to love. -His feelings he considered as sacred, and for him it was painful to -make an exhibition of them for uninvited eyes; at the same time every -movement and word of his was scrutinized. He supposed also that there -must be female sessions, in which Pani Bronich and Pani Aneta gave -their "approbatur;" and that thought angered him, for he judged that -neither was in a situation to understand his feelings. - -It angered him also that Kopovski was invited to Prytulov, and that -he went there in company with all; but in this case it was for him a -question only of Osnovski, whom he loved sincerely. The pretext for -the invitation was the portrait not finished yet by Lineta. Pan Ignas -understood now clearly that everything took place at the word of Pani -Aneta, who knew exactly how to suggest her own wishes to people as -their own. At times even it came to his head to ask Lineta to abandon -the portrait; but he knew that he would trouble her, as an artist, with -that request, and, besides, he feared lest people might suspect him of -being jealous of a fop, like "Koposio."[11] - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [11] Nickname for Kopovski. - - - - -CHAPTER XLVIII. - - -Svirski had come indeed from Italy with Bukatski's body; and he went -at once on the following day to Pan Stanislav's. He met only Marynia, -however, for her husband had gone outside the city to look at some -residence which had been offered for sale. The artist found Marynia so -changed that he recognized her with difficulty; but since he had liked -her greatly in Rome, he was all the more moved at sight of her now. At -times, besides, she seemed to him so touching and so beautiful in her -way, with the aureole of future maternity, and besides she had brought -to him so many artistic comparisons, with so many "types of various -Italian schools," that, following his habit, he began to confess his -enthusiasm audibly. She laughed at his originality; but still it gave -her comfort in her trouble, and she was glad that he came,--first, -because she felt a sincere sympathy with that robust and wholesome -nature; and second, she was certain that he would be enthusiastic -about her in presence of "Stas," and thus raise her in the eyes of her -husband. - -He sat rather long, wishing to await the return of Pan Stanislav; he, -however, returned only late in the evening. Meanwhile there was a visit -from Pan Ignas, who, needing some one now before whom to pour out his -overflowing happiness, visited her rather often. For a while he and -Svirski looked at each other with a certain caution, as happens usually -with men of distinction, who fear each other's large pretensions, but -who come together the more readily when each sees that the other is -simple. So did it happen with these men. Marynia, too, helped to break -the ice by presenting Pan Ignas as the betrothed of Panna Castelli, who -was known to Svirski. - -"Indeed," said Svirski, "I know her perfectly; she is my pupil!" - -Then, pressing the hand of Pan Ignas, he said,-- - -"Your betrothed has Titian hair; she is a little tall, but you are -tall, too. Such a pose of head as she has one might look for with a -candle. You must have noticed that there is something swan-like in her -movements; I have even called her 'The Swan.'" - -Pan Ignas laughed as sincerely and joyously as a man does when people -praise that which he loves most in life, and said with a shade of -boastfulness,-- - -"'La Perla,' do you remember?" - -Svirski looked at him with a certain surprise. - -"There is such a picture by Raphael in Madrid, in the Museum del -Prado," answered he. "Why do you mention 'La Perla'?" - -"It seems to me that I heard of it from those ladies," said Pan Ignas, -beaten from the track somewhat. - -"It may be, for I have a copy of my own making in my studio Via -Margutta." - -Pan Ignas said in spirit that there was need to be more guarded in -repeating words from Pani Bronich; and after a time he rose to depart, -for he was going to his betrothed for the evening. Svirski soon -followed, leaving with Marynia the address of his Warsaw studio, and -begging that Pan Stanislav would meet him in the matter of the funeral -as soon as possible. - -In fact, Pan Stanislav went to him next morning. Svirski's studio was a -kind of glass hall, attached, like the nest of a swallow, to the roof -of one in a number of many storied houses, and visitors had to reach -him by separate stairs winding like those in a tower. But the artist -had perfect freedom there, and did not close his door evidently, for -Pan Stanislav, in ascending, heard a dull sound of iron, and a bass -voice singing,-- - - "Spring blows on the world warmly; - Hawthorns and cresses are blooming. - I am singing and not sobbing, - For I have ceased to love thee too! - Hu-ha-hu!" - -"Well," thought Pan Stanislav, stopping to catch breath, "he has a -bass, a real, a true bass; but what is he making such a noise with?" - -When he had passed the rest of the steps, however, and then the narrow -corridor, he understood the reason, for he saw through the open doors -Svirski, dressed to his waist in a single knitted shirt, through which -was seen his Herculean torso; and in his hands were dumb-bells. - -"Oh, how are you?" he called out, putting down the dumb-bells in -presence of his guest. "I beg pardon that I am not dressed, but I was -working a little with the dumb-bells. Yesterday I was at your house, -but found only Pani Polanyetski. Well, I brought our poor Bukatski. Is -the little house ready for him?" - -Pan Stanislav pressed his hand. "The grave is ready these two weeks, -and the cross is set up. We greet you cordially in Warsaw. My wife told -me that the body is in Povanzki already." - -"It is now in the crypt of the church. To-morrow we'll put it away." - -"Well, to-day I will speak to the priest and notify acquaintances. What -is Professor Vaskovski doing?" - -"He was to write you. The heat drove him out of Rome; and do you know -where he went? Among the youngest of the Aryans. He said that the -journey would occupy two months. He wishes to convince himself as to -how far they are ready for his historical mission; he has gone through -Ancona to Fiume, and then farther and farther." - -"The poor professor! I fear that new disillusions are waiting for him." - -"That may be. People laugh at him. I do not know how far the youngest -of the Aryans are fitted to carry out his idea; but the idea itself, as -God lives, is so uncommon, so Christian, and honest, that the man had -to be a Vaskovski to come to it. Permit me to dress. The heat here is -almost as in Italy, and it is better to exercise in a single shirt." - -"But best not to exercise at all in such heat." - -Here Pan Stanislav looked at Svirski's arms and said,-- - -"But you might show those for money." - -"Well; not bad biceps! But look at these deltoids. That is my vanity. -Bukatski insisted that any one might say that I paint like an idiot; -but that it was not permitted any one to say that I could not raise a -hundred kilograms with one hand, or that I couldn't hit ten flies with -ten shots." - -"And such a man will not leave his biceps nor his deltoids to -posterity." - -"Ha! what's to be done? I fear an ungrateful heart; as I love God, I -fear it so much. Find me a woman like Pani Polanyetski, and I will not -hesitate a day. But what should I wish you,--a son or a daughter?" - -"A daughter, a daughter! Let there be sons; but the first must be a -daughter!" - -"And when do you expect her?" - -"In December, it would seem." - -"God grant happily! The lady, however, is healthy, so there is no fear." - -"She has changed greatly, has she not?" - -"She is different from what she was, but God grant the most beautiful -to look so. What an expression! A pure Botticelli. I give my word! Do -you remember that portrait of his in the Villa Borghese? Madonna col -Bambino e angeli. There is one head of an angel, a little inclined, -dressed in a lily, just like the lady, the very same expression. -Yesterday that struck me so much that I was moved by it." - -Then he went behind the screen to put on his shirt, and from behind the -screen he said,-- - -"You ask why I don't marry. Do you know why? I remember sometimes that -Bukatski said the same thing. I have a sharp tongue and strong biceps, -but a soft heart; so stupid is it that if I had such a wife as you -have, and she were in that condition, as God lives, I shouldn't know -whether to walk on my knees before her, or to beat the floor with my -forehead, or to put her on a table, in a corner somewhere, and adore -her with upraised hands." - -"Ai!" said Pan Stanislav, laughing, "that only seems so before -marriage; but afterward habituation itself destroys excess of feeling." - -"I don't know. Maybe I'm so stupid--" - -"Do you know what? When my Marynia is free, she must find for thee just -such a wife as she herself is." - -"Agreed!" thundered Svirski, from behind the screen. "Verbum! I give -myself into her hands; and when she says 'marry,' I will marry with -closed eyes." - -And appearing, still without a coat, he began to repeat, "Agreed, -agreed! without joking. If the lady wishes." - -"Women always like that," answered Pan Stanislav. "Have you seen, for -instance, what that Pani Osnovski did to marry our Pan Ignas to Panna -Castelli? And Marynia helped her as much as I permitted; she kept her -ears open. For women that is play." - -"I made the acquaintance of that Pan Ignas at your house yesterday. He -is an immensely nice fellow; simply a genial head. It is enough to look -at him. What a profile, and what a woman-like forehead! and with that -insolent jaw! His shanks are too long, and his knees must be badly cut, -but his head is splendid." - -"He is the Benjamin of our counting-house. Indeed, we love him -surpassingly; his is an honest nature." - -"Ah! he is your employee? But I thought he was of those rich -Zavilovskis; I have seen abroad often enough a certain old original, a -rich man." - -"That is a relative of his," said Pan Stanislav; "but our Zavilovski -hasn't a smashed copper." - -"Well," said Svirski, beginning to laugh, "old Zavilovski with his -daughter, the only heiress of millions, a splendid figure! In Florence -and Rome half a dozen ruined Italian princes were dangling around this -young lady; but the old man declared that he wouldn't give his daughter -to a foreigner, 'for,' said he, 'they are a race of jesters.' Imagine -to yourself, he considers us the first race on earth, and among us, -of course, the Zavilovskis; and once he showed that in this way: 'Let -them say what they like,' said he; 'I have travelled enough through the -world, and how many Germans, Italians, Englishmen, and Frenchmen have -cleaned boots for me? but I,' said he, 'have never cleaned boots for -any man, and I will not.'" - -"Good!" answered Pan Stanislav, laughing; "he thinks boot-cleaning not -a question of position in the world, but of nationality." - -"Yes, it seems to him that the Lord God created other 'nations' -exclusively so that a nobleman from Kutno may have some one to clean -his boots whenever he chooses to go abroad. But doesn't he turn up his -nose at the marriage of the young man? for I know that he thinks the -Broniches of small account." - -"Maybe he turns up his nose; but he has become acquainted with our Pan -Ignas not long since. They had not met before, for ours is a proud -soul, and would not seek the old man first." - -"I like him for that. I hope he has chosen well, for--" - -"What! do you know Panna Castelli? What kind of a person is she?" - -"I know Panna Castelli; but, you see, I am no judge of young ladies. -Ba! if I knew them, I would not have waited for the fortieth year -as a single man. They are all good, and all please me; but since I -have seen, as married women, a few of those who pleased me, I do not -believe in any. And that makes me angry; for if I had no wish to -marry--well, I should say, leave the matter! but I have the wish. What -can I know? I know that each woman has a corset; but what sort of a -heart is inside it? The deuce knows! I was in love with Panna Castelli; -but for that matter I was in love with all whom I met. With her, -perhaps, even more than with others." - -"And how is it that a wife did not come to your head?" - -"Ah, the devil didn't come to my head! But at that time I hadn't -the money that I have to-day, nor the reputation. I was working for -something then; and believe me that no people are so shy of workers as -the children of workers. I was afraid that Pan Bronich or Pani Bronich -might object, and I was not sure of the lady; therefore I left them in -peace." - -"Pan Ignas has no money." - -"But he has reputation, and, besides, there is old Zavilovski; and a -connection like that is no joke. Who among us has not heard of the old -man? Besides, as to me, to tell the truth, I disliked the Broniches to -the degree that at last I turned from them." - -"You knew the late Pan Bronich, then? Be not astonished that I ask, for -with me it is a question of our Pan Ignas." - -"Whom have I not known? I knew also Pani Bronich's sister,--Pani -Castelli. For that matter I have been twenty-four years in Italy, and -am about forty,--that is said for roundness. In fact, I am forty-five. -I knew Pan Castelli, too, who was a good enough man; I knew all. What -shall I say to you? Pani Castelli was an enthusiast, and distinguished -by wearing short hair; she was always unwashed, and had neuralgia in -the face. As to Pani Bronich, you know her." - -"But who was Pan Bronich?" - -"'Teodor'? Pan Bronich was a double fool,--first, because he was a -fool; and second, because he didn't know himself as one. But I am -silent, for '_de mortuis nil nisi bonum_.' He was as fat as she is -thin; he weighed more than a hundred and fifty kilograms, perhaps, and -had fish eyes. In general, they were people vain beyond everything. -But why expatiate? When a man lives a while in the world, and sees -many people, and talks with them, as I do while painting, he convinces -himself that there is really a high society, which rests on tradition, -and besides that a _canaille_, which, having a little money, apes great -society. The late Bronich and his present widow always seemed to me of -that race; therefore I chose to keep them at a distance. If Bukatski -were alive, he would let out his tongue now at their expense. He knew -that I was in love with Panna Castelli; and how he ridiculed me, may -the Lord not remember it against him! And who knows whether he did not -speak justly? for what Panna Lineta is will be shown later." - -"It concerns me most of all to learn something of her." - -"They are good, all good; but I am afraid of them and their -goodness,--unless your wife would go security for some of them." - -At this point the conversation stopped, and they began to talk of -Bukatski, or rather, of his burial of the day following, for which Pan -Stanislav had made previously all preparations. - -On the way from Svirski's he spoke to the priest again, and then -informed acquaintances of the hour on the morrow. - -The church ceremony of burial had taken place at Rome in its own -time, so Pan Stanislav, as a man of religious feeling, invited a few -priests to join their prayers to the prayers of laymen; he did this -also through attachment and gratitude to Bukatski, who had left him a -considerable part of his property. - -Besides the Polanyetskis came the Mashkos, the Osnovskis, the Bigiels, -Svirski, Pan Plavitski, and Pani Emilia, who wished at the same time -to visit Litka. The day was a genuine summer one, sunny and warm; the -cemetery had a different seeming altogether from what it had during Pan -Stanislav's former visits. The great healthy trees formed a kind of -thick, dense curtain composed of dark and bright leaves, covering with -a deep green shade the white and gray monuments. In places the cemetery -seemed simply a forest full of gloom and coolness. On certain graves -was quivering a shining network of sunbeams, which had filtered in -through the leaves of acacias, poplars, hornbeams, birch, and lindens; -some crosses, nestling in a thick growth, seemed as if dreaming in cool -air above the graves. In the branches and among the leaves were swarms -of small birds, calling out from every side with an unceasing twitter, -which was mild, and, as it were, low purposely, so as not to rouse the -sleepers. - -Svirski, Mashko, Polanyetski, and Osnovski took on their shoulders -the narrow coffin containing the remains of Bukatski, and bore it to -the tomb. The priests, in white surplices now gleaming in the sun, -now in the shade, walked in front of the coffin; behind it the young -women, dressed in black; and all the company went slowly through the -shady alleys, silently, calmly, without sobs or tears, which usually -accompany a coffin. They moved only with dignity and sadness, which -were on their faces as the shadow of the trees on the graves. There -was, however, in all this a certain poetry filled with melancholy; and -the impressionable soul of Bukatski would have felt the charm of that -mourning picture. - -In this way they arrived at the tomb, which had the form of a -sarcophagus, and was entirely above ground, for Bukatski during life -told Svirski that he did not wish to lie in a cellar. The coffin was -pushed in easily through the iron door; the women raised their eyes -then; their lips muttered prayers; and after a time Bukatski was left -to the solitude of the cemetery, the rustling trees, the twitter of -birds, and the mercy of God. - -Pani Emilia and Pan Stanislav went then to Litka; while the rest of the -company waited in the carriages before the church, for thus Pani Aneta -had wished. - -Pan Stanislav had a chance to convince himself, at Litka's grave, -how in his soul that child once so beloved had gone into the blue -distance and become a shade. Formerly when he visited her grave he -rebelled against death, and with all the passion of fresh sorrow was -unreconciled to it. To-day it seemed to him well-nigh natural that she -was lying in the shadow of those trees, in that cemetery; he had the -feeling almost that it must end thus. She had ceased all but completely -to be for him a real being, and had become merely a sweet inhabitant -of his memory, a sigh, a ray, simply one of that kind of reminiscences -which is left by music. - -And he would have grown indignant at himself, perhaps, were it not -that he saw Pani Emilia rise after her finished prayer with a serene -face, with an expression of great tenderness in her eyes, but without -tears. He noticed, however, that she looked as sick people look, that -she rose from her knees with difficulty, and that in walking she leaned -on a stick. In fact, she was at the beginning of a sore disease of the -loins, which later on confined her for years to the bed, and only left -her at the coffin. - -Before the cemetery gate the Osnovskis were waiting for them; Pani -Aneta invited them to a betrothal party on the morrow, and then those -"who were kind" to Prytulov. - -Svirski sat with Pani Emilia in Pan Stanislav's carriage, and for some -time was collecting his impressions in silence; but at last he said,-- - -"How wonderful this is! To-day at a funeral, to-morrow at a betrothal; -what death reaps, love sows,--and that is life!" - - - - -CHAPTER XLIX. - - -Pan Ignas wished the betrothal to be not in the evening before people, -but earlier; and his wish was gratified all the more, since Lineta, who -wished to show herself to people as already betrothed, supported him -before Aunt Bronich. They felt freer thus; and when people began to -assemble they appeared as a young couple. The light of happiness shone -from Lineta. She found a charm in that rôle of betrothed; and the rôle -added charm to her. In her slender form there was something winged. Her -eyelids did not fall to-day sleepily over her eyes; those eyes were -full of light, her lips of smiles, her face was in blushes. She was so -beautiful that Svirski, seeing her, could not refrain from quiet sighs -for the lost paradise, and found calmness for his soul only when he -remembered his favorite song,-- - - "I am singing and not sobbing, - For I have ceased to love thee too! - Hu-ha-hu!" - -For that matter her beauty struck every one that day. Old Zavilovski, -who had himself brought in his chair to the drawing-room, held her -hands and gazed at her for a time; then, looking around at his -daughter, he said,-- - -"Well, such a Venetian half-devil can turn the head, she can, and -especially the head of a poet, for in the heads of those gentlemen is -fiu, fiu! as people say." - -Then he turned to the young man and asked,-- - -"Well, wilt thou break my neck to-day because I said Venetian -half-devil to thee?" - -Pan Ignas laughed, and, bending his head, kissed the old man's -shoulder. "No; I could not break any one's neck to-day." - -"Well," said the old man, evidently rejoiced at those marks of honor, -"may God and the Most Holy Lady bless you both! I say the Most Holy -Lady, for her protection is the basis." - -When he had said this, he began to search behind in the chair, and, -drawing forth a large jewel-case, said to Lineta,-- - -"This is from the family of the Zavilovskis; God grant thee to wear it -long!" - -Lineta, taking the box, bent her charming figure to kiss him on the -shoulder; he embraced her neck, and said to the bridegroom,-- - -"But thou might come." - -And he kissed both on the forehead, and said, with greater emotion than -he wished to show,-- - -"Now love and revere each other, like honest people." - -Lineta opened the case, in which on a sapphire-colored satin cushion -gleamed a splendid _rivičre_ of diamonds. The old man said once more -with emphasis, "From the family of the Zavilovskis," wishing evidently -to show that the young lady who married a Zavilovski, even without -property, was not doing badly. But no one heard him, for the heads of -the ladies--of Lineta, Pani Aneta, Pani Mashko, Pani Bronich and even -Marynia--bent over the flashing stones; and breath was stopped in their -mouths for a time, till at last a murmur of admiration and praise broke -the silence. - -"It is not a question of diamonds!" cried Pani Bronich, casting herself -almost into the arms of old Zavilovski, "but as the gift, so the heart." - -"Do not mention it Pani; do not mention it!" said the old man, warding -her off. - -Now the society broke into pairs or small groups; the betrothed -were so occupied with each other that the whole world vanished from -before them. Osnovski and Svirski went up to Marynia and Pani Bigiel. -Kopovski undertook to entertain the lady of the house; Pan Stanislav -was occupied with Pani Mashko. As to Mashko himself, he was anxious -evidently to make a nearer acquaintance with the Croesus, for he -so fenced him off with his armchair that no one could approach him, -and began then to talk of remote times and the present, which, as he -divined easily, had become a favorite theme for the old man. - -But he was too keen-witted to be of Zavilovski's opinion in all things. -Moreover, the old man did not attack recent times always; nay, he -admired them in part. He acknowledged that in many regards they were -moving toward the better; still he could not take them in. But Mashko -explained to him that everything must change on earth; hence nobles, as -well as other strata of society. - -"I, respected sir," said he, "hold to the land through a certain -inherited instinct,--through that something which attracts to land the -man who came from it; but, while managing my own property, I am an -advocate, and I am one on principle. We should have our own people in -that department; if we do not, we shall be at the mercy of men coming -from other spheres, and often directly opposed to us. And I must render -our landholders this justice, that for the greater part they understand -this well, and choose to confide their business to me rather than to -others. Some think it even a duty." - -"The bar has been filled from our ranks at all times," answered Pan -Zavilovski; "but will the noble succeed in other branches? As God -lives, I cannot tell. I hear, and hear that we ought to undertake -everything; but people forget that to undertake and to succeed are -quite different. Show me the man who has succeeded." - -"Here he is, respected sir, Pan Polanyetski: he in a commission house -has made quite a large property; and what he has is in ready cash, so -that he could put it all on the table to-morrow. He will not deny that -my counsels have been of profit to him frequently; but what he has -made, he has made through commerce, mainly in grain." - -"Indeed, indeed!" said the old noble, gazing at Pan Stanislav, and -staring from wonder, "has he really made property? Is it possible? Is -he of the real Polanyetskis? That's a good family." - -"And that stalwart man with brown hair?" - -"Is Svirski the artist." - -"I know him, for I saw him abroad; and the Svirskis did not make fires -as an occupation." - -"But he can only paint money, for he hasn't made any." - -"He hasn't!" said Mashko, in a confidential tone. "Not one big estate -in Podolia will give as much income as aquarelles give him." - -"What is that?" - -"Pictures in water-colors." - -"Is it possible? not even oil paintings! And he too--? Ha! then, -perhaps, my relative will make something at verses. Let him write; let -him write. I will not take it ill of him. Pan Zygmund was a noble, and -he wrote, and not for display. Pan Adam was a noble also; but he is -famous,--more famous than that brawler who has worked with democracy-- -What's his name? Never mind! You say that times are changing. Hm, are -they? Let them change for themselves, if only with God's help, for the -better." - -"The main thing," said Mashko, "is not to shut up a man's power in his -head, nor capital in chests; whoever does that, simply sins against -society." - -"Well, but with permission! How do you understand this,--Am I not free -to close with a key what belongs to me; must I leave my chests open to -a robber?" - -Mashko smiled with a shade of loftiness, and, putting his hand on the -arm of the chair, said,-- - -"That is not the question, respected sir." And then he began to explain -the principles of political economy to Pan Zavilovski; the old noble -listened, nodding his head, and repeating from time to time,-- - -"Indeed! that is something new! but I managed without it." - -Pani Bronich followed the betrothed with eyes full of emotion, and at -the same time told Plavitski (who on his part was following Pani Aneta -with eyes not less full of emotion) about the years of her youth, her -life with Teodor, and the misfortune which met them because of the -untimely arrival in the world of their only descendant, and Plavitski -listened with distraction; but, moved at last by her own narrative, she -said with a somewhat quivering voice,-- - -"So all my love, hope, and faith are in Lineta. You will understand -this, for you too have a daughter. And as to Lolo, just think what a -blessing that child would have been had he lived, since even dead he -rendered us so much service--" - -"Immensely touching, immensely touching!" interrupted Plavitski. - -"Oh, it is true," continued Pani Bronich. "How often in harvest time -did my husband run with the cry, 'Lolo monte!' and send out all his -laboring men to the field. With others, wheat sprouted in the shocks, -with us, never. Oh, true! And the loss was the greater in this, that -that was our last hope. My husband was a man in years, and I can say -that for me he was the best of protectors; but after this misfortune, -only a protector." - -"Here I cease to understand him," said Plavitski. "Ha, ha! I fail -altogether to understand him." - -And, opening his mouth, he looked roguishly at Pani Bronich; she -slapped him lightly with her fan, and said,-- - -"These men are detestable; for them there is nothing sacred." - -"Who is that, a real Perugino,--that pale lady, with whom your husband -is talking?" asked Svirski now of Marynia. - -"An acquaintance of ours, Pani Mashko. Have you not been presented to -her?" - -"Yes; I became acquainted with her yesterday at the funeral, but forget -her name. I know that she is the wife of that gentleman who is talking -with old Pan Zavilovski. A pure Vannuci! The same quietism, and a -little yellowish; but she has very beautiful lines in her form." - -And looking a little longer he added,-- - -"A quenched face, but uncommon lines in the whole figure. As it were -slender; look at the outline of her arms and shoulders." - -But Marynia was not looking at the outlines of the arms and shoulders -of Pani Mashko, but at her husband; and on her face alarm was reflected -on a sudden. Pan Stanislav was just inclining toward Pani Mashko and -telling her something which Marynia could not hear, for they were -sitting at a distance; but it seemed to her that at times he gazed -into that quenched face and those pale eyes with the same kind of look -with which during their journey after marriage he had gazed at her -sometimes. Ah, she knew that look! And her heart began now to beat, -as if feeling some great danger. But immediately she said to herself, -"That cannot be! That would be unworthy of Stas." Still she could not -refrain from looking at them. Pan Stanislav was telling something very -vivaciously, which Pani Mashko listened to with her usual indifference. -Marynia thought again: "Something only seemed to me! He is speaking -vivaciously as usual, but nothing more." The remnant of her doubt was -destroyed by Svirski, who, either because he noticed her alarm and -inquiring glance, or because he did not notice the expression on Pan -Stanislav's face, said,-- - -"With all this she says nothing. Your husband must keep up the -conversation, and he looks at once weary and angry." - -Marynia's face grew radiant in one instant. "Oh, you are right! Stas is -annoyed a little, surely; and the moment he is annoyed he is angry." - -And she fell into perfect good-humor. She would have been glad to give -a _rivičre_ of diamonds, like that which Pan Zavilovski had brought -to Lineta, to make "Stas" approach at that moment, to say something -herself to him, and hear a kind word from him. In fact, a few minutes -later her wish was accomplished, for Osnovski approached Pani Mashko; -Pan Stanislav rose, and, saying a word or two on the way to Pani Aneta, -who was talking to Kopovski, sat down at last by his wife. - -"Dost wish to tell me something?" he inquired. - -"How wonderful it is, Stas, for I called to thee that moment, but only -in mind; still thou hast felt and art here with me." - -"See what a husband I am," answered he, with a smile. "But the reason -is really very simple: I noticed thee looking at me; I was afraid that -something might have happened, and I came." - -"I was looking, for I wanted something." - -"And I came, for I wanted something. How dost thou feel? Tell the -truth! Perhaps thou hast a wish to go home?" - -"No, Stas, as I love thee, I am perfectly comfortable. I was talking -with Pan Svirski of Pani Mashko, and was entertained well." - -"I guessed that you were gossiping about her. This artist says himself -that he has an evil tongue." - -"On the contrary," answered Svirski, "I was only admiring her form. The -turn for my tongue may come later." - -"Oh, that is true," said Pan Stanislav; "Pani Osnovski says that she -has indeed a bad figure, and that is proof that she has a good one. -But, Marynia, I will tell thee something of Pani Osnovski." Here -he bent toward his wife, and whispered, "Knowest what I heard from -Kopovski's lips when I was coming to thee?" - -"What was it? Something amusing?" - -"Just as one thinks: I heard him say thou to Pani Aneta." - -"Stas!" - -"As I love thee, he did. He said to her, 'Thou art always so.'" - -"Maybe he was quoting some other person's words." - -"I don't know. Maybe he was; maybe he wasn't. Besides, they may have -been in love sometime." - -"Fi! Be ashamed." - -"Say that to them--or rather to Pani Aneta." - -Marynia, who knew perfectly well that unfaithfulness exists, but -looking on it rather as some French literary theory,--she had not -even imagined that one might meet such a thing at every step and in -practice,--began to look now at Pani Aneta with wonder, and at the same -time with the immense curiosity with which honest women look at those -who have had boldness to leave the high-road for by-paths. She had too -truthful a nature, however, to believe in evil immediately, and she -did not; and somehow it would not find a place in her head that really -there could be anything between those two, if only because of the -unheard-of stupidity of Kopovski. She noticed, however, that they were -talking with unusual vivacity. - -But they, sitting somewhat apart between a great porcelain vase and the -piano, had not only been talking, but arguing for a quarter of an hour. - -"I fear that he has heard something," said Pani Aneta, with a certain -alarm, after Pan Stanislav had passed. "Thou art never careful." - -"Yes, it is always my fault! But who is forever repeating, 'Be -careful'?" - -In this regard both were truly worthy of each other, since he could -foresee nothing because of his dulness, and she was foolhardy to -recklessness. Two persons knew their secret now; others might divine -it. One needed all the infatuation of Osnovski not to infer anything. -But it was on that that she reckoned. - -Meanwhile Kopovski looked at Pan Stanislav and said,-- - -"He has heard nothing." - -Then he returned to the conversation which they had begun; but now he -spoke in lower tones and in French,-- - -"Didst thou love me, thou wouldst be different; but since thou dost not -love, what harm could that be to thee?" - -Then he turned on her his wonderful eyes without mind, while she -answered impatiently,-- - -"Whether I love, or love not, Castelka never! Dost understand? Never! -I would prefer any other to her, though, if thou wert in love with me -really, thou wouldst not think of marriage." - -"I would not think of it, if thou wert different." - -"Be patient." - -"Yes! till death? If I married Castelka, we should then be near really." - -"Never! I repeat to thee." - -"Well, but why?" - -"Thou wouldst not understand it. Besides, Castelka is betrothed; it is -too bad to lose time in discussing this." - -"Thou thyself hast commanded me to pay court to her, and now art -casting reproaches. At first I thought of nothing; but afterward she -pleased me,--I do not deny this. She pleases all; and, besides, she is -a good match." - -Pani Aneta began to pull at the end of her handkerchief. - -"And thou hast the boldness to say to my eyes that she pleased thee," -said she at last. "Is it I, or she?" - -"Thou, but thee I cannot marry; her I could, for I saw well that I -pleased her." - -"If thou wert better acquainted with women, thou wouldst be glad that -I did not let it go to marriage. Thou dost not know her. She is just -like a stick, and, besides, is malicious in character. Dost thou not -understand that I told thee to pay court to her out of regard to -people, and to Yozio? Otherwise, how explain thy daily visits?" - -"I could understand, wert thou other than thou art." - -"Do not oppose me. I have fixed all, as thou seest, to keep thy -portrait from being finished, and give thee a chance to visit Prytulov. -Steftsia Ratkovski, a distant relative of Yozio's, will be there soon. -Dost understand? Thou must pretend that she pleases thee; and I will -talk what I like into Yozio. In this way thou wilt be able to stop -at Prytulov. I have written to Panna Ratkovski already. She is not a -beauty, but agreeable." - -"Always pretence, and nothing for it." - -"Suppose I should say to thee: Don't come." - -"Anetka!" - -"Then be patient. I cannot be angry long with thee. But now go thy way. -Amuse Pani Mashko." - -And a moment later Pani Aneta was alone. Her eyes followed Kopovski -a while with the remnant of her anger, but also with a certain -tenderness. In the white cravat, with his dark tint of face, he was so -killingly beautiful that she could not gaze at him sufficiently. Lineta -was now the betrothed of another; still the thought seemed unendurable -that that daily rival of hers might possess him, if not as husband, as -lover. Pani Aneta, in telling Kopovski that she would yield him to any -other rather than to Castelka, told the pure truth. That was for her a -question, at once of an immense weakness for that dull Endymion, and a -question of self-love. Her nerves simply could not agree to it. Certain -inclinations of the senses, which she herself looked on as lofty, and -rising from a Grecian nature, but which at the root of the matter were -common, took the place in her of morality and conscience. By virtue of -these inclinations, she fell under the irresistible charm of Kopovski; -but having not only a heated head, but a temperament of fishy coldness, -she preferred, as Pan Ignas divined intuitively, the play with evil to -evil itself. Holding, in her way, to the principle, "If not I, then -no one!" she was ready to push matters to the utmost to prevent the -marriage of Kopovski to Lineta, the more since she saw that Lineta, in -spite of all her "words" about Kopovski, in spite of the irony with -which she had mentioned him and her jests about the man, was also under -the charm of his exceptional beauty; that all those jests were simply -self-provocation, under which was concealed an attraction; and that, in -general, the source of her pleasure and Lineta's was the same. But she -did not observe that, for this reason, she at the bottom of her soul -had contempt for Lineta. - -She knew that Lineta, through very vanity, would not oppose her -persuasion, and the homages of a man with a famous name. In this way, -she had retained Kopovski, and, besides, had produced for herself a -splendid spectacle, on which women, who are more eager for impressions -than feelings, look always with greediness. Besides, if that famous Pan -Ignas, when his wife becomes an every-day object, should look somewhere -for a Beatrice, he might find her. Little is denied men who have power -to hand down, to the memory of mankind and the homage of ages, the name -of a loved one. These plans for the future Pani Aneta had not outlined -hitherto expressly; but she had, as it were, a misty feeling that her -triumph would in that case be perfect. - -Moreover, she had triumphed even now, for all had gone as she wished. -Still Kopovski made her angry. She had considered him as almost her -property. Meanwhile, she saw that, so far as he was able to understand -anything, he understood this, that the head does not ache from -abundance, and that Aneta might not hinder Lineta. That roused her so -keenly that at moments she was thinking how to torment him in return. -Meanwhile, she was glad that Lineta paraded herself as being in love -really, soul and heart, with Pan Ignas, which for Kopovski was at once -both a riddle and a torture. - -These thoughts flew through her head like lightning, and flew all of -them in the short time that she was alone. At last she was interrupted -by the serving of supper. Osnovski, who desired that his wife should -be surrounded by such homage from every one as he himself gave, and to -whom it seemed that what he had said to Pan Ignas about his married -life was very appropriate, had the unhappy thought to repeat at the -first toast the wish that Pan Ignas might be as happy with Lineta as he -with his wife. Hereupon, the eyes of Pan Ignas and Pan Stanislav turned -involuntarily to Pani Osnovski, who looked quickly at Pan Stanislav, -and doubts on both sides disappeared in one instant; that is, she -gained the perfect certainty that Pan Stanislav had heard them, and he, -that Kopovski had not quoted the words of another, but had said _thou_ -in direct speech to the lady. Pani Aneta had guessed even that Pan -Stanislav must have spoken of that to Marynia, for she had seen how, -after he had passed, both had talked and looked a certain time at her -with great curiosity. The thought filled her with anger and a desire of -revenge, so that she listened without attention to the further toasts, -which were given by her husband, by Pan Ignas, by Plavitski, and at -last by Pan Bigiel. - -But, after supper, it came to her head all at once to arrange -a dancing-party; and "Yozio," obedient as ever to each beck of -hers, and, besides, excited after feasting, supported the thought -enthusiastically. Marynia could not dance, but besides her there were -five youthful ladies,--Lineta, Pani Osnovski, Pani Bigiel, Pani Mashko, -and Panna Zavilovski. The last declared, it is true, that she did not -dance; but, since people said that she neither danced, talked, ate, nor -drank, her refusal did not stop the readiness of others. Osnovski, who -was in splendid feeling, declared that Ignas should take Lineta in his -arms, for surely he had not dared to do so thus far. - -It turned out, however, that Pan Ignas could not avail himself of Pan -Osnovski's friendly wishes, for he had never danced in his life, and -had not the least knowledge of dancing, which not only astonished Pani -Bronich and Lineta, but offended them somewhat. Kopovski, on the other -hand, possessed this art in a high degree; hence he began the dance -with Lineta, as the heroine of the evening. They were a splendid pair, -and eyes followed them involuntarily. Pan Ignas was forced to see her -golden head incline toward Kopovski's shoulder, to see their bosoms -near each other, to see both whirling to the time of Bigiel's waltz, -joined in the harmony of movement, blending, as it were, into one tune -and one unity. Even from looking at all this, he grew angry, for he -understood that there was a thing which he did not know, which would -connect Lineta with others and disconnect her with him. Besides, people -about him mentioned the beauty of the dancing couple; and Svirski, -sitting near him, said,-- - -"What a beautiful man! If there were male houris, as there are female, -he might be a houri in a Mussulman paradise for women." - -They waltzed long; and there was in the tones of the music, as in -their movements, something, as it were, intoxicating, a kind of dizzy -faintness, which incensed Pan Ignas still more, for he recalled Byron's -verses on waltzing,--verses as cynical as they are truthful. At last, -he said to himself, with complete impatience: "When will that ass let -her go?" He feared, too, that Kopovski might tire her too much. - -The "ass" let her go at last at the other end of the hall, and -straightway took Pani Aneta. But Lineta ran up to her betrothed, and, -sitting down at his side, said,-- - -"He dances well, but he likes to exhibit his skill, for he has nothing -else. He kept me too long. I have lost breath a little, and my heart is -beating. If you could put your hand there and feel how it beats--but it -is not proper to do so. How wonderful, too, for it is your property." - -"My property!" said Pan Ignas, holding out his hand to her. "Do not say -'your' to me to-day, Lineta." - -"Thy property," she whispered, and she did not ward off his hand, she -only let it drop down a little on her robe, so that people might not -notice it. - -"I was jealous of him," said Pan Ignas, pressing her fingers -passionately. - -"Dost wish I will dance no more to-day? I like to dance, but I prefer -to be near thee." - -"My worshipped one!" - -"I am a stupid society girl, but I want to be worthy of thee. As thou -seest, I love music greatly,--even waltzes and polkas. Somehow they -act on me wonderfully. How well this Pan Bigiel plays! But I know that -there are things higher than waltzes. Hold my handkerchief, and drop my -hand for a moment. It is thy hand, but I must arrange my hair. It is -time to dance; to dance is not wrong, is it? But if thou wish, I will -not dance, for I am an obedient creature. I will learn to read in thy -eyes, and afterward shall be like water, which reflects both clouds and -clear weather. So pleasant is it for me near thee! See how perfectly -those people dance!" - -Words failed Pan Ignas; only in one way could he have shown what he -felt,--by kneeling before her. But she pointed out Pan Stanislav, who -was dancing with Pani Mashko, and admired them heartily. - -"Really he dances better than Pan Kopovski," said she, with gleaming -eyes; "and she, how graceful! Oh, I should like to dance even once with -him--if thou permit." - -Pan Ignas, in whom Pan Stanislav did not rouse the least jealousy, -said,-- - -"My treasure, as often as may please thee. I will send him at once to -thee." - -"Oh, how perfectly he dances! how perfectly! And this waltz, it is like -some delightful shiver. They are sailing, not dancing." - -Of this opinion, too, was Marynia, who, following the couple with her -eyes, experienced a still greater feeling of bitterness than Pan Ignas -a little while earlier; for it seemed a number of times to her that Pan -Stanislav had looked again on Pani Mashko with that expression with -which he had looked when Svirski supposed that either he was annoyed, -or was angry. But now such a supposition was impossible. At moments -both dancers passed near her; and then she saw distinctly how his arm -embraced firmly Pani Mashko's waist, how his breath swept around her -neck, how his nostrils were dilated, how his glances slipped over her -naked bosom. That might be invisible for others, but not for Marynia, -who could read in his face as in a book. And all at once the light of -the lamps became dark in her eyes; she understood that it was one thing -not to be happy, and another to be unhappy. This lasted briefly,--as -briefly as one tact of the waltz, or one instant in which a heart that -is straitened ceases to beat; but it sufficed for the feeling that -life in the future might be embroiled, and present love changed into -a bitter and contemptuous sorrow. And that feeling filled her with -terror. Before her was drawn aside, as it were, a curtain, behind which -appeared unexpectedly all the sham of life, all the wretchedness and -meanness of human nature. Nothing had happened yet, absolutely nothing; -but a vision came to Marynia, in which she saw that there might be a -time when her confidence in her husband would vanish like smoke. - -She tried, however, to ward away doubts; she wished to talk into -herself that he was under the influence of the dance, not of his -partner; she preferred not to believe her eyes. Shame seized her for -that "Stas" of whom she had been so proud up to that time; and she -struggled with all her strength against that feeling, understanding -that it was a question of enormous importance, and that from that -little thing, and from that fault of his, hitherto almost nothing, -might flow results which would act on their whole future. - -At that moment was heard near her the jesting voice of Pani Aneta. - -"Ah, Marynia, nature has created, as it were, purposely, thy husband -and Pani Mashko to waltz with each other. What a pair!" - -"Yes," answered Marynia, with an effort. - -And Pani Aneta twittered on: "Perfectly fitted for each other. It is -true that in thy place I should be a little jealous; but thou, art -thou jealous? No? I am outspoken, and confess freely that I should be; -at least, it was so with me once. I know, for that matter, that Yozio -loves me; but these men, even while loving, have their little fancies. -Their heads do not ache the least on that score; and that our hearts -ache, they do not see, or do not wish to see. The best of them are not -different. Yozio? true! he is a model husband; and dost thou think that -I do not know him? Now, when I have grown used to him, laughter seizes -me often, for they are all so awkward! I know the minute that Yozio is -beginning to be giddy; and knowest thou what my sign is?" - -Marynia was looking continually at her husband, who had ceased now to -dance with Pani Mashko, and had taken Lineta. She felt great relief all -at once, for it seemed to her that "Stas," while dancing with Lineta, -had the same expression of face. Her suspicions began to fade; and she -thought at once that she had judged him unjustly, that she herself was -not good. She had never seen him dancing before; and the thought came -to her head that perhaps he danced that way always. - -Then Pani Aneta repeated, "Dost know how I discover when Yozio is -beginning to play pranks?" - -"How?" inquired Marynia, with more liveliness. - -"I will teach thee the method. Here it is: the moment he has an unclean -conscience, he puts suspicion on others, and shares these suspicions -with me, so as to turn attention from himself. Dear Yozio! that is -their method. How they lie, even the best of them!" - -When she had said this, she went away, with the conviction that on the -society chessboard she had made a very clever move; and it was clever. -In Marynia's head a kind of chaos now rose; she knew not what to think -at last of all this. Great physical weariness seized her also. "I am -not well," said she to herself; "I am excited, and God knows what -may seem to me." And the feeling of weariness increased in her every -moment. That whole evening seemed a fever dream. Pan Stanislav had -mentioned Pani Aneta as a faith-breaking woman; Pani Aneta had said the -same of all husbands. Pan Stanislav had been looking with dishonest -eyes on Pani Mashko, and Pani Aneta had said _thou_ to Kopovski. To -this was added the dancing couples, the monotonous tact of the waltz, -the heads of the lovers, and finally, a storm, which was heard out of -doors. What a mixture of impressions! what a phantasmagoria! "I am not -well," repeated Marynia in her mind. But she felt also that peace was -leaving her, and that this was the unhappy evening of her life. She -wished greatly to go home, but, as if to spite her, there was a pouring -rain. "Let us go home! let us go home!" If "Stas" should say some good -and cordial word besides. Let him only not speak of Pani Aneta or Pani -Mashko; let him speak of something that related to him and her, and was -dear to them. - -"Oh, how tired I am!" - -At that moment Pan Stanislav came to her; and at sight of her poor, -pale face, he felt a sudden sympathy, to which his heart, kind in -itself, yielded easily. - -"My poor dear," said he, "it is time for thee to go to bed; only let -the rain pass a little. Thou art not afraid of thunder?" - -"No; sit near me." - -"The summer shower will pass soon. How sleepy thou art!" - -"Perhaps I ought not to have come, Stas. I have great need of rest." - -He had a conscience which was not too clear, and was angry at himself. -But it had not come to his mind that what she was saying of rest might -relate to him and his attempts and conduct with Pani Mashko; but he -felt all at once that if she had suspected, her peace would be ruined -forever through his fault, and since he was not a spoiled man, fear and -compunction possessed him. - -"To the deuce with all dances!" said he. "I will stay at home, and take -care of that which belongs to me." - -And he said this so sincerely that a shadow of doubt could not pass -through her head, for she knew him perfectly. Hence a feeling of -immense relief came upon her. - -"When thou art with me," said she, "I feel less tired right away. A -moment ago I felt ill somehow. Aneta sat near me; but what can I care -for her? When out of health, one needs a person who is near, who is -one's own, and reliable. Perhaps thou wilt scold me for what I say, -since it is strange to say such things at a party, among strangers, -and so long after marriage. I understand myself that it is somewhat -strange; but I need thee really, for I love thee much." - -"And I love thee, dear being," answered Pan Stanislav, who felt then -that love for her could alone be honest and peaceful. - -Meanwhile the rain decreased; but there was lightning yet, so that -the windows of the villa were bright blue every moment. Bigiel, who, -after the dancing, had played a prelude of Chopin's, was talking now -with Lineta and Pan Ignas about music, and, defending his idea firmly, -said,-- - -"That Bukatski invented various kinds and types of women; and I have my -musical criterion. There are women who love music with their souls, and -there are others who love it with their skin,--these last I fear." - -A quarter of an hour later the short summer storm had passed by, and -the sky had cleared perfectly; the guests began to prepare for home. -But Zavilovski remained longer than others, so that he might be the -last to say good-night to Lineta. - -Out of fear for Marynia, Pan Stanislav gave command to drive the -carriage at a walk. The picture of her husband dancing with Pani -Mashko was moving in her tortured, head continually. Pani Aneta's -words, "Oh, how they lie! even the best of them," were sounding in her -ears. But Pan Stanislav supported her meanwhile with his arm, and -held her resting against him during the whole way; hence her disquiet -disappeared gradually. She wished from her soul to put some kind of -question to him, from which he might suspect her fears and pacify her. -But after a while she thought: "If he did not love me, he would not -show anxiety; he could be cruel more readily than pretend. I will not -ask him to-day about anything." Pan Stanislav, on his part, evidently -under the influence of the thought which moved in his head, and -under the impression that she alone might be his right love and true -happiness, bent down and kissed her face lightly. - -"I will not ask him about anything to-morrow either," thought Marynia, -resting her head on his shoulder. And after a while she thought again, -"I will never tell him anything." And fatigue, both physical and -mental, began to overpower her, so that before they reached home her -eyes were closed, and she had fallen asleep on his arm. - -Pani Bronich was sitting, meanwhile, in the drawing-room, looking -toward the glass door of the balcony, to which the betrothed had -gone out for a moment to breathe the air freshened by rain, and say -good-night to each other without witnesses. After the storm the night -had become very clear, giving out the odor of wet leaves; it was full -of stars, which were as if they had bathed in the rain, and were -smiling through tears. The two young people stood some time in silence, -and then began to say that they loved each other with all their souls; -and at last Pan Ignas stretched forth his hand, on which a ring was -glittering, and said,-- - -"My greatly beloved! I look at this ring, and cannot look at it -sufficiently. To this moment it has seemed to me that all this is a -dream, and only now do I dare to think that thou wilt be mine really." - -Then Lineta placed the palm of her hand on his, so that the two rings -were side by side; and she said, with a voice of dreamy exaltation,-- - -"Yes; the former Lineta is no longer in existence, only thy betrothed. -Now we must belong with our whole lives to each other; and it is a -marvel to me that there should be such power in these little rings, as -if something holy were in them." - -Pan Ignas's heart was overflowing with happiness, calm, and sweetness. - -"Yes," said he; "for in the ring is the soul, which yields itself, -and in return receives another. In such a golden promise is ingrafted -everything which in a man says, 'I wish, I love, and promise.'" - -Lineta repeated like a faint echo, "I wish, I love, and promise." - -Next he embraced her and held her long at his breast, and then began to -take farewell. But, borne away by the might of love and the impulse of -his soul, he made of that farewell a sort of religious act of adoration -and honor. So he gave good-night to those blessed hands which had given -him so much happiness, and good-night to that heart which loved him, -and good-night to the lips which had confessed love, and good-night to -the clear eyes through which mutuality gazed forth at the poet; and at -last the soul went out of him, and changed itself, as it were, into a -shining circle, around that head which was dearest in the world and -worshipped. - -"Good-night!" - -After a while Pani Bronich and Lineta were alone in the drawing-room. - -"Art wearied, child?" inquired Pani Bronich, looking at Lineta's face, -which was as if roused from sleep. - -And Lineta answered,-- - -"Ah, aunt, I am returning from the stars, and that's such a long -journey." - - - - -CHAPTER L. - - -Pan Ignas could say to himself that sometimes a lucky star shines even -for poets. It is true that since the day of his betrothal to Lineta it -had occurred to him frequently that there would be need now to think of -means to furnish a house, and meet the expenses, as well of a marriage -as a wedding; but, being first of all in love, and not having in -general a clear understanding of such matters, he represented all this -to himself only as some kind of new difficulty to be overcome. He had -conquered so many of these in his life that, trusting in his power, he -thought that he would conquer this too; but he had not thought over the -means so far. - -Others, however, were thinking for him. Old Zavilovski, in whom, with -all his esteem for geniuses, nothing could shake the belief that every -poet must have "fiu, fiu" in his head, invited Pan Stanislav to a -personal consultation, and said,-- - -"I will say openly that this youngster has pleased me, though his -father was, with permission, a great roisterer; nothing for him but -cards and women and horses. He came to grief in his time. But the son -is not like the father; he has brought to the name not discredit, but -honor. Well, others have not accustomed me much to this; but the Lord -God grant that I shall not forget the man. I should like, however, to -do something for him at once; for though a distant relative, he is a -relative, and the name is the same,--that is the main thing." - -"We have been thinking of this," said Pan Stanislav, "but the thing is -difficult. If aid be spoken of, he is so sensitive that one may make -the impatient fellow angry." - -"Indeed! How stubborn he is!" said Zavilovski, with evident pleasure. - -"True! He has kept books and written letters for our house a short -time. But we have conceived a real liking for him; therefore my partner -and I have offered him credit ourselves. 'Take a few thousand rubles,' -said we, 'for expenses and furnishing a house, and return them to us in -the course of three years from thy salary.' He would not: he said that -he had trust in his betrothed; she would accommodate herself to him, -he felt sure, and he did not want the money. Osnovski, too, wanted to -offer aid but we stopped him, knowing that it was useless. Your project -will be difficult." - -"Maybe, then, he has something?" - -"He has, and he hasn't. We have just learned that some thousands -of rubles came to him from his mother; but with the interest he -supports his father in an insane asylum, and considers the capital as -inviolable. That he takes nothing from it, is certain, for before he -began with us, he suffered such poverty that he was simply dying of -hunger, and he didn't touch a copper. Such is his character. And you -will understand why we esteem him. He is writing something, it seems, -and thinks that he will meet the expense of first housekeeping with it. -Maybe he will; his name means much at present." - -"Pears on willows!" said Pan Zavilovski. "You tell me that his name -means much--does it? But that's pears on willows!" - -"Not necessarily; only it will not come quickly." - -"Well, he was ceremonious with you because you were strangers, but I am -a relative." - -"We are strangers, but older acquaintances than you, and we know him -better." - -Zavilovski, unaccustomed to contradiction, began to move his white -mustaches, and pant from displeasure. For the first time in his life -he had to trouble himself about the question, would the man to whom he -wished to give money be pleased to accept it? This astonished, pleased, -and angered him all at once; he recalled, then, something which he did -not mention to Pan Stanislav, and this was it,--how many times had he -paid notes for the father of the young man?--and what notes! But see, -the apple has fallen so far from the tree that now there is a new and -unexpected trouble. - -"Well," said he, after a while, "may the merciful God grant the young -generation to change; for now, O devil, do not go even near them!" - -Here his face grew bright all at once with an immense honest pleasure. -The inexhaustible optimism, lying at the bottom of his soul, when -it found a real cause to justify itself, filled his heart with glad -visions. - -"Bite him now, lord devil," said he, "for the beast is as if of -stone!--a capable rascal! resolute in work, and character; that is what -it is,--character." - -Here he stared, and, shaking his head, fixed his lips as a sign of -wonder, as if to whistle, and after a moment, added,-- - -"Indeed! and that in a noble! As God lives, I didn't expect it." - -But talking in this way he deceived himself, for all his life he had -expected everything. - -"It seems, then," said Pan Stanislav, "that there is no help but this, -Panna Castelli must accommodate herself to him." - -But the old noble made a wry face all at once. "That is talk! tfu! -Will she accommodate, or will she not? the deuce knows her! She is -young; and as she is young, maybe she is ready for everything; but -who will give assurance, and for how long? Besides, there is her -aunt and that accommodating dead man; when he shouts from under the -ground, go and talk with him. As God is true, I esteem people who have -acquired property; but when any one has crept out of a cottage, and -not a mansion, and pretends that he lived always in palaces, he wants -palaces. And so it was with old Bronich. Neither of them was lacking -in vanity; the young woman was reared in such a school,--nothing but -comfort and abundance. Ignas does not know them in that respect--and -you do not. Such a woman as this" (here he pointed to his daughter) -"would go to a garret even, once she had given her word; but that other -one, she may not go easily." - -"I do not know them," said Pan Stanislav, "though I have heard various -reports; but through good-will for Ignas, I should like to know -definitely what to think of them." - -"What to think of them! I have known them a long time, and I, too, do -not know much. Well, judging from what Bronich herself says, the women -are saints, the most worthy. And pious! Ha! they should be canonized -while living! But you see it is this way,--there are women among us who -bear God and the commands of faith in their hearts, and there are such, -too, who make of our Catholic religion, Catholic amusement; and such -talk the loudest, and grow up where no one sowed them. That's what the -case is." - -"Ah, how truly you have spoken!" said Pan Stanislav. - -"Well, is it not true?" inquired Zavilovski. "I have seen various -things in life; but let us return to the question. Have you any method -to make this wild cat accept aid, or not?" - -"It is necessary to think of something; but at this moment nothing -occurs to me." - -Thereupon Panna Helena Zavilovski, who, occupied with embroidery -on canvas, was silent up to that moment as if not hearing the -conversation, raised her steel cold eyes suddenly, and said,-- - -"There is a very simple method." - -The old noble looked at her. - -"See, she has found it! What is this simple method?" - -"Let papa deposit sufficient capital for Pan Ignas's father." - -"It would be better for thee not to give that advice; I have done -enough in my life for Pan Ignas's father, though I had no wish to see -him, and prefer now to do something for Pan Ignas himself." - -"I know; but if his father has an income assured till his death, Pan -Ignas will be able to command that which he has from his mother." - -"As God is dear to me, that is true!" said Pan Zavilovski, with -astonishment. "See! we have both been breaking our heads for nothing, -and she has discovered it. True, as God is dear to me!" - -"You are perfectly right," said Pan Stanislav, looking at her with -curiosity. - -But she had inclined to the embroidery her face, which was without -expression of interest, and, as it were, faded before its time. - -The news of such a turn of affairs pleased Marynia and Pani Bigiel -greatly, and gave at the same time occasion to speak of Panna Helena. -Formerly she was considered a cold young lady, who placed form above -everything; but it was said that later a way was broken through that -coldness to her heart by great feeling, which, turning into a tragedy, -turned also that society young lady into a strange woman, separated -from people, confined to herself, jealous of her suffering. Some -exalted her great benevolence; but if she was really benevolent, she -did her good work so secretly that no one knew anything definite. It -was difficult, also, for any one to approach her, for her indifference -was greatly like pride. Men declared that in her manner there was -something simply contemptuous, just as if she could not forgive them -for living. - -Pan Ignas had been in Prytulov, and returned only the week following -the old man's talk with Pan Stanislav,--that is, when the noble had -deposited in the name of his father twice the amount of capital which -had served so far to pay his expenses at the asylum. When he learned of -this, Pan Ignas rushed off to thank the old man, and to save himself -from accepting it; but Zavilovski, feeling firm ground under his feet, -grumbled him out of his position. - -"But what hast thou to say?" asked he. "I have done nothing for thee; -I have given thee nothing. Thou hast no right to receive or not to -receive; and that it pleased me to go to the aid of a sick relative is -a kind of act permitted to every man." - -In fact, there was nothing to answer; hence the matter ended in -embraces and emotion, in which these two men, strangers a short time -before, felt that they were real relatives. - -Even Panna Helena herself showed "Pan Ignas" good-will. As to old -Zavilovski, he, grieving in secret over this, that he had no son, took -to loving the young man heartily. A week later, Pani Bronich, who had -visited Warsaw on some little business, went to Yasmen to learn what -was to be heard about the gout, and to speak of the young couple. When -she repeated a number of times, to the greater praise of "Nitechka," -that she was marrying a man without property, the old noble grew -impatient, and cried,-- - -"What do you say to me? God knows who makes the better match, even with -regard to property, omitting mention of other things." - -And Pani Bronich, who moreover endured all from the old truth-teller, -endured smoothly even the mention of "other things." Nay, a half an -hour later, she spread the wings of her imagination sufficiently. -Visiting the Polanyetskis on the way, she told them that Pan Zavilovski -had given her a formal promise to make an entail for "that dear, -dear Ignas," with an irrepressible motherly feeling that at times he -took the place of Lolo in her heart. Finally, she expressed the firm -conviction that Teodor would have loved him no less than she, and that -thereby sorrow for Lolo would have been less painful to both of them. - -Pan Ignas did not know that he had taken the place of Lolo in Pani -Bronich's heart, nor did he know of the entail discovered for him, -but he noticed that his relations with people had begun already to -change. The news of that entail must have spread through the city with -lightning-like swiftness, for his acquaintances greeted him in some -fashion differently; and even his colleagues of the bureau, honest -people, began to be less familiar. When he returned from Prytulov, he -had to visit all persons who had been present at the betrothal party at -the Osnovskis'; and the quickness with which the visit was returned by -such a man as Mashko, for example, testified also to the change in his -relations. In the first period of their acquaintance, Mashko treated -him somewhat condescendingly. Now he had not ceased, it is true, to be -patronizing, but there was so much kindness and friendly confidence -in his manner, such a feeling for poetry even. No! Mashko had nothing -against poetry; he would have preferred, perhaps, if Pan Ignas's verses -were more in the spirit of safely thinking people; but in general he -was reconciled to the existence of poetry, and even praised it. His -favorable inclination both to poetry and the poet were evident from -his look, his smile, and the frequent repetition, "but of course,--of -course,--but very!" Pan Ignas, who was in many regards naďve, but at -the same exceptionally intelligent, still understood that in all this -there was some pretence, hence he thought: "Why does this, as it were, -thinking man pose in such style that it is evident?" - -And that same day he raised this question in a talk with the -Polanyetskis; at their house it was that he had made Mashko's -acquaintance. - -"Were I to pose," said he, "I should try so to pose that people could -not recognize it." - -"Those who pose," answered Pan Stanislav, "count on this, that, though -people notice the posing, still, through slothfulness or a lack of -civic courage, they will agree to that which the pose is intended to -express. Moreover, the thing is difficult. Have you noticed that women -who use rouge lose gradually the sense of measure? It is the same with -posing. The most intelligent lose this sense of measure." - -"True," answered Pan Ignas, "as it is true also that one can reproach -people with everything." - -"As to Mashko," continued Pan Stanislav, "he knows, besides, that you -are marrying a lady who passes for wealthy; he knows that you are a -favorite with Pan Zavilovski, and perhaps he would like to approach him -through your favor. Mashko must think of the future; for they tell me -that the action to break the will, on which his fate depends, is not -very favorable." - -Such was the case really. The young advocate who had appeared in -defence of the will had shown much energy, adroitness, and persistence. - -Here ceased their conversation about Mashko, for Pani Marynia had begun -to inquire about Prytulov and its inhabitants,--a subject which for Pan -Ignas was inexhaustible. In his expressive narrative, the residence -at Prytulov appeared, with its lindens along the road, then its shady -garden, ponds, reeds, alders, and on the horizon a belt of pine-wood. -Kremen, which had faded in Marynia's memory, stood before her now as if -present; and, in that momentary revival of homesickness, she thought -that sometime she would beg "Stas" to take her even to Vantory, to -that little church in which she was baptized, and where her mother was -buried. Maybe Pan Stanislav remembered Kremen at that moment, for, -waving his hand, he said,-- - -"It is always the same in the country. I remember Bukatski's statement, -that he loved the country passionately, but on condition 'that there -should be a perfect cook in the house, a big library, beautiful and -intelligent women, and no obligation to stay longer than two days in a -twelvemonth.' And I understand him." - -"But still," said Marynia, "it is thy wish to have a piece of land of -thy own near the city." - -"To live in our own place in summer, and not with the Bigiels, as we -must this year." - -"But in me," said Pan Ignas, "certain field instincts revive the moment -I am in the country. For that matter, my betrothed does not like the -city, and that is enough for me." - -"Does Lineta dislike the city really?" inquired Marynia, with interest. - -"Yes, for she is a born artist. I gaze on nature too, and feel it but -she shows me things which I should not notice myself. A couple of days -ago, we all went into the forest, where she showed me ferns in the sun, -for instance. They are so delicate! She taught me also that the trunks -of pine-trees, especially in the evening light, have a violet tone. -She opens my eyes to colors which I have not seen hitherto, and, like a -kind of enchantress going through the forest, discloses new worlds to -me." - -Pan Stanislav thought that all this might be a proof of artistic -sense, but also it might be an expression of the fashion, and of that -universal love for painting color which people talk into themselves, -and in which any young lady at present may be occupied, not from love -of art, but for show. He had not occupied himself with painting; but he -noticed that, for society geese, it had become of late a merchandise, -exhibited willingly in Vanity Fair, or, in other words, a means to show -artistic culture and an artistic soul. - -But he kept these thoughts to himself; and Pan Ignas talked on,-- - -"Besides, she loves village children immensely. She says that they are -such perfect models, and less vulgarized than the little Italians. When -there is good weather, we are all day in the fresh air, and we have -become sunburnt, both of us. I am learning to play tennis, and make -great progress. It is very easy, but goes hard at first. Osnovski plays -passionately, so as not to grow fat. It is difficult to tell what a -kind and high-minded person that man is." - -Pan Stanislav, who during his stay in Belgium had played tennis no less -passionately than Osnovski, began to boast of his skill, and said,-- - -"If I had been there, I should have shown you how to play tennis." - -"Me you might," answered Pan Ignas; "but they play perfectly, -especially Kopovski." - -"Ah, is Kopovski in Prytulov?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"He is," said Pan Ignas. - -And suddenly they looked into each other's eyes. In one instant each -divined that the other knew something; and they stopped talking. A -moment of silence and even of awkwardness ensued, for Pani Marynia -blushed unexpectedly; and not being able to hide this, she blushed -still more deeply. - -Pan Ignas, who had thought that he was the exclusive possessor of the -secret, was astonished at seeing her blush, and was confused too; then, -wishing to cover the confusion with talk, he went on hurriedly,-- - -"Yes; Kopovski is in Prytulov. Osnovski invited him, so that Lineta -might finish his portraits, for later on there will be no time. -Besides, there is a relative of Osnovski's there also, Panna Ratkovski; -and I think that Kopovski is courting her. She is a pleasing and quiet -young lady. In August we are all going to Scheveningen, for those -ladies do not like Ostend. If Pan Zavilovski had not come with such -cordial assistance to my father, I should not have been able to go; but -now my hands are free." - -When he had said this, he began to talk with Pan Stanislav about his -position in the counting-house, which he did not wish to leave. On -the contrary, he asked a leave of some months, in view of exceptional -circumstances; then he took farewell and went out, for he was in a -hurry to write to his betrothed. In a couple of days he was to go to -Prytulov again; but meanwhile he wrote sometimes even twice a day. And -on the way to his lodgings he composed to himself the words of the -letter, for he knew that Lineta would read it in company with Pani -Bronich; that both would seek in it not only heart but wings; and that -the most beautiful passages would be read in secret to Pani Aneta, Pan -Osnovski, and even Panna Ratkovski. But he did not take this ill of his -beloved "Nitechka,"--nay, he was thankful to her that she was proud of -him; and he used all his power to answer to her lofty idea of him. The -thought did not anger him either, that people would know how he loved -her. "Let them know that she was loved as no one else in the world." - -He thought then a little of Marynia too. Her blushes moved him, for he -saw in them a proof of a most pure nature, which not only was incapable -of evil itself, but which was even ashamed, offended, and alarmed by -evil in others. And, comparing her with Pani Aneta, he understood what -a precipice divided those women, apparently near each other by social -position and mental level. - -When Pan Ignas had gone, Pan Stanislav said,-- - -"Hast thou seen that Zavilovski must have noticed something? Now I have -no doubt. That Osnovski is blind, blind!" - -"Just his blindness should restrain and hold her back," said Marynia. -"That would be terrible." - -"That is not 'would be,' it is terrible. Thou seest, noble souls pay -for confidence with gratitude; mean ones, with contempt." - - - - -CHAPTER LI. - - -These words were a great consolation to Marynia, for, remembering her -previous alarms, she thought at once that Pan Stanislav would not -have said anything like them had he been capable of betraying her -confidence; for she did not suppose that a man can have one measure -for his neighbors and another for himself, and that in life these -different measures meet at every step. She said to herself that to -restrain her husband from everything, it was enough to show perfect -trust in him; and she thought now with less fear of the nearness of -Pani Kraslavski's country house to the house of the Bigiels, in which -she and her husband were to pass the summer. It was easy to divine that -Pani Mashko, who had moved already into her mother's house, would be a -frequent guest at the Bigiels' from very tedium. Mashko did not send -her to Kremen, for he did not wish to be separated from her during -summer. From Warsaw, where he had to be on business, it was easy to go -every day to Pani Kraslavski's villa, one hour's ride from the city -barrier, while to distant Kremen such journeys were not possible. To -Mashko, really in love with his wife, her presence was requisite to -give him strength, for trying times had come again. The case against -the will was not lost yet by any means; but it had taken a turn which -was unfavorable, since the defence was very vigorous. It had begun to -drag, so people began to doubt; and for Mashko doubt approached defeat. -His credit, almost fallen at the opening of the case, had bloomed -forth like an apple-tree in spring, but was beginning now to waver -a second time. Sledz (the opposing advocate), hostile personally to -Mashko, and in general a man of strong will, not only did not cease -to spread news of the evil plight of his opponent, but strove that -doubts as to the favorable issue of the will case should make their way -into the press. A merciless legal and personal warfare set in. Mashko -strove with every effort to lame his enemy; and when they met, he bore -himself defiantly. This brought no advantage, however. Credit became -more and more difficult; and creditors, though so far paid regularly, -lost confidence. Again a feverish hunt began for money, to stop one -debt with another, and uphold the opinion of ready solvency. Mashko -exhibited such intelligence and energy in this struggle that, had it -not been for the fundamental error in his life relations, he would have -advanced to fame and great prosperity. - -The breaking of the will might save all, but to break the will it was -needful to wait; meanwhile to mend threads breaking here and there -was difficult as well as humiliating. It came to this, that in two -weeks after the Polanyetskis had moved to Bigiel's, when the Mashkos -came to them with a visit, Mashko was forced to ask of Pan Stanislav a -"friendly service;" that is, his signature to a note for a few thousand -rubles. - -Pan Stanislav was by nature an obliging man and inclined to be liberal, -but he had his theory, which in money affairs enjoined on him to be -difficult, hence he refused his signature; but to make up he treated -Mashko to his views on money questions between friends,-- - -"When it is a question not of a mutually profitable affair," said he to -him, "but of a personal service, I refuse on principle to sign; but I -will oblige with ready money as far as an acquaintance or a friend may -need it in temporary embarrassment, but not in a desperate position. In -this last case I prefer to keep my service till later." - -"That means," answered Mashko, dryly, "that thou art giving me a small -hope of support when I am bankrupt." - -"No; it means that should a catastrophe come, and thou borrow of me, -thou'lt be able to keep the loan, or begin something anew with that -capital. At present thou wilt throw it into the gulf, with loss to me, -without profit to thyself." - -Mashko was offended. - -"My dear friend," said he, "thou seest my position in a worse light -than I myself see it, and than it is in reality. It is merely a -temporary trouble, and a small one. I esteem thy good wishes, but this -very day I would not give my prospects for thy actual property. Now I -have one other friendly request; namely, that we speak no more of this." - -And they went to the ladies,--Mashko angry at himself for having made -the request, and Pan Stanislav for having refused it. His theory, that -in money questions it was proper to be unaccommodating, caused him such -bitter moments more than once, not to mention the harm which it had -done him in life. - -When with the ladies his ill-humor increased because of the contrast -between Pani Mashko and Marynia. To Mashko's intense disappointment -nothing announced that Pani Mashko was to be a mother. On the contrary, -she preserved all the slenderness of maiden forms; and now, especially -in her muslin summer robes, she looked, near Marynia, who was greatly -changed and unwieldy, not only like a maiden, but younger than her -neighbor by some years. Pan Stanislav, to whom it had seemed that -the strange attraction which she exercised on him was overcome, felt -suddenly that it was not, and that because of their living near each -other, and of his seeing her frequently, he would yield more and more -to her physical charm. - -Still his relations with his wife had become warmer since Pan Ignas's -betrothal evening, and Marynia was in better spirits than before; -so now after the Mashkos had gone, she, seeing that the men had -parted more coolly than usual and that in general Pan Stanislav was -ill-humored, inquired if they had not quarrelled. - -Pan Stanislav had not the habit of talking with her about business; but -at this moment he was dissatisfied with himself, and felt that need of -telling what troubled his mind which a man who is somewhat egotistical -feels when he is sure that he will find sympathy in a heart devoted to -him. Therefore he said,-- - -"I refused Mashko a loan; and I tell thee sincerely that it pains me -now that I did so. He has certain chances of success yet; but his -position is such that before he reaches his object he may be ruined by -any obstacle. Of course we have never been in friendship; I almost do -not like him. He irritates, he angers me; still life brings us together -constantly, and he rendered us once a great service. It is true that I -have rendered him services too; but now he has a knife at his throat -again." - -Marynia heard these words with pleasure, for she thought that if "Stas" -were really under the charm of Pani Mashko, he would not have refused -the loan, and second, she saw in his sorrow the proof of a good heart. -She too was sorry for their neighbor, but as she had brought her -husband hardly any dower, she did not venture to ask "Stas" directly to -assist Mashko, she merely inquired,-- - -"But dost thou think that the loan would be lost?" - -"Perhaps so, perhaps not," answered Pan Stanislav. Then with a certain -boastfulness: "I can refuse. Bigiel has a softer heart." - -"But don't say that. Thou art so kind. The best proof is this, that the -present matter is so disagreeable to thee." - -"Naturally it cannot be agreeable to think that a man, though a -stranger, is squirming like a snake because of a few thousand rubles. -I know what the question is. Mashko has given to-morrow as the last -day of payment. Hitherto he has sought money everywhere, but sought -guardedly, not wishing to make a noise and alarm his creditors; and in -straits he relied on me. So thou seest, he will not pay to-morrow. I -will suppose that in a few days he will find money as much as he needs; -but meanwhile the opinion of his accuracy will be shaken, and in the -position in which he is anything may be ruin for him." - -Marynia looked at her husband; at last she said with a certain -timidity,-- - -"And would this be really difficult for thee?" - -"If thou wish the truth, not at all. I have even a check-book here with -me; I took it to give earnest-money, if I found a place to buy. Oh, -interest in a former adorer and sympathy for him give me something to -think of," said he, laughing. - -Marynia laughed too, for she was glad that she had brightened her -husband's face; but, shaking her charming head, she said,-- - -"No! not sympathy for an adorer, but vile egotism, for I think to -myself, are the two thousand rubles worth the sorrow of my husband?" - -Pan Stanislav began to smooth her hair with his hand. - -"But thou," said he, "art an honest little woman to thy bones." - -Then he said, "Well, now, decide; one, two, three! to give?" - -She made no answer, but began to wink her eyes like a petted child, as -a sign to give. Both became joyous at once; but Pan Stanislav pretended -to complain and mutter. - -"See what it is to be under the slipper. Drag on through the night, -man, and beg Pan Mashko to take thy money, because it pleases that -fondled figure there." - -And her heart was overflowing with delight, simply that he called her -a "fondled figure." All her former sorrows and alarms vanished as if -enchanted by those words. Her radiant eyes looked at her husband with -indescribable love. After a while she inquired,-- - -"Is it necessary to go there right away?" - -"Of course. Mashko will go to the city at eight in the morning, and be -flying all day." - -"Then give order to make Bigiel's horse ready." - -"No! The moon is shining, and it is not far; I'll go on foot." - -Thus saying, he took farewell of Marynia, and, seizing his check-book, -went out. On the road he thought,-- - -"But Marynia might be applied to a wound. She is such a golden woman -that though at times a man might like to play some prank, he simply -hasn't the heart for it. God has given me a wife of the kind of which -there are few on earth." - -And he felt at the moment that he loved her in truth. He felt also -that love alone in itself, as a mutual attraction between persons of -different sexes, is not happiness yet, and if ill directed may be even -a misfortune; but that, on the other hand, the imagination of people -cannot dream out a truer happiness on earth than great and honest love -in marriage. "There is nothing superior to that," said Pan Stanislav to -himself; "and to think that it lies at hand; that it is accessible to -each one; that it is simply an affair of good and honest will; and that -people trample on that ready treasure and sacrifice their peace for -disturbance, and their honor for dishonor." - -Thus meditating, he went to the villa of the Mashkos, the windows of -which were shining like lanterns on the dark ground of the forest. -When he had passed through the gate to the yard lighted by the moon, -and had drawn near the porch, he saw, through the window of the room -next the entrance, Mashko and his wife, sitting on a low sofa formed -like a figure eight, near which was a small table and a lamp. Mashko -was embracing his wife with one arm; with his other hand he held her -hand, which he raised to his lips, and then lowered, as if thanking -her. All at once he embraced the young woman, with both arms drew her -toward him, and inclining, began to kiss her mouth passionately; she, -with hands dropped without control on her knees, not returning his -fondling, but also not refusing, yielded as passively as if she had -been deprived of blood and will. For a time Pan Stanislav saw only the -top of Mashko's head, his long side whiskers moving from the kissing; -and at sight of that the blood rushed to his head. And he was dashed -with just such a flood of desire as when looking for the ribbons of -Pani Osnovski's mantle (in Rome), and the more burning that it was -strengthened by a whole series of temptations. This purely physical -attraction, surprising to Pan Stanislav himself, and with which he had -struggled long, revived now with irresistible force. In a twinkle were -roused in him the wild instincts of the primitive man, who, when he -sees the woman desired in the embrace of another, is enraged and ready -to fight to the death for her with the fortunate rival. Together with -desire, jealousy burned him,--an unjust, a pitiful, and the lowest of -all kinds of jealousy, because purely physical, but still so unbridled -that he, who the moment before had understood that only honest love for -a wife might be real happiness, was ready to trample that happiness -and that love, if he could trample Mashko, and seize himself in his -arms that slender body of a woman, and cover with kisses that face of a -puppet, without mind, and less beautiful than the face of his own wife. - -That sight beyond the window not only excited him, but he could not -suffer it; hence he sprang to the door and pulled the bell feverishly. -The thought that that sound, heard on a sudden in the silence, would -stop that fondling of husband and wife roused a savage and malicious -delight in him. When the servant opened the door, Pan Stanislav gave -command to announce him, and endeavored to calm himself and compose -somehow that which he had to tell Mashko. - -After a while Mashko came out with a face somewhat astonished,-- - -"Pardon that I come so late, but my wife scolded me because I refused -thee a service; and since I knew that thou wilt go early in the -morning, I have come to settle the business to-night." - -On Mashko's face a secret joy was reflected. He divined straightway -that such a late visit from his neighbor had relation to their previous -talk; he did not hope, however, that the affair would go so smoothly -and at once. - -"I beg thee," said he. "My wife is not sleeping yet." - -And he brought him into that room the interior of which Pan Stanislav -had seen the minute before. Pani Mashko was sitting on the same sofa; -in her hand she held a book and a paper-knife, which evidently she had -taken from the table that moment. Her quenched face seemed calm, but -traces of the fresh kisses were evident on her cheeks; her lips were -moist, her eyes misty. The blood seethed up again in Pan Stanislav; and -in spite of all efforts to keep himself indifferent, he so pressed the -hand given him that Pani Mashko's lips contracted as if from pain. - -But when he touched her hand, a shiver ran through him from feet to -crown. There was in that very giving of her hand something so passive -that it ran through his head involuntarily that that woman was not -capable of resisting any man who had the courage and daring to attack -her directly. - -Meanwhile Mashko said,-- - -"Imagine to thyself, we have both raised a storm,--thou for refusing -me a service, and I for requesting it. Thou hast an honest wife, but -mine is no worse. Thine took me into her protection, and mine thee. -I revealed to her plainly my temporary trouble, and she scolded me -for not having done so before. Evidently she did not speak to me as a -lawyer, for of that she has no idea; but in the end of ends she said -that Pan Polanyetski refused me justly; that one should give some -security to a creditor; and this security she is ready to give with her -life annuity, and in general with all that she has. I was just thanking -her when you came." Here Mashko laid his hand on Pan Stanislav's arm. - -"My dear friend, I agree with thee that thy wife is the best person -on earth; and I agree all the more that I have fresh proof of it, on -condition, however, that thou assure me that mine is no worse. It ought -not to surprise thee, then, that I hide my troubles from her, for, as -God is true, I am always ready to share the good with such a beloved -one, but the evil, especially the temporary, to keep for myself; and if -thou knew her as I do, this would be no wonder to thee." - -Pan Stanislav, who, despite all the temptation which Pani Mashko was -for him, entertained by no means a high opinion of the woman, and had -not considered her in the least as capable of sacrifice, thought,-- - -"She is, in truth, a good woman; and I was mistaken, or Mashko has lied -to her, so that she really considers his position as brilliant, and -this trouble as purely a passing one." And he said aloud to her,-- - -"I am an accurate man in business; but for whom do you hold me, when -you think that I would ask security on your property? I refused simply -through sloth, and I am terribly ashamed of it; I refused to avoid -going at a given time to Warsaw for a new supply. In summer a man -becomes lazy and egotistical. But the question is a small one; and to -a man like your husband, who is occupied in property, such troubles -happen daily. Not infrequently loans are needed only because one's own -money cannot be raised at a given moment." - -"Just that has happened to me," answered Mashko, satisfied, evidently, -that Pan Stanislav had presented affairs to his wife in this manner. - -"Mamma occupied herself with business, therefore I have no knowledge of -it," put in Pani Mashko; "but I thank you." - -Pan Stanislav began to laugh. "Finally, what do I want of your -security? Suppose for a moment that you will be bankrupt, and I will -suppose so just because nothing similar threatens you; can you imagine -me in such an event bringing an action against you, and taking your -income?" - -"No," said Pani Mashko. - -Pan Stanislav raised her hand to his lips, but with all the seeming of -society politeness; he pressed his lips to it with all his force, and -at the same time there was in the look that he gave her such passion -that no declaration in words could have said more. - -She did not wish to betray that she understood, though she understood -well that the show of politeness was for her husband, and the power -of the kiss for herself. She understood, also, that she pleased Pan -Stanislav, that her beauty attracted him; still better, however, she -understood that she was triumphing over Marynia, of whose beauty, -while still unmarried, she was jealous, hence, first of all, she felt -her self-love deeply satisfied. For that matter she had noticed for a -long time that Pan Stanislav was ardent in her presence; hers was not -a nature either so honest or so delicate that that action could offend -or pain her. On the contrary, it roused in her curiosity, interest, and -vanity. Instinct warned her, it is true, that he is an insolent man, -who, at a given moment, is ready to push matters too far,--and that -thought filled her at times with alarm; but since nothing similar had -happened yet, the very fear had a charm for her. - -Meanwhile she said to Pan Stanislav,-- - -"Mamma mentions you always as a man to be relied on in every case." - -She said this with her usual thin voice, which Pan Stanislav had -laughed at before more than once; but now everything in her became more -attractive thereby, and hence, looking her fixedly in the eyes, he -said,-- - -"Think the same of me." - -"Have mutual confidence in each other," put in Mashko, jestingly; "but -I will go to my study to prepare what is needed, and in a moment we -will finish the matter." - -Pani Mashko and her guest were left alone. On her face a certain -trouble was apparent. To hide this she began to straighten the shade on -the lamp; but he approached her quickly, and began,-- - -"I shall be happy if you think the same of me. I am a man greatly -devoted to you; I should be glad to have even your friendship. Can I -rely on it?" - -"You can." - -"I thank you." - -When he had said this, he extended his hand to her, for all that he had -said was directed only to this, to get possession of her hand. In fact, -Pani Mashko did not dare to refuse it; and he, seizing it, pressed -it to his lips a second time, but this time he did not stop with one -kiss,--he fell to devouring it almost. It grew dark in his eyes. A -moment more, and in his madness he would have seized and drawn that -desired one toward him. Meanwhile, however, Mashko's squeaking boots -were heard in the adjoining room; hearing which, Pani Mashko began to -speak first, hurriedly,-- - -"My husband is coming." - -At that moment Mashko opened the door, and said,-- - -"I beg thee." - -Then, turning to his wife, he added,-- - -"Give command at once to bring tea; we will return soon." - -In fact, the business did not occupy much time, for Pan Stanislav -filled out a check, and that was the end. But Mashko treated him to a -cigar, and asked him to sit down, for he wished to talk. - -"New troubles are rolling on to me," said he; "but I shall wade out. -More than once I have had to do with greater ones. It is only a -question of this,--that the sun should get ahead of the dew, and that -I should open some new credit for myself, or some new source of income, -before the conclusion of the will case, and in support of it." - -Pan Stanislav, all roused up internally, listened to this beginning of -confidences with inattention, and chewed his cigar impatiently. On a -sudden, however, the dishonest thought came to him that, were Mashko -to be ruined utterly, his wife would be a still easier prey; hence he -asked dryly,-- - -"Hast thought of this, what thou art to do should the case be lost?" - -"I shall not lose it." - -"Everything may happen; thou knowest that best thyself." - -"I do not wish to think of it." - -"Still it's thy duty," said Pan Stanislav, with an accent of a certain -pleasure, which Mashko did not notice. "What wilt thou do in such a -case?" - -Mashko rested his arms on his knees, and looking gloomily on the floor, -said,-- - -"In such a case I shall have to leave Warsaw." - -A moment of silence came. The young advocate's face became gloomier and -gloomier; at last he grew thoughtful, and said,-- - -"Once, in my best days, I knew Baron Hirsh, in Paris. We met a number -of times, and once we took part in some affair of honor. Sometimes now, -when doubts come upon me, I remember him; he has withdrawn, apparently, -from business, but really has much on hand, especially in the East. I -know men who have made fortunes by him, for the field there is open at -every step." - -"Dost think it possible to go to him?" - -"Yes; but besides that I can shoot into my forehead." - -But Pan Stanislav did not take this threat seriously. From that short -conversation he convinced himself of two things: first, that Mashko, -in spite of apparent confidence, thought often of possible ruin; and -second, that in such an event he had a plan, fantastic, it may be but -ready. - -Mashko shook himself suddenly out of his gloomy visions, and said,-- - -"My strength has lain always in this,--that I never think of two things -at once. Therefore I am thinking only of the will case. That scoundrel -will do everything to ruin me in public opinion, I know that; but I -sneer at public opinion, and care only for the court. Should I fail -before the decision, that might have a bad influence, perhaps. Dost -understand? They would consider the whole case then as the despairing -effort of a drowning man, who grasps at what he can. I have no wish for -that position; therefore I must seem to be a man standing on firm feet. -This is a sad necessity, and I am not free now to be even economical. I -cannot diminish my scale of living. As thou seest me, I have troubles -to my ears; as for that matter, who knows it better than thou, who art -giving me a loan? And still, as late as yesterday, I was buying Vyborz, -a considerable property in Ravsk, simply to throw dust in the eyes of -my creditors and opponents. Tell me, dost thou know old Zavilovski -well?" - -"Not long. I made his acquaintance through the young man." - -"But thou hast pleased him, for he has immense admiration for men with -noble names who make property. I know that he is his own agent; but -he is growing old, and the gout is annoying him. I have put several -thoughts before him; therefore, if he asks thee about anything, -recommend me. Understand that I do not wish to get at his money chest, -though, as agent, I should have some income, which would be greatly to -my hand; but the main question for me is that it should become noised -abroad that I am the agent of such a millionnaire. Is it true that he -intends to create an entail for the young man out of his estates in -Poznan?" - -"So Pani Bronich says." - -"That would be a proof that it is not true; but all things are -possible. In every case the young man, too, will receive with his wife -a certain dower; and, being a poet, he has not the least idea, surely, -how to handle such matters. I might serve him, too, with advice and -aid." - -"I must refuse you decisively in his name, for we have engaged to -occupy ourselves with his interests in future,--that is, my partner and -I." - -"It is not a question with me of his interest either," said Mashko, -frowning slightly, "but that I might tell people that I am Zavilovski's -agent; for, dost understand, before it is known which Zavilovski, my -credit can only gain by it?" - -"Thou knowest that I never look into other men's business; but I tell -thee sincerely that for me it would be a terrible thing to exist in -this way only on credit." - -"Ask the greatest millionnaires on earth if they made fortunes on -another basis." - -"And ask all bankrupts if they did not fail from that cause." - -"As to me, the future will show." - -"It will," said Pan Stanislav, rising. - -Mashko thanked him once more for the loan; and both went to tea to the -lady, who inquired,-- - -"Well, the business is finished?" - -Pan Stanislav, whom her appearance roused again, and who remembered -suddenly that a little while before she said to him, "My husband is -coming!" as if half guilty, answered her without reference to Mashko,-- - -"Between your husband and me it is, but between us two--not yet." - -Pani Mashko, though she had cool blood, was still confused, as if -frightened at his daring; and Mashko asked,-- - -"How is that?" - -"This way," answered Pan Stanislav: "that the lady thought me capable -of asking her property in pledge, and I cannot pardon her that yet." - -Pani Mashko looked at him with her indefinite gray eyes, as if with a -certain admiration. His boldness had imposed on her, and the presence -of mind with which he was able to give a polite society turn to his -words. He seemed to her also at that moment a fine-looking man, beyond -comparison better-looking than Mashko. - -"I beg pardon," said she. - -"That will not be given easily. You do not know what a stubborn and -vengeful man I am." - -Then she answered with a certain coquetry, like a person conscious of -her charm and her power,-- - -"I don't believe that." - -He sat near her; and taking, with a somewhat uncertain hand, the cup, -he began to stir the tea with the spoon. Greater and greater alarm -seized him. More than once before he had called Pani Mashko, while -unmarried, a fish; but now he felt warmth passing through her light -garments from her body, and felt as if some one were scattering sparks -on him. Again he remembered her words, "My husband is coming;" and -waves of blood rushed to his heart, for it seemed to him that only a -woman could speak thus who was prepared and ready for everything. Some -voice in his soul said, "That is only a question of opportunity;" and -at this thought his unbridled desire was turned at once to unbridled -delight. He ceased altogether to control himself. Soon he began to seek -her foot with his; but suddenly that act seemed to him passing rude and -peasant-like. Finally he said to himself that since it was a question -of opportunity only, he ought to know how to wait. He foresaw that the -time would come, the opportunity be found. - -Meanwhile his position was awkward; he had to keep up a conversation -quite in disaccord with the state of his mind, and to answer Mashko, -who asked about the future plans of Pan Ignas, and various things of -like tenor. At last he rose to leave; but before going, he turned and -said to Mashko,-- - -"Some dogs attacked me on the way, and I forgot my cane; lend me thine." - -No dogs had attacked, but with him it was a question of remaining even -one minute alone with the young woman, so that when Mashko went out he -approached her quickly, and said, with a sort of stifled and unnatural -voice,-- - -"You see what is taking place with me?" - -She saw, indeed, his excitement, his eyes glittering with desire, and -his distended nostrils. Alarm and fear seized her at once; but he -remembered only her words, "My husband is coming," and one feeling, -described by the words, "let happen what may," made the man, who, a -moment before, said to himself that he ought to know how to wait, put -everything on one card in the twinkle of an eye, and whisper,-- - -"I love you." - -She stood before him with downcast eyes, as if stunned, and turned -into a pillar under the influence of those words, from which simple -infidelity must begin, and then a new epoch in life. She turned her -head away slightly, as if to avoid his gaze. Silence followed, broken -only by the somewhat panting breath of Pan Stanislav. But in the next -room Mashko's squeaking boots were heard. - -"Till to-morrow," said Pan Stanislav. - -And in that whisper there was something almost commanding. Pani Mashko -stood all this time with downcast eyes, motionless as a statue. - -"Here is the cane," said Mashko. "To-morrow morning I go to the city, -and return only in the evening. If the weather is good, maybe thou and -Pani Polanyetski would like to visit my hermitess." - -"Good-night," said Pan Stanislav. - -And after a while he found himself on the empty road, which was lighted -by the moon. It seemed to him that he had sprung out of a flame. The -calm of the night and the forest was in such contrast to his tempest -that it struck him like something uncommon. The first impression -which he was able to note was the feeling that his internal conflict -was closed, his hesitations ended; that the bridges were burned, and -all was over. Some internal voice began to shout in his soul that -first of all it had transpired that he was a wretch; but in this -thought precisely there was a kind of desperate solace, for he said to -himself if it were true, he must come to terms with himself as with a -wretch, and in that event "let everything perish, and let the devils -take all." In every case a wretch will not need to fight with his -own inclinations, and may indulge himself. Yes, all is over, and the -bridges are burned! He will be false to Marynia, trample her heart, -trample honesty, trample the principles on which he built his life; but -in return he will have Pani Mashko. Now one of two, either she will -complain of him to her husband, and to-morrow there will be a duel,--if -so be, let it come,--or she will be silent, and in that case will be -his partner. To-morrow Mashko will go to Warsaw; and he, Pan Stanislav, -will gain all that he desires, even if the world had to sink the next -moment. If she will not expose him, it is better for her not to try -resistance. He imagined even that she would not try, or if she did, -she would do so only to preserve appearances. And it began to seethe -in him again; that helplessness of hers, which formerly roused so much -contempt in him, had become now an additional charm. He imagined the -morrow, and the passiveness of that woman. In spite of all his chaos -of thought, he understood perfectly that just in that passiveness she -would seek later on an excuse: she would say to herself that she was -not a partaker in the guilt, because she was forced to it; and in this -way she would calumniate God, her own conscience, and, if need be, her -husband. And thinking thus, he despised her as much as he desired her; -but he felt at the same time that he himself was not much worthier, and -that by virtue of a certain selection, not only natural, but moral, -they ought to belong to each other. - -He understood, also, that for him it was too late to with draw from -that road, and that once those same lips of his, which had sworn -faith and love to Marynia, had said to another woman, "I love!" the -greatest evil was committed. The rest was simply a sequence, which -it was not proper to reject, even for this reason,--that in every -case it was a pleasure. He imagined that all must reason thus who -throw honesty through the window, and resolve on deeds of vileness; -and the reasoning seemed to him as exact as it was immoral. And the -more soberly he reflected, the more he was astonished at his own -degradation. He had seen much evil and hidden vileness in the world -under the guise of refinement and polish. He knew that corruption had -worked out for itself, somehow, under the influence of bad books, a -right of citizenship; but he remembered that he was indignant at this, -that he wished simplicity and strictness for the society in which he -lived, in the conviction that only on such bases could social strength -and permanence be developed. Nothing has roused in him so many fears -for the future as that refined evil of the West sown on the wild Slav -field, and growing up on it with a sickly bloom of dilettantism, -license, weakness, and faithlessness. More than once, as he remembered, -he had reproached with such sowings, at one time high financial -spheres, at another aristocracy of birth; and more than once he had -attacked them without mercy. Now he understood that whoso lives in an -atmosphere filled with carbonic gas, must suffocate. In what was he -better than others? Or rather, how much worse was he than those who, -floating in corruption, as sticks float in water, do not, at least, -amuse themselves with hypocrisy, nor deceive themselves, nor prescribe -rules to others, nor erect ideals of a healthy man spiritually, an -honest husband, an honest father, as a binding model. And he almost -refused to believe that he was the man, who once gave Pani Emilia ideal -friendship, and promised faithfulness to Marynia, and who considered -that he had a clear intellect and a character juster and stronger than -others. - -He stronger? His strength was only deception, coming from lack of -temptation. If he had loved Pani Emilia with the ideal feeling of a -brother; if he had resisted the coquetry of Pani Aneta,--it was only -because they did not rouse in him that animal feeling which that puppet -with her red eyes roused, she whom his soul rejected, but for whom -his senses were striving this long time. He thought then, too, that -his feeling for Marynia had never been honest, for at the basis of -things it was not anything else than just such an animal attraction. -Familiarity had dulled it; and, restrained by the condition of Marynia, -he had turned to where he was able, and turned without restraint or -scruple hardly half a year after his marriage. - -And Pan Stanislav, who, on leaving Mashko's house, had the feeling that -he was a wretch, thought all at once that he was more of a wretch than -at first he had imagined, for he remembered now that he was to be a -father. - -At home, in Marynia's windows, the lights had not been extinguished; -he would have given much to find her sleeping. It came to his mind, -even, to walk on and not return till there was darkness in the chamber. -But suddenly he saw her profile in the window. She must be looking for -him; and, since it was clear in front of the house, she must have seen -him,--hence he halted and went in. - -She received him in a white night wrapper, and with unbound hair. There -was in that unbound hair a certain calculated coquetry, for she knew -that she had beautiful hair, and that he liked to fondle it. - -"Why art thou not sleeping?" asked he, coming in. - -She approached him, sleepy, but smiling, and said,-- - -"I was waiting for thee to say the evening prayer." - -Since their stay in Rome they had prayed together; but at present the -very thought of this seemed to him insupportable. Meanwhile Marynia -inquired,-- - -"Well, Stas, art content that thou hast saved him? Thou art, I think." - -"Yes," answered he. - -"But she does not know of his position?" - -"She does and does not. It is late. Let us go to sleep." - -"Good-night. Dost thou know of what I have been thinking here alone? -That thou art so good and honest." - -And, extending her face to him, she put her arms around his neck; he -kissed her, feeling at the same time the pure honesty of her kiss, and -his own vileness, and the whole series of vilenesses which he would -have to commit later on. - -One of these he committed right there, kneeling down to the prayer, -which Marynia repeated aloud. He could not avoid saying it; and in -saying it, he merely played a pitiful comedy, for he could not pray. - -After the prayer was finished and a second good-night given, he could -not sleep. It seemed to him that, when coming from Mashko's, he had -embraced with his mind his action and all its moral consequences. -Meanwhile it turned out that he had not. It came to his head now that -it is possible not to believe in God, but not permitted to make sport -of Him. To commit, for example, a perfidy, to return home to-morrow, -or the following day, after having committed adultery, and kneel down -to prayer, that would be too much. He felt that it was necessary to -choose either religious feeling and sincere faith, or Pani Mashko. -To reconcile these was not possible. And all at once he saw that -everything which he had worked out and elaborated in himself purposely -for years, that all that immense calm, resulting from the solution of -life's chief enigma,--in a word, that which composed the essence of his -spiritual existence,--must be rejected outright. On the other hand, he -understood equally well that, from to-morrow forward, he must give the -lie to his own social principles, to his recognition of the family as -the basis of social existence. It is not permitted to proclaim such -principles, and seduce other men's wives in secret. It was necessary -to choose here too. As to Marynia, perfidy against her had been -committed already. With one sweep, then, his relations with God, with -society, with his wife, had gone to ruin; the ceiling of that spiritual -house, reared with great labor, and in which he had been dwelling, -had tumbled on his head. And that chilling cold of evil filled him -with wonder. He had not expected that, on cutting a single thread, -the whole fabric would unravel so quickly; and with astonishment he -asked himself how there can exist in the world opportunism of that -kind, which reconciles faith-breaking in life with honesty and honor? -For that is what is done. He knew many so-called decent people, -married men, loving their wives, as it were, religious,--and at the -same time pursuing every woman they met. These same men, who would -account to their wives every deviation from duty as a crime, permitted -themselves conjugal infidelity without a scruple. He remembered how -one of his acquaintances, pushed to the wall on this point, wriggled -out humorously with the well-known street witticism that he was not -a Swedish match. Absolute infidelity was obliterated, and among men -passed as something permitted, almost customary. That thought brought -Pan Stanislav a moment of consolation, but a short one, for he was -consistent, if not in his actions, at least in his reasoning. True! -The world is not composed of thieves and hypocrites alone, but in -great part of thoughtless and frivolous people; and this opportunism, -reconciling adultery with honor and honesty, is nothing else than -frivolity. For in what can custom excuse a man, who recognizes the -immorality and stupidity of that custom? For a fool, infidelity may be -a joke, thought Pan Stanislav; for a man who thinks seriously, it is -scoundrelism, as much opposed to ethics as a crime, as the signing of -other men's names to notes, as the breaking of an oath, as the breaking -of a word, as swindling in trade, or in cards. Religion may forgive -the sin of adultery as a momentary fall; but adultery which excuses -itself beforehand, excludes religion, excludes society, excludes -honesty, excludes honor. Pan Stanislav, who, in his reasonings with -himself, was always consistent and in general utterly unsparing, did -not withdraw before this last induction. But he was frightened when he -saw the precipice. If he did not withdraw, he would break his neck; -but at the same time he began to fret at his own weakness. He knew -himself well enough, with sorrow and with contempt also for his own -weakness; he knew in advance that when he should see Pani Mashko, the -human beast would get the upper hand of his soul. To withdraw? But he -had repeated that to himself, and determined it after every temptation; -and afterward, in presence of each succeeding one, passion had run -away with his will at breakneck speed, just as a wild horse runs away -with a rider. At the very remembrance of this he wanted to curse. If -he had been unhappy at home, if his passion had grown up on the ground -of great love, he would have had some excuse for it; but he did not -love Pani Mashko,--he only desired her. He could never give himself an -account of this dualism in the nature of man,--he knew only that he -desired and would desire after every meeting, after every thought of -her. - -There remained one escape, not to see her,--an impossible escape, not -only with reference to relations of acquaintance of every kind, but -even with reference to this, that then Marynia would begin to suspect -something. Pan Stanislav did not even suppose that that had taken place -already, and that she merely concealed from him her suffering; he gave -account to himself, however, that if his treason should in any way come -out, it would be a blow simply beyond the strength of that mild and -trusting woman. And his reproaches increased still more. Great pity -and compassion for her seized him, as well as increased contempt for -himself. In spite of darkness, the blood rushed to his face when he -remembered that the fatal words had fallen; that he had said, "I love," -to Pani Mashko; that he had deceived and betrayed Marynia, that honest, -truthful woman; and that he was capable of betraying her trust, and -trampling on her heart. - -For a while it seemed to him a pure impossibility; but his conscience -answered him, Thou art capable! Still, in that sorrow and pity for her -he found a kind of consolation, when he saw that his feeling for her -was and is something more than animal attraction, and that there were -in him certain attachments, flowing out of the community of life and -mutual possession; from the marriage vow; from comradeship in good -and evil fortune; from the great esteem and affection which in future -was to be strengthened by a child. Never had he loved her more than -in that moment of internal torture, and never had there risen in him -greater tenderness. Day began to break; through the openings of the -window the dawn was entering, and filled the chamber with a pale light, -in which he could see indistinctly her dark head sunk in the pillow. -His heart was filled with the feeling that that was his only and best -treasure,--his greatly beloved comrade sleeping there, his best friend, -his wife, and the future mother of his child. And no conclusions, no -reasonings about religion and social unvirtue, filled him with such -disgust for that unvirtue and for himself as the sight of that mild, -sleeping face. The light through the openings entered more and more, -and her head emerged more distinctly each moment from the shade. The -half-circles of her eyelids were visible already on her cheeks and Pan -Stanislav, looking at her, began to say to himself, "Thy honesty will -help me!" All at once better feelings gained the victory in him: the -beast abandoned his son and a certain consolation seized him, for he -thought that if he were such a wretch as he had imagined, he would have -followed the voice of passion with a lighter heart, and would not have -passed through such suffering. - -He woke late in the morning, wearied and somewhat ill; he felt such -dissatisfaction and exhaustion as he had never felt before. But by the -light of day, and besides a rainy and gloomy day, the whole affair -stood before him differently,--it seemed more sober, ordinary; the -future did not appear to him so terrible, nor his fault so great. -Everything grew smaller in his eyes; he began to think then principally -of this, whether Pani Mashko had confessed all to her husband or not. -At moments he had the feeling of a man who has crawled into a great and -sore trouble needlessly. Gradually, however, this feeling was changed -into an ever increasing and more vivid alarm. "The position is stupid," -said he to himself. "Every reproach may be made against Mashko, but not -this, that he is an incompetent or a coward; and he will not put such -an insult as that into his pocket. Hence there will be an explanation, -a scandal, perhaps a duel. May the thunderbolts shatter it! What a -fatal history, if the thing reaches Marynia!" And he began to be angry -with the whole world. Till then he had had perfect peace; he had -cared for no one, counted with no one. To-day, however, he is turning -to every side; in his head is the question, "Has she told; has she -not told?" and from the morning he could not think of aught else. It -went that far that finally he put to himself this question: "What the -deuce! am I afraid of Mashko? I?" It was not Mashko whom he feared, but -Marynia, which was in like manner something both new and astonishing, -for a couple of days earlier he would have admitted anything rather -than this,--that he would ever fear Marynia. And as midday approached, -the affair, which seemed to him diminished in the morning, began again -to increase in his eyes. At moments he strengthened himself with the -hope that Pani Mashko would be silent; at moments he lost that hope. -And then he felt that he would not dare to look into the eyes, not of -Marynia, merely, but of any one; and he feared Bigiel, too, and Pani -Bigiel, and Pani Emilia, Pan Ignas,--in a word, all his acquaintances. -"See what it is to make a muddle!" thought he. "How much one stupidity -costs!" His alarm increased to the degree that at last, under pretext -of returning the cane, he sent a servant boy to Pani Mashko with a bow, -and an inquiry as to her health. - -The servant returned in half an hour. Pan Stanislav saw him through -the window, and, going down hurriedly to meet him, learned that he had -brought a note from Pani Mashko to Marynia. Taking the note, he gave it -to Marynia; and his heart beat with still greater alarm while watching -her face as she read it. - -But Marynia, when she had finished, raised her calm eyes to him, and -said,-- - -"Pani Mashko invites us to supper to-day--and the Bigiels also." - -"A-a!" answered Pan Stanislav, drawing a full breath. And in his soul -he added, "She has not told." - -"We will go, shall we not?" asked Marynia. - -"If thou wish--that is, go with the Bigiels, for after dinner I must go -to the city. I must see Svirski; perhaps I shall bring him here." - -"Then we may send an excuse?" - -"No, no! go with the Bigiels. Maybe I shall call in on the way and -explain to her; but even that is not necessary. Thou wilt explain for -me." And he went out, for he needed to be alone with his thoughts. - -"She has not told;" a feeling of relief and delight now possessed him. -She had not told her husband; she was not offended; she had invited -them. She has agreed, therefore, to everything; she is ready to go -farther, and to go everywhere, whithersoever he may wish to lead her. -What is that invitation itself, if not a wish to put him at ease, if -not an answer to his, "Till to-morrow"? Now all depends on him alone; -and shivers begin again to go from his feet to his head. There are -no hindrances unless in himself. The fish has swallowed the hook. -Temptations attacked him with new power, for uncertainty restrained -them no longer. Yes, the fish had swallowed the hook; she had not -resisted. Here a feeling of triumph seized him, and of satisfaction for -his self-love; and at the same time, thinking of Pani Mashko, he began -almost to beg pardon of her in his soul, because he had at moments been -capable of doubting her, and thinking her an honest woman, for even -five minutes. Now, at least, he knew what to think of her, and he was -thankful. After a while he laughed at his previous fears. In this way -he rendered the first tribute due her, contempt. She had ceased to be -for him something unattainable, something for which a battle between -hope and fear is fought. In spite of himself, he imagined her now as -something of his, as his own, always attractive, but for this very -reason less valuable. The thought also caused him pleasure, that if he -resisted temptation at present, it would be a pure merit. Now, when -the doors stood open, he saw with wonder that the desire of resistance -increased in him. Once more all that he had said during the sleepless -night about faith-breaking flew through his mind. Once more his heart -reminded him of Marynia, her justness, her honesty, her approaching -motherhood, and that great peace, that real happiness, which he could -find only near her; and in the end of all these considerations he -decided to go to the city, and not be at Pani Mashko's. - -After midday he gave command to bring the horses. When he was seated -in Bigiel's carriage he bent over, embraced Marynia at parting, "Amuse -thyself well," and drove away. His morning exhaustion had passed; -he recovered even his humor, for he felt satisfied with himself. -Confidence in his own power and character returned to him. Meanwhile, -a certain exciting pleasure was caused in his mind by the thought of -Pani Mashko's astonishment when she should learn that he had gone, and -had no intention to visit her. He felt a certain need of revenge on the -woman for the physical impression which she had produced on him. Since -the coming of that note, which she had written to Marynia, his contempt -for her had increased with such force that soon he began to think that -he would be in a position to come off victorious, even should he visit -her. - -"And if I should go there, indeed, and give another meaning to -yesterday's words," said he. But directly he thought, "I will not be a -deceiver, at least, with reference to myself." - -He was certain, however, that she would not be astonished at his -coming. After what he had told her yesterday, she might suppose that he -would find some excuse for visiting her before the arrival of Marynia -and the Bigiels, or for remaining behind them. - -But should she see him driving past, she might think that he feared -her, or consider him a boor, or jester. - -"There is no doubt," monologued he, further, "that a man who does not -consider himself a fool, or a dolt, incapable of resisting any puppet, -would go in and try to correct in some fashion yesterday's stupidity." - -But at the same moment fear seized him. That same voice which yesterday -evening shouted in his soul that he was a wretch, began to shout again -with redoubled energy. - -"I will not go in," thought Pan Stanislav. "To understand and to be -able to refrain are two different matters." - -Pani Kraslavski's villa was visible now in the distance. - -Suddenly it flew into his head that Pani Mashko, through vexation and -the feeling of being contemned, through offended self-love, through -revenge, might tell Marynia something that would open her eyes. Maybe -she would do that with one word, with one smile, giving even, it might -be, to understand further, that certain insolent hopes of his had been -shattered by her womanly honesty, and in that way explain his absence. -Women rarely refuse themselves such small revenges, and still more -rarely are they merciful one toward another. - -"If I had the courage to go in--" - -At that moment the carriage was even with the gate of the villa. - -"Stop!" said Pan Stanislav to the driver. - -He saw on the balcony Pani Mashko, who, however, withdrew at once. - -He walked through the yard; the servant received him at the door. - -"The lady is upstairs," said he. - -Pan Stanislav felt that his legs were trembling under him, when he -walked up the steps; meanwhile the following thoughts flew through his -head,-- - -"He may permit himself everything who takes life lightly, but I do not -take it lightly. If, after all that I have considered and thought over -and said, I could not master myself, I should be the last among men." -Now, standing at the door of the room pointed out by the servant, he -inquired,-- - -"Is it permitted?" - -"I beg," said the thin voice. - -And after a while he found himself in Pani Mashko's boudoir. - -"I have come in," said he, giving her his hand, "to explain that I -cannot be at supper. I must go to the city." - -Pani Mashko stood before him with head a little inclined, with drooping -eyes, confused, full of evident fear, having in her posture and -expression of face something of the resigned victim, which sees that -the decisive moment has come, and that the misfortune must happen. - -That state of mind came on Pan Stanislav, too, in one flash; hence, -approaching her suddenly, he asked with stifled voice,-- - -"Are you afraid? Of what are you afraid?" - - - - -CHAPTER LII. - - -Next morning Pani Polanyetski received a letter from her husband, -stating that he would not return that day, for he was going to look at -a place situated on the other side of the city. On the following day, -however, he returned, and brought Svirski, who had promised Bigiel and -Pan Stanislav before that he would visit them at their summer residence. - -"Imagine to thyself," said Pan Stanislav, after greeting his wife, -"that that Buchynek, which I have been looking at, lies next to old -Zavilovski's Yasmen; when I learned that, I visited the old man, who -is not feeling well, and in Yasmen I found Pan Svirski, unexpectedly. -He helped me to look at Buchynek, and the house pleased him much. -There is a nice garden, a large pond, and some forest. Once it was a -considerable property; but the land has been sold away, so that little -remains now with the residence." - -"A pretty, very pretty place," said Svirski. "There is much shade, much -air, and much quiet." - -"Wilt thou buy it?" inquired Marynia. - -"Perhaps. Meanwhile I should like to rent it. We could live there the -rest of the summer, and satisfy ourselves as to whether it would suit -us. The owner is so certain that a stay there will be agreeable to us -that he agrees to rent it. I should have given him earnest-money at -once, but I wished to know what thy thought would be." - -Marynia was a little sorry to lose the society of the Bigiels; but, -noticing that her husband was looking into her eyes earnestly, and that -he had an evident wish that they should live the rest of the summer by -themselves, she said that she would agree most willingly. - -The Bigiels began to oppose, and offer a veto; but when Pan Stanislav -represented to them that it was a question of trying a house in which -he and Marynia would be likely to live every summer to the end of their -lives, they had to confess that the reason was sufficient. - -"To-morrow I will engage the place, and carry out all the furniture -necessary from Warsaw, and we can move in the day after." - -"That is just as if you wished to flee from us as soon as possible," -said Pani Bigiel; "why such haste?" - -"There is no trouble with packing," answered he, hurriedly; "and you -know that I do not like delay." - -Finally it was left in this way: that the Polanyetskis were to go to -Buchynek in four days. Now dinner was served, during which Svirski told -how Pan Stanislav had found him at Zavilovski's in Yasmen. - -"Panna Helena wished me to paint her father's portrait," said he, -"and to paint it in Yasmen. I went because I was eager for work, and, -besides, the old man has an interesting head. But nothing could come -of that. They are in a residence with walls two yards thick; for that -reason there is poor light in the rooms. I would not paint under -such conditions; and then another hindrance appeared,--the model was -attacked by the gout. The doctor, whom they took with them to the -country, told me that the old man's condition is not good, and may end -badly." - -"I am sorry for Pan Zavilovski," said Marynia, "for he seems a worthy -man. And poor Panna Helena! In the event of his death she will be quite -alone. And does he understand his own condition?" - -"He does, and he does not; it is his way. He is always an original. Ask -your husband how he received him." - -Pan Stanislav laughed, and said,-- - -"On the way to Buchynek I learned that Yasmen was near, and I resolved -to go there. Panna Helena took me to her father; but he was just -finishing his rosary, and did not greet me till he had said the last -'Hail Mary.' Then he begged my pardon, and said thus: 'Those heavenly -matadors in their own order; but with Her a man has more courage, and -in old fashion, when She is merciful, all is well, for nothing is -refused Her.'" - -"What a type he is!" exclaimed Svirski. - -The Bigiels laughed, but Marynia said that there was something -affecting in such confidence. With this Svirski agreed, and Pan -Stanislav continued,-- - -"Then he said that it was time for him to think of his will, and I did -not oppose him, in usual fashion, for with me it is a question of our -Pan Ignas. On the contrary, I told him that that was a purely legal -matter, for which it was never too early, and that even young people -ought to think of it." - -"That is my opinion, too," put in Bigiel. - -"We spoke also of Pan Ignas; the old man has come to love him heartily." - -"Yes!" exclaimed Svirski. "When he learned that I had been in Prytulov, -he began at once to inquire about him." - -"Then have you been in Prytulov?" inquired Marynia. - -"Four days. I like Osnovski immensely." - -"And Pani Osnovski?" - -"I gave my opinion in Rome of her, and, as I remember, let my tongue -out like a scourge." - -"I remember too. You were very wicked. How is it with the young couple?" - -"Oh, nothing! They are happy. But Panna Ratkovski is there,--a very -charming young lady. I lacked little of falling in love with her." - -"There it is for you! But Stas told me that you are in love with all -ladies." - -"With all, and therefore always in love." - -Bigiel, hearing this, stopped and said earnestly,-- - -"That is a good way never to marry." - -"Unfortunately it is," said Svirski. Then, turning to Marynia, he -said, "Pan Stanislav must have told you of our agreement,--that when -you say to me 'marry,' I shall marry. That was the agreement with -your husband; therefore I should wish you to see Panna Ratkovski. -Her name is Stefania, which means the crowned. A pretty name, is it -not? She is a calm kind of person, not bold, fearing Pani Aneta and -Panna Castelli, but clearly honest. I had a proof of this. Whenever a -young lady is in question, I observe everything and note it down in my -memory. Once a beggar came to me in Prytulov with a face like that of -some Egyptian hermit from Thebes. Pani Aneta and Panna Castelli rushed -out at him with their cameras and photographed him, profile and full -face, as much as was possible. But the old man wanted food, I think. -He had come hoping for alms, but evidently he hated to ask. Peasants -have that kind of feeling. Well, none of those ladies observed this, -or at least did not note it; they treated him as a thing, till Panna -Ratkovski told them that they were humiliating and hurting the old man. -That is a small incident, but it shows heart and delicate feelings. -That handsome Kopovski dangles about her; but she is not charmed with -the man, like those ladies, who are occupied with him, who paint him, -invent new costumes for him, hand him around, and almost carry him in -their arms, like a doll. No; she told me herself that Kopovski annoys -her; and that pleases me, too, for he has as much sense as the head of -a walking-stick." - -"As far as I have heard," said Bigiel, "Pan Kopovski needs money; and -Panna Ratkovski is not rich. I know that her father, when dying, was in -debt to a bank for a sum which, with interest, was due on the last day -of last month." - -"What is that to us?" interrupted Pani Bigiel. - -"Thou art right,--that is not our affair." - -"But how does Panna Ratkovski look?" inquired Marynia. - -"Panna Ratkovski? She is not beautiful, but she has a sweet face, pale -complexion, and dark eyes. You will see her, for those ladies expressed -a wish to come here some day. And I persuaded them to it, for I want -you to see her." - -"Well," answered Marynia, laughing, "I shall see her, and declare my -sentence. But if it be favorable?" - -"I will propose; I give my word. In the worst case, I'll get a refusal. -If you say 'no,' I'll go after ducks. At the end of July shooting is -permitted." - -"Oh, those plans are important!" said Pani Bigiel,--"a wife or ducks! -Pan Ignas would not have spoken that way." - -"Well, of what use is reason when one is in love?" said Marynia. - -"You are right, and I envy him that very condition; not Panna Castelli, -though I was in love with her once myself--oh, no! but just that -condition in which one does not reason any longer." - -"But what have you against Panna Castelli?" - -"Nothing. I owe her gratitude, for--thanks to her--I had my time of -illusions; therefore I shall never say an evil word of her, though some -one is pulling me by the tongue greatly. So, ladies, do not pull me." - -"On the contrary," said Pani Bigiel, "you must tell us of both. I will -ask you only on the veranda, for I have directed to bring coffee there." - -After a time they were on the veranda. The little Bigiels were running -about in a many-colored crowd among the trees, circling about like -bright butterflies. Bigiel placed cigars before Svirski. Marynia, -taking advantage of the moment, went up to her husband, who was -standing aside somewhat, and, raising her kindly eyes to him, asked: - -"Why so silent, Stas?" - -"I am tired. In the city there was heat, and in our house one might -smother. I couldn't sleep, for Buchynek got into my head." - -"I, too, am curious about that Buchynek, dost thou know? In truth, I am -curious. Thou hast done well to see the place and hire it; very well." -And she looked at him with affection; but, seeing that he seemed really -not himself, she said,-- - -"We will occupy Pan Svirski here, and do thou go and rest a while." - -"No; I cannot sleep." - -Meanwhile Svirski talked on. "There is no breeze," said he; "not a twig -in motion. A genuine summer day! Have you noticed that in the season -of heat, and in time of such calm, the whole world seems as if sunk in -meditation. I remember that Bukatski found always in this something -mystical, and said that he would like to die on such a sunny day,--to -sit thus in an armchair, then fall asleep, and dissipate into light." - -"Still, he did not die in summer," remarked Bigiel. - -"No, but in spring, and in good weather. Besides, taking things in -general, he did not suffer, and that is beyond all." - -Here he was silent a while, and then added,-- - -"As to death, we may and should be reconciled to it, and death has -never made me indignant; but why pain exists, that, as God lives, -passes human understanding." - -No one took up the consideration, so Svirski, shaking the ashes from -his cigar, said,-- - -"But never mind that. After dinner, and with black coffee, it is -possible to find a more agreeable subject." - -"Tell us of Pan Ignas," said Pani Bigiel. - -"He pleases me. In all that he does and says the lion's claw is -evident, and, in general, his nature is uncommon, immensely vital. -During those two days in Prytulov we became acquainted a little more -nearly, and grew friendly. You have no idea how Osnovski has grown to -like the man; and I told Osnovski openly that I feared that Pan Ignas -might not be happy with those ladies." - -"But why?" asked Marynia. - -"That is difficult to say, since one has no facts; but it is felt. -Why? Because his nature is utterly different from theirs. You see, that -all the loftier aspirations, which for Pan Ignas are the soul of his -life, are for those ladies merely an ornament,--something like lace on -a dress worn for guests, while on common days the person who owns it -goes about in a dressing-gown; and that is a great difference. I fear -lest they, instead of soaring with his flight, try to make him jog -along by their side, at their own little goose-trot, and convert that -which is in him into small change for their every-day social out-go. -And there is something in him! I do not presuppose that catastrophes of -any kind are to come, for I have not the right to refuse them ordinary -petty honesty, but there may be non-happiness. I say only this much: -you all know Pan Ignas, and you know that he is wonderfully simple; -but still, according to me, his love for Castelka is too difficult and -exclusive. He puts into it all his soul; and she is ready to give a -little bit--so! The rest she would like to keep for social relations, -for comforts, for toilets, for visits, for luxuries, for five o'clocks, -for lawn-tennis with Kopovski,--in a word, for that mill in which life -is ground into bran." - -"This may not fit Panna Castelli, and if it does not, so much the -better for Pan Ignas," said Bigiel; "but in general it is pointed." - -"No," said Pani Bigiel, "that first of all is wicked; in truth, you -hate women." - -"I hate women!" exclaimed Svirski, raising his hands toward heaven. - -"Do you not see that you are making Panna Castelli a common little -goose?" - -"I gave her lessons in painting, but I have never been occupied in her -education." - -Marynia, hearing all this, said, threatening Svirski,-- - -"It is wonderful that such a kind man should have such a wicked tongue." - -"There is a certain justice in that," answered Svirski; "and more than -once have I asked, am I really a kind man? But I think that I am. For -there are people who calumniate their neighbors through a love for -digging in the mud, and that is vile; there are others who do this -through jealousy, and that is equally vile. Such a man as Bukatski -talks even for a conceit; but I, first of all, am talkative; second, -a human being, and especially a woman, interests me more than aught -else in existence; and finally, the shabbiness and flatness and petty -vanities of human nature pain me terribly. And, as God lives, it is -because I could wish that all women had wings; but since I see that -many of them have only tails, I begin, from amazement alone, to shout -in a heaven-piercing voice--" - -"But why do you not shout in the same way against men?" inquired Pani -Bigiel. - -"Oh, let the men go! What do I care for them? Though, to speak -seriously, we deserve perhaps to be shouted at more than the ladies." - -Here Pani Bigiel and Marynia attacked the unfortunate artist; but he -defended himself, and continued,-- - -"Well, ladies, take such a man as Pan Ignas, and such a woman as Panna -Castelli: he has worked hard since his childhood; he has struggled with -difficulties, thought hard, given something to the world already,--but -what is she? A real canary in a cage. They give the bird water, sugar, -and seed; it has only to clean its yellow plumage with its little -bill, and twitter. Or is this not true? We work immensely, ladies. -Civilization, science, art, bread, and all on which the world stands is -absolutely our work. And that is a marvellous work. Oh, it is easy to -talk of it, but difficult to do it. Is it right, or is it natural, that -men push you aside from this work? I do not know, and at this moment -it is not for me a question; but taking the world in general, only -one thing has remained to you,--loving; therefore you should know, at -least, how to love." - -Here his dark face took on an expression of great mildness, and also, -as it were, melancholy. - -"Take me, for example; I am working apparently for this art of ours. -Twenty-five years have I been daubing and daubing with a brush on paper -or on canvas; and God alone knows how I slaved, how I toiled before I -worked anything out of myself. Now I feel as much alone in the world -as a finger. But what do I want? This, that the Lord God, for all this -toil, might vouchsafe me some honest little woman, who would love me a -little and be grateful for my affection." - -"And why do you not marry?" - -"Why?" answered Svirski, with a certain outburst. "Because I am afraid; -because of you, one in ten knows how to love, though you have nothing -else to do." - -Further discourse was interrupted by the coming of Pan Plavitski and -Pani Mashko; she, in a dark blue foulard dress with white spots, looked -from afar like a butterfly. Pan Plavitski looked like a butterfly also; -and, approaching the veranda, he began to cry out,-- - -"I seized Pani Mashko, and brought her. Good-evening to the company; -good-evening, Marynia! I was coming here to you on a droshky till I saw -this lady standing out on the balcony; then I seized her, and we came -on foot. I dismissed the droshky, thinking that you would send me home." - -Those present began to greet Pani Mashko; and she, ruddy from the -walk, fell to explaining joyously, while removing her hat from her -ash-colored hair, that really Pan Plavitski had brought her away almost -by force; for, awaiting the return of her husband, she did not like -to leave home. Pan Plavitski pacified her by saying that her husband, -not finding her at home, would guess where she was, and for the flight -and the lonely walk he would not be angry, for that was not the city, -where people raise scandal for any cause (here he smoothed his white -shirt-front with the mien of a man who would not be at all astonished -if scandal were roused touching him); "but the country has its own -rights, and permits us to disregard etiquette." - -When he had said this, he looked slyly at Pani Mashko, rubbed his -hands, and added,-- - -"Ha, ha! the country has its rights; I said well, has its rights, and -so there is no place for me like the country." - -Pani Mashko laughed, feeling that the laugh was becoming, and that some -one might admire her. But Bigiel, who, being himself a strict reasoner, -demanded logic from all, turned to Plavitski, and said,-- - -"If there is no place like the country, why do you not move out of the -city in summer?" - -"How do you say?" asked Plavitski. "Why do I not move out? Because in -the city, on one side of the street there is sun, and on the other -shade. If I wish to warm myself, I walk in the sun; if it is hot for -me, I walk in the shade. There is no place in summer like the city. I -wanted to go to Karlsbad, but--" - -Here he was silent for a moment; and, remembering only then that -what he was giving to understand might expose a young woman to the -evil tongues of people, he looked with a gloomy resignation on those -present, and added,-- - -"Is it worth while to think of that pair of years left of any life, -that are of no value to me, or to any one?" - -"Here it is!" cried Marynia. "If papa will not go to Karlsbad, he will -drink Millbrun with us in Buchynek." - -"In what Buchynek?" asked Plavitski. - -"True, we must announce _la grande nouvelle_." - -And she began to tell that Buchynek had been found and rented and -probably would be bought; and that in three days she and her husband -would move into that Buchynek for the whole summer. - -Pani Mashko, hearing the narrative, raised her eyes to Pan Stanislav in -wonder, and inquired,-- - -"Then are you really going to leave us?" - -"Yes," answered he, with a trace of snappishness. - -"A-a!" - -And for a while she looked at him with the glance of a person who -understands nothing and asks, "What does all this mean?" but, receiving -no answer, she turned to Marynia and began an indifferent conversation. -She was so instructed in the forms of society that only Pan Stanislav -himself could perceive that the news about Buchynek had dulled her. -But she had divined that her person might come into question, and -that those sudden movings might be in connection with her. With every -moment that truth stood before her with increasing clearness, and her -cold face took on a still colder expression. Gradually a feeling of -humiliation possessed her. It seemed to her that Pan Stanislav had done -something directly opposed to what she had a right to expect of him; -that he had committed a grave offence not only against her, but against -all those observances which a man of a certain sphere owes to a woman. -And her whole soul was occupied in this because it pained her more than -his removal to Buchynek. In certain cases women demand more regard -the less it belongs to them, and the more respect the less they are -worthy of it, because they need it for their own self-deception, and -often too because the infatuation, or delicacy, or comedian character -in men gives women all they demand, at least for a season. Still, in -this intention of moving in a few days to the opposite side of the -city, was involved, as it were, a confession of breaking off relations -which was worthy of a boor. Faith-breaking has its own style of _a -posteriori_ declaration, and has it always, for there is not on earth -an example of a permanent relation resting on faithlessness. But this -time the rudeness surpassed every measure, and the sowing had given an -untimely, peculiar harvest. Pani Mashko's mind, though not very keen by -nature, needed no extra effort to conclude that what had met her was -contempt simply. - -And at this very moment Pan Stanislav thought, "She must have a -fabulous contempt for me." - -It did not occur to them at the time that in the best event this -contempt was a question of time merely. But Pani Mashko caught after -one more hope, that this might be some misunderstanding, some momentary -anger, some excitability of a fantastic man, some offence which she -could not explain to herself,--in a word, something which might be less -decisive than seemed apparent. One word thrown out in answer might -explain everything yet. Judging that Pan Stanislav might feel the need -of such a conversation, she determined to get it for him. Hence after -tea she began to prepare for home, and, looking at Pan Stanislav, -said,-- - -"Now I must request one of the gentlemen to conduct me." - -Pan Stanislav rose. His tired, and at the same time angry face, seemed -to say to her, "If 'tis thy wish to have the pure truth, thou wilt have -it;" but unexpectedly Bigiel changed the arrangement by saying,-- - -"The evening is so pleasant that we can all conduct you." - -And they did. Plavitski, considering himself the lady's knight for -that day, gave her his arm with great gallantry, and during the whole -way entertained her with conversation; so that Pan Stanislav, who -was conducting Pani Bigiel, had no chance to say one word except -"good-night" at the gate. - -That "good-night" was accompanied by a pressure of the hand which was -a new inquiry--without an answer. Pan Stanislav, for that matter, was -glad that he had not to give explanations. He could have given only -unclear and disagreeable ones. Pani Mashko roused in him then as much -mental distaste as physical attraction, and for both those reasons -he considered that if he remained in Bigiel's house, she would be -too near him. Moreover, he had sought Buchynek and found it chiefly -because active natures, if confined too much, are forced instinctively -to undertake and act even when that which they do is not in immediate -connection with that which gives them pain. He had not the least -feeling, however, that flight from danger was equivalent to a return -to the road of honesty, or even led to it; it seemed to him then that -it was too late for that, that honesty was a thing lost once and -forever. "To flee," said he to himself; "there was a time to flee. -At present flight is merely the egotism of a beast disturbed in one -lair and seeking another." Having betrayed Marynia to begin with, he -will betray Pani Mashko now out of fear that the relation with her may -become too painful; and he will betray her in a manner as wretched as -it is rude, by trampling on her. That is only a new meanness, which he -permits himself like a desperado, in the conviction that, no matter how -he may struggle, he will sink into the gulf ever deeper. - -At the bottom of these thoughts was hidden, moreover, an immense -amazement. If this had happened to some other man, who took life -lightly, such a man might wave his hand and consider that one more -amusing adventure had met him. Pan Stanislav understood that many would -look on the affair in that way precisely. But he had worked out in -himself principles, he had had them, and he fell from the whole height -of them; hence his fall was the greater, hence he thought to himself, -"That which I won, that to which I attained, is no protection whatever -from anything. Though a man have what I had, he may break his neck as -quickly as if he had nothing." And the position seemed to him simply -beyond understanding. Why is this? What is the reason of it? To this -question he had no answer; and, having doubted his own honesty and -honor, he began now to doubt his own intellect, for he felt that he -could grasp nothing, give no answer. - -In general, he felt like a man lost in some mental wilderness; he could -recover nothing, not even attachment to his wife. It seemed to him -that, having lost in himself all human sides, he had lost at the same -time the power and right to love her. With no less astonishment did he -see that in the bottom of his heart he cherished a feeling of offence -against her for his own fall. Up to that time he had not injured any -one; hence he could not have known that usually a man has a feeling of -offence and even hatred against a person whom he has wronged. - -Meanwhile the society, after taking farewell of Pani Mashko, returned -home. Marynia walked at her husband's side; but, supposing that he -was occupied in calculations touching the purchase of the place, and -remembering that he did not like to be interrupted in such cases, she -did not break the silence. The evening was so warm that after returning -they remained some time on the veranda. Bigiel tried to detain Svirski -for the night, saying in jest that such a Hercules could not find -room in his little brichka with Plavitski. Pan Stanislav, to whom the -presence of any guest was convenient, supported Bigiel. - -"Remain," said he. "I am going to the city to-morrow morning; we can go -then together." - -"But I am in a hurry to paint. To-morrow I wish to begin work early, -and if I stay here there will be delay." - -"Have you any work to be finished on time?" asked Marynia. - -"No; but one's hand goes out of practice. Painting is a kind of work in -which one is never permitted to rest. I have loitered much already, at -one time in Prytulov, at another here; meanwhile my colors are drying." - -Both ladies began to laugh; for that was said by a famous master, who -ought to be free from fear that he would forget how to paint. - -"It seems to people that when a man has reached a certain skill, he -owns it," answered Svirski. "It is a wonderful thing, this human -organism, which must either advance or fall back. I know not if this is -so in everything, but in art it is not permitted to say to one's self, -'This is enough;' there is no leave to stop. If I cease to paint for -a week, not only do I lose adroitness of hand, but I do not feel in -power. The hand dulls,--that I can understand,--but the artistic sense -dulls also; talent simply dulls. I used to think that this was the case -only in my career, for in it technique has enormous significance; but, -will you believe me, Snyatinski, who writes for the theatre, told me -the same. And in literature like his, in what does technique consist, -if not in this? Not to have any technique, or at least, to seem not to -have it. Still, even Snyatinski says that he may not stop, and that he -falls back or advances in proportion to his efforts. The services of -art,--that sounds beautifully. Ah, what a dog service, in which there -is never rest, never peace!--nothing but toil and terror. Is that -the predestination of the whole race, or are we alone those tortured -figures?" - -Svirski, it is true, did not look like a tortured figure in any sense; -he did not fall into a pathetic tone either, complaining of his -occupation. But in his sweeping words there was a sincerity which gave -them power. After a while he raised his fist; and, shaking it at the -moon, which was showing itself just then above the forest, he cried -out, half in joy, half in anger,-- - -"See that chubby face there! Once it learned to go around the earth, it -was sure of its art. Oh, to have one moment like that in one's life!" - -Marynia began to laugh, and, raising her eyes unwittingly in the -direction of Svirski's hand, said,-- - -"Do not complain. It is not merely artists who are not free to stop; -whether we work on a picture, or on ourselves, it is all one, we must -work every hour, otherwise life is injured." - -"There is immense need of work," interrupted Plavitski, with a sigh. - -But Marynia continued, seeking a comparison with some effort, and -raising her brows at the same time,-- - -"And you see, if any man were to say to himself, even for a moment, 'I -am wise enough, and good enough,' that very saying would be neither -good nor wise. Now it seems to me that we are all swimming across some -deep place to a better shore; but whoso just wishes to rest and stops -moving his hands, is drawn to the bottom by his own weight." - -"Phrases!" exclaimed Pan Stanislav, on a sudden. - -But she, pleased with the aptness of her comparison, answered,-- - -"No, Stas, as I love thee, they are not phrases." - -"If God would grant me to hear such things always," said Svirski, with -animation. "The lady is perfectly right." - -Pan Stanislav, in reality, was also convinced that she was right; and, -what was more, in that darkness, which surrounded him, something began -to gleam like a lamp. He was just the man who had said to himself, -"I am wise enough, I am good enough,--and I can rest;" he was just -the man who had forgotten that there was need of continual effort; he -had ceased to move his hands over the depth, and therefore his own -weight took him down to the bottom. Such was the case! All these lofty -religious and moral principles, which he had gained, he had enclosed -in his soul, as a man encloses money in a chest,--and he made dead -capital of them. He had them, but, as it were, hidden away. He fell -into the blindness of the miser, who cheers himself with hoarded gold, -but lives like a mendicant. He had them, but he did not live on them; -and, trusting in his wealth, he imagined that his life accounts were -closed, and that he might rest. But now a gray dawn, as it were, began -in that night which surrounded his thoughts; and out of the darkness -began to rise toward him a truth hazy, and as yet undefined, declaring -that accounts of that sort could never be closed, and that life is an -immense daily, ceaseless labor, which, as Marynia had said, ends only -there, somewhere on the other and better shore. - - - - -CHAPTER LIII. - - -"My dear Pan Ignas, why do you not dress like Pan Kopovski?" asked Pani -Bronich. "Naturally, Nitechka values your poetry more than all costumes -on earth; but you will not believe how ćsthetic that child is, and -what perfect knowledge she has in such matters. Yesterday, the poor -dear came to me with such a pretty face that if you had seen her you -would have melted. 'Aunt,' said she, 'why does Pan Ignas not have white -flannel costumes in the morning? It is so elegant for all gentlemen to -be in such costumes.' Have something like that made; she will be so -glad. You see that Yozio Osnovski too has a flannel suit; he has even -a number of them, through attention to Aneta. These are little things, -I know; but they affect a woman greatly when she considers what they -mean. You have no idea how she sees everything. In Scheveningen all -wear such costumes till midday; and it would be disagreeable to her if -any one should think that you did not belong to society which knows how -to dress. You are so kind, you will buy such a costume; will you not? -You will do that for her; and you will not take it ill of me that I -speak of what Nitechka likes?" - -"Oh," said Pan Ignas, "I'll do so, most willingly." - -"How good you are! But, what else did I wish to say? Oh, yes!--and a -nice yellow-leather travelling-case. My dear Pan Ignas, Nitechka loves -immensely nice travelling-cases; and abroad, as a man looks, so is he -valued. Yesterday--I will tell you this as a secret--we looked at Pan -Kopovski's travelling-case. It is very nice, and in perfect taste, -bought in Dresden. It pleased Nitechka much. Look at it, and buy one -something in that style. I beg pardon of you for entering into this -matter, but this is a trifle. You see, I know women in general, and I -know Nitechka. There is no better way with her than to yield in little -things. When it comes to great ones, she will give up everything. -Besides, you have heard what chances of marriage she had, and still -she chose you. Show her, then, gratitude even in small things. Have -you not, as a student of character, noticed that natures capable of -great sacrifice reserve themselves for exceptional occasions; but in -every-day life they like to be gratified." - -"Perhaps I have not thought of this so far." - -"Oh, it is true beyond doubt, and that is just Nitechka's nature. -But you are not in a position to know what kind of a nature she has, -though you should know, for the reason that she chose you. But you men -are not able to perceive so many shades of feeling. If it should come -to some crisis, you would see that in her there is not one trace of -selfishness. May the Lord God preserve her from every trial! but should -it come to anything, you would see." - -"I know that you esteem Panna Nitechka," said Pan Ignas, with certain -animation; "but still you do not think so much good of her as I do." - -"Ah, how I love you when you say things like that!" cried Pani Bronich, -with delight. "My dear! But, if it is thus, then I will whisper still -more in your ear: she loves passionately that gentlemen should wear -black silk stockings; but remember that one look is enough for her to -see what is silk and what is Scotch thread. My God! do not suppose that -I wish to mix in everything. No one is able to keep away so well as I; -but it is only a question of this,--that Nitechka should never think -that you are not equal to others in any regard whatever. What's to be -done? You are marrying a real artist, who loves that everything around -her should be beautiful. And, in truth, she will not be so poor as not -to have a right to this. Will she?" - -Pan Ignas took out his notebook, and said,-- - -"I will write down your orders, so as not to forget them." - -There was a shade of irony in what he said. Pani Bronich, with her -excess of words, her manner of talking, and especially her evident -infatuation for things of exceptional superfluity, had made him -impatient very often. Pan Ignas was offended by a certain parvenu -element in her nature. Since he did not see what palaces she was -building with the property of old Zavilovski, he was unable to -understand that a sensitive woman could be so unceremonious with him -in demands for "Nitechka" when it was a question of the style of -their future life. He had supposed previously that it would be just -the opposite, and that those ladies would be even over-scrupulous -and delicate; this was his first disillusion. On the other hand, he -was pained by the bad taste with which Pani Bronich mentioned almost -daily the great matches which "Nitechka" might have made, and also her -self-denials for his sake; these _self-denials_ had not taken place -yet. Pan Ignas did not over-estimate himself, but also he did not -carry his head lower than was needful; and with that which was in him -he considered himself not a worse, but a better match than such men -as Kopovski, and the various Colimaçaos, Kanafaropuloses, and similar -operatic lay figures. He was indignant at the very thought that they -dared to compare these men with him, especially to his disadvantage. -Having poetry and love in his soul, he judged that he had that which -even princes of this world cannot command always. What his every-day -life with Lineta would be, of that he had not thought much hitherto, -or had thought in a general way only; but feeling strong, and being -ready to seize every fate by the forelock, he trusted that it would be -agreeable. To chaffer with this future he had no intention; and when -Pani Bronich expressed wishes like these, he had to restrain himself -from telling her that they seemed to him vulgar. - -Svirski, when stopping at Prytulov, gave out once the striking -opinion that love was not blind altogether, but only suffering from -daltonism. Pan Ignas thought that the painter had Osnovski in mind, -and did not suspect that he himself was a perfect example of a man -subject to the infirmity mentioned. He was blind, however, only in -reference to Lineta; except her he saw and observed everything with -greater readiness than others. And certain observations filled him -with astonishment. Omitting his observations on Pani Aneta, her Yozio, -and Kopovski, he noticed, for example, that his own relations with -Pani Bronich began to change; and from the time that he had become -near to her, and she had grown accustomed to him, and confidential, -as with a future relative, and the future husband of "Nitechka," she -began to have less esteem for his person, his work, and his talent. To -an ordinary eye this was invisible, perhaps, but to Pan Ignas it was -clear, though he could not explain its origin. The future alone was -to teach him that common natures, by contact with persons or things -which are higher, lose esteem for them through this familiarity, as if -showing involuntarily that whatever becomes near to them must thereby -be infected with vulgarity and meanness, and cannot, for that very -reason, continue lofty. Meanwhile Pani Bronich disenchanted him more -and more. He was impatient at that convenient "Teodor," whose rôle it -was to shield with his dignity from beyond the tomb every act of hers; -he was amazed at that bird-like mobility of her mind which seized on -the wing everything from the region of the good and the beautiful, and -turned it at once into empty and meaningless phrases. - -Besides, her enormous ill-will for people astonished him. Pani -Bronich, almost servile in presence of old Zavilovski, spoke of him -with animosity in private; Panna Helena she simply disliked; of Pani -Kraslavski and Pani Mashko she spoke with endless irony; of the -Bigiels, with contempt; more specially salt in her eye was Marynia. She -listened to the praises rendered Marynia by Svirski, Pan Ignas, and -Osnovski with the same impatience as if they had been detractions from -Lineta. Pan Ignas convinced himself that, in truth, Pani Bronich cared -for no one on earth except "Nitechka." But just this love made up in -his mind for all her disagreeable peculiarities; he did not understand -yet that such a feeling, when associated with hate and exclusiveness, -instead of widening the heart, makes it narrow and dry, and is merely -a two-headed selfishness, and that such selfishness may be as rude and -harsh as if one-headed. Loving Lineta himself with his whole soul, and -feeling better and kinder from the time that he had begun thus to love -her, he considered that a person who loved really could not be evil at -heart; and in the name of their common love, "Nitechka," he forgave -Pani Bronich all her shortcomings. - -But with reference to Lineta, that quick observer could not see -anything. The strongest men make in love so many unhappy mistakes for -one reason,--that they array the beloved in all their own sunbeams, not -accounting to themselves afterward that this glory with which they are -blinded has been put by themselves there. So it was with, Pan Ignas. -Lineta became accustomed more and more every day to him, and to her own -rôle of betrothed. The thought that he had distinguished her, raised -her above others, chosen her, loved her, from having been, as once, a -continual living source of satisfaction to her vanity and pride, was -beginning to lose the charm of novelty, and grow common. Everything -which it was possible to win from it for her own personal glory had -been won by the aid of Aunt Bronich. The admiration of people had -been also "juggled out" of it, as Svirski said; and the statue was so -near her eyes now that instead of taking in the whole, she began to -discover defects in the marble. At moments yet, under the influence -of the opinion or admiration of others, she regained the recollection -and knowledge of its proportions; but she was seized by a kind of -astonishment that that man in love with her, looking into her eyes, -and obedient to every beck of hers, was that Zavilovski over whom even -Svirski loses his head, and whom such a man as Osnovski esteems as some -precious public treasure. She could send him at any moment for fresh -strawberries, if she wished, or for yarn; the knowledge of this caused -her a certain pleasure, hence he was needed. She admired her own power -in him, and sometimes she detailed to him impressions of this kind -quite sincerely. - -Once, when they went out to damp fields, Pan Ignas returned for her -overshoes. Kneeling by an alder-tree, he put them on her feet, which he -kissed. Then she, looking at that head bent to her feet, said,-- - -"People think you a great man, but you put on my overshoes." - -Pan Ignas raised his eyes to her and, amused by the comparison, -answered joyously, without rising from his knees,-- - -"Because I love immensely." - -"That is all right; but I am curious to know what people would say of -it?" - -And the last question seemed to occupy her most of all; but Pan Ignas -quarrelled that moment with her because she said "you" to him, but -he did not notice, however, that, in her "that is all right," there -was that peculiar indifference with which things too familiar or less -important are slipped over. With a similar half-attention she heard -what he said then,--that not being vain, he considers himself a man -like his fellows, but that he respects his career, and counts a life -the greatest happiness in which it is possible to serve loftily, and -love simply. In the feeling of this happiness he embraced her with his -arm, so as to have his simple love as near his breast as possible. But -when his prominent chin pushed forward still more, as happened whenever -he spoke with enthusiasm, Lineta begged him to leave off the habit, as -it made him look stern, and she liked joyous faces around her. While -her hand was in now, she reminded him also that yesterday, when they -were sailing over the pond, and he was tired after rowing, he breathed -very loudly. She did not like to tell him then how that "acted on her -nerves." Any little thing "acts on her nerves;" but nothing acts like -some one who is tired, and breathes loudly near her. - -Saying this, she took off her hat and began to fan her face. The breeze -raised her bright hair; and in the green shade of the alder-trees, -quivering in the sun, which shone in through the leaves, she looked -like a vision. Pan Ignas delighted his eyes with her, and in her words -admired, above all, the charm of a spoiled child. There was perhaps -something more in them; but he neither sought nor found it, just -because his love, with all its force, was simple. - -Simplicity, however, does not exclude loftiness. Lineta had, in fact, -clung like a spider-web to the wings of the bird, which, in spite of -her, bore her to heights where one had to feel every movement with -the heart, to divine all, to understand all, and where even the mind -must exert itself to give expression to feeling. But Lineta was "so -lazy,"--she had said so on a time to her soarer, who at present did -not even suspect that those heights merely made her tired and dizzy, -nothing more. - -It happened to her now oftener and oftener to wake in the morning, and -remember that she must meet her betrothed, that she must tune herself -up to his high note; and this gave her the feeling that a child has, -for whom a hard lesson is waiting. She had recited that lesson already; -she had answered more or less everything which had been taught her; and -she judged that her betrothed ought to give a vacation now. Finally, -she had enough of all those uncommonnesses, both of herself and of -others, those original sayings, those apt answers, with which she had -campaigned in society so far. She felt, moreover, that the supply was -exhausted, that the bottom of the well could be seen. There remained -to her yet only certain artistic feelings, and that unendurable "Pan -Ignas" might be satisfied, if from time to time she showed him now -a broad field, now a bit of forest, now a strip of land with yellow -grain, as if scattered in the light, and said, "Beautiful! beautiful!" -That was easier. He, it is true, could not find words to express -admiration of the artistic depth of soul hidden in such a single word -as "beautiful;" but if that were true, what more did he want? and -why, in conversation, in feelings, in method of loving, did he force -her to those useless efforts? If he did not force her, if that came -without his knowledge, so much the worse for him, that, being by nature -so abrupt, he did not even know it. In such a case let him talk with -Steftsia Ratkovski. - -With "Koposio," on the other hand, there was no need of effort; his -society was real rest for Lineta. The mere sight of him made her -gladsome, called out a smile on her face, inclined her to jesting. -It is true that Pan Stanislav had once in his life been jealous of -Kopovski; but to Pan Ignas, a man who lived a mental life far more -exclusively, and therefore measured everything with a measure purely -mental, it did not even occur that a maiden so spiritualized and so -"wise" as "Nitechka," could for a moment consider Kopovski as other -than a subject for witticisms, which she permitted herself continually. -Had not Pani Bronich, in spite of all her mental shallowness, grown -indignant at the mere hint of giving Lineta to Kopovski? What Pan -Ignas had seen between Kopovski and Pani Aneta was no lesson, for he -considered his "Nitechka" as the opposite pole of Aneta. "Nitechka," -besides, had chosen him, and he was the antithesis of Kopovski; that -alone set aside every doubt. "Nitechka" amused herself with "Koposio," -painted him, conversed with him, though Pan Ignas could not exhaust -his astonishment at this,--how she could avoid falling asleep while he -talked; she joked with him, she followed him with a look of amusement, -but only because she was a child yet, needing moments of amusement, and -even of vanity. But no one saw better than she his whole measureless -stupidity, and no one spoke of it more frequently. How often had she -ridiculed it to Pan Ignas! - -Not all eyes, however, looked at this amusement of hers in that way, -and, above all, Pani Aneta looked at it differently; from time to -time she told her husband directly that Castelli was coquetting with -Kopovski; to "Yozio" himself this seemed at times to be true, and he -had the wish to send Kopovski away from Prytulov politely. This Pani -Aneta would not permit: "Since he is paying attention to Steftsia, we -have no right to hinder that poor girl's fortune." Osnovski was sorry -to lose that dear Steftsia on Kopovski; but since, in fact, she had no -property, and since Aneta wished the match, he would not oppose it. - -But he was not able to control himself from astonishment and -indignation at Castelka: "To have such a man as Ignas, and coquet with -such a fool; to act so, a woman must be a soulless puppet surely." At -first he could not understand it. On the hypothesis, however, that -Aneta must have been mistaken, he began to observe the young lady -diligently; and since, aside from his personal relation to his wife, -he was not by any means dull-witted, he saw a number of things which, -in view of his friendship for Pan Ignas, disquieted him greatly. He -did not admit, it is true, that anything might take place to change -the position; but he asked himself what Ignas's future would be with -a woman who knew so little how to value him, and who was so slightly -developed morally that she not only found pleasure in the society of -such a brainless fop, but allowed herself to turn his head, and allure -him. - -"Anetka judges others by herself," thought Osnovski, "and has really -deceived herself, ascribing certain deep feelings to Castelka. Castelka -is a puppet; and, if spirits like Anetka and Ignas do not come, -nothing rouses her." In this way that unfortunate man, affected with -the daltonism of love, while discovering truth on one side, fell into -greater and greater error on the other. On "Castelka," therefore, -he looked more justly every day, and needed no excessive effort to -convince himself that in the relations of that "ideal" "Nitechka" with -Kopovski there were jests, it is true, there was much contradiction, -teasing, even ridicule; but there was also such an irresistible -weakness, and such an attraction, as women with the souls of milliners -have for nice and nicely dressed young men. The phenomenal stupidity -of Kopovski seemed to increase in country air; but as a recompense -the sun gilded his delicate complexion, through which his eyes became -more expressive, his teeth whiter, while the beard on his face was -lighter, and gleamed like silk. Indeed, brightness shone not only from -his youth and beauty, but also from his linen, from his neckties, -from his exquisite and simple costumes. In the morning, dressed for -lawn-tennis, in English flannel, he had in him the freshness of morning -and the dreaminess of sleep. His slender, finished form appeared as if -fondlingly through the soft cloth; and how could that bony Pan Ignas, -with his insolent Wagner jaw and his long legs, be compared, in the -eyes of those ladies, with that "mignon" who called to mind at once -the gods of Greece and the fashion sheets, the glyptotheks of Italy -and the _table d'hôtes_ of Biarritz or Ostend. One should be such an -original as that still-water Steftsia to insist, unless from malice, -that he was an insufferable puppet. Castelka, it is true, laughed when -Svirski said that Kopovski, especially when some question was put to -him on a sudden, had an expression in which were evident the sixteen -"quarterings" of stupidity in his escutcheon, both on the male and -female side. In truth, he had a somewhat absent look, and, in general, -could not understand at first what people said to him. But he was so -joyous, he seemed so good-natured, and, in spite of a way of thinking -which was not over elevated, he was so well-bred, beautiful, and fresh -that everything might be forgiven him. - -Pan Ignas deceived himself in thinking that only Pani Bronich was -pining for things of external richness, and that his betrothed did not -even know of those requests with which her aunt comes. Castelka did -know of them. Having lost hope that "Pan Ignas" could ever be equal -to Kopovski, she wanted at least that he should approach him. For -things of external richness she had an inborn leaning, and "aunt," when -begging Pan Ignas to buy this or that for himself, merely carried out -Lineta's wishes. For her, really, one glance was enough to distinguish -silk from Scotch thread, and all her soul was rushing instinctively -to silk; for her Kopovski was among men what silk is among textures. -Had it not been for Pani Aneta, who restrained the young man, and for -the various lofty feelings which she had talked into Lineta, Lineta, -without fail, would have married Kopovski. Osnovski, knowing nothing of -all this, was even astonished that that had not taken place; for he, in -the end of his observations, had come to the conclusion that both for -Lineta and Pan Ignas this would have been perhaps better. - -One day he confided these thoughts to his wife, but she grew angry, and -said, with great animation,-- - -"That did not happen, because it could not. No one is obliged to -accommodate himself to Yozio's plans. I, first of all, saw that -Castelka was coquetting with Kopovski. Who could know that she was such -a nature? To be betrothed and to coquet with other men,--that passes -human understanding. But she does it through vanity, and through spite -against Steftsia Ratkovski, and maybe to rouse jealousy in Pan Ignas. -Who knows why? It is easy for Yozio to talk now, and to throw all the -blame on me for having made this marriage; let Yozio remember better -how many times he was enchanted with Castelka, how many times he said -that hers was an uncommon nature, and that just such a one would make -Pan Ignas happy. A pretty uncommon nature! Now she is coquetting with -Kopovski, and if she were his betrothed she would coquet with Pan -Ignas. Whoever is vain, will remain so forever. Yozio says that she -was fitted for Kopovski; it was necessary to have that way of thinking -at first, not at present, when she is the betrothed of Pan Ignas. -But Yozio says this purposely to show me what a folly I committed in -helping Pan Ignas." - -And the whole affair was so turned by Pani Aneta that Pan Ignas and -Castelka descended to the second place, but in the first appeared -the cruelty and malice of Yozio. Osnovski, however, began to justify -himself, and, opening his arms, said,-- - -"Anetka! How canst thou even suppose that I wanted to do anything -disagreeable to thee? I know, besides, how honest and cordial thy -wishes were; but terror takes hold of me when I think of the future of -Ignas, for I love him. I should wish from the soul of my heart that God -had given him such a person as thou art. My dearest little bird, thou -knowest that I would rather lose my tongue than say one bitter thing to -thee. I came to thee so just to talk and take counsel, for I know that -in that dear head of thine there is always some cure for everything." - -When he had said this, he began to kiss her hands and then her arms -and face with great affection, and with increasing enthusiasm; but she -turned her head aside, twisting away from his kisses, and saying,-- - -"Ah, how Yozio is sweating!" - -He was, in fact, almost always in perspiration, for he played whole -days at tennis, raced on horseback, rowed, wandered through fields and -forests, to grow thin as far as was possible. - -"Only tell me that thou art not angry," said he, dropping her hand, and -looking into her eyes tenderly. - -"Well, I am not; but what help can I give? Let them go as quickly as -possible to Scheveningen, and let Kopovski stay here with Steftsia." - -"See, thou hast found a plan. Let them go at the beginning of August. -But hast thou noticed that somehow Steftsia is not very--somehow -Kopovski has not pleased her heart so far?" - -"Steftsia is secretive as few are. Yozio doesn't know women." - -"Thou art right surely in that. But I even see that she doesn't like -Castelka. Maybe, also, she is angry in her heart with Kopovski, too." - -"What!" inquired Aneta, with animation, "has Yozio seen anything with -reference to Castelka? - -"Koposio laughs at her, for he has good teeth; but if I should -see anything, he wouldn't be in Prytulov. Maybe, too, Castelka is -coquetting with him, because such is her nature--without knowing it. -That itself is bad, but that it should go as far as looking at each -other seriously, I don't believe. - -"But it is necessary to examine Koposio as to Steftsia. Knowest what, -Yozio? I will go this very day with him on horseback to Lesnichovka, -and I will talk with him rather seriously. Go thou in another -direction!" - -"Good, my child. But see, thy head is finding measures already!" - -Going out, he stopped on the threshold, thought a while, and said,-- - -"But how wonderful all this is! and how it passes understanding! This -Ignas catches everything on the wing; and at the same time he worships -Castelka as if she were some divinity, and sees nothing and nothing." - -In the afternoon, when Kopovski and Pani Aneta were riding along -the shady road to the forest cottage, Pan Ignas followed them with -his eyes, and looked at her figure on horseback, outlined in the -well-fitting riding-dress. "She is shaped like a slender pitcher," -thought he. "But how elegant and enticing she is! There is in this some -irony of life, that that honest and kindly Osnovski divines nothing." - -And truly there was irony of life in that, but not in that only. - - - - -CHAPTER LIV. - - -Since the day when Pani Aneta and Kopovski made the trip to -Lesnichovka, something had changed in the social relations of the -dwellers in Prytulov. Pan Ignas looked, it is true, as formerly, into -the eyes of his affianced, and was enchanted with her beyond measure; -but in her intercourse with him and with others there was a certain -light shade of ill-humor. Kopovski felt as if bound; he looked at -Lineta by stealth only. He approached her hurriedly, and only in the -absence of Pani Aneta; but he sat oftener near Panna Ratkovski, to whom -he spoke, as it were, with his mind in another place. Pani Aneta was, -moreover, more determined than usual; and, to the great satisfaction -of "Yozio," she extended now such watchful care over every affair in -Prytulov, that she took Kopovski aside twice for personal explanations. -Lineta's glance did not follow Kopovski with that former half-gladsome, -half-ironical freedom; but the cloudy eyes of Panna Ratkovski turned to -Pan Ignas with a certain sympathy,--in one, word, something had changed -both in looks and relations. - -But those were changes observable only to a very quick eye, and one -accustomed to look at life of that kind, in which, for lack of greater -objects and severe daily labor, the least shade of feelings and the -most subtle movement of thoughts, and even dispositions, take on not -only the form, of far-reaching events, but frequently conceal the -actual germs of such events in themselves. Externally life remained -just the same it had been; that is, a kind of daily festival, a May -day, country idleness, interwoven with love, ćsthetic impressions, more -or less witty conversations, and, finally, amusements. The arrangement -of a whole series of these amusements, to fill out the day, was the -sole occupation which weighed on their thoughts; and even this, for the -greater part, Pan Osnovski took on himself as master of the house. - -But on a certain day the uniform calm of that life was broken by a -thunderbolt, under the form of two black-bordered envelopes addressed -to Osnovski and Pan Ignas. When they were brought in, the whole -society was at after-dinner coffee; and the eyes of the ladies were -turned with curiosity and alarm at the readers, who, taking cards from -the unsealed envelopes, cried almost simultaneously,-- - -"Pan Zavilovski is dead!" - -The news made a deep impression. Pani Bronich, as a person of the old -school, and remembering those days when the coming of a courier in the -country obliged the most sensitive ladies to faint, even before it -was known what the courier had brought, fell into a kind of numbness, -joined to loss of speech; Panna Ratkovski, who had spent some time -at Pan Zavilovski's, and cherished great friendship for him and his -daughter, grew pale in real earnest; Panna Lineta, seizing Pani -Bronich's hand, tried to restore her to consciousness, whispering, -"_Voyons, chčre, tu n'es pas raisonnable!_" Pani Aneta, as if wishing -to verify with her own eyes the substance of the announcement, took the -card from her husband's hands, and read,-- - - "The respected Pan Eustachius Zavilovski departed this life on the - 25th day of July. His grief-stricken daughter invites relatives - and friends to the funeral, at the parish church in Yasmen, on the - 28th day of the current month." - -Then followed a moment of silence, which was broken by Pan Ignas. - -"I knew him little," said he, "and was prepossessed against him once; -but now I grieve for him sincerely, for I know that at heart he was a -worthy man." - -"And he loved thee sincerely," answered Osnovski. "I have proofs of -that." - -Pani Bronich, who, during this time, had recovered, declared that -those proofs might appear now in their fulness, and that the heart of -the deceased would very likely prove itself still greater than they -imagined. "Pan Eustachius always loved Nitechka much, and such a man -cannot be malicious." At times he had reminded her--that is, Pani -Bronich--of Teodor, and therefore she had become so attached to him. -He was, it is true, as abrupt on occasions as Teodor was gentle at all -times; but both had that honesty of spirit which the Lord God is best -able to value. - -Then she turned to "Nitechka," reminding her that the least emotion -would add to the sinking of her heart, and begging her to strive this -time not to yield to innate sensitiveness. Pan Ignas, too, with -the feeling that a common sorrow had struck him and Lineta for the -first time, began to kiss her hands. This state of mind was broken by -Kopovski, who said, as if in meditation on the transitory nature of -human affairs,-- - -"I am curious to know what Panna Helena will do with the pipes left by -her father." - -In fact, the old noble's pipes were famous throughout the whole city. -Through dislike for cigarettes and cigars, he had in his day made a -great collection in his mansion for lovers of the pipe. Kopovski's -anxiety about the pipes was not quieted, however,--first, because -at that moment they brought Pan Ignas a letter from Pan Stanislav, -containing also intelligence of the old man's decease, and an -invitation to the funeral; secondly, because Osnovski began to advise -with his wife about the trip to Yasmen. - -It ended in this,--that all were to go at once to the city, where the -ladies would set about buying various small articles of mourning, and -on the second day, the day of the funeral, they would be in Yasmen. -Thus did they do. Pan Ignas, immediately after their arrival, went -to his lodgings to carry home things, and prepare a black suit for -mourning; and then he went to the Polanyetskis, supposing that they, -too, perhaps, had come in from the Bigiels. The servant informed him -that his master had been there the day before, but had gone at once -to Yasmen, near which place he had hired, or even bought, a house two -weeks earlier. - -Hearing this, he returned to Osnovski's villa to spend the evening with -his betrothed. - -At the entrance, the tones of a waltz by Strauss, coming from the -depth of the house, astonished him. Meeting in the next salon Panna -Ratkovski, he inquired who was playing. - -"Lineta is playing with Pan Kopovski," answered she. - -"Then Pan Kopovski is here?" - -"He came a quarter of an hour since." - -"And Pani and Pan Osnovski?" - -"They have not returned yet; Aneta is making purchases." - -Pan Ignas, for the first time in his life, felt a certain -dissatisfaction with Lineta. He understood that the deceased was -nothing to her; still the moment for playing a four-handed waltz with -Kopovski seemed inappropriate. He had a feeling that that showed want -of taste. Pani Bronich, who did not lack society keenness, divined -evidently that impression on his face. - -"Nitechka was moved greatly, and worn out," said she; "and nothing -calms her like music. I was much alarmed, for sinking of the heart had -begun with her; and when Pan Kopovski came, I myself proposed that they -play something." - -They stopped playing; and Pan Ignas's unpleasant impression disappeared -by degrees. There was for him in that villa a multitude of recent and -precious remembrances. About dusk he took Lineta's arm, and they walked -through the rooms. They stopped in various places; he called to mind -something every moment. - -"Dost remember," asked he, in the studio, "when painting, thou didst -take me by the temple to turn my head aside, and for the first time in -life I kissed thy hand; and thy words, 'Talk with aunt'?--I lost not -only consciousness, but breath. Thou, my chosen, my dearest!" - -And she answered,-- - -"And how pale thou wert then!" - -"It is difficult not to be pale when the heart is dying in one from -emotion; and I loved thee beyond memory." - -Lineta raised her eyes, and said after a while,-- - -"How wonderful all this is!" - -"What, Nitechka?" - -"That it begins somehow, and begins as if it were a kind of trial, a -kind of play; then one goes farther into it, and all at once the trap -falls." - -Pan Ignas pressed her arm to his bosom, and said,-- - -"Ah, yes! it has fallen! I have my bright maiden, and I won't let her -go." - -Then, walking on, they came to the great drawing-room. - -Pan Ignas pointed to the glass door, and said,-- - -"Our balcony, our acacia-tree." - -It grew darker and darker. Objects in the room were sunk in shade; only -here and there, on golden picture frames, gleamed points of light, like -eyes of some kind gazing at the young couple. - -"Dost thou love me?" asked Pan Ignas. - -"Thou knowest." - -"Say yes." - -"Yes." - -Then he pressed her arm more, and said with a voice changed through -rising emotion,-- - -"Thou hast no idea, simply, how much happiness is in thee. I give thee -my word; thou hast no idea. Thou knowest not how I love thee. I would -give my life for thee. I would give the world for one hair of thine. -Thou art my world, my life, my all. I should die without thee." - -"Let us sit down," whispered Lineta; "I am so wearied." - -They sat down, resting against each other, hidden in the dark. A moment -of silence followed. - -"What is the matter? Thou art trembling all over," whispered Lineta. - -But she too, whether stirred by remembrances, or borne on by his -feeling, or by nearness, began to breathe hurriedly, and, closing her -eyes, was the first to put her lips forward toward his. - -Meanwhile Kopovski was bored evidently in the adjoining room with Panna -Ratkovski and Pani Bronich, for at that moment the tones of the waltz -which he had played before with Lineta were heard. - -When Pan Ignas returned to his own lodgings, the place seemed the -picture of sadness and loneliness, a kind of objectless nomad dwelling, -after which there will not be one memory; and he thought that that -golden "Nitechka" had so wound herself around his heart that in truth -he would not live without her, and could not. - -The funeral, on the third day, was not numerously attended. The -neighboring estates, as lying near the city belonged for the greater -part to rich people, who passed the summer season abroad; hence not -many of Pan Zavilovski's acquaintances had remained in the city. But -numerous throngs of villagers had assembled, who, crowding into the -church, looked at the coffin as if with wonder that a man of such -wealth, wading in property, in money and riches, was going into the -ground like the first chance peasant who lived in a hut somewhere. -Others looked with envy on the young lady to whom "so much wealth" was -to fall. And such is human nature that not only peasants, but refined -people, distant or near acquaintances of Pan Zavilovski, were unable -even during the burial itself to refrain from thinking what that -Panna Helena would do with these millions which were left her for the -drying of tears. There were some too, who, supposing young Zavilovski -as the last relative of that name, the heir of a considerable part -of the property, gave themselves in secret the question whether -that lucky poet, and millionnaire of the morrow, perhaps, would stop -writing verses. And they thought, as if with a certain unexplained -satisfaction, that he would probably. - -But the chief attention was turned to Panna Helena. All wondered at -the resignation with which she bore the loss,--the more painful, since -after the death of her father she remained in the world all alone, -without relatives nearer than the young poet, and even without friends, -concerning whom she had long since ceased to busy herself. She walked -after the coffin with a face over which tears were flowing, but which -was calm, with that calmness usual to her, but somewhat lifeless and -stony. On her return from the church, she spoke of the death of her -father as if a number of months at least had passed since it happened. -The ladies of Prytulov could not understand that an immense faith was -speaking through her; and that in virtue of her faith, that death, in -comparison with another, which she had survived, but which had rent -her soul, seemed something that was sad, it is true, but at the same -time a blessing, pressing out tears of sorrow, but not of despair. In -fact, old Pan Zavilovski died very piously, though almost suddenly. -From the time of his arrival in Yasmen, he had the habit of confessing -twice a week; hence he did not lack religious consolation. He died -with the rosary in his hand, in his armchair, having fallen previously -into a light sleep, without any suffering; his usual pain having left -him a few days before, so that he had even begun to gain the hope of a -perfect return of health. Panna Helena, while speaking of this, in her -low uniform voice, turned at last to Pan Ignas and said,-- - -"He mentioned you very often. Perhaps an hour before death he said that -if you should come to Buchynek to Pan Polanyetski, to let him know, -for he wished to see you without fail. Father loved and esteemed you -greatly, greatly." - -"Dear lady," said Pan Ignas, raising her hands to his lips, "I join you -in mourning for him sincerely." - -There was something noble and truthful, as well in his tones as in his -words, therefore Panna Helena's eyes filled with tears; but the weeping -of Pani Bronich was so loud that, had it not been for a flask of salts -given her by Lineta, it would have passed into a nervous attack, very -likely. - -But Panna Helena, as if not hearing those sobs, thanked Pan Stanislav -for the aid which she had received from him,--he had occupied himself -with those cares which the death of a near friend imposes, in addition -to their misfortune, on those who are bereaved. He took all that on -himself because of his active nature, and because at that juncture he -seized every chance to occupy himself with something to deaden his -thoughts, and escape from the torturing circle of his own meditations. - -Marynia did not go to the grave, for her husband did not wish her -exposed to crowding and fatigue, but she kept company with Panna Helena -in the house, giving her consolation, as she could. Afterward she -wished to take her, with the Prytulov ladies, to Buchynek, and even -to keep her there a few days. Pan Stanislav supported this request; -but as Panna Helena had her old governess at the mansion, she refused, -assuring Marynia that in Yasmen it would not be disagreeable at all -to her, and that she did not wish to leave it for the first days -especially. - -But the ladies from Prytulov, who, at the persuasion of Svirski, -had intended to visit the Polanyetskis, went willingly with their -acquaintances to Buchynek,--all the more since Pani Bronich desired -to learn from Pan Stanislav nearer details touching the last moments -of the deceased. Marynia, who had looked most curiously at Panna -Ratkovski, took her in her carriage, and that happened which happens -sometimes in society,--that the two youthful women felt at once an -irrestrainable attraction to each other. In Panna Ratkovski's pensive -eyes, in her expression, in her "retiring" face, as Svirski called -it, there was something of such character that Marynia divined, at -the first glance almost, a nature not bold, accustomed to retire into -itself, delicate and sensitive. On the other hand, Panna Ratkovski had -heard so much of Marynia from Pan Ignas, and heard because other ladies -in Prytulov were not willing to lend their ears to praises of their -neighbors, that, seeing in her eyes interest and sympathy, to which, -in her poverty and loneliness, she was not accustomed, she nestled up -with her whole heart to her. In this way they arrived at Buchynek as -good friends, and Svirski, who was with Pan Stanislav, Osnovski, and -Kopovski, arrived right after them; it did not need any great acuteness -to divine that the judgment of Marynia would be for Panna Steftsia. - -But he wished to hear it. Marynia began to show the guests her new -residence, which was to be her property, for Pan Stanislav had decided -already to buy it. They looked specially at the garden, in which were -growing uncommonly old white poplars. Svirski, taking advantage of this -walk, gave his arm to Marynia; and on the way back to the house, when -the party had scattered somewhat along all the paths, he asked with -great precipitance,-- - -"Well, what is the first impression?" - -"The best possible. Ah, what a good and sensitive child that must be! -Try to know her." - -"I? What for? I will propose this day. You think I will not do that? -Upon my word, I will, to-day--and in Buchynek! I have no time for -examination and meditation. In those affairs there must be a little -daring. I will make a declaration this day, as true as I am here before -you." - -Marynia began to laugh, thinking that he was jesting; but he answered,-- - -"I am laughing, too, for there is nothing sad in this; it is no harm -that this is a funeral day. I am not superstitious; or rather, I am, -for I believe that nothing from your hand can be evil." - -"But it is not from my hand; I only made her acquaintance to-day." - -"It is all one to me. I have been afraid of women all my life; but of -this one, somehow, I have no fear. She simply cannot be a thankless -heart." - -"I think, too, that she cannot." - -"And do you see? this is my last chance. If she accepts me, I will -carry her all my life, see?" (here he put his hand in the bosom of his -coat); "if not, then--" - -"Then what?" - -"I'll shut myself in, and for a whole week will paint from morning -till night. I have said that I would go to shoot ducks--but no! This -is more important than you think. I judge, however, that she ought -to accept me. I know that she does not like that ladies' butterfly, -that Kopovski; she is alone in the world, an orphan; she will do me a -kindness, for which I shall be grateful all my days, because, really, I -am a kind man--but I fear to grow embittered." - -Marynia saw now, for the first time, that Svirski might speak -seriously; and she answered,-- - -"You are, in truth, a kind man; hence you will never be embittered." - -"On the contrary," answered he, with great animation, "it might end in -that; I will be outspoken with you. Do you think that I am as happy -as I seem? God knows that I am not. I have gained a little money and -fame; that is true. But perhaps there has not been among men another -who has so stretched forth his hands to a womanly ideal as I have. What -is the result? I have met you, Pani Bigiel, maybe two or three others, -worthy, true, sensible, pure as tears. Permit me! I do not wish to say -pleasant things to you; but in what I say now I do not wish to announce -a criticism, but to discover my suffering. I have seen among our women -so much tinsel, so many common, frivolous natures, so much egotism, -so much shallowness, so many thankless hearts, so many dolls from a -picture, so many false aspirations, that from sight of them ten such -men as I am might be embittered." After a while he added: "This child -seems different; quiet, mild, and very honest. God grant that it come -to pass; God grant her to want me!" - -At the same time Pani Bronich, taking Pan Stanislav aside openly, spoke -with uplifted eyes,-- - -"Oh, yes! he reminded me of my years of youth; and, as you see, in -spite of this--that for a long time relations between us were broken--I -preserved friendship for him to the end of his life. You must have -heard! but no! you could not have heard, for I have never mentioned -this to any one, that it depended on me alone--to be the mother of -Helena. Now there is no longer any need to keep the secret. Twice he -proposed to me, and twice I refused him. I respected and loved him -always; but you will understand that when one is young, something else -is sought for,--that is sought for which I found in my Teodor. Oh, -that is true! Once he proposed in Ischia, a second time in Warsaw. He -suffered much; but what could I do? Would you have acted otherwise if -in my place? Tell me sincerely." - -Pan Stanislav, not having the least desire to say, either sincerely or -insincerely, how he would have acted in the position of Pani Bronich, -replied,-- - -"Did you wish to ask me about something?" - -"Yes, oh, yes! I wanted to ask you about his last moments. Helena -said that he died suddenly; but you, who lived so near him, must have -visited him, therefore you will remember what he said. Maybe you know -what his last intentions and thoughts were? Personally I have not the -least interest in the matter. My God! would it not be difficult to act -more disinterestedly? You do not know Nitechka? But Pan Zavilovski -gave me his word that he would leave Pan Ignas his estates in Poznan. -If he did not keep his word, or if he did not try to keep it, may the -Lord God forgive him, as I forgive him! Wealth, of course, amounts to -nothing. Who has given a better example than Nitechka of disregard for -wealth? Were it the opposite, she would not have refused such matches -as the Marquis Jao Colimaçao, or Pan Kanafaropulos. You must have heard -also of Pan Ufinski,--that same who, with his famous silhouettes, -bought for himself a palace in Venice. His last work was to cut out the -Prince of Wales. This very year he proposed to use for Nitechka. Oh, -true! if any one has sought wealth, it is not we. But I should not wish -Nitechka to think that she had made a sacrifice, for still, between -us, she is making a sacrifice, and if considered in society fashion, a -great sacrifice." - -Pan Stanislav was an energetic man; angered by the last words of Pani -Bronich, he answered,-- - -"I have not known either the Marquis Jao Colimaçao or Pan Kanafaropulos, -but in this country they are rather fantastic names. I will suppose that -Panna Castelli marries Pan Zavilovski out of love; in that case, every -sacrifice is excluded. I am an outspoken man, and I say what I think. -Whether Pan Ignas is a practical man is another question; but Pan Ignas -does not know, and he does not want to ask, what Panna Castelli brings -him. The ladies know perfectly what he brings, even from a society point -of view." - -"Oh, but you have not heard that the Castellis are descended from -Marino Falieri." - -"That is precisely what neither I nor any one else has heard. Let us -suppose that for me and you such views have no meaning; but since you -say, first, that, taking things from a society point of view, Panna -Castelli is making a great sacrifice, I do not hesitate to deny that, -and to say that, omitting Pan Ignas's talents and social position, the -match is equal." - -From his tone and face it was evident that if Pani Bronich would not -stop at what he said, he was ready to speak more openly; but Pani -Bronich, having evidently more than one arrow in her quiver, seized Pan -Stanislav's hand, and, shaking it vigorously, exclaimed,-- - -"Oh, how honest you are, to take the part of Ignas so earnestly, and -how I love him, as my own son! Whom have I in the world if not those -two? And if I inquire whether you know of any arrangement made by Pan -Zavilovski, I do so only through love for Pan Ignas. I know that old -people like to put off and put off, just as if death let itself be -delayed by that. Oh, death will not be delayed! no, no! Helena has no -use for all those millions; but Ignas--he might then spread his wings -really. For me and Nitechka the question beyond all questions is his -talent. But if anything should come to pass--" - -"What can I tell you?" said Pan Stanislav. "That Pan Zavilovski was -thinking of Ignas is for me undoubted, and I tell you why. About ten -days since, he gave command to bring some old arms to show them to me; -thereupon he turned to his daughter, and I heard him say to her, 'These -are not worth enumerating in the will; but after my death give them to -Ignas, for you have no use for them.' From this I infer that either -he made some will in favor of Ignas, or thought of it. Further I know -nothing, for I made no inquiry of him. Should there be any new will, it -will be known in a couple of days, and Panna Helena of a certainty will -not hide it." - -"Do you know that honest Helena well? But no, no! You do not know her -as I know her, and I can be a surety for her. Never suspect her in my -presence! Helena hide a will? Never, sir!" - -"Let the lady be so kind as not to ascribe to me a thought which I -have not, and from which I guard myself. The will can in no case be -concealed, for it is made before witnesses." - -"And do you see that it is not even possible to conceal it, for it is -drawn up before witnesses? I was sure that it could not be concealed; -but Pan Zavilovski loved Nitechka so much that even out of regard for -her, he could not forget Ignas. He carried her in his arms when she was -so big, see." Here Pani Bronich put one hand above the other, so as to -give Pan Stanislav in that manner an idea of how big Lineta might have -been at the time; but after a while she added, "And maybe she wasn't -even that big." - -Then they returned to the rest of the company, who, having finished -a survey of the garden, were assembling for dinner. Pan Stanislav, -looking at the charming face of Lineta, thought that when Pan -Zavilovski carried her in his arms, she might, in fact, have been a -nice and pretty child. Suddenly he remembered Litka, whom he carried in -his arms also, and inquired,-- - -"Then are you an old acquaintance of the deceased?" - -"Oh--so," answered Lineta. "About four years. Aunt, how long is it -since we became acquainted with Pan Zavilovski?" - -"Of what is that dear head thinking?" exclaimed Pani Bronich. "Ah, my -dear, what a happy age! and what a happy period!" - -During this time Svirski, who was sitting near Panna Ratkovski, felt -that it would not be so easy for him to carry out the promise given -Marynia as it had seemed to him. Witnesses hindered him, and, still -more, a certain alarm about the heart, joined to a loss of usual -presence of mind and freedom. "To think," said he to himself, "that -I am a greater coward than I supposed." And he did not succeed. He -wanted at least to prepare the ground, and he talked of something -different from what he wished; he noticed now that Panna Ratkovski had -a beautiful neck, and pearl tones about her ears, and a very charming -voice--but he noticed with astonishment that this made him still -more timid. After lunch the whole company sat together as if through -perversity. The ladies were wearied by the funeral; and when, an hour -later, Pani Aneta announced that it was time to return, he felt at once -a sensation of disappointment and relief. - -"It is not my fault," thought he; "I had a fixed purpose." - -But when the ladies were taking their places, the feeling of solace -changed into sorrow for himself. He thought of his loneliness, and -of this, that he had no one on whom to bestow his reputation or his -property; he thought of his sympathy for Panna Ratkovski, of the -confidence which she had roused in him, of the sincere feeling which he -had conceived for her at the first glance,--and at the last moment he -took courage. - -Giving his arm to the young lady to conduct her to the carriage, he -said,-- - -"Pan Osnovski has asked me to come again to Prytulov, and I will come, -but with a brush and palette; I should like to have your head." - -And he stopped, trying how to pass from that which he had said to that -which he wished to say, and feeling at the same time that he needed to -hurry immensely, for there was no time. But Panna Ratkovski, evidently -unaccustomed to this, that any man should occupy himself with her, -inquired with unfeigned astonishment,-- - -"Mine?" - -"Permit me to be your echo," replied Svirski, hurriedly, and in a -somewhat stifled voice, "and to repeat that word." - -Panna Ratkovski looked at him as if not understanding what the question -was; but at that moment Pani Aneta called her to the carriage, so -Svirski had barely time to press her hand and say,-- - -"Till we meet again." - -The carriage moved on. Her open parasol hid the face of Panna Ratkovski -quickly; the artist followed with his eyes the departing ladies, and at -last gave himself the question,-- - -"Have I made a declaration, or not?" - -He was certain, however, that Panna Ratkovski would think, during the -whole drive, of what he had told her. He thought, also, that he had -answered adroitly, and that he had made good use of her question. In -this regard he was satisfied; but at the same time he was astonished -that he felt neither great joy nor fear, and that he had a certain dull -feeling that something was lacking in the whole matter. It seemed to -him that, in a moment so important, he was too little moved. And he -returned from the gate to the house in thoughtfulness. - -Marynia, who had seen the parting from a distance, had red ears from -curiosity. Though her husband was not in the room at that moment, -she dared not ask first; but Svirski read so clearly in her eyes the -question, "Have you proposed?" that he laughed, and answered just as if -she had inquired,-- - -"Yes, almost. Not completely; there was no chance for further -conversation, so I could not receive an answer. I do not know even -whether I was understood." - -Marynia, not seeing in him that animation with which he had spoken -to her before, and, ascribing this to alarm, wished to give him -consolation, but the entrance of Pan Stanislav prevented her. Svirski -too began to take farewell at once; but wishing evidently to satisfy -her curiosity before he went away, he said, not regarding the presence -of Pan Stanislav,-- - -"In every case I shall be in Prytulov to-morrow, or I shall write a -letter; I hope that the answer will be favorable." - -Then he kissed her hands with great friendship, and, after a while, -found himself alone in his droshky, in clouds of yellow dust, and in -his own thoughts. - -As an artist he was so accustomed to seizing in artist fashion various -details which intruded themselves on his eyes that he did so even -now, but mechanically, without proper consciousness, as if only at -the surface of his brain. But in the depth of it he was meditating on -everything that had happened. - -"What the devil, Svirski!" said he to himself; "what is happening -to thee? Hast thou not passed twenty-five years so as to be able to -jump over this ditch? Has not that happened for which thou wert eager -this morning? Where is thy transport? thy delight? Why art thou not -shouting, At last! Thou art about to marry! Dost understand, old man? -At last! At last!" - -But that was vain urging. The internal man remained cold. He understood -that what had happened ought to be happiness; but he did not respond -to it. Greater and greater astonishment was seizing him. He had acted, -it seems, with all knowledge and will and choice. He was not a child, -nor frivolous, nor a hysterical person, who knows not what he wants. -Having reasoned out, finally, that it would be well, he had not changed -his opinion. Panna Ratkovski, too, was ever that same retiring, "very -reliable person;" why did the thought that she would be the "little -woman," desired from of old, not warm him more vigorously? Why did -hope, changed now almost into certainty, not turn into joy? And at the -bottom of his soul there remained a certain feeling of disappointment. - -"What I told her," thought he, "might be adroit, but it was dry. Let a -thunderbolt strike me, if it was not, and, besides, it was unfinished. -Simply I have no certainty yet, and I do not feel the thing as -finished." - -Here the impressions of an artist interrupted the thread of his -thought. Sheep scattered on a sloping field visible from the road -shaded by distance, and also bathed in the sunlight, seemed on the -green background bright spots, with a strong tint of blue fringed with -gold. - -"Those sheep are sky blue,--impressionists are right in a small -degree," muttered Svirski; "but may the devil take them! I am going to -marry!" - -And he returned to his meditations. Yes! The result did not answer to -his hope and expectation. There are various thoughts which a man does -not wish to confess to himself; there are feelings also which he does -not wish to turn into definite thoughts. So it was with Svirski. He did -not love Panna Ratkovski, and here was the direct answer to all the -questions which he put to himself. But he dodged this answer as long -as he could. He did not like to confess that he took that girl only -because he had a great wish to marry. He wanted to explain to himself -that he did not feel the affair finished, which was an evasion. He was -not in love! Others reached love through a woman; but he wanted to fit -a woman to his general internal demand for loving,--that is, he went -by a road the reverse of the usual one. Others, having a divinity, -built for it a church; he, having a church ready, was bringing into it -a divinity, not because he had worshipped the divinity with all his -power previously, but because it seemed to him not badly fitted for -the architecture of the temple. And now he understood why he had shown -so much ardor and resolution in the morning, but was so cold at that -moment. By this was explained too the immense impetus in carrying out -his plan, and the want of spiritual "halleluia," after it had been -carried out. - -Svirski's astonishment began to pass into sadness. He thought that he -would have done better, perhaps, if, instead of thinking so much about -a woman, instead of forming theories of what a woman ought to be, he -had caught up the first girl who pleased his heart and senses. He -understood now that a man loves the woman whom he does love, and that -he does not fit to her any preconceived ideas, for ideas of love--like -children--can be born only of a woman. All this was the more felt by -him since he was conscious that he could love immensely; and he saw -more and more positively that he was not loving as he might love. He -remembered what in his time Pan Stanislav had told him in Rome of a -certain young doctor, who, trampled by a thoughtless puppet, said: -"I know what she is; but I cannot tear my soul from her." There was -love strong as death; that man loved! It is unknown why Panna Castelli -and Pan Ignas came at once to Svirski's mind; he remembered also Pan -Ignas's face as he had seen it in Prytulov, lost in contemplation and, -as it were, rapt into Heaven. - -And again was roused in him the artist, who by whole years of custom -takes the place of the man, even when the man is thinking of things -the most personal. For a while he forgot himself and Panna Ratkovski, -and thought of Pan Ignas's face, and of that which formed specially its -most essential expression. Was it a certain concentrated exaltation? -Yes! but there was something else which was still more essential. - -And suddenly he trembled. - -"A wonderful thing," thought he; "that is a tragic head." - - - - -CHAPTER LV. - - -A few days later Pan Ignas was summoned by Pan Stanislav, and went to -the city. The young man had a great desire to remain in Prytulov; but -Panna Helena wished absolutely that he should be present at the opening -of her father's will. He went, therefore, with Pan Stanislav and the -grand-nephew of old Pan Zavilovski,--the advocate Kononovich,--for that -purpose to Yasmen. But when Pan Ignas, during the two following days, -in his letters to "Nitechka," poured forth on paper only his feelings, -and made not the least reference to the will, Pani Bronich, whom such -effusions had delighted up to that time, confessed now, as a secret, -to Pani Aneta, that that was a stupid way of writing to a betrothed, -and that there was _quelque chose de louche_ in a silence which was as -if designed. The first of those letters was sent, it is true, from the -city, the second immediately after his arrival in Yasmen; the old lady -insisted, however, that in every case Pan Ignas should have mentioned -his hopes, at least, for by silence he showed "Nitechka" a lack of -confidence, and simply offended her. - -Osnovski insisted, on the contrary, that Pan Ignas was silent -concerning his hopes through delicacy toward Lineta; and on this -subject it came to a little dispute between him and Pani Bronich, who -on that occasion uttered a psychic principle, that men in general have -too weak a conception of two things: logic and delicacy. "Oh, that is -true! As to logic, it is not your fault, perhaps; but you are that way, -my Yozio, all of you." Not being able, however, to stay two days in one -place, she went to the city on some plausible pretext, so as to find an -informant in the question of the will. - -Returning on the following day, she brought with her, first, Pani -Mashko, whom she met at the Prytulov station, and who had been wishing -for a long time to visit "that dear Anetka," and second, information -that no new will of Pan Zavilovski had been found, and that the only -and sole heiress of his immense property was Panna Helena. This news -had been received in Prytulov already, by the third letter from Pan -Ignas, which Lineta had received meanwhile; still its confirmation by -Pani Bronich produced an uncommon impression, so that the arrival of -Pani Mashko passed unobserved, as it were. This was all very strange. -Those ladies had made the acquaintance of Pan Ignas as a man without -property. Lineta became his betrothed when there were no hopes of a -will. The affair had been arranged first under the influence of Pani -Aneta, who was "firing the boilers, since there was need to move, -and move quickly;" it took place under the influence of the general -enthusiasm roused by Pan Ignas's poetry, under the influence of his -fame; through the vanity of Pani Bronich and Lineta, which vanity felt -not only satisfied, but borne away by this fact, that that famous and -celebrated Zavilovski, who had turned all eyes to himself, was kneeling -at the feet of no one else, but just "Nitechka." It took place, -finally, for the sake of public opinion, which could not but glorify a -young lady who had no thought for property, but only for that mental -wealth which Pan Ignas possessed. It is true that, having begun in -this way, everything went farther by the force too of that elemental -rush, which, when once it has seized people, bears them on, without -their will, as the currents of rivers bear objects swept away by them. -Be what might, Lineta became the betrothed of a man without property; -and had it not been for those hopes which rose afterward, neither she -nor Pani Bronich, nor any one else, could have or would have taken it -ill of Pan Ignas that he had no inherited fortune. But such is human -nature, that just because those hopes had risen, and by rising had made -Pan Ignas an imposing match in the full measure, no one could help -feeling a certain disappointment when they were blown apart now by the -wind of reality. Some were grieved sincerely; others, like Kopovski -and like Pani Mashko, who did not know herself why, felt a certain -satisfaction at such a turn of affairs, but even such a true friend as -Osnovski could not resist some feeling of disappointment. - -Pan Ignas, in his last letter to Lineta, wrote among other things: -"I should like to have wealth for thy sake; but what meaning has all -wealth for me if compared with thee! I say sincerely that I have ceased -to think of it; and I know that thou, whose feet walk not on the earth, -art troubled no more than I am. And, as truly as I love thee, I am -not troubled at all. These great assurances which I make are for me -immensely sacred; hence thou must believe ma. Various wants and lacks -threaten people in life, but I tell thee this simply, I will not give -thee to any one. Thou art my golden! my one dear child, and lady." - -Lineta showed this letter to Pani Aneta, to Panna Ratkovski, and on the -arrival of her aunt, to her aunt, of course. Pan Ignas had, indeed, -not deceived himself as to her in this regard at least, that if in -all Prytulov there was no talk of anything but old Pan Zavilovski's -will, Lineta would be silent amid those conversations and regrets. It -may be that her eyes assumed to a certain degree their former dreamy -expression; maybe at the very corners of her mouth, when people spoke -of Pan Ignas, something like a minute wrinkle of contempt might be -gathered; maybe, finally, she talked very much with "aunt" evenings, -when, after the general good-night, they went to their own rooms; but -like a person who "does not walk on the earth," never did she raise her -voice in this question before people. - -"Koposio," once on a time, when they were left alone for a minute, -began to talk with her about it; but she put her finger first to -her own lips, and then pointed from a distance toward his lips, in -sign that she did not wish such conversation. What is more, even -Pani Bronich spoke before her little and guardedly concerning her -disappointment. But when "Nitechka" was not in the room, the old woman -could not stop the flow to her mouth of that bitterness which had risen -in her heart; this flow carried her a number of times so far that she -lacked little of quarrelling with Osnovski. - -Osnovski, casting from his soul that feeling of disappointment which he -had not been able to ward off at first, tried now with all his power to -decrease the significance of the catastrophe, and show that Ignas was -in general an exceptional match, and even in a financial view, quite a -good one. - -"I do not think," said he, "that he would have stopped writing had he -been old Zavilovski's heir; but the mere management of such an immense -property would have taken so much time that his talent might have -suffered. As the question is of Ignas, I remember, aunt, what Henry -VIII. said, when some prince threatened Holbein: 'I can make ten lords -out of ten peasants, if the fancy comes to me; but out of ten lords -I cannot make one Holbein.' Ignas is an exceptional man. Believe me, -aunt, I have always considered Lineta a charming and honest girl, and -have always loved her; but she really rose in my eyes only when she -appreciated Ignas. To be something in the life of a man like him, is -what any woman might envy her. Is it not true, Anetka?" - -"Of course," answered Pani Osnovski; "it is pleasant for a woman to -belong to a man who is something." - -Osnovski seized his wife's hand, and, kissing it, said, half in jest, -half in earnest,-- - -"And dost thou not think that this often torments me, that such a being -as thou art should belong to such a zero as Yozio Osnovski? But it is -hard to help it! The thing has happened; and, besides, the zero loves -much." - -Then he turned to Pani Bronich,-- - -"Think, aunt," said he, "Ignas has a number of thousands of rubles of -his own; and, besides, after his father's death he will have what old -Zavilovski secured to him. Poor he will not be." - -"Oh, naturally," answered Pani Bronich, shaking her head -contemptuously; "Nitechka, in accepting Zavilovski, did not look for -money, of course; if she had looked for money, it would have been -enough for us to raise a hand at Pan Kanafaropulos." - -"Aunt! Mercy!" exclaimed Pani Aneta, laughing. - -"But nothing has happened," said Osnovski. "It is sure that Panna -Helena will not marry, and the property will pass sometime, if not to -Ignas, to his children,--that's the whole affair." - -Seeing, however, that the face of Pani Bronich was depressed -continually, he added after a while,-- - -"Well, aunt, more agreement with the will of God! more calmness. Ignas -is not an inch less." - -"Of course," answered she, with a tinge of anger; "of course all that -changes nothing. Zavilovski in his way has talent; and every one must -confess that in his way he forms a match beyond all expectations. Oh, -yes; of this there cannot be two opinions. Of course nothing is to be -said of the property, all the more since people tell various things of -the ways by which old Pan Zavilovski increased it so greatly. May God -be good to him, and pardon him for having deceived me, it is unknown -why! This very day Nitechka and I prayed for his soul. It was difficult -to do otherwise. Of course I should prefer that he had not had that -inclination to untruth, for it may be a family trait. Nitechka and -I would prefer, too, that Pan Ignas had given us less frequently to -understand that he would be an heir of Pan Zavilovski." - -"I beg pardon most earnestly," interrupted Osnovski, with vigor. "He -never gave that to be understood. Aunt will permit--this is too much. -He did not wish to mention it; aunt asked him in my presence." - -But Pani Bronich was in her career, and nothing could stop her; so she -said, with growing irritation,-- - -"He did not give Yozio to understand this, but he gave me to understand -it. Nitechka can testify. Besides, I said to Yozio, 'Never mind this -matter.' Of course nothing has changed; and if we have some grief, it -is at least not from this cause. Yozio has never been a mother; and -as a man he can never understand how much fear we mothers feel at the -last moment before giving a child into strange hands. I have learned -of late, just now, that Zavilovski, with all his qualities, has a -violent temper; and he has. I have always suspected him of something -similar; and that being so, it would be simply death for Nitechka. Pan -Polanyetski himself did not deny that he has a violent temper. Pan -Polanyetski himself, though his friend, so far as men can be friends, -gave to understand that his father, too, had a violent temper, and -because of it fell into insanity, which may be in the family. I know -that Pan Ignas seems to love Nitechka, in as far as men can love truly; -but will that love last long? That he is selfish, Yozio himself will -not deny; for that matter, you are all selfish. Then let Yozio not be -astonished that in these recent hours terror seizes me when I think -that my darling may fall into the hands of a tyrant, a madman, and an -egotist." - -"No," cried Osnovski, turning to his wife; "as I love thee, one's ears -simply wither; one may simply lose one's head." - -But Pani Aneta seemed to amuse herself with that conversation as she -would in a theatre. The quarrels of her husband with Pani Bronich -always amused her; but now she was carried away more than usual, for -Pani Bronich, looking at Osnovski as if with pity, continued,-- - -"Besides, that sphere! All those Svirskis and Polanyetskis and -Bigiels! We are blinded in Zavilovski, all of us; but, to tell the -truth, is that sphere fit for Nitechka? Hardly. The Lord God himself -made a difference between people; and from that comes a difference in -breeding. Perhaps Yozio does not give himself a clear account of this, -for, in general, men are unable to give account to themselves of such -matters; but I tell Yozio that there are shades and shades, which in -life may become enormously important. Has Yozio forgotten who Nitechka -is, and that if anything pains such a person as Nitechka, if anything -wounds her, she may pay for it with her life? Let Yozio think who those -people are, speaking among ourselves,--such people as the Polanyetskis, -and such men as Svirski, and that whole company with which Pan Ignas -associates, and with which he will force Nitechka to associate, -perhaps!" - -"Well, let us take things from that point of view," interrupted -Osnovski. "Very well! Let it be so. First of all, then, who was old -Pan Zavilovski? That aunt knows clearly enough, even out of regard to -her own relations with him. If it is a question, aunt, of the sphere, -I have the honor to say that we all, in relation to such people as -the Polanyetskis, are parvenus, and are taking liberties with them. I -never enter into genealogies; but since aunt wants them, let aunt have -them. Aunt must have heard that the Svirskis are princes. That line -which settled in Great Poland dropped the title, but has the right -to it; that is who they are. As to us, my grandfather was a manager -in the Ukraine, and I do not think of denying that. Out of what did -the Broniches grow? Aunt knows better than I do. I do not touch that -matter; but, since we are alone, we can speak openly. Of the Castellis, -too, aunt knows." - -"The Castellis are descended from Marino Falieri," exclaimed Pani -Bronich, with enthusiasm. - -"Beloved aunt! I remind thee that we are alone." - -"But it depended on Nitechka to become the Marchioness Colimaçao." - -"_La vie parisienne!_" answered Osnovski. "Aunt knows that operetta. -There is a Swiss admiral in it." - -Pani Aneta was amused to perfection; but it became disagreeable to -Osnovski that he had raised in his own house reminiscences which were -not agreeable to Pani Bronich, hence he added,-- - -"But why all our talk? Aunt knows how I have always loved Nitechka, and -how from the core of my heart I wished her to be worthy of Ignas." - -But this was pouring oil on the flames, for Pani Bronich, hearing this -blasphemy, lost the last of her cool blood, and exclaimed,-- - -"Nitechka worthy of Ignas? Such a--" - -Happily the entrance of Pani Mashko interrupted further conversation. -Aunt Bronich was silent, as if indignation had stopped the words in -her mouth; Pani Aneta began to inquire of Pani Mashko what the rest of -the company were doing, and where she had left them. - -"Pan Kopovski, Lineta, and Stefania remained in the conservatory," -answered Pani Mashko; "the two ladies are painting orchids, and Pan -Kopovski amused us." - -"How?" asked Osnovski. - -"With conversation; we laughed heartily. He told us that his -acquaintance, Pan Vyj, who very likely is a great man at heraldry, -told him in all seriousness that there is a family in Poland with the -escutcheon, 'Table legs.'" - -"If there is one," muttered Osnovski, humorously, "it is the family of -the Kopovskis, beyond doubt." - -"And did Steftsia remain, too, in the conservatory?" asked Pani Aneta. - -"Yes; they are sketching together." - -"Dost wish to go to them?" - -"Let us go." - -But at that moment the servant brought letters, which Pan Osnovski -looked over, and delivered. "For Anetka, for Anetka!" said he; "this -little literary woman has an enormous correspondence always. For -you," added he, turning to Pani Mashko; "for aunt; and this is for -Steftsia,--somehow a known hand, quite familiar. The ladies will permit -me to carry her this letter." - -"Of course; go," said Pani Aneta, with animation; "and we will read -ours." - -Osnovski took the letter and went in the direction of the conservatory, -looking at it, and repeating, "Whence do I know this hand?--as if--I -know that I have seen this hand." - -In the conservatory he found three young people, sitting under a great -arum at a yellow iron table, on which the orchid was standing. Both -ladies were painting it in albums. Kopovski, a little behind them, -dressed in a white-flannel costume and black stockings, was looking -over the shoulders of the young ladies into the albums, smoking -meanwhile a slender cigarette, which he had taken from an elegant -cigarette-case lying near the flower-pot. - -"Good-day!" said Osnovski. "What do you think of my orchids? Splendid, -aren't they? What peculiar flowers they are! Steftsia, here is a -letter; ask the company to excuse thee, and read it, for it seems to me -that I know the handwriting, but I cannot in any way remember whose it -can be." - -Panna Ratkovski opened the letter, and began to read. After a while -her face changed; a flame passed over her forehead, then paleness, and -again a flame. Osnovski looked at her with curiosity. When she had -finished reading, she showed him the signature, and said, with a voice -which trembled somewhat,-- - -"See from whom the letter is." - -"Ah!" said Osnovski, who understood everything at once. - -"May I ask thee for a moment's talk?" - -"At once, my child," answered he, as if with a certain tenderness; "I -will serve thee." - -And they went out of the conservatory. - -"But they have left us alone for once even," said Kopovski, naďvely. - -Lineta did not answer; but, taking Kopovski's white-leather -cigarette-case, which was lying on the table, began to draw it across -her face gently. - -He looked at that beautiful face with his wonderful eyes, beneath which -she simply melted. Lineta had known for a long time what to think of -him; his boundless stupidity had no longer any secret from her. Still -the exquisiteness and incomparable beauty of that dullard brought her -plebeian blood into some uncommon movement. Every hair in his beard had -a certain marvellous and irresistible charm for her. - -"Have you noticed that for a long time they are watching us, like I -know not whom?" continued Kopovski. - -But she, feigning not to hear, continued to draw the cigarette-case -across her delicate face, and, bringing it nearer and nearer to her -lips, said,-- - -"How soft this is; how pleasant to the touch!" - -Kopovski took the cigarette-case; but he put it to his lips and began -to kiss lightly the part which a while before had touched Lineta's -face. Then a moment of silence rose between them. - -"We must go from here," said Lineta. - -And, taking the pot of orchids, she wished to put it on steps in the -conservatory; she was not able to do so, however, because of the slope -of those steps. - -"Permit me," said Kopovski. - -"No, no!" answered Lineta; "it would fall, and be broken; I will put it -on the other side." - -Saying this, she went with the pot of orchids in her hands around -to the other side of the steps, where between them and the wall was -a narrow passage. Kopovski followed her. There she stepped on to a -pile of bricks, and put the orchids on the highest step; but at the -moment when she turned to descend, the bricks moved under her feet, and -she began to totter. Just at that moment, Kopovski, who was standing -behind, caught her by the waist. - -For a few seconds they remained in that posture, she leaning with her -shoulder against his breast, he drawing her toward him. Lineta leaned -over more, so that at last her head was on his shoulder. - -"What are you doing? This is wrong!" she began to whisper, with panting -breast, surrounding him with her hot breath. - -But he, instead of an answer, pressed his mustaches to her lips. All -at once her arms embraced his neck with a passionate movement, and she -began breathlessly and madly to return his kisses. - -In their ecstasy, neither observed that Osnovski, in returning through -the open doors of the conservatory, passed along on the soft sand -beyond the entrance, and looked at them with a face changed and pale as -linen from emotion. - - - - -CHAPTER LVI. - - -Meanwhile Pan Ignas spent the time between Warsaw and Buchynek, going -from one place to the other daily, remaining now here, now there, just -as his work and business commanded. Since his marriage was to take -place in the fall, immediately after the season in Scheveningen, Pan -Stanislav told him that it was time to find a dwelling, and furnish -it, even in some fashion. He and Bigiel promised every assistance in -that affair. Pani Bigiel was to see to the part which pertained to -housekeeping. Pan Ignas's presence in Buchynek was necessary also in -view of his relations with Panna Helena. Though the will of her father, -bearing date a year earlier, made her the only heiress of the whole -immense property, she did not hide in the least that she knew that -her father did not make another will simply because either he had not -foreseen a death so sudden, or had deferred the matter from day to day, -in the manner of old people. She had not the least doubt, however, that -her father wished to do something for a man of the same name, and a -relative; and she said openly that she held it a duty to carry out her -father's wish. No one, it is true, could foresee in what measure she -would decide to do that; and for her too it was difficult to answer -such a question, before she had made an exact inventory of all the -properties and moneys; meanwhile, however, she began to present Pan -Ignas with everything which, in her opinion, male heirs should inherit. -In this way, she gave him a part of the household plate, left after the -deceased, as well as a considerable and valuable collection of arms, -which the old man prized, and horses greatly esteemed by him,--these -Polanyetski took on commission; and, finally, that collection of pipes -the fate of which had concerned Kopovski so much. - -Cold, and apparently indifferent to all, intimidating people by her -severe and concentrated expression of face, she had for Pan Ignas -alone, in her voice and look, a certain something almost motherly; -just as if with the property she had inherited from her father his -inclination for the young man. He was indeed the only person on earth -with whom she was connected by bonds of blood, or at least by identity -of name. Learning from Pan Stanislav of the steps taken by Pan Ignas -toward furnishing a house, she begged him to put in the bank for her a -considerable sum in the name of "Pan Ignas," for outlays toward that -end, begging, however, not to mention the matter to him immediately. - -Pan Ignas, who had a young and grateful heart, became attached to her -quickly, as to an elder sister; and she felt perfectly that sympathy of -two natures, who wish each other well, and feel mutual confidence. Time -usually changes original sympathies of that sort into great, enduring -friendship, which in evil periods of life may be of great support. But -at that juncture, Pan Ignas could devote to her barely a tiny part of -his soul; for he had applied soul, heart, and all his powers, with the -entire exclusiveness of a fanatic in love, to the greater and greater -adoration of "Nitechka." - -Meanwhile he was as busy as a fly in a pot, between Buchynek and the -city, and even made new acquaintances. One of these was Professor -Vaskovski; who had returned from his pilgrimage among the "youngest of -the Aryans." He had visited the shores of the Adriatic, and the entire -Balkan peninsula; but the state of his health was so pitiful that Pan -Stanislav took him for good to Buchynek, to save the poor man from -being cheated, and to give him needful care, which in his loneliness he -could not have found in another place. Pan Ignas, himself a person of -lofty soul, and ready to grasp every broad idea, though it might seem -absurd to common-sense fools, conceived from the first day a love for -the old man, with his theory of a historical mission predestined to the -youngest of the Aryans. Of this theory he had heard already more than -once from Svirski and Polanyetski, and considered it a splendid dream. -But it struck him and Svirski and the Polanyetskis that the professor, -on returning from his journey, answered only that "No one could escape -the service which Christ had preordained to him;" then he gazed -forward with his mystic eyes, as if seeking something, or looking for -something in infinity, and his old face took on an expression of such -deep sorrow, and even of such pain, that no one had the heart to touch -that particular question. The doctor called in by Polanyetski declared -that the greasy kitchen of the youngest of the Aryans had given the old -man a serious catarrh of the stomach, to which was added _marasmus -senilis_. The professor had, in fact, a serious catarrh of the stomach; -but Pan Ignas divined in him something else,--namely, a desperate -struggle between doubt and that in which he believed, and to which, -as a real maniac-idealist, he had devoted a lifetime. Pan Ignas alone -understood the whole tragedy of such a final _ergo erravi_; and he was -doubly moved,--first, as a man with a heart, second, as a poet, who at -once saw a theme for a poem: the old man before the house, in the sun, -sitting on the ruin of his life and beliefs, with the words, "vanity, -vanity," on his lips, and waiting for death, whose steps he hears now -in the distance. - -But with the professor it was not so bad, perhaps, as Pan Ignas had -imagined. "The youngest of the Aryans" might, indeed, have disappointed -him; but there remained the faith that Christianity had not uttered -its last word yet, and that the coming epoch in the life of humanity -would not be anything else than a spreading of the spirit of Christ, -and a transfer of it from relations between individuals to general -human relations. "Christ in history" did not cease to be for him a -vision of the future. He believed even always that the mission of -introducing love into history was predestined to the youngest of the -Aryans; but from the time of his journey a deep sadness had seized him, -for he understood that, before that could be realized, not only he, but -whole generations, must die of catarrh of the stomach, caused by the -indigestible kitchen of principalities on the Danube. - -Meanwhile he shut himself up in himself, and in silence which had more -the appearance of life-sorrow than it was in reality. Of his "idea," he -hardly ever spoke directly, but the idea was evident. Just as the hand -of a clock, stopped at a certain hour, never indicates any hour but -that, so the indicator of his thought did not desert that idea; for to -various questions he answered with words which were rather connected -with it than the thing touching which he was questioned. Whenever they -wished to call him back to reality, it was needful to rouse him. In -dress he neglected himself utterly, and seemed every day to forget more -and more that buttons on a vest, for example, are there to be buttoned. -With his eternal absence of mind; with his eyes both short-sighted and -child-like, reflecting in some mechanical way external impressions; -with a face of concern, on which pimples had become still more evident -because of defective digestion; finally, with a neglect of dress, -and his wonderful trousers, which, it is unknown for what reason, -were twice as wide as the trousers of other men,--he roused mirth in -strangers, and became frequently the object of jokes more or less -malicious. It seems that he roused such feelings first of all in the -"youngest of the Aryans." In general, they considered him as a man in -whose head the staves lacked a hoop; but some showed him compassion. -The word "harmless" struck his ears frequently, but he feigned not to -hear it. He felt, however, that at Pan Stanislav's he was comfortable; -that no one laughed at him, no one showed him the compassion shown -idiots. - -Finally, neither the too greasy kitchen of the "youngest of the -Aryans," nor the catarrh of the stomach, had taken away his boundless -forbearance, and his kindness to people. He was always that dear old -professor who fell into revery, but who recovered his senses when it -was a question of others. He loved, as of old, Marynia, Pan Stanislav, -Pani Emilia, Svirski, the Bigiels, even Mashko,--in a word, all those -with whom life had brought him in contact. In general, he had a certain -strange understanding of people; namely, that all, whether willing or -unwilling, were serving some purpose, and were like pawns which the -hand of God is moving for reasons which He Himself knows. Artists, like -Svirski, he esteemed as envoys who "reconcile." - -He looked in the same way on Pan Ignas, whose poetry he had read -before. On becoming acquainted with the author, he looked at him as -curiously as at some peculiar object; but in the morning, when the poet -had gone to the city, and they began to talk about him during tea, the -old man raised his finger, and, turning to Marynia, said, with a look -of mystery,-- - -"Oh, he is God's bird! He does not know what God wrote on his head nor -to what He designed him." - -Marynia told him of Pan Ignas's approaching marriage, of his feeling -for Panna Lineta, and of her, praising her goodness and beauty. - -"Yes," said the professor, when he had heard all, "you see she too has -her mission, and she too is 'chosen.' God commanded her to watch over -that flame; and since she is chosen, she should be honored for having -been chosen. Do you see? Favor is upon her." Then he grew thoughtful -and added, "All this is precious for humanity in the future." - -Pan Stanislav looked at his wife, as if wishing to say that the -professor was dreaming disconnectedly; but the latter blinked somewhat, -and, looking before him, continued,-- - -"There is in the sky a Milky Way; and when God wishes, He takes dust -from it and makes new worlds. And you see, I think there is likewise a -spiritual Milky Way, made up of all that people have ever thought and -felt. Everything is in it,--what genius has accomplished, what talent -has wrought; in it are the efforts of men's minds, the honesty of -women's hearts, human goodness, and people's pains. Nothing perishes, -though everything turns to dust, for out of that dust, by the will of -God, new spiritual worlds are created for people." - -Then he began to blink, weighing what he had said; after that, as if -coming to himself, he looked for the buttons of his vest, and added,-- - -"But that young woman must have a soul pure as a tear, since God -pointed her out and designated her to be the guardian of that fire." - -Svirski's arrival interrupted further conversation. For Marynia it was -not a surprise, as the artist had promised her that either he would -come himself or write to inform her what turn his affair had taken. -Marynia, seeing him now through the window, was nearly certain that all -had ended auspiciously; but when he had entered the room and greeted -every one, he looked at her with such a strange face that she did -not know what to divine from it. Evidently he wished to speak of the -affair, and that immediately; but he did not like to do so before the -old professor and Pan Stanislav. So the latter, to whom Marynia had -told everything, came to his aid, and, pointing to his wife, said,-- - -"She needs a walk greatly; take her to the garden, for I know that she -and you have some words to say." - -After a while they found themselves in the alley among the white -poplars. They walked a time in silence, he swaying on his broad hips -of an athlete, and seeking for something from which to begin, she bent -somewhat forward, with her kindly face full of curiosity. Both were in -a hurry to speak, but Svirski began at another point. - -"Have you told all to your husband?" asked he, on a sudden. - -Marynia blushed as if caught in a fault, and answered,-- - -"Yes; for Stas is such a friend of yours, and I do not like to have -secrets from him." - -"Of course not," said Svirski, kissing her hand. "You did well. I am -not ashamed of that, just as I am not ashamed of this, that I got a -refusal." - -"Impossible! You are joking," said Marynia, halting. - -"I give you my word that I am not." And, seeing the pain which the news -caused her, he began to speak as if with concern. "But don't take it -more to heart than I do. That happened which had to happen. See, I have -come; I am standing before you; I have not fired into my forehead, and -have no thought of doing so; but that I got a basket[12] is undoubted." - -"But why? what did she answer you?" - -"Why? what did she answer me?" repeated Svirski. "You see, just in -that is hidden something from which there is a bitter taste in my -mouth. I confess to you sincerely that I did not love Panna Ratkovski -deeply. She pleased me; they all please me. I thought that she would -be an honest and grateful heart, and I made a declaration here; but -more through calculation, and because it was time for me. Afterward I -had even a little burning at the heart. There was even a moment when I -said to myself, 'Thy declaration in Buchynek was not precise enough: -better put it forward another corner.' I grew shamefaced. 'What the -deuce!' thought I; 'thou hast crossed the threshold with one foot; go -over with the other.' And I wrote her a letter, this time with perfect -precision; and see what she has written as an answer." - -Then he drew a letter from his coat-pocket, and said, before he began -to read it,-- - -"At first there are the usual commonplaces, which you know. She esteems -me greatly; she would be proud and happy (but she prefers not to be); -she nourishes for me sincere sympathy. (If she will nourish her husband -as she does that sympathy, he will not be fat.) But at the end she says -as follows:-- - - "'I have not the power to give you my heart with such delight as - you deserve. I have chosen otherwise; and if I never shall be - happy, I do not wish at least to reproach myself hereafter with - not having been sincere. In view of what has happened here I - cannot write more; but believe me that I shall be grateful to you - all my life for your confidence, and henceforth I shall pray daily - that God permit you to find a heart worthy of you, and to bless - you all your life.' - -"That is all." - -A moment of silence followed; then Svirski said,-- - -"So far as I am concerned, these are empty words; but they mean, I love -another." - -"That is the case, I suppose," replied Marynia, sadly. "Poor girl! for -that is an honest letter." - -"An honest letter, an honest letter!" cried Svirski. "They are all -honest, too. That is why it is a little bitter for me. She doesn't -want me. All right; that is permitted to every one. She is in love; -that, too, is permitted. But with whom is she in love? Not with -Osnovski or Pan Ignas, of course. With whom, then? With that head of a -walking-stick, that casket, that pretty man, that tailor's model,--with -that ideal of a waiting maid. You have seen such beautiful gentlemen -depicted on pieces of muslin? That is he, perfectly. If he should stand -in a barber's window, young women would burst in the glass. When he -wishes, he puts on a dress-coat; when not, he goes so, and all right! -You remember what I said of him,--that he was a male houri? And this -is bitter, and this is ill-tasting" (he spoke with growing irritation, -accenting with special emphasis the word _is_), "and this speaks badly -of women; for be thou, O man, a Newton, a Raphael, a Napoleon, and wish -thou as thy whole reward one heart, one woman's head, she will prefer -some lacquered Bibisi. That's how they are." - -"Not all women, not all. Besides, as an artist, you should know what -feeling is. Something falls on a person, and that is the end of all -reasoning." - -"True," said Svirski, calmly; "I know that not all women are so. And as -to love, you say that something falls, and there is an end. Perhaps so. -That is like a disease. But there are diseases by which the more noble -kinds of creatures are not affected. There is, for instance, a disease -of the hoofs. You will permit me to say that it is needful to have -hoofs in order to get this disease. But there has never been a case -that a dove fell in love with a hoopoo, though a hoopoo is a very nice -bird. You see that doesn't happen to the dove. Hoopoos fall in love -with hoopoos. And let them fall in love for themselves, if only they -will not pretend to be doves. That is all I care. Remember how I spoke -once against Panna Castelli at Bigiel's. And still she chose Pan Ignas -at last. For me, it is a question of those false aspirations, that -insincerity, and those phrases. If thou art a hoopoo's daughter, have -the courage to own it. Do not pretend; do not lie; do not deceive. I, -a man of experience, would have wagered my neck on this, that Panna -Ratkovski is simply incapable of falling in love with Kopovski; and -still she has. I am glad that here it is not a question of me, but of -comedy, of that conventional lying,--and not of Panna Ratkovski, but of -this, that such a type as Kopovski conquers." - -"True," said Marynia; "but we ought to find out why all this has become -entangled somehow." - -But Svirski waved his hand. "Speaking properly," said he, "it is rather -unravelled. If she had married me! surely I should have carried her at -last in my arms. I give you my word. In me immensely much tenderness -is accumulated. I should have been kind to her, and it would have been -pleasant for both of us. I am also a little sorry for it. Still, she is -not the only one on earth. You will find some honest soul who will want -me; and soon, my dear lady, for in truth at times I cannot endure as I -am. Will you not?" - -Marynia began to be amused, seeing that Svirski himself did not take -the loss of Panna Ratkovski to heart so very greatly. But, thinking -over the letter a little more calmly, she remembered one phrase, to -which she had not turned attention at first, being occupied entirely -with the refusal, and she was disquieted by the phrase. - -"Have you noticed," asked she, "that in one place, she says, 'After -what has happened here I cannot write more'? Can you think what that -may be?" - -"Perhaps Kopovski has made a declaration." - -"No; in such a case she would have written more explicitly. If she has -become attached to him, she is a poor girl indeed, for likely she has -no property, and neither is Pan Kopovski rich, they say; therefore he -would hardly decide?" - -"True," said Svirski; "you know that that came to my mind, too. She is -in love with him,--that is undoubted; but he will not marry her." Then -he stopped, and said, "In such a case, why is he staying there?" - -"They amuse themselves with him, and he amuses himself," answered -Marynia, hurriedly, while turning away her face somewhat, so that -Svirski might not notice her confusion. - -And she answered untruly. Since Pan Stanislav had shared his views with -her touching Kopovski's relations with Pani Osnovski, she had thought -of them frequently; the stay of the young man in Prytulov seemed to -her suspicious more than once, and explaining it by the presence of -Panna Ratkovski dishonest. This dishonesty was increased, if Panna -Ratkovski had fallen in love really with Kopovski. But all those -intrigues might come to the surface any moment; and Marynia thought -with alarm then whether the words of Panna Ratkovski--"after what has -happened here"--had not that meaning precisely. In such a case it -would be a real catastrophe for that honest Pan Osnovski and for Panna -Steftsia. - -Really everything might be involved in a tragic manner. - -"I will go to-morrow to Prytulov," said Svirski; "I wish to visit the -Osnovskis, just to show that I cherish no ill-feelings. If anything has -happened there really, or if any one has fallen ill, I shall discover -it and let you know. Pan Ignas is not there at this moment." - -"No. Pan Ignas is in the city. To-morrow, or after to-morrow surely, he -will come here, or go to Yasmen. Stas, too, is preparing for the city -to-day. Sister Aniela is ill, and we wish to bring her here. Since I -cannot go, Stas is going." - -"Sister Aniela? That one whom your husband calls Pani Emilia,--a Fra -Angelico face, a perfectly sainted face, a beautiful face! I saw her -perhaps twice at your house. Oh, if she were not a religious!" - -"She is sick, the poor thing. She can barely walk. She has disease of -the spine, from overwork." - -"Oh, that is bad," said Svirski. "You will have the professor, and that -poor woman? But what kind people you are!" - -"That is Stas," replied Marynia. - -At that moment Pan Stanislav appeared at the end of the walk, and -approached them with a hurried step. - -"I hear that you are going to the city to-day," said Svirski; "let us -go together." - -"Agreed!" - -And, turning to his wife, he said,-- - -"Marynia, hast thou not walked enough? Wilt thou lean on me?" - -Marynia took his arm, and they walked to the veranda together; after -that she went in to give command to bring the afternoon tea. - -"I have received a wonderful despatch," said Pan Stanislav; "I did not -wish to show it before my wife. Osnovski asks me where Ignas is, and -asks that I go to the city on his affair. What can that be?" - -"It is a wonderful thing," answered Svirski. "Panna Ratkovski writes me -that something has happened there." - -"Has any one fallen ill?" - -"They would have sent for Pan Ignas directly. If it were Panna Castelli -or Pani Bronich, they would summon him at once." - -"But if Osnovski didn't wish to frighten him, he would telegraph to me." - -And both looked each other in the eyes with alarm. - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [12] Was rejected. - - - - -CHAPTER LVII. - - -Next day, half an hour after Pan Stanislav's arrival, Osnovski rang -at his house. At the sound of the bell, Pan Stanislav, who had been -in great alarm since the day before, went himself to the door. He had -admitted for some time that a bomb might burst in Prytulov any day; but -he struggled in vain with his thoughts, to discover what connection the -explosion might have with Pan Ignas. - -Osnovski pressed his hand at greeting with special force, as is done in -exceptional circumstances; and when Pan Stanislav invited him to his -study, he asked on the way,-- - -"Are you living in Buchynek?" - -"I am; we are perfectly alone." - -In the study, Osnovski, when he had sat in the armchair pointed out -to him, bent his head and was silent for a while, breathing hurriedly -meantime; for in consequence of excessive exercise he was affected -somewhat with distention of the lungs. At present emotion, and the -steps, obstructed his breath still more. Pan Stanislav waited patiently -for some time; at last his inborn curiosity conquered, and he asked,-- - -"What has happened?" - -"A misfortune has happened," said Osnovski, in deep sorrow. "Ignas's -marriage is broken off." - -"Why?" - -"Those are things so disagreeable that it would be better for Ignas -perhaps not to know the reasons. For a time, I even hesitated to -mention them. But he ought to know all; for this is a question of more -importance than his self-love. Indignation and disgust may help him to -bear the misfortune. The marriage is broken, for Panna Castelli is not -worthy of such a man as Pan Ignas; and if to-day there could be a talk -of renewing the relation, I would be the first to veto it decisively." - -Here Osnovski began to catch breath again; but Pan Stanislav, who had -been listening as if fixed to the floor, burst out suddenly,-- - -"By the dear God, what has happened?" - -"This has happened, that those ladies went abroad three days ago, with -Kopovski as the betrothed of Panna Castelli." - -Pan Stanislav, who a moment before had sprung up from the chair, sat -down again. On his face, with all its emotion and alarm, was reflected -unspeakable astonishment. He looked for some time at Osnovski, and -then, as if unable to collect his thoughts, said,-- - -"Kopovski?--and has Panna Castelli gone too?" - -But Osnovski was too much occupied with the affair itself to turn -attention to the particular form of Pan Stanislav's inquiry. - -"It is unfortunate," said he; "you know that I am related to those -ladies: my mother was a sister of Pani Bronich, and also of Lineta's -mother; and for a time we were reared together. You will understand -that I would rather spare them. But let that go. Our relations are -broken; and, besides, if Lineta were my own sister, I would say what -I say now. As to Pan Ignas, since my wife and I are going, and that -to-day I may not find him, I will even say openly that I lack courage -to talk with him; but I will tell you what I saw. You, as his near -friend, may be able to soften the blow; he should know everything, for -in a misfortune of this kind, there is no better cure than disgust." - -Here he began to tell Pan Stanislav what he had seen in the -conservatory. Excited himself, he lost breath at moments, but was -unable to resist a certain astonishment at sight of the feverishness -with which Pan Stanislav listened. He had hoped for cool blood in the -man; he could not, of course, divine that Pan Stanislav had personal -reasons, in virtue of which a narrative of that sort acted more -powerfully on his nerves than would news even of the death of Pan Ignas -or Panna Castelli. - -"At the first moment I lost my head," continued Osnovski; "I am not -hasty, but how I avoided breaking his bones, I know not. Perhaps I -remembered that he was my guest; perhaps, since it is a question here -of something more important than he, I thought of Ignas; perhaps I -thought of nothing. I lost my head, and went out. After a time I -returned, and told him to follow me. I saw that he was pale, but -decided. In my own room I told him that he had acted unworthily; that -he had abused the hospitality of an honorable house; and that Lineta -was a wretch, for whom I had not sufficient words of contempt; that, -by this same act, her marriage with Pan Ignas was broken,--but that I -would force him to marry her, though I had to go to extremities. Here -it turned out that they must have taken counsel during the interval in -which I left them alone; for he told me that he had been in love with -Lineta a long time, and that he was ready to marry her at any moment. -As to Pan Ignas, I felt that Kopovski was repeating words which Lineta -had dictated, for he told me that which he could not have come at -himself. He said that he was ready to give every satisfaction, but that -he was not bound to count with Pan Ignas, for he had no obligations -touching him: 'Panna Lineta has chosen me finally; that,' said he, -'is all the worse for him, but it is her affair.' What was going on -meanwhile between aunt and Lineta, I cannot tell; it is enough that -before I had finished with Kopovski, Aunt Bronich rushed in like a -fury, with reproaches, saying that I and my wife had not permitted -Lineta to follow the natural impulse of her heart; that we had thrust -her on Pan Ignas, whom she had never loved; that Lineta had cried whole -nights, and that she would have paid for that marriage with her life; -that what happened now was by the express will of God,--and so for a -whole hour. We are to blame; Pan Ignas is to blame,--they alone are -faultless." - -Here Osnovski rubbed his forehead with his hand, and said,-- - -"I am thirty-six years of age; but before this affair I could not even -imagine what woman's perversity may be. I cannot understand yet such -an inconceivable power of perverting things, of placing them bottom -upward. I understand what the situation was; I understand that they -thought everything finished with Pan Ignas, even for this alone, that -I hindered, and that there was no one left for them save Kopovski. But -the ease with which white was made black, and black white; that lack of -moral sense, that absence of truth and justice,--that egotism without -bound or bottom. The deuce might take them were it not for Ignas. He -would have been most unhappy with them; but what a blow for a man of -such nature, and so much in love; what a deception! But Lineta! Who -could have supposed? Kopovski, such a fool, such a fool! And that young -woman thought to be so full of impulses; she who a few weeks before -exchanged rings, and gave her word! And she the betrothed of Pan Ignas! -As God lives, a man might lose his senses." - -"A man might lose his senses," repeated Pan Stanislav, as an echo. - -A moment of silence followed. - -"But is it long since this happened?" asked Pan Stanislav, at last. - -"Three days ago they went to Scheveningen together. They started that -very day; Kopovski had a passport. See how a supreme ass may still have -some cunning. He had a passport ready, for he pretended to pay court to -Panna Ratkovski, my cousin, and to be ready to go abroad with us; he -pretended to be courting this one, so as to have the chance of turning -the other one's head. Ai, poor Pan Ignas, poor man! I give you my word, -that if he had been my brother, I should not have had more sympathy for -him. Better, better, that he had not bound himself to such a Lineta; -but what a crash!" - -Here Osnovski took out a handkerchief and rubbed his glasses, blinking -meanwhile with a suffering and helpless expression of face. - -"Why did you not inform us earlier?" inquired Pan Stanislav. - -"Why did I not inform you earlier? Because my wife fell ill. Nervous -attacks--God knows what! You will not believe how she took it to -heart. And no wonder! Such a woman as she is--and in our house! With -her sensitiveness, that was a blow, for it was a deception on the -part of Lineta, whom she loved so much; and her sorrow for Ignas, and -that contact with evil, and her disgust! On such a pure and sensitive -nature as hers is, that was more than was needed. At the first moments -I thought that she would be dangerously ill, and even now I say, God -grant that it have no fatal effect on her nerves! We simply cannot give -an account to ourselves of what takes place in a soul like hers at the -very sight of evil." - -Pan Stanislav looked carefully at Osnovski, bit his mustache, and was -silent. - -"I sent for the doctor," continued Osnovski, after a while, "and lost -my head a second time. Happily, Stefania Ratkovski was there, and that -worthy Pani Mashko. Both occupied themselves with Anetka so earnestly -that I shall be grateful to them for a lifetime. Pani Mashko seems -cold, but she is such a cordial person--" - -"I judge simply," said Pan Stanislav, wishing to turn the conversation -from Pani Mashko, "that if old Zavilovski had left his property to -Ignas, all this would not have happened." - -"Perhaps not; but for me again it is not subject to doubt that if -Lineta had married Ignas, and even if he owned all Pan Zavilovski's -property, her instinct would attract her toward as many Kopovskis as -she might chance to meet in her lifetime; she is that kind of soul. But -I understand some points; I have said that it is possible to lose one's -mind at the thought that things are as they are, but I give a partial -account to myself of what has happened. Hers is too common a nature -to love really such a man as Pan Ignas; she needs Kopovskis. But they -talked into her various lofty impulses, and finally she talked into -herself that which did not exist. They seized on Ignas through vanity, -through self-love, because of public opinion, and because they had no -true knowledge of themselves; but what is insincere cannot last. From -the moment when their vanity was satisfied, Ignas ceased to interest -those ladies. Then they were afraid that with him, perhaps, they would -not have such a life as alone is of worth to them; perhaps he, with -his too lofty style, began to weary them. Add to this the story of the -will, which, without being certainly the main cause of the catastrophe, -diminished Pan Ignas in their eyes; add, before all, the instincts of -Lineta's nature; add Kopovski, and you have an answer to all. There are -women like Pani Polanyetski or my Anetka; there are women, also, like -Lineta and her aunt." - -Here Osnovski was silent again for a time; then he said,-- - -"I see the regret and indignation of your wife, and I am sorry that you -have not seen how this affected mine--or even Pani Mashko. Yes, there -are women and women; but I tell you that we ought to thank God every -day on our knees for having given us such wives as we have." And his -voice trembled with emotion. - -Pan Stanislav, though for him it was a question mainly of Pan Ignas, -was simply astounded that a man who, some minutes before, understood -things so profoundly and well, could be so naďve. A bitter smile came -on him, too, at mention of Pani Mashko's indignation. In general, he -was seized by a feeling of a certain crushing irony of life, the whole -immensity of which he had never seen before so distinctly. - -"Will you not see Ignas?" asked he, after a while. - -"I tell you plainly that I do not feel sufficient courage; to-day I -return to Prytulov, and to-day we will go from our station. I must take -my wife abroad,--first, because she herself begged me tearfully to do -so, and second, perhaps her health will be restored by change of air. -We will go somewhere to the seaside, only not to Scheveningen, where -they went with Kopovski. But I have a great request to make of you. You -know how I love and value Ignas? Let me know by letter how the poor man -receives the news, and what happens to him. I would ask the favor of -Svirski, but I may not see him." - -Then Osnovski covered his face and said,-- - -"Ai! how sad all this is, how sad!" - -"Very well," said Pan Stanislav; "send me your address, and I will -report to you how matters turn. But since the grievous mission falls -to me of telling Ignas what has happened, lighten it for me. It is -necessary that he receive information not from a third person, or a -fourth, but from some one who saw everything. If he hears of the event -from me, he may think that I represent the affair inaccurately. In -such cases a man grasps at every shadow of a hope. Sit down and write -to him. I will give him your letter in support of what I tell him; -otherwise he may be ready to fly after them to Scheveningen. I consider -such a letter indispensable." - -"Will he not come here soon?" - -"No; his father is sick, and he is with him. He thinks that I shall be -here only in the afternoon. Write to him surely." - -"You are right, perfectly right," said Osnovski. And he sat down at the -writing-desk. - -"Irony of life, irony of life!" thought Pan Stanislav; "bloody irony is -this which has met Pan Ignas. What is such a person as Panna Castelli, -with her bearing of a swan, and her instincts of a chambermaid,--that -'chosen of God,' as Vaskovski said only yesterday? What is Pani -Bronich, and Osnovski, with faith in his wife, and the nervous attacks -of that wife, caused by the mere contact with evil, of _such a pure_ -soul, and the indignation of Pani Mashko? Nothing but a ridiculous -human comedy, in which some are deceiving others, and others deceiving -themselves; nothing but deceived and deceivers; nothing but mistakes, -blindness, and errors, and lies of life, and victims of error, victims -of deceit, victims of illusions; a complication without issue; a -ridiculous, farcical, and desperate irony, covering the feelings, -the passions, and hopes of people, just as snow covers fields in -winter--and that is life." - -These thoughts were for Pan Stanislav more grievous because, rising -on a basis purely personal, they became at once a kind of reckoning -with his conscience. He was enough of an egoist to refer everything -to himself; and he was not fool enough not to see that in that most -ironical human comedy he was playing a rôle immensely abject. His -position was of that sort that he wished with all the power of his -breath to hiss that Panna Castelli; and still he understood that if -there was any one who was not free to judge her, it was he. In what was -he better? In what was he less vile? She had betrayed a man for a fool; -he had betrayed his wife for a brainless puppet. She had followed her -instincts of a milliner; he had followed his instincts of an ape. But -she had trampled on artificial phrases merely, with which she deceived -herself and others; he had trampled on principles. She had betrayed -confidence, and broken her word; he had betrayed confidence also, and -broken more than a word,--he had broken an oath. And in view of this -what can he say? Has he the right to condemn her? If there is no way -to justify her, if he is ready to acknowledge that it would be unjust -and deserving of indignation for a person like her to become the wife -of Pan Ignas, with what right is he the husband of Marynia? If he can -find even one word of condemnation for Panna Castelli,--and it is -impossible not to find it,--and he wishes to be consistent, he should -separate from Marynia, which he will never have either the will or -the power to do. There is a vicious circle for you. Pan Stanislav had -passed many bitter moments because of his _success_; but this moment -was so grievous that it even filled him with amazement. By degrees -it became simply a torture. At last, through the simple instinct of -self-preservation, he began to seek for something to give him even -momentary relief. But in vain did he say to himself that such people -as Kopovski would not have taken his position to heart so. That was -the same consolation to him as if he had thought that a cat or a horse -would not have taken it to heart so either. In vain he remembered the -words of Balzac: "Infidelity, when undiscovered, is nothing; when -discovered, it is a trifle." "That's a lie," repeated he, gritting -his teeth, "a pleasant _nothing_, which burns so!" He understood, it -is true, that behind the fact itself there may be something which -heightens or lessens its criminality; and he understood also that in -his case all the circumstances are of a kind to make the fault immense -and unpardonable. "Here," thought he, "it takes from me the right -of judging, the right of serving with may conscience. Those women -sacrificed a man of the loftier kind for an idiot; they trampled him; -they pushed him into misfortune, into tragedy, which may break him; -they did this in a mean and abject manner, and I cannot, even in my -soul, brand such a woman as Panna Castelli." And never before had the -truth become to him so nearly tangible that as a man for certain crimes -is deprived of a share in public life, so he now had become deprived -of a share in moral life. He had had remorse enough already, but now -he saw still new desolations, which he had not noted at first. The -more he thought over the tragedy of Pan Ignas, and took in its extent -with growing clearness, the more he was seized by a dull alarm, and a -kind of prescience that in virtue of a higher and mysterious logic, -something terrible must happen in his fate as well. For the man who -bears in his system the germs of mortal disease, death is a question of -time simply. - -At last, however, he found this relief, that his thoughts turned -exclusively to the present, and to Pan Ignas. How will Pan Ignas -receive the news? How will he hear it? In view of the man's exaltation, -in view of his deep, blind faith in Lineta, and the love which he feels -for her, these questions were simply terrible. "Everything in him -will be broken; all will slide away from under his feet in a moment," -thought Pan Stanislav. It seemed to him that there was something -repulsive and monstrous in this, that even those relations of life -which do not bear in them germs of tragedy, and which ought to end -well, end badly without any reason; and that life is, as it were, a -forest in which misfortunes hunt a man more venomously than dogs hunt a -wild beast, for they hunt in silence. Pan Stanislav felt suddenly that -besides faith in himself, which he had lost already, there might fail -in him various other things too, which are more important, because they -are more fundamental. - -In this moment, however, he thought more of Pan Ignas than of anything -else. He had a good heart, and Pan Ignas was near him; hence he was -touched sincerely by his misfortune. "But that man is simply writing -his sentence," thought he, as he heard the squeak of Osnovski's pen in -the next room. "Poor fellow! And this is so undeserved." - -Osnovski finished the letter at last, and, opening the door, said,-- - -"I have written guardedly, but written the whole truth. May God give -him strength now! Could I think that I should have to send him such -news!" - -But under the sincere sorrow was evident, as it were, a certain -satisfaction with his own work. Clearly he judged that he had succeeded -in writing better than he had expected. - -"And now I repeat once again an earnest prayer: send me even a couple -of words about Ignas. Oh, if this were not so irreparable!" said he, -extending his hand to Pan Stanislav. "Till we meet again! till we meet -again! I will write to Ignas, too, but now I must go, for my wife is -waiting. God grant us to see each other in happier times! Till we meet! -A most cordial greeting to the lady," and he went out. - -"What is to be done?" thought Pan Stanislav. "Limit myself to sending -the letter to Pan Ignas in his lodgings, or look for him, or wait for -him here? It would be well not to leave him alone at such a time; but I -must return in the evening to Marynia, so that he will be alone in any -case. Besides, who can hinder him from hiding? In his place, I should -hide too,--I must go to Pani Emilia's." - -He felt so tired from that sudden tragedy, from thoughts about himself, -and thoughts about the difficult rôle which he had to play with Pan -Ignas, that he remembered with some satisfaction that he must go to -Pani Emilia's and take her to Buchynek. For a moment he was tempted to -defer the interview with Pan Ignas, and the delivery of the letter, -till the following day; but it occurred to him that if Pan Ignas did -not find him at home, he might go to Buchynek. - -"Better let him know everything here," thought he; "in view of -Marynia's condition, I must keep everything perfectly secret from -her,--both what has happened, and what may happen hereafter. I must -warn every one to be silent. Pan Ignas would do better to go abroad; -I could tell Marynia that he is in Scheveningen, and later, that they -disagreed and separated there." - -Now again he began to walk with long strides through the room, and -repeat,-- - -"The irony of life! the irony of life!" - -Then bitterness and reproaches flamed in on his soul with a new -current. He was seized by a wonderful feeling, as it were, of some kind -of responsibility for what had happened. "Deuce take it!" repeated -he; "but I am not to blame at least in this matter." After a while, -however, it cane to his head that if he were not to blame personally, -he, in every case, was a stick from the same forest as Panna Castelli, -and that such as he had infected that social-moral atmosphere in which -such flowers might spring up and blossom. At this thought he was -carried away by savage anger. - -The bell in the entrance was heard now. Pan Stanislav was a man of -courage, but at the sound of that bell he felt his heart beat in alarm. -He had forgotten his promise to lunch with Svirski, and at the first -moment he was sure that Pan Ignas was coming. He recovered only when -he heard the voice of the artist, but he was so wearied that Svirski's -coming was disagreeable. - -"Now he will let out his tongue; he will talk," thought he, with -displeasure. - -But he decided to tell Svirski all, for the affair could not be kept -secret in any case. The point for him was that Svirski, if he visited -Buchynek, should know how to bear himself before Marynia. He was -mistaken in supposing that Svirski would annoy him with theories about -ungrateful hearts. The artist took the matter, not from the side of -general conclusions, but that of Pan Ignas. To conclusions he was to -come later; at present, while listening to the narrative, he only -repeated, "A misfortune! May God protect!" But at times, too: "May the -thunderbolts crush!" when his fists of a Hercules were balled in anger. - -Pan Stanislav was carried away somewhat, and attacked Panna Castelli -without mercy, forgetting that he was uttering thereby a sentence on -himself. But, in general, the conversation gave him relief. He regained -at last his usual power of management; he concluded that in no case -could he leave Pan Ignas at such a moment, so he begged Svirski to take -his place, conduct Pani Emilia to Buchynek, and excuse to Marynia his -absence with counting-house duties. Svirski, who had no reason now to -visit Prytulov, agreed very willingly, and since the carriage engaged -by Pan Stanislav had arrived, both drove to Pani Emilia's. - -Labor beyond her strength--labor which, as a Sister of Charity, she had -to fulfil--brought on a disease of the spine. They found her emaciated -and changed, with a transparent face and eyelids half closed. She -walked yet, but by leaning on two sticks and not having full use of her -lower limbs. As labor had brought her near life, so sickness had begun -to remove her from it. She was living in the circle of her own thoughts -and reminiscences, looking at the affairs of people somewhat as though -a dream, somewhat as from the other shore. She suffered very little, -which the doctors considered a bad sign; but, as a Sister of Charity, -she had learned something of various diseases, and knew that there was -no help for her, or, at least, that help was not in human power, and -she was calm. To Pan Stanislav's inquiries she answered, raising her -eyelids with effort,-- - -"I walk poorly; but it is well for me that way." - -And it was well for her. One moral scruple alone gave her trouble. In -her soul she believed most profoundly that were she to visit Lourdes -she would regain her health surely. She did not wish to go because of -the remoteness of Lourdes from Litka's grave, and because of her own -wish for death. But she did not know whether she had a right to neglect -anything to preserve the life given her, and especially whether she had -a right to put a hindrance in the way of grace and miracles, and she -was disturbed. - -At present, however, the thought of seeing Marynia smiled on her, and -she was ready for the road; Svirski was to take her at five. The two -men went now to the lunch agreed on, for Svirski, in spite of his -amazement at the affair of Pan Ignas, felt as hungry as a wolf. After -they had sat down at table, they remained a while in silence. - -"I wanted to make one other request of you," said Pan Stanislav at -last, "to inform Panna Helena of everything that has happened, and also -to tell her not to mention the matter to my wife." - -"I will do so," said Svirski. "I will go this very day to Yasmen, as -if to walk, and try to see her. Should she not receive me, I will send -her a note, stating that it is a question of Pan Ignas. If she wishes -to come to Warsaw, I will bring her, for I shall return to-day in every -case. Did Osnovski say whether Panna Ratkovski had gone with them," -inquired the artist, after a pause, "or will she stay in Prytulov?" - -"He said nothing. Usually Panna Ratkovski lives with her old relative, -Pani Melnitski. If she goes, it will be as company for Pani Osnovski, -whose angelic nature got a palpitation of the heart at sight of what -has happened." - -"Ah!" said Svirski. - -"Yes. There is no other cause for it. Panna Ratkovski was stopping with -the Osnovskis, so that Kopovski might seem to court her; but since he -was courting another, there is no further reason for her stay there." - -"As God lives, this is something fabulous!" said Svirski; "so that all, -with the exception of Pani Osnovski, fell in love with that hoopoo." - -Pan Stanislav smiled ironically and nodded his head; on his lips were -sticking the words, "without exception, without exception!" - -But now Svirski began his conclusions about women, from which he had -refrained so far. - -"Do you see; do you see? I know German and French and especially -Italian women. The Italians in general have fewer impulses, and less -education, but they are honester and simpler. May I not finish this -macaroni, if I have seen anywhere so many false aspirations and such -discord between natures which are vulgar and phrases which are lofty! -If you knew what Panna Ratkovski told me of Kopovski! Or take that -'Poplar,' that 'Column,' that 'Nitechka,' that Panna Castelli, that -Lily, is it not? You would swear that she was a mimosa, an artist, a -sibyl, a golden-haired tall ideal. And here she is for you! She has -shown herself! She has chosen, not a living person, but a lay-figure; -not a man, but a puppet. When it came to the test, the sibyl turned -into a waiting-maid. But I tell you that they are all palpitating for -fashionable lay-figures. May thunderbolts singe them!" - -Here Svirski extended his giant fist, and wanted to strike the table -with it; but Pan Stanislav stopped the hand in mid-air, and said,-- - -"But you will admit that something exceptional has happened." - -Svirski began to dispute, and to maintain that "they are all that -way," and that all prefer the measure of a tailor to that of Phidias. -Gradually, however, he began to regain his balance, and acknowledge -that Panna Ratkovski might be an exception. - -"Do you remember when you inquired touching the Broniches, I said the -ladies are _canaille, canaille_! neither principles nor character, -parvenu souls, nothing more? He was a fool, and you know her. God -guarded me; for if they had known then that I have some stupid old -genealogical papers, wouldn't they have made sweet faces at me, and I -might have fixed myself nicely! May the woods cover me! I will go, as -you see me, with Pan Ignas abroad, for I have enough of this." - -They paid, and went out on to the street. - -"What will you do now?" inquired Svirski. - -"I shall go to look for Pan Ignas." - -"Where will you find him?" - -"I think among the insane, with his father; if not, I will wait for him -at my own house." - -But Pan Ignas was approaching the restaurant just at that moment. -Svirski was the first to see him at a distance. - -"Ah, there he goes!" - -"Where?" - -"On the other side of the street. I should know him a verst away by his -jaw. Will you tell him everything? If so, I will go. You have no need -of spectators." - -"Very well." - -Pan Ignas, on seeing them, hurried his steps and stood before them, -dressed elegantly, almost to a fit, and with a glad face. - -"My father is better," said he, with a voice panting a little; "I have -time and will drop in at Prytulov to-day." - -But Svirski, pressing his hand firmly, went off in silence. The young -man looked after him with surprise. - -"Was Pan Svirski offended at anything?" asked he, looking at Pan -Stanislav; and he noticed then that his face too had a serious, almost -stern, expression. - -"What does this mean?" asked he, "or what has happened?" - -Pan Stanislav took him by the hand, and said, with a voice full of -emotion and cordiality,-- - -"My dear Pan Ignas, I have esteemed you always, not only for -exceptional gifts, but for exceptional character; I have to announce -very bad news to you, but I am sure that you will find in yourself -strength enough, and will not give way to the misfortune." - -"What has happened?" asked Pan Ignas, whose face changed in one moment. - -Pan Stanislav beckoned to a droshky, and said,-- - -"Take a seat. To the bridge!" cried he, turning to the driver. Then, -taking out Osnovski's letter, he gave it to Pan Ignas. - -The young man tore open the envelope hurriedly, and began to read. - -Pan Stanislav put his arm with great tenderness around his friend's -body, not taking his eyes from his face, on which as the man read were -reflected amazement, incredulity, stupefaction, and, above all, terror -without limit. His cheeks became as white as linen; but it was evident -that, feeling the misfortune, he did not grasp its extent yet, and did -not understand it thoroughly, for he looked at Pan Stanislav as if -without sense, and inquired with a low voice, full of fear,-- - -"How--how could she?" - -Then, removing his hat, he passed his hand through his hair. - -"I do not know what Osnovski has written," said Pan Stanislav, "but -it is true. There is no reason to diminish the affair. Have courage; -say to yourself that this has happened, and happened beyond recall. -You were lost on her, for you are worth more than all that. There are -people who know your worth, and who love you. I am aware that this is a -mighty misfortune; your own brother would not be pained on your behalf -more than I am. But it has happened! My dear Pan Ignas, they have gone, -God knows whither. The Osnovskis too. There is no one in Prytulov. I -understand what must take place in you; but you have a better future by -yourself than with Panna Castelli. God destined you to higher purposes, -and surely gave greater power to you than to others. You are the salt -of the earth. You have exceptional duties to yourself and the world. I -know that it is difficult to wave your hand at once on that which has -been loved, and I do not ask you to do so; but you are not permitted to -yield to despair like the first comer. My dear, poor Pan Ignas!" - -Pan Stanislav spoke long, and spoke with power, for he was moved. In -the further course of his speech he said things which were not only -heartfelt, but wise: that misfortune has this in itself, that it -stands still; while a man, whether he wishes or wishes not, must move -on into the future; therefore he goes away from it ever farther and -farther. A man drags, it is true, a thread of pain and remembrance -behind him; but the thread grows ever more slender, for the force of -things is such that he lives in the morrow. All this was true, but -it was something by itself; far nearer, more real, more tangible was -that which Osnovski's letter mentioned. Beyond the fact described in -that letter there existed only empty sounds, striking on his ears -externally, but without meaning, and for Pan Ignas as devoid of sense -as the rattle of the iron lattice-work on the bridge, past which he -was driving with Pan Stanislav. Pan Ignas could feel and think only in -an immensely dull way; he had, however, the feeling first that what -had happened was simply impossible, but still it had happened; second, -that in no measure could he be reconciled to it, and never would he be -reconciled,--a fact, however, which had not the least significance. -There was no place in his head for another idea. He was not conscious -of having lost anything except Lineta. He was not conscious of pain or -sorrow or ruin or desolation, or the loss of every basis of life; he -knew only that Lineta had gone, that she had not loved him, that she -had left him, that she had gone with Kopovski, that the marriage was -broken, that he was alone, that all this had happened, and that he did -not want it,--as a thing incredible, impossible, and dreadful. Still, -it had happened. - -The droshky moved slowly beyond the bridge, for they were passing -through a herd of oxen driven toward the city; and in the midst of the -heavy tramping of these beasts, Pan Stanislav continued. Pan Ignas's -ears were struck by the words, "Svirski, abroad, Italy, art;" but -he did not understand that Svirski meant an acquaintance, abroad a -journey, Italy a country. Now, he was talking to Lineta: "That is all -well," said he; "but what will become of me? How couldst thou forget -that I love thee so immensely?" And for a time it seemed to him that -if he could see her, if he could tell her that one must think of the -suffering of people, she would fall to weeping and throw herself on his -neck. "And so many things unite us," said he to her; "besides, I am -the same, thine." And suddenly his jaw protruded; it began to tremble; -the veins swelled in his forehead, and his eyes were filled with a -mist of tears. Pan Stanislav, who had an uncommonly kind hearty and -who thought, besides, that he might touch his feelings, put his arm -around his neck suddenly, and, being affected himself, began to kiss -him on the cheek. But Pan Ignas's emotion did not continue; he returned -to the feeling of reality. "I will not tell her that," thought he, -"for I shall not see her, since she has gone with her betrothed,--with -Kopovski." And at that thought his face became rigid again. He began -then to take in effectively the whole extent of the misfortune. The -thought struck him for the first time that if Lineta had died, his loss -would have been less. The gulf caused by death leaves to believers the -hope of a common life on the other shore; to unbelievers, a common -nothingness; hence, to some the hope of a union, to others a common -fate. Death is powerless against love which passes beyond the grave; -death may wrest a dear soul from us, but cannot prevent us from loving -it, and cannot degrade it. On the contrary, death makes that soul -sacred; makes it not only beloved, but holy. Lineta, in taking from -Pan Ignas herself,--that is, his most precious soul,--took from him at -once the right of loving and grieving and yearning and honoring; by -going herself, she left a memory behind her which was ruined in full -measure. Now Pan Ignas felt clearly that if he should not be able to -cease loving her; he would thereby become abject; and he felt that he -would not be able to cease loving. Only in that moment did he see the -whole greatness of his wreck, ruin, and suffering. In that moment he -understood that it was more than he could bear. - -"Go with Svirski to Italy," said Pan Stanislav. "Suffer out the pain, -my dear friend; endure till it is over. You cannot do otherwise. The -world is wide! There is so much to see, so much to love. Everything -is open before thee; and before no one as before thee. Much is due -to the world from thee; but much also to thee from the world. Go, my -dear. Life is around thee; life is everywhere. New impressions will -come; thou wilt not resist them; they will occupy thy thought, soften -thy pain. Thou wilt not be circling around one existence. Svirski will -show thee Italy. Thou wilt see what a comrade he is, and what horizons -he will open. Besides, I tell thee that a man such as thou art, should -have that power which the pearl oyster has, of turning everything into -pearl simply. Listen to what thy true friend says. Go, and go at once. -Promise me that thou wilt go. God grant my wife to pass her illness -safely; then we may journey there also in spring. Thou wilt see how -beautiful it will be for us. Well, Ignas, promise me. Dost thou say -yes?" - -"Yes." answered Pan Ignas, hearing the last word, but not knowing in -general what the question was. - -"Well, now, praise God," replied Pan Stanislav. "Let us return to the -city, and spend the evening together. I have something to do in the -counting-house, and I have left home for two days." - -Then he gave command to turn back, for the sun was toward setting. It -was a beautiful day, of those which come at the end of summer. Over the -city a golden, delicate dust was borne; the roofs, and especially the -church towers, gleamed at the edges, as it were with the reflection of -amber, and, outlined clearly in the transparent air, seemed to delight -in it. The two men rode for some time in silence. - -"Wilt thou go to my house, or to thy own lodgings?" asked Pan -Stanislav, when they entered the city. - -The city movement seemed to calm Pan Ignas, for he looked at Pan -Stanislav with perfect presence of mind, and said,-- - -"I have not been at home since yesterday, for I spent the night with my -father. Perhaps there are letters for me; let us drive to my lodgings." - -And he foresaw correctly, for at his lodgings a letter from Pani -Bronich in Berlin was awaiting him. He tore open the envelope -feverishly, and began to read; Pan Stanislav, looking at his changing -face, thought,-- - -"It is evident that some hope is hidden yet in him." - -Here he remembered all at once that young doctor, who in his time said -of Panna Kraslavski, "I know what she is, but I cannot tear my soul -from her." - -Pan Ignas finished reading, and, resting his head on his hand, looked -without thought on the table and the papers lying on it. At last he -recovered, and gave the letter to Pan Stanislav. - -"Read," said he. - -Pan Stanislav took the letter and read as follows:-- - - "I know that you believed really in your feeling for Nitechka, - and that at the first moment what has happened will seem to you - a misfortune; believe me, too, that to me and to her it was not - easy to resolve on the decisive step. Perhaps you will not be - able to estimate Nitechka well,--there are so many things which - men cannot estimate; but you ought to know her at least enough - to know how much it costs her when she is forced to cause the - slightest pain, even to a stranger. But what can we do! such is - the will of God, which it would be a sin not to obey. We both act - as our consciences dictate; and Nitechka is too just to give her - hand to you without a real attachment. What has taken place, has - taken place not only in conformity with the will of God, but in - conformity with your good and hers; for if, without loving you - sufficiently, she had become your wife, how would she be able to - resist the temptations to which such a being would with certainty - be exposed in view of the corruption of society? Besides, you have - your talent; therefore you have something. Nitechka has only her - heart, which violence would break in one moment; and if it seems - to you that she has disappointed you, think conscientiously whose - fault is the greater? You have done much harm to Nitechka, for - you fettered her will, and you did not let her follow the natural - impulse of her heart; and by thus doing you sacrificed, or were - ready to sacrifice, through your selfishness, her happiness, and - even her life, for I am convinced that under such conditions - she would not have survived a single year. Nevertheless may God - forgive you as we forgive; and be it known to you that this - very day we prayed for you at a Mass ordered purposely for your - intention, in the church of Saint Yadviga. - - "You will be pleased to send the ring to Pan Osnovski's villa; - your ring, since the Osnovskis had to go abroad too, will reach - you through the hands of Panna Ratkovski. Once more, may God - forgive you everything, and keep you in His protection!" - -"This is something unparalleled!" said Pan Stanislav. - -"It is evident that truth may be treated as love is," said Pan Ignas, -with a heart-rending sorrow; "but I had not supposed that." - -"Listen to me, Ignas," said Pan Stanislav, who under the impulse of -sympathy had begun to say _thou_ to Zavilovski; "this is not merely a -question of thy happiness, but of thy dignity. Suffer as much as may -please thee; but it is thy duty to find strength to show that thou art -indifferent to all this." - -A long silence followed. But Pan Stanislav, remembering the letter, -repeated from time to time,-- - -"This passes human understanding." Finally he turned to Pan Ignas,-- - -"Svirski is returning to-day from Buchynek, and late in the evening -he will come to my house. Come thou too. We will pass the evening -together, and he and thou will talk of the journey." - -"No," said Pan Ignas; "on my return from Prytulov, I was to spend the -night with my father, so I must go to him. To-morrow morning I will be -with you and see Svirski." - -But he merely said that, for he wanted to be alone. Pan Stanislav did -not oppose his intention of spending the night at the institution, -for he judged that occupation near the sick man, and care for him, -would occupy his mind, then weariness and need of sleep would come. He -determined, however, to drive with him to the institution. - -In fact, they took farewell only at the gate. Pan Ignas, however, after -he had remained a few minutes in the institution and inquired of the -overseer touching his father, went out and returned home by stealth. - -He lighted a candle, read Pani Bronich's letter once more, and, -covering his face with his hands, began to meditate. In spite of -Osnovski's letter and in spite of everything which Pan Stanislav had -told him, a certain doubt and a certain hope had lingered in his -soul, yet he knew that _all was over_; but at moments he had the -feeling that that was not reality, but an evil dream. It was only Pani -Bronich's letter that had penetrated to that little corner of his soul -which was unwilling to believe, and burned out in it the remnant of -illusion. So there was no Lineta any longer; there was no future, no -happiness. Kopovski had all that; for him were left only loneliness, -humiliation, and a ghastly vacuum. There was left to him also the -impression that if "Nitechka" could have snatched from him that talent -too, of which Pani Bronich made mention, she would have snatched it -and given it to Kopovski. What was he for her in comparison with -Kopovski? "I shall never really understand this," thought he; "but it -is so." And he began to meditate over this, what was there in him so -abject that she should sacrifice him thus without mercy, without the -least consideration, to take less note of him than the meanest worm. -"Why does she love Kopovski and not me, the man to whom she confessed -love?" And he recalled how once she had quivered in his arms, when -after the betrothal he gave her good-night. But now she is quivering -in Kopovski's arms in precisely the same way. And at this thought he -seized his handkerchief and squeezed it between his teeth, so as not -to scream from pain and madness. "What is this? Why has it happened?" -But there was a time when he, Ignas, did not love her; why did she not -marry Kopovski at that time? What motive could she have to trample him -without need? - -And again he caught after the letter of Pani Bronich, as if hoping -to find in it an answer to these terrible questions. He read once -more the passage about the will of God, and about this,--that he was -guilty, that he had done much harm to "Nitechka," and that she forgave -him, and about the Mass, which was celebrated for his intention in -Saint Yadviga's; and when he had ended he began to gaze at the light, -blinking and saying,-- - -"How is that possible? How have I offended?" And suddenly he felt that -the understanding of what truth is and what falsehood, of what evil is, -and what good, and what is proper and improper, began to desert him. -Lineta had gone from him, taken herself from him, taken his future, -and now one after another all the bases of life were gliding away--and -reason and thought and life itself. He saw yet that he had always loved -this "Nitechka" of his beyond life, and in no way was he able to wish -any harm to her; but besides that impression, everything which composes -a thinking being was crushed into dust in him, and flew apart like dust -in that mighty wind of misfortune. - -Still he loved. Lineta became divided for him now into the Lineta of -to-day and the Lineta of the past. He began to call to mind her voice, -her face, her bright golden hair, her eyes and mouth, her tall form, -her hands, and that warmth which so many times he had felt from her -lips. His powerful imagination recreated her almost tangibly; and he -saw that not only had he loved his own distant one, but he loved her -yet,--that is, he yearned for her beyond measure, and was suffering -beyond measure for the loss of her. - -And, recognizing this, he began again to speak to her: - -"How couldst thou think me able to bear this?" - -At that moment he had not the least doubt of this either, that God knew -the position very well. He sat a long time more in silence, and the -light had burned out half its length almost when he came to himself. - -But something uncommon took place in him then. He had an impression -as if he were going from land in a ship, and that seemed to him which -seems always on such an occasion, that it was not he who was moving -away, but the shore on which he had dwelt hitherto. Everything--that -was he, and in general his life; all thoughts, hopes, ambitions, -objects, plans, even love, even Lineta, even his loss; and those -vicious circles, and those tortures through which he had passed--seemed -not merely removed from him, but foreign, and belonging exclusively to -that land off there. And gradually they sank, gradually they melted, -becoming ever smaller, ever more visionary, ever more dreamlike; and -he went on, he became more distant, feeling that to that foreignness -he does not wish to return, that he cannot return, and that all which -is left of him belongs to the space which has taken him to itself, and -opened its bosom before him, immense and mysterious. - - - - -CHAPTER LVIII. - - -Four days later, on the Assumption of the Most Blessed Lady, which was -also Marynia's name's[13] day, the Bigiels and Svirski went to Buchynek. -They did not find Marynia at home, for she was at vespers in the church -of Yasmen with Pani Emilia. When Pani Bigiel learned this, she followed -them with the whole crowd of little Bigiels. The men, left alone, began -to talk of the event of which for a number of days the whole city had -been talking,--that was of the attempted suicide of the poet Zavilovski. - -"I went to see him to-day three times," said Bigiel; "but Panna -Helena's servants have the order to admit no one except the doctors." - -"As for me," said Pan Stanislav, "this is the first day on which I -have not been able to visit him; but during the previous days I spent -a number of hours with him regularly. I tell my wife that I am at the -counting-house on business." - -"Tell me how it happened," said Bigiel, who wanted to know all the -details, so as to consider them exactly afterward in his fashion. - -"It happened this way," said Pan Stanislav. "Ignas told me that he was -going to the institution, to his father. I was glad, for I judged that -that would keep him away from his thoughts. I took him, however, to the -gate, and he promised to visit me next day. Meanwhile it turned out -that he wanted to be rid of me, so as to shoot himself undisturbed." - -"Then you were not the first to find him?" - -"No; I suspected nothing of that kind, and I should have looked for him -next day. Luckily Panna Helena came at the mere news that the marriage -was broken." - -"I informed her," said Svirski, "and she took the matter to heart so -much that I was astonished. She had a forewarning, as it were, of what -would follow." - -"She is a wonderful person," said Pan Stanislav. "I have not been able -to learn how it happened; but she found him; she saved him; she called -in a whole circle of doctors, and finally gave command to take him to -her house." - -"But the doctors insist that he will live?" - -"They know nothing yet definitely. In shooting, he must have turned -the pistol so that the ball, after passing through his forehead, went -up and lodged under the skull. They found the ball, and extracted it -easily enough; but whether he will live--and if he lives, whether his -mind will survive--is unknown. One doctor fears a disturbance in his -speech; but his life is in question yet." - -The event, though known generally, and described every day in the -papers, had made so great an impression that silence continued awhile. -Svirski, who, with his muscles of an athlete, had the sensitiveness of -a woman, burst forth,-- - -"Through such women!" - -But Vaskovski, sitting near, said in a low voice,-- - -"Leave them to the mercy of God." - -"Is it possible?" said Bigiel, turning to Pan Stanislav; "and thou -hadst no suspicion?" - -"It did not come to my head even that he would shoot himself. I saw -clearly that he was struggling with his feelings. For a while, when -we were riding, his chin trembled, as if he wished to burst into -weeping; but he is a brave soul. He restrained himself at once, and to -appearance was calm. He deceived me mainly by his promise to come next -day." - -"Do you know what seems to me?" continued he, after a while; "the last -drop which overflowed the cup was Pani Bronich's letter. Ignas gave it -to me to read. She wrote that what had happened was the will of God; -that the fault was on his side; that he was an egotist; but that they -were obeying the voice of conscience and justice; that they forgave -him, and begged God to forgive him too,--in a word, unheard of things! -I saw that that made a desperate impression on him, and I imagine what -must have taken place in a man so injured and of such spirit, when -he saw that in addition to everything else injustice was attributed -to him; when he understood that it is possible for people to set -everything at naught and distort it, to trample on reason, truth, and -the simplest principles of justice, and then shield themselves behind -the Lord God. For that matter I was not concerned; but when I saw the -cynicism, the want of moral understanding, as God lives, I asked myself -this question: Am I mad, and are truth and honesty mere illusions on -earth?" - -Here Pan Stanislav was so indignant at Pani Bronich's letter that he -tugged at his beard feverishly, and Svirski said,-- - -"I understand that even a believer may spit upon life in such moments." - -Here Vaskovski rubbed his forehead with his hand, and then said to -himself,-- - -"Yes; I have seen that kind, too. For there are people who believe, -not through love, but as it were because atheism is bankrupt, as it -were from despair, who imagine to themselves that somewhere, off behind -phenomena, there is not a merciful Father, who places his hand on every -unfortunate head, but some kind of He, unapproachable, inscrutable, -indifferent; it is all one, in such case, whether that He is called the -Absolute, or Nirvana. He is only a concept, not love. It is impossible -to love this He; and when misfortune comes, people spit on life." - -"That is well," answered Svirski, testily; "but meanwhile Pan Ignas is -lying with a broken skull, and they have gone to the seashore, and it -is pleasant for them." - -"Whence do you know that it is pleasant for them?" answered Vaskovski. - -"The deuce fire them!" said Svirski. - -"But I say to you that they are unhappy. No one may trample on truth -and go unpunished. They will talk various things into each other, but -one thing they will not be able to talk into each other,--that is, -self-respect; they will begin to despise themselves in secret, and at -last even that attachment which they had for each other will be turned -into secret dislike. That is inevitable." - -"The deuce fire them!" repeated Svirski. - -"The mercy of God is for them, not for the good," concluded Vaskovski. - -Meanwhile Bigiel talked with Pan Stanislav, admiring the kindness and -courage of Panna Helena. - -"For there will be a fabulous amount of gossip from this," said he. - -"She does not care for that," answered Pan Stanislav. "She does not -count with society, for she wants nothing of it. She, too, is a -resolute soul. She showed Pan Ignas always exceptional attachment, and -his act must have shocked her tremendously. Do you know the history of -Ploshovski?" - -"I knew him personally," said Svirski. "His father was the first man -in Rome to predict success to me. Of Panna Helena they say, I think, -that she was betrothed to Ploshovski." - -"No, she was not; but in her secret heart perhaps she loved him -greatly. Such was his fortune. It is certain that since his death she -has become different altogether. For a woman so religious as she is, -his suicide must in truth have been dreadful, for just think, not to -be able even to pray for a man whom one has loved. And now again Pan -Ignas! If any one, it is she who is doing everything to save him. -Yesterday I was there; she came out to me barely alive, pale, weary, -without having slept. And there is some one else to watch with her. -Panna Ratkovski told me of her, that for four days she hadn't slept one -hour, perhaps." - -"Panna Ratkovski?" inquired Svirski, quickly; and he began mechanically -to seek with his hand in the coat pocket where he had her letter. - -He remembered then her words: "_I have chosen otherwise, and if I -shall never be happy, I do not wish at least to reproach myself -afterwards with insincerity_." "Now for the first time I understand the -meaning and real tragedy of those words. Now, in spite of all social -appearances, without regard to the tongues of people, this young girl -has gone to watch over that suicide. What could this mean? The case is -clear as the sun. It is true that Kopovski went abroad with another; -but she had expressed always openly what she thought of Kopovski, -and if she had cared nothing for Pan Ignas, she would not have gone -this time to watch at his bedside. It seems to me that I am an ass," -muttered Svirski. - -But that was not the only conclusion to which he came after mature -consideration. All at once a yearning for Panna Ratkovski took hold of -him, and sorrow that that had not happened which might have happened, -as well as immense pity for her. "Thou hast become a poodle again, old -fellow," said he to himself, "and it serves thee right! A good man -would have felt sorrow, but thou didst begin to be angry and condemn -her for loving a fool and pretending to aspiration, and for having a -low nature; thou didst talk ill of her before Pani Polanyetski and -before him; didst do injustice to a kind and unfortunate person, not -because her refusal pained thee too greatly, but through thy own -self-love. Served thee right, right! thou art an ass; thou art not -worthy of her; and thou wilt be knocking around alone till death, like -a mandrill, behind a menagerie grating." - -In these reproaches there was a portion of truth. Svirski had not -fallen in love decidedly with Panna Ratkovski; but her refusal pained -him more deeply than he acknowledged, and, not being able to master his -vexation, he gave way to general conclusions about women, citing Panna -Ratkovski as an example, and to her disadvantage. - -Now he saw the whole vanity of such conclusions. "These stupid -syntheses have ruined me always," thought he. "Women are individuals -like all people; and the general concept woman explains nothing -whatever. There is a Panna Castelli, there is a Pani Osnovski, in whom -I admit various rascalities, without, however, having proof of them; -but on the other hand there is a Pani Polanyetski, a Pani Bigiel, a -Sister Aniela, a Panna Helena, and a Panna Stefania. Poor child! and -so it serves me right. She was there suffering in silence, and I was -gnashing my teeth. If that girl isn't worth ten times more than I, -then that sun isn't worth my pipe. She had a sacred reason in giving a -refusal to such a buffalo. I will go to the Orient, and that is the end -of the matter. Such light as there is in Egypt, there is nowhere else -on earth. And what an honest woman! Moreover, she has done me good, -even with her refusal, for through her I have convinced myself that my -theory about women should be broken on the back of a dog. But if Panna -Helena puts a whole regiment of dragoons before her door, I must see -that poor girl and say what I think to her." - -In fact, he went on the following morning to Panna Helena's. They did -not wish to admit him, but he insisted so much that at last he was -admitted. Panna Helena, judging that friendship and anxiety alone had -brought him, conducted him even to the chamber in which the wounded man -was lying. There, in the gloom of fastened blinds, he saw Pan Ignas, -from whom came the odor of iodine, his head bound, his jaw protruding; -and with him those two wearied out women, the fever of sleeplessness -on their faces, and really like two shadows. The wounded man lay with -open lips; he was changed, and resembled himself in nothing. He was -as if incomparably older; his eyelids were swollen, and protruding -from under the bandage. Svirski had liked him greatly, and with his -sensitiveness had not less sympathy for him than had Pan Stanislav and -Osnovski; he was struck, however, this time by his deformity. "He has -fixed himself," thought he; then, turning to Panna Helena, he asked in -an undertone,-- - -"Has he not regained consciousness?" - -"No," answered she, in a whisper. - -"What does the doctor say?" - -Panna Helena moved her thin hand in sign that all was uncertain yet. - -"This is the fifth day," whispered she again. - -"And the fever decreases," said Panna Ratkovski. - -Svirski wished to offer his services in watching the sick man; but -Panna Helena indicated with her eyes a young doctor, whom he was not -able to distinguish at once in the darkness, but who, sitting in an -armchair near the table, with a basin and pile of iodine wadding, was -dozing from weariness, waiting till another should relieve him. - -"We have two," said Panna Ratkovski, "and besides people from the -hospital, who know how to nurse the sick." - -"But you ladies are wonderfully wearied." - -"It is a question here of the sick man," answered she, looking toward -the bed. - -Svirski followed her glance. His eyes were better accustomed now to the -gloom, and saw distinctly the face, motionless, with lips almost black. -The long body was motionless also, only the fingers of his emaciated -hand, lying on the coverlet, stirred with a monotonous movement, as if -scratching. - -"They will take him out in a couple of days, as God is in Heaven!" -thought he, remembering his colleague, that "Slav" with whom Bukatski -had disputed in his time, and who, when he had shot himself in the -head, died only after two weeks of torture. - -Wishing, however, to give comfort to the women, he said, in spite of -that of which he was certain,-- - -"Wounds of this kind are either mortal at once, or are cured." - -Panna Helena made no answer, but her face contracted nervously, and her -lips grew pale. Evidently there was a terrible thought in her soul, -that he _also_ might die, and she did not wish to admit that she had -had enough with that other suicide, and at the same time it was for her -a question of something more than saving his life for Pan Ignas. - -Svirski began to take farewell. He entered with a speech prepared -for Panna Ratkovski, to whom he had resolved to acknowledge that he -had judged her unjustly, and to express all the homage which he felt -for her, and to beg for her friendship; but in presence of the real -tragedy of those two women, and of the danger of death, and of that -half corpse, he saw at once that everything which he intended to say -would be poor and petty, and that it was not the time for such empty -and personal matters. - -He merely pressed to his lips in silence the hand of Panna Helena, and -then that of Panna Ratkovski; and, going out of that room filled with -misfortune and permeated with iodine, he drew a deep breath. In his -artistic imagination was represented distinctly the changed Pan Ignas, -ten years older, with bound head and black lips. And in spite of all -the sympathy which he had for the man, indignation seized him all at -once. - -"He made a hole in his skull," muttered he; "he made a hole in -his talent,--and doesn't care! and those souls there are dragging -themselves to death and trembling like leaves." - -Then a feeling, as it were of jealousy, took hold of him, as if he were -sorry for himself, and he began to speak in a monologue,-- - -"Well, old man! but if thou, for example, were to pack a bit of lead -into thy talent, no one would walk at thy bedside on tiptoe." - -Further meditation was interrupted by Pan Plavitski; who, meeting him -at the cross-street, stopped him, and began conversation,-- - -"I am just from Karlsbad," said he. "O Lord, how many elegant women! I -am going to Buchynek to-day. I have just seen Stanislav, and know that -my daughter is well; but he has grown thin somehow." - -"Yes for he has had trouble. Have you heard of Pan Ignas?" - -"I have, I have! But what will you say of that?" - -"A misfortune." - -"A misfortune; but this too, that there are no principles at present. -All those new ideas, those atheisms of yours, and hypnotisms, and -socialisms. The young generation have no principles,--that is where the -trouble lies." - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [13] Name's day, day of that saint whose name a given person bears. - - - - -CHAPTER LIX. - - -Pan Stanislav, under the impression of the catastrophe, forgot utterly -his promise to inform Osnovski by letter how Pan Ignas had borne the -rupture of the marriage and the departure of Lineta. But Osnovski, -having learned from the newspapers what had happened, inquired every -day by telegraph about the condition of the patient, and was greatly -alarmed. In the press and in public the most contradictory accounts -were current. Some journals declared that his condition was hopeless; -others predicted a speedy recovery. For a long time Pan Stanislav could -report nothing certain; and only after two weeks did he send a despatch -that the sick man had ceased to waver between death and life, and that -the doctors guaranteed his recovery. - -Osnovski answered with a long letter, in which he gave various news -from Ostend,-- - - "God reward you for good news! All danger has passed then - decisively? I cannot tell you what a weight fell from the hearts - of both of us. Tell Pan Ignas that not only I, but my wife - received the news of his recovery with tears. She does not speak - of any one else now, and thinks only of him. Oh, what women - are! volumes might be written on this subject; but Anetka is - an exception, and will you believe, that in spite of all her - terror and sorrow and sympathy, Ignas has increased in her eyes - through this unhappy event? They seek romantic sides always; so - far does this reach that even in Kopovski, as the originator of - the misfortune, Anetka, who knows all his stupidity, sees now - something demonic. But beyond all she praises God for the recovery - of Ignas. May he live to the glory of our society, and may he - find a being worthy of him! From your despatch, I infer that he - is under the care of Panna Helena. May God grant her too every - blessing for such an honest heart! Really she has no one in the - world nearer to her than Ignas, and I imagine that he is still - dearer to her through remembrance of Ploshovski. - - "Now, since you have quieted me as to Ignas's recovery, I can - send you some news about Aunt Bronich and Lineta. Perhaps you - have heard that they are here with Kopovski. They went first to - Scheveningen; but, hearing that the small-pox was there, they - escaped to Ostend, not supposing that we were here. We met a - number of times in the Cursaal, but pretended not to know them. - Kopovski even left cards with us; but we did not return his - visit, though, as my wife says justly, he is far less to blame - in all this than the two women. When I received your despatch, - stating that Ignas is saved surely, I thought that humanity itself - commanded me to send the news to them, and I did so. As matters - stand, life is unpleasant for them here, since their acquaintances - withdraw; so I wished them to know at least that they have no - human life on their consciences, all the more since Lineta, as - it would seem, felt the deed of Ignas. In fact, they called the - same day on us, and my wife received them. She says truly that - evil is moral sickness, and that we should not desert relatives in - sickness. In general, this first meeting was awkward and painful - for both sides. Of Ignas we said not a word. Kopovski appears here - as Lineta's betrothed; but they do not seem very happy, though, to - tell the truth, she is better fitted for him than for Ignas, and - in that view at least what has happened may be considered God's - work. I know also from persons aside that Aunt Bronich mentions - it as such. I need not tell you how that abuse of the name of God - angers me. I know that she tried to talk into some acquaintances - stopping here that she and her niece broke with Ignas because of - his want of religious feelings; to others she told tales of his - despotism and of his disagreement in temper with Lineta. In all - this she deceives not only the world, but herself. Aunt, through - persuading herself and others of it unceasingly, believes at last - in the lofty character of Lineta, and in this too she is immensely - disappointed. She feels bound really to defend her; she invents - God knows what in her behalf, and struggles like a mad woman; but - a feeling of disappointment sticks in her, and I think that she - grieves over it, for she has grown very thin. Evidently they value - relations with us, which, as they hope, may bring them back to - society; but though my wife received them, our relations cannot - return to their former condition, of course. I, first of all, - could not permit this, from regard to my duty of choosing a proper - society for my wife. Lineta's marriage with Kopovski is to be in - Paris two months from now. Of course we shall not be present. - Moreover, my wife looks on the marriage very skeptically. I have - written thus at length hoping to oblige you to write as much, with - all details about Ignas. If his health permits, press his hand for - me, and tell him that he has and will have in me a most cordial - friend, who is devoted heart and soul to him." - -Marynia, notwithstanding the lateness of the season, was living yet in -Buchynek; so that Pan Stanislav, when he received this letter in the -counting-house, showed it first of all to the Bigiels, with whom he -dined. - -"I am glad of one thing," said Pani Bigiel, when she had finished the -letter; "she will marry that Kopovski right away. Otherwise I should be -afraid that something might spring up again in Ignas, and that after he -had recovered he might be ready to return to her." - -"No; Pan Ignas has much character, and I think that he would not -return in any case," said Bigiel. "What is thy thought, Stas?" - -Bigiel was so accustomed to ask the opinion of his partner in every -question, that he could not get on without it in this one. - -"I think that they, when they look around on what they have done, will -be rather ready to return. As to Ignas, I have lived so many years, and -seen so many improbable things, that I will not answer for any one." - -At that moment these words occurred again to Pan Stanislav: "I know -what she is, but I cannot tear my soul from her." - -"But wouldst thou return in his place?" inquired Bigiel. - -"I think not; but I will not answer for myself even. First of all, I -shouldn't have shot myself in the forehead; but still, I don't know -even that." - -And he said this with great discouragement, for he thought that if -there was any man who had no right to answer for himself it was he. - -But Pani Bigiel began,-- - -"I would give I do not know what to see Ignas; but really it is easier -to take a fortress than to go to him. And I cannot understand why Panna -Helena keeps him from people so, even from such friends as we are." - -"She keeps him from people because the doctor has ordered absolute -quiet. Besides, since he has regained consciousness, the sight of his -nearest friends, even, is terribly painful to him; and this we can -understand. He cannot talk with them about his deed; and he sees that -every one who approaches him is thinking of nothing else." - -"But you are there every day." - -"They admit me because I was connected with the affair from the -beginning; I was the first to report the rupture of the marriage, and I -watched him." - -"Does he mention that girl yet?" - -"I asked Panna Helena and Panna Ratkovski about this; they answered, -'Never.' I have sat for hours with him alone, and have heard nothing. -It is wonderful: he is conscious; he knows that he is wounded, knows -that he is sick; but he seems at the same time to remember nothing of -past events, just as if the past had no existence whatever. The doctors -say that wounds in the head cause various and very peculiar phenomena -of this kind. For the rest, he recognizes every one who approaches him, -exhibits immense gratitude to Panna Helena and Panna Ratkovski. He -loves Panna Ratkovski especially, and evidently yearns for her when she -goes for a while from him. But they are both, as God lives!--there are -no words to tell how good they are." - -"Panna Ratkovski moves me especially," said Pani Bigiel. - -Bigiel put in, "Meditating over everything carefully, I have come to -the conclusion that she must have fallen in love with him." - -"Thou hast spent time for nothing in meditating," answered Pan -Stanislav, "for that is as clear as the sun. The poor thing hid this -feeling in herself till misfortune came. Why did she reject such an -offer as Svirski's? I make no secret of this, for Svirski himself -tells it on every side. It seems to him that he owes her satisfaction -because he suspected her of being in love with Kopovski. When Pan -Ignas shot himself, she was living with her relative, Pani Melnitski, -after the Osnovskis had gone; but when she learned that Panna Helena -had taken Ignas, she went and begged permission to remain with her. -All know perfectly how to understand this; but she does not mind such -considerations, just as Panna Helena herself does not mind them." - -Here Pan Stanislav turned to Pani Bigiel,-- - -"Panna Ratkovski moves you deeply; but think, as God lives, what a -tragic figure Panna Helena is. Pan Ignas is alive, at least, but -Ploshovski aimed better; and, according to her ideas, there is no mercy -for him, even in that world. But she loves him. There is a position! -Finally, after such a suicide, comes another; it tears open all wounds, -freshens every memory. Panna Ratkovski may be a touching figure; but -the other has her life broken forever, and no hope, nothing left but -despair." - -"True, true! But she must be attached to Ignas, since she cares for him -so." - -"I understand why she does it; she wants to beg of the Lord God mercy -for the other man, because she has saved Pan Ignas." - -"That may be," said Bigiel. "And who knows that Pan Ignas may not marry -Panna Ratkovski, when he recovers?" - -"If he forgets that other, if he is not broken, and if he recovers." - -"How, if he recovers? Just now thou hast said that his recovery is -undoubted." - -"It is undoubted that he will live; but the question is, will he be -the former Ignas? Even though he had not fired into his head, it would -be difficult to say whether such an experience would not break a man -who is so sensitive. But add a broken head; that must be paid for. -Who knows what will happen further? but now, for example, though he -is conscious, though he talks with sense, at times he breaks off, and -cannot recollect the simplest expression. Before, he never hesitated. -This, too, is strange,--he remembers the names of things well, but -when it is a question of any act, he stops most generally, and either -remembers with effort, or forgets altogether." - -"What does the doctor say?" - -"In God is his hope that it will pass; the doctor does not lose hope. -But even yesterday, while I was going in, Ignas said, 'Pani--' and -stopped. Evidently he was thinking of Marynia, whom he recalled on a -sudden, but he could not ask about her. Every day he talks more, it is -true; but before he recovers, much time may pass, and certain traces -may remain forever." - -"But does Marynia know of everything?" - -"While there was no certainty that he would live, I kept everything in -secret; but after that I thought it better to tell her. Of course I was -very cautious. It was hard to keep the whole matter from her longer. -People were talking too much about it, and I feared that she might -hear from people on one side. I told her, moreover, that the wound was -slight, and that nothing threatened him, but that the doctors forbade -him visitors. Even thus she was greatly affected." - -"When will you bring her to the city?" - -"While the weather is good, I prefer to keep her in the country." - -Further conversation was interrupted by a letter, which the servant -gave Pan Stanislav. The letter was from Mashko, and contained the -following words:-- - - "I wish to see thee in thy own interest. I will wait for thee at - my house till five." - -"I am curious to know what he wants," said Pan Stanislav. - -"Who is it?" - -"Mashko; he wants to see me." - -"Business and business," said Bigiel; "he has business above his ears. -Sometimes I wonder really whence he gets endurance and wit for all -this. Dost thou know that Pani Kraslavski has come home, and that she -has lost her sight altogether? She sees nothing now, or what is called -nothing. We visited those ladies before they left their country house. -Wherever one turns there is misery, so that at last pity seizes one -while looking." - -"But in misfortune each man or woman shows his or her real nature," -said Pani Bigiel. "You remember that we considered Pani Mashko as -somewhat dry in character, but you will not believe how kind she is -now to her mother. She does not let a servant come near her; she -attends her herself everywhere, waits on her, reads to her. Really -she has given me a pleasant surprise, or rather both of them, for -Path Kraslavski has lost her former pretentiousness thoroughly. It is -pleasant to see how those women love each other. It seems that there -was something in Pani Mashko which we could not discover." - -"Both, too, were terribly indignant at the behavior of Panna Castelli," -added Bigiel. "Pani Kraslavski said to us, 'If my Terka had acted in -that way, I should have denied her, though I am blind, and need care.' -But Pani Mashko is as she is, and she would not have acted in that way, -for she is another kind of woman." - -Pan Stanislav drank his cup of black coffee, and began to take -farewell. For some time past every conversation about Pani Mashko had -become for the man unendurable; it seemed to him, moreover, that he -was listening again to an extract from that strange human comedy which -people were playing around him, and in which he, too, was playing his -empty part. It did not occur to him that human nature is so composed -that even in the very worst person some good element may be found, and -that Pani Mashko might be, after all, a loving daughter. In general, he -preferred not to think of that, but began to halt over the question, -what could Mashko want of him? Forgetting that Mashko had written in -the letter that he wanted to see him, not in his own, but in his (Pan -Stanislav's) interest, he supposed, with a certain alarm, that he -wanted money a second time. - -"But I," thought he, "will not refuse now." - -And it occurred to him that life is like the machinery of a watch. When -something is out of order in one wheel, all begin to act irregularly. -What connection could there be between his adventure with Pani Mashko -and his business, his money, his mercantile work? And still he felt -that even as a merchant he had not, at least with reference to Mashko, -the freedom that he once had. - -But his suppositions proved faulty. Mashko had not come to ask money. - -"I looked for thee in the counting-house, and at thy residence," said -he; "at last I divined that thou must be at the Bigiels', and I sent my -letter there. I wished to speak with thee on thy own business." - -"How can I serve thee?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -"First of all, I beg that what I say may remain between us." - -"It will; I am listening." - -Mashko looked for a time in silence at Pan Stanislav, as if to prepare -him by that silence for some important announcement; at last he said, -with a wonderful calmness, weighing out every expression,-- - -"I wished to tell thee that I am lost beyond redemption." - -"Hast lost the will case?" - -"No; the case will come up only two weeks from now but I know that I -shall lose it." - -"Whence hast thou that certainty?" - -"Dost remember what I told thee once, that cases against wills are won -almost always because the attack is more energetic than the defence; -because usually the overthrow of the will concerns some one personally, -while maintaining it does not? Everything in the world may be attacked; -for though a thing be in accordance with the spirit of the law, almost -always, in a greater degree or less, it fails to satisfy the letter, -and the courts must hold to the letter." - -"True. Thou hast said all that." - -"Well, so it is, too, in this case which I took up. It was not so -adventurous as may seem. The whole question was to break the will; and -I should, perhaps, succeed in proving certain disagreements in it with -the letter of the law, were it not that there is a man striving with -equal energy to prove that there are none such. I will not talk long -about this; it is enough for thee to know that I have to contend not -merely with an opponent who is a lawyer and a finished trickster, but -a personal enemy, for whom it is a question, not only to win the case, -but to ruin me. Once I slighted him, and now he is taking revenge." - -"In general, I do not understand why you have to do with any one except -the State Attorney." - -"Because there were legacies to private people in defence of which the -opposite side employed Sledz, that advocate. But let this rest. I must -lose the case, for it is in conditions for being lost; and if I were -Sledz, I would win just as he wins. I know this in advance, and I do -not deceive myself. Enough now of this whole matter." - -"But go on; appeal." - -"No, my dear friend, I cannot go on." - -"Why?" - -"Because I have more debts than there are hairs on my head; because, -after my first defeat, creditors will rush at me; and because"--here -Mashko lowered his voice--"I must flee." - -Silence followed. - -Mashko rested his elbow on his knee, his head on his palm, and sat some -time with his head inclined; but after a while he began to speak, as if -to himself, without raising his head,-- - -"It is broken. I tied knots desperately, till my hands were wearied; -strength would have failed any man, still I kept knotting. But I cannot -knot any longer! God sees that I have no more strength left. Everything -must have its end; and let this finish sometime." - -Here he drew breath, like a man who is terribly tired; then he raised -his head, and said,-- - -"This, however, is my affair merely, and I have come to talk of thy -affairs. Listen to me! According to contract concluded at the sale of -Kremen, I was to make payments to thy wife after the parcelling of -Magyerovka; thou hast a few thousand rubles of thy own money with me. -I was to pay thy father-in-law a life annuity. Now I come to tell thee -that if not in a week, then in two, I shall go abroad as a bankrupt, -and thou and they will not see a copper." - -Mashko, while telling all this with the complete boldness and insolence -of a man who no longer has anything to lose, looked Pan Stanislav in -the eyes, as if seeking for a storm. - -But he was deceived most thoroughly. Pan Stanislav's face grew dark for -one twinkle of an eye, it is true, as if from suppressed anger; but he -calmed himself quickly, and said,-- - -"I have always expected that this would end so." - -Mashko, who, knowing with whom he had to deal supposed that Pan -Stanislav would seize him by the shoulder, looked at him with -amazement, as if wishing to ask what had happened. - -But at that moment Pan Stanislav thought,-- - -"If he had wanted to borrow money for the road, I could not have -refused him." - -But aloud he said, "Yes; this was to be foreseen." - -"No," answered Mashko, with the stubbornness of a man who will not part -with the thought that only a concurrence of exceptional circumstances -is to blame for everything. "Thou hast no right to say this. The moment -before death, I should be ready to repeat that it might have gone -otherwise." - -But Pan Stanislav inquired, as if with a shade of impatience,-- - -"My dear, what dost thou want of me specially?" - -Mashko recovered, and answered,-- - -"Nothing. I have come to thee only as to a man who has shown me -good-will at all times, and with whom I have contracted a money debt, -as well as a debt of gratitude; I have come to confess openly how -things stand, and also to say to thee: save what is possible, and as -much as possible." - -Pan Stanislav set his teeth; he judged that even in that irony of -life, whose chattering he heard round about him continually for some -time past, there ought to be a certain measure. Meanwhile Mashko's -words about friendship and a debt of gratitude seemed to him as simply -passing that measure. "May the devils take the money and thee--if thou -would only go!" thought he, in spirit. But compressing in himself the -wish to utter this audibly, he said,-- - -"I see no way." - -"There is only one way," answered Mashko. "While it is still unknown to -people that I must break, while hopes are connected with the will case, -while my name and signature mean something, thou hast a chance to sell -thy wife's claim. Thou wilt say to the purchaser that it is thy wish to -capitalize the whole property, or something of that sort. Appearances -are easy. A purchaser will be found always, especially if thou decide -to sell at a certain reduction. In view of profit, any Jew will buy. I -prefer that any other should lose rather than thou; it is permitted -thee not to hear what I have told thee of my coming bankruptcy, and -it is permitted thee to hope that I shall win the case. Thou canst be -sure that he who will buy the claim of thee, would sell it to thee, -even though he knew that it would not be worth a broken copper on the -morrow. The world is an exchange; and on the exchange most business is -transacted on this basis. This is called cleverness." - -"No," answered Pan Stanislav, "it has a different name. Thou hast -mentioned Jews; there are certain kinds of business which they describe -with one word, '_schmuzig!_' I shall save my wife's claim in another -way." - -"As may please thee. I, my clear friend, know the value of my system; -but, seest thou, in spite of all, I said to myself that I ought to tell -thee this. It is perhaps the honor of a bankrupt; but now I cannot -have another. It is easy for thee to divine how hard it is for me to -say this. For that matter, I knew in advance that thou wouldst refuse; -hence with me it was a question only of doing my own. And now give me a -cup of tea and a glass of cognac, for I am barely living." - -Pan Stanislav rang for the tea and the cognac. - -Mashko continued,-- - -"I must pluck a certain number of people,--there is no help for that; -hence I prefer to pluck indifferent ones rather than those who have -rendered me service. There are positions in which a man must be an -opportunist with his own conscience." - -Here Mashko laughed with bitterness. - -"I did not know of that myself," continued he; "but now new horizons -open themselves before me. One is learning till death. We bankrupts -have a certain point of honor too. As to me, I care less for those who -would have plucked me in a given case than those who are near me, and -to whom I owe gratitude. This may be the morality of Rinaldini, but -morality of its own kind." - -The servant brought in tea now. Mashko, needing to strengthen himself -evidently, added to his cup an overflowing glass of cognac, and, -cooling the hot tea in that way; drank it at a gulp. - -"My dear friend," said Pan Stanislav, "thou knowest the position better -than I. All that I could say against flight, and in favor of remaining -and coming to terms with creditors, thou hast said to thyself of -course, therefore I prefer to ask of something else: Hast thou -something to grasp with thy hand? Hast thou even money for the road?" - -"I have. Whether a man fails for a hundred thousand, or a hundred and -ten thousand, is all one; but I thank thee for the question." - -Here Mashko added cognac to a second cup of tea, and said,-- - -"Do not think that I am beginning to drink from despair; I have not sat -down since morning, and I am terribly tired. Ah, how much good this -has done me! I will say now to thee openly that I have not thrown up -the game. Thou seest that I have not fired into my forehead. That is a -melodrama! that is played out. I know, indeed, that everything is ended -for me here; but in this place I could not sail out anyhow. Here the -interests are too small simply, and there is no field. Take the west, -Paris! There men make fortunes; there they take a somersault, and rise -again. What is to be said in the case if it is so? Dost thou know that -Hirsh had not, perhaps, three hundred francs on leaving this country? -I know, I know! from the standpoint of local mustiness and stupidity -here, this will seem a dream,--the fever of a bankrupt. But still, men -inferior to me have made millions there,--inferior to me! Lose or win. -But if I come back at any time--" - -And evidently the tea and cognac had begun to rouse him, for, clinching -his fist, he added,-- - -"Thou wilt see!" - -"If that is not dreaming," answered Pan Stanislav, with still greater -impatience than before, "it is the future. But now what?" - -"Now," said Mashko, after a while, "they will count me a swindler. No -one will think that there are falls and falls. I will tell thee, for -instance, that I have not taken from my wife a single signature, a -single surety, and that she will have everything which she had before -marriage. I am going now; and until I am settled she will remain -here with her mother. I do not know whether you have heard that Pani -Kraslavski has lost her sight. I cannot take them at present, for I -am not even sure where I shall live,--in Paris perhaps, perhaps in -Antwerp. But I hope that our separation will not be lasting. They know -nothing yet. See in what the drama is! See what tortures me!" - -And Mashko put his palm on the top of his head, blinking at the same -time, as if from pain in his eyes. - -"When wilt thou go?" inquired Pan Stanislav. - -"I cannot tell. I will let thee know. Thou hast had the evident wish -to aid me, and thou mayest, though not in money. People will avoid my -wife at first; show her, then, a little attention; take her under thy -protection. Is it agreed? Thou hast been really friendly to me, and I -know that thou art friendly to her." - -"As God lives, one might go mad," thought Pan Stanislav; but he said -aloud,-- - -"Agreed." - -"I thank thee from the soul of my heart; and I have still a prayer. -Thou hast much influence over those two ladies. They will believe thy -words. Defend me a little in the first moments before my wife. Explain -to her that dishonesty is one thing, and misfortune another. I, as God -lives, am not such a rogue as people will consider me. I might have -brought my wife also to ruin, but I have not done so. I might have -obtained from thee a few thousand more rubles; but I preferred not -to take them. Thou wilt be able to put this before her, and she will -believe thee. Is it agreed?" - -"Agreed," replied Pan Stanislav. - -Mashko covered his head with his hands once more, and said, with a face -contracted as if from physical pain,-- - -"See where real ruin is! See what pains the most!" - -After a while he began to take farewell, thanking Pan Stanislav, -meanwhile, again for good-will toward his wife, and future care of her. - -Pan Stanislav went out with him, sat in a carriage, and started for -Buchynek. - -On the road he thought of Mashko and his fate; but at the same time he -repeated to himself, "I too am a bankrupt!" - -And that was true. Besides this, for a certain time some sort of -general uncomprehended alarm had tormented him; against this he could -not defend himself. Round about he saw disappointment, catastrophes, -ruin; and he could not resist the feeling that all these were for him, -too, a kind of warning and threat of the future. He proved to himself, -it is true, that such fears could not be logically justified; but none -the less, the fears did not cease to stick in the bottom of his soul -somewhere, and sometimes he said to himself again, "Why should I be -the one exception?" Then his heart was straitened with a foreboding -of misfortune. This was still worse than those pins which, without -wishing it, people, even the most friendly, drove into him by any word, -unconsciously. In general, his nerves had suffered recently, so that -he had become almost superstitious. He returned daily to Buchynek in -alarm, lest something bad might have happened in the house during his -absence. - -This evening, he returned later than usual because of Mashko's call, -and drove in about the time when real darkness had come. Stepping out -before the entrance on the sandy road, which dulled the sound of the -carriage, he saw through the window Marynia, Pani Emilia, and the -professor sitting near a table in the middle of the parlor. Marynia -was laying out patience, and was evidently explaining the play to Pani -Emilia, for her head was turned toward her, and she had one finger on -the cards. At sight of her Pan Stanislav thought that which for some -time he had been repeating mentally, and which filled him at once with -a feeling of happiness, and with greater anger at himself: "She is the -purest soul that I have met in life." And with that thought he entered -the room. - -"Thou art late to-day," said Marynia, when he raised her hand to his -lips with greeting; "but we are waiting for thee with supper." - -"Mashko detained me," answered he. "What is to be heard here?" - -"The same as ever. All happy." - -"And how art thou?" - -"As well as a fish!" answered she, joyously, giving him her forehead -for a kiss. - -Then she began to inquire about Pan Ignas. Pan Stanislav, after the -disagreeable talk with Mashko, breathed for the first time more freely. -"She is in health, and all is right," thought he, as if in wonder. -And really he felt well in that bright room, in that great peace, -among those friendly souls and at the side of that person so good -and reliable. He felt that everything was there which he needed for -happiness; but he felt that he had spoiled that happiness of his own -will; that he had brought into the clear atmosphere of his house the -elements of corruption and evil, and that he was living under that roof -without a right. - - - - -CHAPTER LX. - - -In the middle of September such cold days came that the Polanyetskis -moved from Buchynek to their house in the city. Pan Stanislav, before -the arrival of his wife, had the house aired and ornamented with -flowers. It seemed to him, it is true, that he had lost the right to -love her, but he had lost only his former freedom with reference to -her; but perhaps, just because of this, he became far more attentive -and careful. The right to love no one gives, and nothing can take -away. It is another case when a man has fallen, and in presence of -a soul incomparably more noble than his own, feels that he is not -worthy to love; he loves then with humility, and does not dare to call -his feeling by its name. What Pan Stanislav had lost really was his -self-confidence, his commanding ways, and his former unceremoniousness -in his treatment of his wife. At present in his intercourse with her he -bore himself sometimes as if she were Panna Plavitski, and he a suitor -not sure of his fate yet. - -Still that uncertainty of his had the aspect of coldness at times. -Finally, their relation, in spite of Pan Stanislav's increased care and -efforts, had become more distant than hitherto. "I have not the right!" -repeated Pan Stanislav, at every more lively movement of his heart. And -Marynia at last observed that they were living now somehow differently, -but she interpreted this to herself variously. - -First, there were guests in the house, before whom, be what may, -freedom of life must be diminished; second, that misfortune had -happened to Pan Ignas,--a thing to shock "Stas" and carry his mind -in another direction; and finally Marynia, accustomed now to various -changes in his disposition, had ceased also to attach to them as much -meaning as formerly. - -Having gone through long hours of meditation and sadness, she came -at last to the conviction that in the first period, while certain -inequalities and bends of character are not accommodated into one -common line, such various shades and changes in the disposition are -inevitable, though transient. The sober judgment of Pani Bigiel helped -her also to the discovery of this truth; she, on a time when Marynia -began to praise her perfect accord with her husband, said,-- - -"Ai! it didn't come to that at once. At first we loved each other as -it were more passionately, but we were far less fitted for each other; -sometimes one pulled in one and the other in another direction. But -because we both had honesty and good-will the Lord God saw that and -blessed us. After the first child all went at once in the best way; and -this day I wouldn't give my old husband for all the treasures of earth, -though he is growing heavy, and when I persuade him to Karlsbad he will -not listen to me." - -"After the first child," inquired Marynia, with great attention. "Ah! I -would have guessed at once that it was after the first child." - -Pani Bigiel began to laugh. - -"And how amusing he was when our first boy was born! During the first -days he said nothing at all; he would only raise his spectacles to his -forehead and look at him, as at some wonder from beyond the sea, and -then come to me and kiss my hands." - -The hope of a child was also a reason why Marynia did not take this -new change in "Stas" to heart too much. First, she promised herself to -enchant him completely both with the child, which she knew in advance -would be simply phenomenal, and with her own beauty after sickness; and -second, she judged that it was not permitted her to think of herself -now, or even exclusively of "Stas." She was occupied in preparing a -place for the coming guest, as well in the house, as in her affections. -She felt that she must infold such a figure not only in swaddling -clothes, but in love. Hence she accumulated necessary supplies. She -said to herself at once that life for two living together might be -changeable; but for three living together it could not be anything but -happiness and the accomplishment of that expected grace and mercy of -God. - -In general, she looked at the future with uncommon cheerfulness. If, -finally, Pan Stanislav was for her in some way a different person, more -ceremonious, as it were, and more distant, he showed such delicacy as -he had never shown before. The care and anxiety which she saw on his -face she referred to his feeling for Pan Ignas, for whose life there -was no fear, it is true, but whose misfortune she felt with a woman's -heart, understanding that it might continue as long as his life lasted. -The knowledge of this gave more than one moment of sadness to her, and -to the Bigiels, and to all to whom Pan Ignas had become near. - -Moreover, soon after the arrival of the Polanyetskis in the city, news -came all at once from Ostend which threatened new complications. A -certain morning Svirski burst into the counting-house like a bomb, and, -taking Bigiel and Pan Stanislav to a separate room, said, with a mien -of mysteriousness,-- - -"Do you know what has happened? Kresovski has just been at my studio, -and he returned yesterday from Ostend. Osnovski has separated from his -wife, and broken Kopovski's bones for him. A fabulous scandal! All -Ostend is talking of nothing else." - -Both were silent under the impression of the news; at last Pan -Stanislav said,-- - -"That had to come sooner or later. Osnovski was blind." - -"But I understand nothing," said Bigiel. - -"An unheard of history!" continued Svirski. "Who could have supposed -anything like it?" - -"What does Kresovski say?" - -"He says that Osnovski made an arrangement one day to go with some -Englishmen to Blanckenberg to shoot dolphins. Meanwhile he was late at -the railroad, or tramway. Having an hour's time before him, he went -home again and found Kopovski in his house. You can imagine what he -must have seen, since a man so mild was carried away, and lost his -head to that degree that, without thinking of the scandal, he pounded -Kopovski, so that Kopovski is in bed." - -"He was so much in love with his wife that he might have gone mad even, -or killed her," said Bigiel. "What a misfortune for the man!" - -"See what women are!" exclaimed Svirski. - -Pan Stanislav was silent. Bigiel, who was very sorry for Osnovski, -began to walk back and forth in the room. At last he stopped before -Svirski, and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, said,-- - -"But still I don't understand anything." - -Svirski, not answering directly, said, turning to Pan Stanislav, "You -remember what I said of her in Rome, when I was painting your wife's -portrait? Old Zavilovski called her a crested lark. I understand how -just that was; for a crested lark has another name,--'the soiler.' -What a woman! I knew that she was not of high worth, but I did not -suppose that she could go so far--and with such a man as Kopovski! Now -I see various things more clearly. Kopovski was there all the time, -as if courting Panna Castelli, then as if courting Panna Ratkovski; -and of course he and the lady were in agreement, inventing appearances -together. What a cheery life the fellow had! Castelli for dinner, and -Pani Osnovski for dessert! Pleasant for such a man! Between those -two women there must have been rivalry; one vying with the other in -concessions to attract him to herself. You can understand that in such -a place woman's self-esteem had small value." - -"You are perfectly right," said Pan Stanislav. "Pani Osnovski was -always most opposed to the marriage of Kopovski to Castelli; and -very likely for that reason she was so eager to have her marry Pan -Ignas. When, in spite of everything, Kopovski and Castelli came to an -agreement, she went to extremes to keep Kopovski for herself. Their -relation is an old story." - -"I begin to understand a little," said Bigiel; "but how sad this is!" - -"Sad?" said Svirski; "on the contrary. It was cheerful for Kopovski. -Still, it was not. 'The beginning of evil is pleasant, but the end is -bitter.' There is no reason to envy him. Do you know that Osnovski is -hardly any weaker than I? for, through regard for his wife, he was -afraid of growing fat, and from morning till evening practised every -kind of exercise? Oh, how he loved her! what a kind man he is! and how -sorry I am for him! In him that woman had everything,--heart, property, -a dog's attachment,--and she trampled on everything. Castelli, at -least, was not a wife yet." - -"And have they separated really?" - -"So really that she has gone. What a position, when a man like Osnovski -left her! In truth, the case is a hard one." - -But Bigiel, who liked to take things on the practical side, said, "I am -curious to know what she will do, for all the property is his." - -"If he has not killed her on the spot, he will not let her die of -hunger, that is certain; he is not a man of that kind. Kresovski told -me that he remained in Ostend, and that he is going to challenge -Kopovski to a duel. But Kopovski will not rise out of bed for a week. -There will be a duel when he recovers. Pani Bronich and Panna Castelli -have gone away, too, to Paris." - -"And the marriage with Kopovski?" - -"What do you wish? In view of such open infidelity, it is broken, of -course. Evil does not prosper; they, too, were left in the lurch. Ha! -let them hunt abroad for some Prince Crapulescu[14]--for after what they -have done to Ignas, no one in this country would take Castelli, save a -swindler, or an idiot. Pan Ignas will not return to her." - -"I told Pan Stanislav that, too," said Bigiel; "but he answered, 'Who -knows?'" - -"Ai!" said Svirski, "do you suppose really?" - -"I don't know! I don't know anything!" answered Pan Stanislav, with an -outburst. "I guarantee nothing; I guarantee nobody; I don't guarantee -myself even." - -Svirski looked at him with a certain astonishment. - -"Ha! maybe that is right," said he, after a while. "If any one had told -me yesterday that the Osnovskis would ever separate, I should have -looked on him as a madman." - -And he rose to take farewell; he was in a hurry to work, but wishing to -hear more about the catastrophe of the Osnovskis, had engaged to dine -with Kresovski. Bigiel and Pan Stanislav remained alone. - -"Evil must always pay the penalty," said Bigiel, after some thought. -"But do you know what sets me thinking? that the moral level is -lowering among us. Take such persons as Bronich, Castelli, Pani -Osnovski,--how dishonest they are! how spoiled! and, in addition, -how stupid! What a mixture, deuce knows of what! what boundless -pretensions! and with those pretensions the nature of a waiting-maid. -So that it brings nausea to think of them, does it not? And men, such -as Ignas and Osnovski, must pay for them." - -"And that logic is not understood," answered Pan Stanislav, gloomily. - -Bigiel began to walk up and down in the room again, clicking his tongue -and shaking his head; all at once he stopped before Pan Stanislav with -a radiant face, and, slapping him on the shoulder, said,-- - -"Well, my old man, thou and I can say to ourselves that we drew great -prizes in life's lottery. We were not saints either; but perhaps the -Lord God gave us luck because we have not undermined other men's houses -like bandits." - -Pan Stanislav gave no answer; he merely made ready to go. - -Conditions had so arranged themselves lately that everything which -took place around him, and everything which he heard, became, as it -were, a saw, which was tearing his nerves. In addition, he had the -feeling that that was not only terribly torturing and painful, but was -beginning to be ridiculous also. At moments it came to his head to take -Marynia and hide with her somewhere in some tumbledown village, if -only far away from that insufferable comedy of life which was growing -viler and viler. But he saw that he could not do that, even for this -reason,--that Marynia's condition hindered it. He stopped, however, -the bargaining for Buchynek, which had been almost finished, so as to -find for himself a more distant and less accessible summer place. In -general, relations with people began to weigh on him greatly; but he -felt that he was in the vortex, and could not get out of it. Sometimes -the former man rose in him, full of energy and freshness, and he asked -himself with wonder, "What the devil! why does a fault which thousands -of men commit daily, swell up in my case beyond every measure?" But the -sense of truth answered straightway that as in medicine there are no -diseases, only patients, so in the moral world there are no offences, -only offenders. What one man bears easily, another pays for with his -life; and he tried in vain to defend himself. For a man of principles, -for a man who, barely half a year before, had married such a woman as -Marynia, for a man whom fatherhood was awaiting, his offence was beyond -measure; and it was so inexcusable, so unheard of, that at times he -was amazed that he could have committed it. Now, while returning home -under the impression of Osnovski's misfortune, and turning it over in -his head in every way, he had again the feeling as if a part of the -responsibility for what had happened weighed on him. "For I," said -he to himself, "am a shareholder in that factory in which are formed -such relations and such women as Castelli or Pani Osnovski." Then it -occurred to him that Bigiel was right in saying that the moral level -was lowering, and that the general state of mind which does not exclude -the possibility of such acts is simply dangerous. For he understood -that all these deviations flowed neither from exceptional misfortunes, -nor uncommon passions, nor over-turbulent natures, but from social -wantonness, and that the name of such deviations is legion. "See," -thought he, "only in the circle of my acquaintances, Pani Mashko, Pani -Osnovski, Panna Castelli; and over against them whom shall I place? -My Marynia alone." And at that moment it did not occur to him that, -besides Marynia, there were in his circle Pani Emilia, Pani Bigiel, -Panna Helena, and Panna Ratkovski. But Marynia stood out before him -on that ground of corruption and frivolity so unlike them, so pure -and reliable, that he was moved to the depth of his soul by the mere -thought of her. "That is another world; that is another kind," thought -he. For a moment he remembered that Osnovski, too, had called his own -wife an exception; but he rejected this evil thought immediately. -"Osnovski deceived himself, but I do not deceive myself." And he felt -that the skepticism which would not yield before Marynia would be not -only stupid, but pitiable. In her there was simply no place for evil. -Only swamp birds can sit in a swamp. He himself had said once in a -jest to her, that if she wore heels, she would have inflammation of -the conscience from remorse, because she was deceiving people. And -there was truth in this jest; he saw her now just there before him as -clearly as one always sees the person one thinks of with concentrated -feeling. He saw her changed form and changed face, in which there -remained always, however, that same shapely mouth, a little too wide, -and those same clear eyes; and he was more and more moved. "Indeed, I -did win a great prize in life's lottery," thought he; "but I did not -know how to value it. 'Evil must always pay the penalty,' said Bigiel." -And Pan Stanislav, to whom a similar thought had come more than once, -felt now a superstitious fear before it. "There is," thought he, "a -certain logic, in virtue of which evil returns, like a wave hurled -from the shore, so that evil must return to me." And all at once it -seemed to him perfectly impossible that he could possess such a woman -in peace, and such happiness. Just in that was lacking the logic which -commands the return of the wave of evil. And then what? Marynia may die -at childbirth, for instance. Pani Mashko, through revenge, may say some -word about him, which will stick in Marynia's mind, and in view of her -condition, will emerge afterward in the form of a fever. Not even the -whole truth is needed for that effect. On the contrary, Pani Mashko may -boast even that she resisted his attempts. "And who knows," said Pan -Stanislav to himself, "if Pani Mashko is not making a visit to Marynia -this moment? in such an event the first conversation about men--and a -few jesting words are sufficient." - -Thinking thus, he felt that the cap was burning on his head; and he -reached home with a feeling of alarm. At home he did not find Pani -Mashko; but Marynia gave him a card from Panna Helena, asking him to -come after dinner to see her. - -"I fear that Ignas is worse," said Marynia. - -"No; I ran in there for a moment in the morning. Panna Helena was -at some conference with the attorney, Kononovich; but I saw Panna -Ratkovski and Pan Ignas. He was perfectly well, and spoke to me -joyously." - -At dinner Pan Stanislav resolved to tell Marynia of the news which he -had heard, for he knew that it could not be concealed from her anyhow, -and he did not wish that it should be brought to her too suddenly and -incautiously. - -When she asked what was to be heard in the counting-house and the city, -he said,-- - -"Nothing new in the counting-house; but in the city they are talking -about certain misunderstandings between the Osnovskis." - -"Between the Osnovskis?" - -"Yes; something has happened in Ostend. Likely the cause of all is -Kopovski." - -Marynia flushed from curiosity, and asked,-- - -"What dost thou say, Stas?" - -"I say what I heard. Thou wilt remember my remarks on the evening of -Pan Ignas's betrothal? It seems that I was right; I will say, in brief, -that there was a certain history, and, in general, that it was bad." - -"But thou hast said that Kopovski is the betrothed of Panna Castelli." - -"He has been, but he is not now. Everything may be broken in their -case." - -The news made a great impression on Marynia; she wanted to inquire -further, but when Pan Stanislav told her that he knew nothing more, and -that in all likelihood more detailed news would come in some days, she -fell to lamenting the fate of Osnovski, whom she had always liked much, -and was indignant at Pani Aneta. - -"I thought," said she, "that he would change her, and attract her by -his love; but she is not worthy of him, and Pan Svirski is right in -what he says about women." - -The conversation was interrupted by Plavitski, who, after an early -dinner at the restaurant, had come to tell the "great news," -which he had just heard, for all the city was talking of it. Pan -Stanislav thought then that he had done well to prepare Marynia, -for in Plavitski's narrative the affair took on colors which were -too glaring. Plavitski mentioned, it is true, in the course of his -story, "principles and matrons" of the old time; but apparently he was -satisfied that something of such rousing interest had happened, and -evidently he took the affair, too, from the comic side, for at the end -he said,-- - -"But she is a mettlesome woman! she is a frolicker! Whoever was before -her was an opponent! She let no man pass, no man! Poor Osnosio! but she -let _no man_ pass." - -Here he raised his brows, and looked at Marynia and Pan Stanislav, as -if wishing to see whether they understood what "no man" meant. But on -Marynia's face disgust was depicted. - -"Fe! Stas," said she, "how all that is not only dishonorable, but -disgusting!" - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [14] A fanciful Roumanian name formed from the French _crapule_, a - debauchee. - - - - -CHAPTER LXI. - - -After dinner Pan Stanislav went to Panna Helena's. Pan Ignas wore a -black bandage on his forehead yet, with a wider plaster in the centre, -covering a wound; he stuttered, and, when looking, squinted somewhat; -but, in general, he was coming to himself more and more, and looked -on himself as recovered already. The doctor asserted that those marks -which remained from the wound yet were disappearing without a trace. -When Pan Stanislav entered, the young man was sitting at a table in a -deep armchair, in which old Pan Zavilovski used to sit formerly, and -was listening with closed eyes to verses which Panna Ratkovski was -reading. But she closed the book at sight of a visitor. - -"Good-evening," said Pan Stanislav to her. "How art thou, Ignas? I see -that I have interrupted a reading. In what are you so interested?" - -Panna Ratkovski turned her closely-clipped head to the book,--her hair -had been luxuriant before, but she cut it so as not to occupy time -needed for the sick man,--and answered,-- - -"This is Pan Zavilovski's poetry." - -"Thou art listening to thy own poetry?" said Pan Stanislav, laughing. -"Well, how does it please thee?" - -"I hear it as if it were not my own," replied Pan Ignas. After a while -he added, speaking slowly, and stuttering a little, "But I shall write -again as soon as I recover." - -It was evident that this thought occupied him greatly, and that he must -have mentioned it more than once; for Panna Ratkovski, as if wishing to -give him pleasure, said,-- - -"And the same kind of beautiful verses, and not too long." - -He smiled at her with gratitude, and was silent. But at that moment -Panna Helena entered the room, and pressing Pan Stanislav's hand, -said,-- - -"How well it is that you have come! I wanted to take counsel with you." - -"I am at your service." - -"I beg you to come to my room." - -She conducted him to the adjoining room, indicated a chair to him, -then, sitting down opposite, was silent, as if collecting her thoughts. - -Pan Stanislav, looking at her under the lamp, noticed, for the first -time, a number of silvery threads in her bright hair, and remembered -that that woman was not thirty yet. - -She began to speak in her cool and decisive voice,-- - -"I do not request counsel precisely, but assistance for my relative. I -know that you are a real friend of his, and, besides, you have shown -me so much kindness at the death of my father that I shall be grateful -the rest of my life for it; and now I will speak more openly with you -than with any one else. For personal reasons, which I will not touch, -and of which I can only say that they are very painful, I have decided -to create for myself other conditions of life,--conditions for me -more endurable. I should have done so long since, but while my father -was living I could not. Then Ignas's misfortune came. It seemed to me -my duty not to desert the last relative bearing our name, for whom, -besides, I have a heartfelt and real friendship. But now, thanks be to -God! he is saved. The doctors answer for his life; and if God has given -him exceptional capacities and predestined him to great things, nothing -stands in the way of his activity." - -Here she stopped, as if she had fallen to thinking suddenly of -something in the future, after which, when she had roused herself, she -spoke on,-- - -"But by his recovery my last task is finished, and I am permitted to -return to my original plan. There remains only the property of which -my father left a considerable amount, and which would be altogether -useless to me in my coming mode of life. If I could consider this -property my own personally, I might dispose of it otherwise, perhaps; -but since it is family property, I consider that I have no right to -devote it to foreign objects while any one of the family is alive -who bears the name. I do not conceal from you that attachment to my -cousin moves me; but I judge that I do above all that which conscience -commands, and besides carry out the wish of my father, who did not -succeed in writing his will, but who--I know with all certainty--wished -to leave a part of his property to Ignas. I have provided for myself -not in the degree which my father thought of doing, but still I take -more than I need. Ignas inherits the rest. The act of conveyance has -been written by Pan Kononovich according to all legal rules. It -includes this house, Yasmen, the property in Kutno, the estates in -Poznan and the moneys with the exception of that portion which I have -retained for myself, and a small part which I have reserved for Panna -Ratkovski. It is a question now only of delivering this document to -Ignas. I have asked two doctors if it is not too early, and if the -excitement might not harm him. They assure me that it is not too early, -and that every agreeable news may only act on his health beneficially. -This being the case, I wish to finish the matter at once, for I am in a -hurry." - -Here she smiled faintly. Pan Stanislav, pressing her hand, asked, with -unfeigned emotion,-- - -"Dear lady, I do not inquire through curiosity, What do you intend?" - -Not wishing evidently to give an explicit answer, she said,-- - -"A person has the right always to take refuge under the care of God. -As to Ignas, he has an honest heart and a noble character, which will -not be injured by wealth; but the property is very considerable, and -he is young, inexperienced; he will begin life in conditions changed -altogether,--hence I wish to ask you, as a man of honor and his friend, -to have guardianship over him. Care for him, keep him from evil people, -but above all remind him that his duty is to write and work further. -For me it was a question, not only of saving his life, but his gifts. -Let him write; let him pay society, not for himself only, but for those -too whom God created for His own glory and the assistance of men, but -who destroyed both themselves and their gifts." - -Here her lips became pale on a sudden, her hands closed, and the voice -stopped in her throat. It might seem that the despair accumulated in -her soul would break all bounds immediately; but she mastered herself -after a while, and only her clinched hands testified what the effort -was which that action had cost her. - -Pan Stanislav, seeing her suffering, judged that it would be better to -turn her thought in another direction, toward practical and current -affairs; hence he said,-- - -"Evidently this will be an unheard of change in the life of Ignas; -but I too hope that it will result only in good. Knowing him, it is -difficult to admit another issue. But could you not defer the act for a -year, or at least half a year?" - -"Why?" - -"For reasons which do not lie in Ignas himself, but which might have -connection with him. I do not know whether the news has reached you -that the marriage of Panna Castelli to Kopovski is broken, and that -the position of those ladies is tremendously awkward in consequence. -Through breaking with Ignas, they have made public opinion indignant, -and now their names are on people's tongues again. It would be for them -a perfect escape to return to Ignas; and it is possible to suppose that -when they learn of your gift, they will surely attempt this, and it -is unknown whether Ignas, especially after so short an interval, and -weakened as he is, might not let himself be involved by them." - -Panna Helena looked at Pan Stanislav with brows contracted from -attention, and, dwelling on what he said, she answered,-- - -"No. I judge that Ignas will choose otherwise." - -"I divine your thought," said Pan Stanislav; "but think,--he was -attached to that other one beyond every estimate, to such a degree that -he did not wish to outlive the loss of her." - -Here something happened which Pan Stanislav had not expected, for Panna -Helena, who had always such control of herself and was almost stern, -opened her thin arms in helplessness, and said,-- - -"Ah, if that were true,--if there were not for him any other happiness -save in her! Oh, Pan Polanyetski, I knew that he ought not to do that; -but there are things stronger than man, and they are things which he -needs for life absolutely--and besides--" - -Pan Stanislav looked at her with astonishment; after a while she -added,-- - -"Besides, while one lives, one may enter on a better road any moment." - -"I did not suppose that I should hear anything like this from her," -thought Pan Stanislav. And he said aloud,-- - -"Then let us go to Ignas." - -Pan Ignas received the news first with amazement, and then with -delight; but that delight was as if external. It might be supposed -that, by the aid of his brain, he understood that something immensely -favorable had met him, and that he had told himself that he must be -pleased with it, but that he did not feel it with his heart. His heart -declared itself only in the care and interest with which he asked Panna -Helena what she intended to do with herself, and what would become of -her. She was not willing to answer him, and stated, in general terms, -that she would withdraw from the world, and that her resolve was -unchangeable. She implored of him this, which clearly concerned her -most, not to waste his powers and disappoint people who were attached -to him. She spoke as a mother, and he, repeating, "I will write again -the moment I recover," kissed her hands and had tears in his eyes. It -was not known, however, whether those tears meant sympathy for her, or -the regret of a child abandoned by a good and kind nurse; for Panna -Helena told him that from that moment she considered herself a guest in -his house, and in two days would withdraw. Pan Ignas would not agree to -this, and extorted the promise from her to remain a week longer. She -yielded at last, through fear of exciting him and injuring his health. -Then he grew calm, and was as gladsome as a little boy whose prayer -has been granted. Toward the end of the evening, however, he grew -thoughtful, as if remembering something, looked around with astonished -eyes on those present, and said,-- - -"It is wonderful, but it seems to me as if all this had happened before -some time." - -Pan Stanislav, wishing to give a more cheerful tone to the -conversation, asked, laughing,-- - -"Was it during previous existences on other planets? It was, was it -not?" - -"In that way everything might have happened some other time," said Pan -Ignas. - -"And you have written the very same verses already--on the moon?" - -He took up a book lying on the table, looked at it, grew thoughtful, -and said at last,-- - -"I will write again, but when I recover completely." - -Pan Stanislav took farewell and went out. That evening Panna Ratkovski -removed to her little chamber at Pani Melnitski's. - - - - -CHAPTER LXII. - - -The separation of the Osnovskis, who in social life occupied a position -rather prominent, and the great fortune which fell on a sudden to Pan -Ignas, were the items of news with which the whole city was occupied. -People who supposed that Panna Helena had taken the young man to her -house to marry him were stunned from amazement. New gossip and new -suppositions rose. People began to whisper that Pan Ignas was a son -of old Zavilovski; that he had threatened his sister with a law-suit -for concealing the will; that she chose to renounce all and go abroad -rather than be exposed to a scandalous law-suit. Others declared that -the cause of her departure was Panna Ratkovski; that between those two -young ladies scenes had taken place unparalleled,--scenes to arouse -indignation. In consequence of this, self-respecting houses would not -permit Panna Ratkovski to cross their thresholds. There were others, -too, who, appearing in the name of public good, refused simply to Panna -Helena the right of disposing of property in that fashion, giving at -the same time to understand that they would have acted more in accord -with public benefit. - -In a word, everything was said that gossip and meddling and frivolity -and low malice could invent. Soon new food for public curiosity arrived -under the form of news of a duel between Osnovski and Kopovski, in -which Osnovski was wounded. Kopovski returned to Warsaw soon after with -the fame of a hero of uncommon adventures in love and arms,--stupider -than ever, but also more beautiful, and in general so charming that at -sight of him hearts young and old began to beat with quickened throb. - -Osnovski, wounded rather slightly, was under treatment in Brussels. -Svirski received from him a brief announcement soon after the duel, -that he was well, that in the middle of winter he would go to Egypt, -but, before that, would return to Prytulov. The artist came to Pan -Stanislav with this news, expressing at the same time the fear that -Osnovski was returning only to avenge his wrongs afresh on Kopovski. - -"For I am sure," said he, "that if he is wounded, it is because he -permitted it. According to me, he wished to die simply. I have shot -with him more than once at Brufini's, and know how he shoots. I have -seen him hit matches, and am convinced that had he wished to blow out -Koposio, we shouldn't see him to-day." - -"Perhaps not," answered Pan Stanislav; "but since he talks of going to -Egypt, 't is clear that he does not intend to let himself be killed. -Let him go, and let him take Pan Ignas." - -"It is true that Pan Ignas ought to see the world a little. I should -like to go from here to see him. How is he?" - -"I will go with you, for I have not seen him to-day. He is well, but -somehow strange. You remember what a proud soul he was, shut up in -himself. Now he is in good health, as it were, but has become a little -child; at the least trouble there are tears in his eyes." - -After a while the two went out together. - -"Is Panna Helena with Pan Ignas yet?" inquired Svirski. - -"She is. He takes her departure to heart so much that she has pity on -him. She was to go away in a week; now, as you see, the second week has -passed." - -"What does she wish specially to do with herself?" - -"She says nothing precise on this point. Probably she will enter some -religious order and pray all her life for Ploshovski." - -"But Panna Ratkovski?" - -"Panna Ratkovski is with Pani Melnitski." - -"Did Pan Ignas feel her absence much?" - -"For the first days. Afterward he seemed to forget her." - -"If he does not marry her in a year, I will repeat my proposal. As I -love God, I will. Such a woman, when she becomes a wife, grows attached -to her husband." - -"I know that in her soul Panna Helena wishes Ignas to marry Panna -Ratkovski. But who knows how it will turn out?" - -"I am sure that he will marry her; what I say is the imagining of a -weak head. I shall not marry." - -"My wife said that you told her that yesterday; but she laughed at the -threat." - -"It is not a threat; it is only this, that I have no happiness." - -Their conversation was interrupted by the coming of a carriage, in -which were Pani Kraslavski and Pani Mashko. Those ladies were going in -the direction of the Alley, wishing evidently to take the air. The day -was clear, but cold; and Pani Mashko was so occupied with drawing a -warm cloak on her mother that she did not see them, and did not return -their salutation. - -"I called on them the day before yesterday," said Svirski. "She is a -kindly sort of woman." - -"I hear that she is a very good daughter," answered Pan Stanislav. - -"I noticed that when I was there; but, as is usual with an old sceptic, -it occurred to me at once that she finds pleasure also in the rôle of a -careful daughter. Do you not see women often doing good of some special -sort because they think that it becomes them?" - -And Svirski was not mistaken. In fact, Pani Mashko found pleasure in -the rôle of a self-sacrificing daughter. But that itself was very much, -since such a satisfaction flowed still from real attachment to her -mother, and because at sight of her misfortune something was roused in -the woman, something quivered. At the same time Svirski did not wish, -or did not know how, to draw this further conclusion from his thoughts: -that as in the domain of the toilet a woman in addition to a new hat -needs a new cloak, a new dress, new gloves, so in the domain of good -deeds once she has taken up something she wants to be fitted out anew -from head to foot. In this way the rebirth of a woman is never quite -impossible. - -Meanwhile they arrived at Pan Ignas's, who received them with delight; -because, for some time past, the sight of people gave him pleasure, as -it does usually to patients returning to life. When he had learned from -Svirski that the latter would go soon to Italy, he began to insist that -he should take him. - -"Ah, ha!" thought Svirski; "then somehow Panna Ratkovski is not in thy -head?" - -Pan Ignas declared that he had been thinking long of Italy; that -nowhere else would he write as there, under those impressions of art, -and those centuries crumbling into ruins entwined with ivy. He was -carried away and pleased by that thought; hence the honest Svirski -agreed without difficulty. - -"But," said he, "I cannot stay long there this time, for I have a -number of portraits to paint in this city; and, besides, I promised -Pan Stanislav to return to the christening." Then he turned to Pan -Stanislav,-- - -"Well, what is it finally, the christening of a son or a daughter?" - -"Let it be what it likes," answered Pan Stanislav, "if only, with God's -will, in good health." - -And while the other two began to plan the journey, he took farewell, -and went to his counting-house. He had a whole mail from the previous -day to look over, so, shutting himself in, he began to read letters, -and dictate to a writer in short-hand those which touched affairs -needing immediate transaction. After a while, however, a newly hired -servant interrupted his labor by announcing that some lady wished to -see him. - -Pan Stanislav was disturbed. It seemed to him, it is unknown why, -that this could be no other than Pani Mashko; and, foreseeing certain -explanations and scenes, his heart began to beat unquietly. - -Meanwhile the laughing and glad face of Marynia appeared in the door -most unexpectedly. - -"Ah, well, haven't I given a surprise?" inquired she. - -Pan Stanislav sprang up at sight of her, with a feeling of sudden and -immense delight, and, seizing her hands, began to kiss them, one after -the other. - -"But, my dear, this is really a surprise!" said he. "Whence did it come -to thy head to look in here?" - -And thus speaking, he pushed an armchair toward her, and seated her as -a dear and honored guest; from his radiant face it was evident what -pleasure her presence was giving him. - -"I have something curious to show thee," said Marynia; "and because I -must walk a good deal, anyhow, I came in. And thou, what didst thou -think? Whom didst thou look for? Own up, right away!" - -Thus speaking, she began to threaten him while laughing; but he -answered,-- - -"So much business is done here, in every case I didn't think it was -thou. What hast thou to show?" - -"See what a letter I have!" - - DEAR AND BELOVED LADY,--It will astonish you perhaps - that I turn to you; but you, who are to become a mother soon, are - the only person on earth who will understand what must take place - in the heart of a mother--even if she is only an aunt--who sees - her child's unhappiness. Believe me it is a question for me of - nothing else than bringing even temporary relief to an unhappy - child; and it interests me the more, that in all this that has - happened I myself am to blame chiefly. Perhaps these words too - will astonish you, but it is the case. I am to blame. If a bad - and spoilt man, at the moment when Nitechka was tottering and - losing her balance, dared to touch her with his unworthy lips, I - should not have lost my head and sacrificed the child. Indeed, - Yozio Osnovski is to blame too: he put the question of marriage - on a sharp knife; he suspected something and wanted to rid his - house of Kopovski. May God forgive him, for it is not proper to - defend one's self at the cost of another's happiness and life. - My dear lady! it seemed to me at the first moment that the only - issue was marriage with the unworthy Kopovski, and that Nitechka - had no longer the right to become the wife of Ignas. I wrote even - purposely to Ignas that she followed the impulse of her heart, - and that she would give her hand to Kopovski with attachment; and - I thought that in this way Ignas would bear the loss of her more - easily, and I wanted to decrease his pain. Nitechka for Kopovski! - The merciful God did not permit that; and when I too saw that that - union would have been death for Nitechka, we were thinking only of - this, how to be free of those bonds. It is no longer a question - for me of returning to former relations, for Nitechka too has lost - faith in people and in life, so that probably she would never be - willing to agree to a return. She does not even know that I am - writing this letter. If the beloved lady had seen how Nitechka - has paid for all this with her health, and how terribly she felt - the act of Pan Ignas, she would have pitied her. Pan Ignas should - not have done what he has done, even out of regard for Nitechka; - alas! men in such cases count only with their own wishes. She is - as much to blame in all this as a newly born infant; but I see how - she melts before my eyes, and how from morning till evening she is - grieving because she was the unconscious cause of his misfortune, - and might have broken his life. Yesterday, with tears in her eyes, - she begged me in case of her death to be a mother to Ignas, and to - watch over him as over my own son. Every day she says that maybe - he is cursing her, and my heart is breaking, for the doctor says - that he answers for nothing if her condition continues. O God of - mercy! but come to the aid of a despairing mother; let me know - even from time to time something about Ignas, or rather write to - me that he is well, that he is calm, that he has forgotten her, - that he is not cursing her, so that I might show her that letter - and bring her even a little relief from her torture. I feel that - I am writing only in half consciousness, but you will understand - what is taking place in me, when I look on that unhappy sacrifice. - God will reward you and I will pray every day that your daughter, - if God gives you a daughter, be happier than my poor Nitechka. - -"What is thy thought about that?" inquired Marynia. - -"I think," said Pan Stanislav, "that news of the change in Pan Ignas's -fortune has spread rather widely; and second, I think that this letter, -sent to your address, is directed really to Ignas." - -"That may be. It is not an honest letter; but still they may be very -unhappy." - -"It is certain that their position cannot be pleasant. Osnovski was -right when he wrote that there is even for Pani Bronich an immense -disappointment in all this, and that she is trying vainly to deceive -herself. As for Panna Castelli, you know what Svirski told me? I do not -repeat to thee his words literally; but he said that now only a fool, -or a man without moral value, would marry her. They understand this -themselves, and certainly it is not pleasant for them. Perhaps, too, -conscience is speaking; but still, see how many dodges there are in -that letter. Do not show it to Ignas." - -"No, I will not," answered Marynia, whose warmest wishes were on the -side of Panna Ratkovski. - -And Pan Stanislav, following the thought which was digging into him -for some time past, repeated to her, word for word almost, what he had -repeated to himself,-- - -"There is a certain logic which punishes, and they are harvesting -what they sowed. Evil, like a wave, is thrown back from the shore and -returns." - -Hereupon Marynia began to draw figures on the floor with her parasol, -as if meditating on something; then, raising her clear eyes to her -husband, she said,-- - -"It is true, my Stas, that evil returns; but it may return, too, as -remorse and sorrow. In that case the Lord God is satisfied with such -penance, and punishes no further." - -If Marynia had known what was troubling him, and wanted to soften his -suffering, and console the man, she could not have found anything -better than those few simple words. For some time Pan Stanislav had -been oppressed by a foreboding that some misfortune must meet him, and -he was in ceaseless fear of it. From her only did he learn that his -sorrow and remorse might be that returning wave. Yes, he had had no -little remorse, and sorrow had not been wanting in him; he felt, too, -that if suffering might and could be a satisfaction, he would be ready -to suffer twice as grievously. Now a desire took him to seize in his -arms that woman full of simplicity and honesty, from whom so much good -came to him; and if he did not do so, it was only from fear of emotions -for her, and out of regard for her condition, and that indecision -which fettered him in his relations with her. But he raised her hand to -his lips, and said,-- - -"Thou art right, and art very kind." - -She, pleased with the praise, smiled at him, and began to prepare for -home. - -When she had gone, Pan Stanislav went to the window, and followed her -with his eyes. From afar he saw her curved form advancing with heavy -step, her dark hair peeping from under her hat; and in that moment he -felt with new force, greater than ever, that she was the dearest person -in the world to him, and that he loved her only, and would love her -till his death. - - - - -CHAPTER LXIII. - - -Two days later Pan Stanislav received a note from Mashko, containing a -few words of farewell. - - "I go to-day," wrote he. "I shall try absolutely to run in once - more to thee; but in every case I bid thee farewell, and thank - thee for all proofs of friendship which thou hast shown me. May - the Lord God prosper thee better than He has prospered me so far! - I should like to see thee, even for a moment; and if I can, I - shall run in about four o'clock. Meanwhile I repeat the request to - remember my wife, and protect her a little when people drop her. I - pray thee also to defend me before her against people's tongues. I - am going to Berlin at nine in the evening, and quite openly. Till - we meet again I and in every case, be well,--and once more, thanks - for everything. - - "MASHKO." - -Pan Stanislav went to the counting-house about four, but he waited -beyond an hour in vain. "He will not come," thought he, at last; "so -much the better." And he went home with the feeling of satisfaction -that he had succeeded in avoiding a disagreeable meeting. But in the -evening a species of pity for Mashko began to move him: he thought that -the man had gone by a bad and feverish road, it is true; but he had had -his fill of torment and tearing, and in the end had paid dearly; that -all which had happened was to be foreseen long before; and if those who -foresaw it had associated with him, and received him at their houses, -they ought not to show him contempt in the day of his downfall. He -knew, too, that he should give Mashko pleasure by his appearance at the -station; and after a moment of hesitation he went. - -On the road he remembered that likely he should find Pani Mashko, -too, at the station; but he knew that in any event he must meet her, -and he judged that to withdraw because of her would be a kind of vain -cowardice. With these thoughts he went to the station. - -In the hall of the first class, which is not large, there were several -persons, and on the tables whole piles of travelling-cases, but nowhere -could he see Mashko; and only after he had looked around carefully did -he recognize in a young veiled lady, sitting in one corner of the -hall, Pani Mashko. - -"Good-evening," said he, approaching her. "I have come to say good-by -to your husband. Where is he?" - -She bowed slightly, and answered, with the thin, cold voice usual to -her,-- - -"My husband is buying tickets." - -"How tickets? Are you going with him?" - -"No; my husband is buying a ticket." - -Further conversation under these conditions seemed rather difficult; -but, after a while, Mashko appeared in company with a railway servant, -to whom he gave the ticket and money, with the order to check the -baggage. Wearing a long travelling overcoat and a soft silk cap, he -looked, with his side whiskers and gold glasses, like some travelling -diplomat. Pan Stanislav deceived himself, too, in thinking that Mashko -would show uncommon delight at his coming. Mashko, when he saw him, -said, it is true, "Oh, how thankful I am that thou hast come!" but, -as it were, with a kind of indifference, and with the hurry usual to -people who are going on a journey. - -"Everything is checked," said he, looking around the hall. "But where -are my hand packages? Ah, here they are! Good!" - -Then he turned to Pan Stanislav, and said,-- - -"I thank thee for having come. But do me still one kindness, and -conduct my wife home; or, at least, go out with her, and help her to -find a carriage. Terenia, Pan Polanyetski will take thee home. My dear -friend, come one moment; I have something more to say to thee." - -And, taking Pan Stanislav aside, he began to speak feverishly,-- - -"Take her home without fail. I have given a plausible form to my -journey; but do thou say to her, so, in passing, that thou art -surprised that I am going such a short time before the calling of the -will case, for if any event should detain me, the case must be lost. -I wanted to go to thy house just to ask this of thee; but, as thou -knowest, on the day of a journey--The case will come up in a week. -I shall fall ill; my place will be taken by my assistant, a young -advocate, a beginner, and of course he will lose. But the affair will -be plausible through my illness. I have secured my wife; everything -is in her name, and they will not take one glass from her. I have a -plan which I shall lay before a shipbuilding company in Antwerp. If -I make a contract, timber will rise in price throughout this whole -country; but who knows, in that case, if I shall not return, for the -whole affair of Ploshov is a trifle in comparison with this business? I -cannot speak more in detail. Were it not for the grievous moments which -my wife must pass, I should keep regret away; but that just throttles -me." - -Here he touched his throat with his hand, and then spoke still more -hurriedly,-- - -"Misfortune fell on me; but misfortune may fall on any man. For that -matter, it is too late to speak of this. What has been, has been; but -I did what I could, and I shall do yet what I can. And this, too, is a -relief to me,--that thou wilt get thy own even from Kremen. If I had -time to tell thee what I have in mind, thou couldst see that it would -not come to the head of every man. Maybe I shall have business even -with thy firm. I do not give up, as thou seest--I have secured my wife -perfectly. Well, it's over, it's over! Another in my place might have -ended worse. Might he not? But let us return to my wife now." - -Pan Stanislav listened to Mashko's words with a certain pain. He -wondered, it is true, at his mental fertility; but at the same time -he felt that in him there was lacking that balance which makes the -difference between a man of enterprise and an enterprising adventurer. -It seemed to him, too, that there was in Mashko already something of -the future worn-out trickster, who will struggle for a long time yet, -but who, with his plans, will be falling lower and lower till he ends, -with boots worn on one side, in a second-rate coffee-house, telling, in -a circle of the same kind of "broken men," of his former greatness. He -thought, also, that the cause of all this was a life resting to begin -with on untruth; and that Mashko, with all his intelligence, can never -work himself out of the fetters of falsehood. - -See, he pretends yet, and even before his wife. He had to do so; but -when the hall began to fill with people, some acquaintances stepped up -to greet the two men, and exchange a couple of such hurried phrases -as are used at railroads. Mashko answered them with such a tinge of -loftiness and favor that anger seized Pan Stanislav. "And to think," -said he, "that he is fleeing from his creditors! What would happen were -that man to reach fortune?" - -But now the bell sounded, and beyond the window was heard the hurried -breath of the engine. People began to move about and hasten. - -"I am curious to know what is going on in him now?" thought Pan -Stanislav. - -But even at that moment Mashko could not free himself from the bonds -of lying. Maybe his heart was straitened by an evil foreboding: maybe -he had a gleam of second sight, that that wife whom he loved he should -never see again; that he was going to want, to contempt, to fall; but -it was not permitted him to show what he felt, or even to say farewell -to his wife as he wished. - -The second bell sounded. They went out on the platform, and Mashko -stood still a wile before the sleeping-car. The gleam of the lamp -fell directly on his face, on which two small wrinkles appeared near -the month. But he spoke calmly, with the tone of a man whom business -constrains to a few days' absence, but who is sure that he will return. - -"Well, till we meet again, Terenia! Kiss mamma'a hands for me, and be -well. Till we meet, till we meet!" - -Thus speaking, he raised her hand, which, moreover he kept long at his -lips. Pan Stanislav, going aside a little by design, thought,-- - -"They see each other now for the last time. In some half year a -separation in form will follow." - -And the peculiar lot of those two women struck him, the same for mother -and daughter. Both married with great appearances of brilliancy; and -the husbands of both had to run away from their domestic hearths, -leaving only shame to their wives. - -But now the bell sounded the third time. Mashko entered. For a while, -in the wide pane of the sleeping-car, his side whiskers were visible, -and his gold-rimmed eye-glasses; then the train pushed out into -darkness. - -"I am at your service," said Pan Stanislav to Pani Mashko. - -He was almost certain that she would thank him dryly for his society, -and reject it; he was even angry, for the reason that he had determined -to tell her not only something about her husband, but something from -himself. But she inclined her head in agreement; she, too, had her -plan. So much bitter dislike for Pan Stanislav and such a feeling of -offence had been rising in her heart for a long time, that, thinking -him likely to take advantage again of a moment which they were to pass -together, she determined to give him a slap which he would remember for -many a day. - -But she was mistaken altogether. First, through her he had been -crushed as ice is crushed against a cliff, and therefore for some time -he had felt for her not only dislike, but even hatred. Second, if -later, through a feeling of conviction that the fault was on his side -exclusively, that hatred had passed, then he had changed so much that -he had become almost entirely another man. His mercantile reckoning -with himself had taught him that such transgressions are paid for too -dearly; he was in a phase of immense desire for a life without deceit; -and finally remorse and sorrow had eaten up desire in him as rust eats -up iron. When assisting her into the carriage, and when he touched her -shoulder, he remained calm; and when he had taken his seat, he began -at once to speak of Mashko, for he judged that through a feeling of -humanity alone he ought to prepare her for the coming catastrophe, and -soften its significance. - -"I wonder at the daring of your husband," said he. "Let one bridge fall -on the road during his stay in Berlin, he will not be able to return to -the will case, on which, as you know, of course, all his fate depends. -He must have gone for important reasons; but it is always hazardous to -act thus." - -"The bridges are strong," answered Pani Mashko. - -But he, unconquered by that not over-encouraging answer, spoke on, -drawing aside before her gradually the curtain of the future; and -he spoke so long that while he was talking they arrived before the -Mashko dwelling. Then she, not understanding the meaning of his words -evidently, and angry, perhaps, that she had not had the chance to give -him the intended blow, said, when she had stepped out of the carriage,-- - -"Had you any personal object in disquieting me?" - -"No," answered Pan Stanislav, who saw that the moment had come to tell -her that which he had resolved to say from himself. "In relation to -you, I have only one object,--to declare that, with reference to you, -I have offended unworthily, and that from my whole soul I beg your -pardon." - -But the young woman went into her house without answering a single -word. Pan Stanislav, to the end of his life, did not know whether that -was the silence of hatred or forgiveness. - -Still he returned home with a certain encouragement, for it seemed to -him that he ought to have acted thus. In his eyes that was a small act -of penitence; it was all one to him how Pani Mashko understood him. -"Maybe she judged," said he to himself, "that I begged pardon of her -for my subsequent treatment; in every case I shall be able to look her -more boldly in the eyes now." - -And in that thought of his there was undoubtedly some selfishness; but -there was also the will to escape from the toils. - - - - -CHAPTER LXIV. - - -Panna Helena, also, before her departure, received a letter from Pani -Bronich, in the style of that which Marynia had received, and, like -Marynia, she did not show it to Pan Ignas. Besides, Pan Ignas went away -with Svirski a week later without visiting any acquaintance except -Panna Ratkovski. Svirski, in person, kept him from all visits; and Pan -Stanislav, in conversations with his wife, declared that he had acted -rightly. "At present," said he, "it would be disagreeable both for -Ignas, and for us. Those who saw him every day are different, for they -are used to him; but no one else could refrain from looking at the scar -which is left on his forehead. Besides, Ignas has changed very much. -During the journey he will recover perfectly; on his return we shall -receive him as if nothing had happened; and strangers will see in him, -above all, a wealthy young lord." - -And it might have been so in reality. But meanwhile, there was -loneliness around the Polanyetskis, because of that departure. Their -circle of acquaintances had scattered on all sides. Osnovski remained -still in Brussels; where Pani Aneta had gone no one knew. Pani Bronich -and Panna Castelli were in Paris; there was no one at Yasmen. Pani -Kraslavski and her daughter shut themselves in, and lived only for each -other; and finally sickness had confined to her bed poor Pani Emilia, -once and forever. - -There remained only the Bigiels and the professor. But he was sick, -too, and, moreover, he had become so peculiar that strangers considered -him a lunatic. Some said with a certain irony that a man who thinks -that the spirit of Christianity will penetrate into politics as it -has into private life, must be indeed of sound mind. He began himself -to think about death, and to make preparations for it. Frequently he -repeated to Pan Stanislav his desire to die "in the ante-chamber to the -other world," and in view of that was preparing for Rome. But since he -loved Marynia greatly, he wished to wait till after her sickness. - -In this way time passed in great seclusion for the Polanyetskis. It was -for that matter necessary for Marynia, who in recent days had felt very -ill, and necessary for her state of feeling. Pan Stanislav worked over -business in the counting-house, and over himself; he was working out in -himself a new man, and watching over his wife. She, too, was preparing -herself for a new epoch in life; and she was preparing herself gladly, -for it seemed to her that what she did would act upon both of them. Pan -Stanislav became daily less absolute in some way, more condescending -in his judgments of people, and milder, not only in relation to her, -but in relation to all persons with whom life brought him into contact. -He surrounded her with exceptional, with thoughtful care; and though -she supposed that this care had in view not so much her person as -the child, she recognized this as proper, and was grateful. She was -astonished at times by a kind of timidity and, as it were, hesitation -in his treatment of her; but not being able to divine that he was -simply curbing his feeling for her, she ascribed such exhibitions to -"Stas's" fear as to whether all would end well in her case. - -Whole weeks passed in this manner. Their monotony was broken sometimes -by a letter from Svirski, who, when he could seize a free moment, -reported what he could of himself and Pan Ignas. In one of those -letters he inquired in Pan Ignas's name if Pani Polanyetski would -permit him to send a description of his impressions in the form of -letters to her. "I spoke with him of this in detail," wrote Svirski. -"He contends first that it might be agreeable to the lady to have -echoes from a land which has left her so many pleasant memories; and -second, that it would lighten his work greatly were he to write as if -privately. He is well; he walks, eats, and sleeps perfectly. Every -evening I see too that he sits at his desk and prepares to write. I -concluded that he was trying poetry, also. Somehow it does not succeed, -for he has not written anything yet, so far as I know. I suppose, -however, that all will come out by degrees, and in season. Meanwhile -the form of letters would lighten his work, perhaps, really. I will add -in conclusion that he mentions Panna Helena with immense gratitude; and -at every mention of Panna Ratkovski, his eyes become bright. I speak of -her to him frequently, for what can I, poor man, do? When anything is -not predestined, there is no help in the case; and when it is written -down to a man that he must remain like a stake in a hedge, he will not -put forth leaves in spring even." - -In the middle of November a letter came from Rome, which roused much -thought in the Polanyetskis. Svirski wrote as follows:-- - - "Imagine to yourselves that Pani Bronich is here and Panna - Castelli, and that I have had an interview with them. In Rome I - am as if at home; hence I learned of their coming on the second - day. And do you know what I did immediately? I persuaded Ignas to - go to Sicily, in which, moreover, I found no great difficulty. I - thought to myself, 'he will sit in Syracuse or in Taormina; and - if by chance he falls into the hands of the Mafia the cost of - his ransom will be less than what he paid for the privilege of - wearing Panna Nitechka's ring for a short time.' I said to myself, - 'if he and she are to meet on earth and be reconciled, let them - meet and be reconciled; but I have no wish to take that work on - my conscience, especially after what has happened.' Ignas is well - to all seeming; but he has not recovered yet mentally, and in - that state he might be brought easily to something which he would - regret for a lifetime. As to those ladies, I divined at once why - they came here, and I was delighted in soul that I had hindered - their tricks; that my supposition was to the point is shown by - this, that some days later a letter came to Ignas, on which I - recognized the handwriting of the widow of that heaven-dwelling - Teodor. I wrote on the envelope that Pan Ignas had gone away, it - was unknown whither, and sent the letter retro. - - "That, however, was only the beginning of the history. Next - morning I received a letter with an invitation to a talk. I - answered that I must refuse with regret; that my occupations do - not permit me to give myself such a pleasure. In answer to this, - I received a second letter with an appeal to my character, my - talent, my descent, my heart, my sympathy for an unhappy woman: - and with the prayer that I should either go myself, or appoint - an hour in my studio. There was no escape,--I went. Pani Bronich - herself received me with tears, and a whole torrent of narratives - which I shall not repeat, but in which 'Nitechka' appears as - a Saint Agnes the martyr. 'With what can I serve,' ask I? She - answers: 'It is not a question of anything, but a kind word from - Pan Ignas. The child is sick, she is coughing, in all likelihood - she will not live the year out; but she wants to die with a word - of forgiveness.' At this I confess that I was softened a little, - but I held out. Moreover, I could not give the address of Pan - Ignas, for I did not know really at what hotel he had stopped. I - was sweating as in a steam bath; and at last I promised something - in general, that if Ignas would begin at any time to talk with - me about Panna Castelli, that I would persuade him to act in - accordance with the wish of Pani Bronich. - - "But this was not all yet. When I was thinking of going, Panna - Lineta herself rushed in on a sudden, and turned to her aunt - with the request to let her talk with me alone. I will say in - parenthesis that she has grown thin, and that she seems taller - than usual, really like 'a poplar,' which any wind might break. - Hardly were we left alone when she turned to me and said, 'Aunt - is trying to make me innocent, and is doing so through love for - me. I am thankful to her; but I cannot endure it, and I declare to - you that I am guilty, that I am not worthy of anything, and that - if I am unhappy I have deserved it a hundred times.' When I heard - this I was astonished; but I saw that she was talking sincerely, - for her lips were quivering and her eyes were mist-covered. You - may say to yourselves that I have a heart made of butter; but I - confess that I was moved greatly, and I inquired what I could - do for her. To this she answered that I could do nothing; but - she begged me to believe at least that she took no part in those - efforts of her aunt to renew relations, that after Pan Ignas's - act her eyes were opened to what she had done, and that she would - never forget it in her life. At last she said once again, that she - alone was the cause of everything, and begged me to repeat our - conversation to Pan Ignas, not immediately, however, but only when - he could not suspect that she wished to influence him. - - "Well, and what do you think? Would you lend belief to anything - like that? I see clearly two things, first, that Pan Ignas's - attempt on his life, happen what may, must have shaken her - terribly; and second, that she is fabulously unhappy,--who knows, - she may be sick really. So the opinion of Panna Helena comes to my - mind, who, as you repeated to me, says that we must not despair of - a man while he is living. In every case it is something uncommon. - I believe too that even if Pan Ignas wished now to return to her, - she would not consent, simply because she does not feel that she - is worthy of him. As to me, I think that there are many better and - nobler female natures than hers in the world; but may the deuce - take me if I act against her!" - -In continuation Svirski inquired about health, and sent obeisances to -the Bigiels. - -This letter made a great impression on all, and was the occasion of -numerous discussions between the Polanyetskis and the Bigiels. It -appeared at once too how far Pan Stanislav was changed. Formerly he -would not have found words enough to condemn Panna Castelli, and never -would he have believed that any chord of honor would make itself heard -in a woman of her kind; but at present, when Pani Bigiel, who, as well -as the other ladies, belonged soul and body to Panna Ratkovski's side, -expressed doubts, and said, "Is not that merely a change of tactics on -the part of Panna Castelli?" he said,-- - -"No; she is too young for that, and she seems to me sincere. It is a -great thing if she acknowledges her fault so unconditionally, for it -proves that untruth in life has disgusted her." - -After a moment's hesitation, he added,-- - -"I remember, for example, that more than once Mashko acknowledged, as -it were, that he was going by a wrong and false road; but right away -he sought reasons to justify himself: 'With us it is necessary to do -so;' 'That is the fault of our society;' 'I pay with the money that -is current.' How much of this have I heard! And that was all untrue, -too. Meanwhile there is a certain bravery in declaring, It is my fault -absolutely. And whoso has that bravery has something left yet." - -"Then do you judge that Pan Ignas would do well to return to her?" - -"I do not judge at all, nor do I suppose that it could happen." - -But the living interest roused by news from Rome, together with anxiety -for Pan Ignas and Panna Castelli, passed away soon, under the pressure -of a more important anxiety, which was hanging over the house of the -Polanyetskis. - -Toward the end of November Marynia's health began to fail evidently. -It had been failing for some time, but she concealed this fact as -long as possible. A painful palpitation of the heart came on her, and -weakness so great that there were days when she could not move out of -an armchair. Next came pains in her back and giddiness. In the course -of a week she changed so much in the eyes, and grew thin to such a -degree, that even the doctors, who up to that time had considered those -symptoms as the ordinary forerunners of approaching labor, began to be -alarmed at them. Her transparent face assumed at times a bluish tinge; -and seemed, especially when the sick woman kept her eyes closed, like -the face of a dead person. Even Pani Bigiel, the greatest optimist near -Marynia, could not at last resist fears; the doctor declared to Pan -Stanislav plainly that under such conditions the expected event might -be dangerous, both in itself and in sequences. Marynia, though weaker -every day and more exhausted, was indeed the only one who did not lose -hope now. - -But Pan Stanislav lost it. Such a grievous time came on him that all -sufferings and misfortunes which hitherto in life he had gone through -seemed to him nothing in comparison with his terrible dread, which -often and often became utter despair. Formerly after his wedding, -in his conceptions of marriage and his hopes of the future, a child -was the main thing; now for the first time he felt that he would give -not only one, but all the children that he could ever have, to save -that one beloved Marynia. And his heart was cut when at times Marynia -repeated with her weakened voice the question which before she had -asked more than once, "Stas, but if it is a boy?" He would have been -glad to fall at her feet, embrace them, and say, "Let the devil take -it, boy or girl, if only thou art left;" but he had to smile at her, -and assure her calmly that it was all one to him. His former terrors -fell upon him again; and that hope, roused by Marynia's words, that -by God's favor a wave of evil returns as remorse only, was dissipated -without a trace. Now, at moments, he had again the feeling that -Marynia's sickness might be just that returning wave. How it might be -that wave he could not tell, for in vain did reason say to him that -between the offence of Pani Osnovski or of Panna Castelli, for example, -and the punishment which met them, there is an immediate connection -which there is not in his case. Fear answered him, that evil may filter -through life by such secret channels that the reason of man cannot -follow it. And at this thought a dread seized him that was simply -mysterious. A man in misfortune loses power of accurate reasoning; -he lives under the weight of terror, and under such a weight was Pan -Stanislav living. He saw only the precipice, and his own helplessness. -More than once, while looking at the haggard face of Marynia, he said -to himself, "One must be mad to suppose that she may not die;" and he -sought desperately on the faces of those surrounding her for even a -shade of hope, and with every drop of his blood, with every atom of his -brain, with his whole soul and heart, he rose up against her death. -It seemed to him an inconceivable injustice that she will have to -close her eyes forever before he can show her how he loves her beyond -every estimate; before he rewards her for all his carelessness, harsh -treatment, egotism, and faithlessness; before he tells her that she -has become the soul of his soul, something not only loved above all in -his life, but revered. He repeated to himself that if God would not do -this for him He ought to do it for her, so that in going from the world -she might leave it with a feeling at least of that happiness which she -had deserved. From these insolent suggestions to God of how He ought -to act, he passed again to compunction, to humility, and to prayer. -But meanwhile Marynia was daily more and more dangerously ill, and he, -between two despairs, one of which shouted, "This cannot be," and the -other, "It must be,"--he struggled as if in a vice. - -Finally, from necessity, from the fear of taking hope from Marynia, he -was forced to pretend in her presence that he paid little attention -to her sickness. And the doctor and Pani Bigiel warned him daily not -to alarm her; his own reason indicated the same to him. And here was -a new torture, since it came to his mind that she might look on this -as a lack of feeling, and die with the conviction that he had never -loved her. Thus everything was changed in him utterly. Sleeplessness, -torment, and alarm brought him to a kind of sickly exaltation, in which -even the danger, which of itself was too evident, he saw in a still -higher degree. It seemed to him that there was no hope, and at times he -thought of Marynia as if already dead. For whole days he was thinking -over every good point of her character,--her words, her kindness, her -calmness. He remembered how all loved her, and he reproached himself -desperately, saying that he had never been worthy of her, that he had -not loved her sufficiently, that he had not valued her enough, and, to -crown all, had broken faith with her; and therefore he must lose her, -and lose her deservedly. - -And in the feeling that a thing so terrible was also deserved, and that -it was too late for any correction, was something simply heart-rending. -Even persons who during life were always loved greatly, when they go -from this world, leaving their friends in sorrow because they did not -love the departed enough, leave behind, of all sorrows, that which is -sorest. - -At the beginning of December, Svirski and Pan Ignas returned, after -two months' journey, from Italy. Pan Stanislav had grown so thin and -haggard in that interval that they hardly knew him; and he, quite -sunk in misery, turned scarcely any attention to them, and listened -as in a dream to words of hope and consolation from both, as well as -narratives, with which the honest artist tried to divert his suffering -mind. What did he care now for Pan Ignas, Pani Bronich, Panna Castelli, -in face of the fact that Marynia might die any day? Svirski, who had -immense friendship for him, wishing to find from some point a little -hope, betook himself to Pani Bigiel; but even she had not much hope to -offer. The doctors themselves did not know well what the trouble was, -for to her condition were added various complications, which could not -be defined even. It was only known that the heart of the sick woman -acted irregularly; they feared above all that, as a result of defective -circulation, some coagulation in the veins might result, which would -cause sudden death. Besides, even in case of a happy delivery, they -feared a number of things,--exhaustion, loss of strength, and all -those results which come only later. Svirski convinced himself that -Pani Bigiel did not deceive herself either when, at the end of the -conversation, she fell into tears, and said,-- - -"Poor Marynia! but he, poor man too. If even a child should be left -him, he might find strength to bear the blow." - -And when she had dried her tears, she added,-- - -"As it is, I do not understand how he endures it all." - -That was true; Pan Stanislav did not eat and did not sleep. He had -not shown himself at the counting-house for a long time; he went out -only for flowers, which Marynia loved always, and the sight of which -cheered her. But she was so sick that whenever he went for a bunch -of chrysanthemums he returned with the terrible thought that perhaps -he was bringing it for her coffin. Marynia's own eyes opened to -this,--that perhaps her death was coming. She did not wish to speak of -this to her husband; but before Pani Bigiel she fell to weeping one -day in grief for her own life and for "Stas." She was tortured by the -thought, how would he bear it, for she wanted that he should be awfully -sorry for her, and at the same time, that he should not suffer much. -Before him she pretended yet a long time to feel sure that all would -end happily. - -But later, when fainting spells came, she summoned courage to talk with -him openly; this seemed to her a duty. Therefore one night, when Pani -Bigiel, overcome by drowsiness, went to sleep, and he was watching near -her as usual, she stretched her hand to him, and said,-- - -"Stas, I wanted to talk with thee, and beg for one thing." - -"What is it, my love?" asked Pan Stanislav. - -She thought for a time evidently how to express her prayer; and then -she began to speak,-- - -"Promise me--I know that I shall recover surely--but promise me that -should it be a boy, thou wilt love and be kind." - -Pan Stanislav, by a superhuman effort, restrained the sobbing which -seized his breast, and said calmly,-- - -"My dear love, I will always love thee and him, be sure." - -Thereupon Marynia tried to raise his hand to her lips, but from -weakness she was not able to do so; then she smiled at him from -thankfulness. And again she said, "Do not think that I suppose for a -moment anything terrible, not at all! but I should like to confess." - -A shiver went through Pan Stanislav from head to feet. - -"Well, my child," answered he, with a voice of fear, and as it were not -his own voice. - -And, recollecting that once her expression "service of God" pleased -him, and wishing to let him know that it was not the question of -anything else here but the performance of ordinary religious duties, -she repeated, with an almost glad smile,-- - -"The service of God." - -The confession took place next morning. Pan Stanislav was so sure that -that was the end that he was almost astonished because Marynia was -alive yet, and because she was even a little better in the evening. - -He did not dare to admit hope into his soul. But she became brighter, -and said that she breathed more easily. About midnight she began the -usual warfare with him about his going to rest. Indeed, from trouble -of mind and toil he looked not much better than she did. He refused at -first, contending that he had slept in the daytime, and that he was -refreshed, which was not true; but she insisted absolutely. He yielded -all the more that there was a special woman and Pani Bigiel, besides -the doctor, who for a week had slept in their house, and who assured -him now that for the time there was no reason to expect any turn for -the worse. - -But when he went out, he did as he did usually; that is, he sat in an -armchair at the door, and began to listen to what was happening in -the room. In this way the hours of night passed. At the least noise -he sprang up; but when the noise ceased he sat down again and began -to think hurriedly and chaotically, as people do over whom danger is -hanging. But at times his thoughts pressed one another, grew confused -from weariness, forming, as it were, a dense crowd in which he was -wandering without power to know anything. Sleep also tortured him. He -had uncommon strength; but for ten days he knew not how he lived. Only -black coffee and feverishness kept him on his feet. He did not yield -even then, though his head was as heavy as lead and the crowd of his -thoughts changed, as it were, into a black cloud, without a clear spot. -He merely repeated to himself yet that Marynia was sick and he ought -not to fall asleep; but these words had not the least meaning for him -now. - -At last toil, exhaustion, and sleepless nights conquered. A stony -invincible sleep seized him,--a sleep in which there was no dreaming, -in which reality perished, in which the whole world perished, and in -which life itself was benumbed. - -He was only roused toward morning by a knocking at the door. - -"Pan Stanislav!" called the smothered voice of Pani Bigiel. - -He sprang to his feet, and, gaining consciousness that moment, ran out -of that room. With one glance he took in Marynia's bed; and at sight of -the closed curtains his feet tottered under him. - -"What has happened?" whispered he, with whitening lips. - -But Pani Bigiel answered with a voice equally low, panting a trifle,-- - -"You have a son." - -And she put her finger on her lips. - - - - -CHAPTER LXV. - - -There were grievous days yet, and very grievous. Such weakness came on -Marynia that her life began to quiver, like the flame of a taper. Would -it quench, or would it flicker up again? At moments all were convinced -that the flame was just, just dying. Still youth, and the relief -brought by the coming of a child to the world, turned the scale on -the life side. On a certain day the sick woman woke after long sleep, -and seemed healthier. The old doctor in attendance, who witnessed the -improvement, wished to convince himself more clearly that there was -no deception, and asked to call in a physician with whom he had held -counsel earlier. Pan Stanislav went to find him, and drove himself out -of his mind almost while searching the city half a day for him; he did -not dare hope yet that that turn in her sickness and in his misfortune -was decisive. When at last he found the hunted doctor and brought him -to the house, Pani Bigiel received him in the room adjoining the sick -chamber, with moist eyelids, but with a glad face, and said,-- - -"She is better! decidedly better." - -The woman could not say more, for tears flowed from her eyes. Pan -Stanislav grew pale from emotion; but she controlled her delight with -an effort, and said, smiling through her tears,-- - -"She is fighting for food now. A while since she asked to have the -child brought. She asked also why you did not come. But now she is -fighting for food; and how she is fighting! Ah, praise be to God! -Praise be to God!" - -And in her excitement she threw her arms around Pan Stanislav; then he -kissed her hand and did not take it from his mouth for a long time. He -trembled in every limb in the struggle to repress his delight, and also -the groans which had gathered in him through many days of dread and -torture, and which sought to burst forth now in spite of every effort. - -Meanwhile the doctors came to Marynia, and sat rather long at her -bedside. When the consultation was over, and they appeared again, -satisfaction was evident on their faces. After Pan Stanislav's -feverish inquiry, the doctor in regular attendance, an impetuous old -man, with gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, and a golden heart in his -breast, happy himself now, but greatly wearied, said, grumbling,-- - -"How is she? Go and thank God,--that is what!" - -And Pan Stanislav went. Even had he been a man without belief, he would -have gone at that moment, and thanked God with a heart swollen from -tears and thankfulness, for having taken pity on him and let the wave -return in the guise of pain and suffering, and not in the guise of -death. - -Later, when he had calmed himself, he went on tiptoe to his wife's -room, where Pani Bigiel was. Marynia was gazing straight ahead with -gladsome eyes, and at the first glance it was evident that she was much -better really. When she saw him, she said,-- - -"Ah, see, Stas--I am well!" - -"Well, my love," answered Pan Stanislav, quietly. It was not time yet -for outbursts; therefore he sat down in silence near her bed. But after -a while joy and great feeling for her overcame him so far that, bending -down, he embraced with both hands her feet covered with the quilt, and, -putting his face down to them, remained motionless. - -And she, though very weak yet, smiled with satisfaction. She looked -some time at him; then, just like a child which is happy because it is -fondled, she said to Pani Bigiel, pointing with her transparent finger -to that dark head nestled at her feet,-- - -"He loves me!" - -Next day Marynia felt still stronger, and from that moment almost -every hour brought improvement. At last that was not a gradual return -to health, but a bloom, as it were, a sudden return of spring after -winter, which astonished the doctor himself. Pan Stanislav wanted at -moments to shout from the joy which was stifling him, as formerly -sorrow had stifled. They kept Marynia in bed still, through excess -of caution; but when her strength, her bloom, her wish for life, her -humor, had returned, she began to call people to her, and say every -evening that she would rise from her bed on the morrow. In one respect -only the long illness and weakness had brought a change in her manner, -which was to pass, however, with other traces of sickness. This was -it,--she, who had been such a calm and wise woman formerly, had become -for a certain time a kind of spoiled child, who insisted on various -things frequently, and felt a real disappointment if they were refused. -Pan Stanislav, in speaking with her, entered involuntarily into her -tone, hence those "grimaces" were an occasion also of merriment. - -Once she began to complain to him that Pani Bigiel would not give her -red wine. Pani Bigiel explained that she gave as much as the doctor -permitted, and must wait for permission to give more. Pan Stanislav set -about comforting Marynia at once, speaking to her just as he used to -speak formerly to Litka,-- - -"They will give the child wine,--they will give it!--the moment the -doctor comes." - -To which Marynia said, "Red!" - -"But how red must it be!" answered Pan Stanislav; and then both began -to laugh, and Pani Bigiel with them. As some time before, the fear of -death and misfortune had hung over that room, so now it was lighted -with frequent joy, as with sunlight. At times they fell into perfect -humor, and grandfather Plavitski formed part of the company too on -occasions. He, since the advent to the world of his grandson, had grown -full of patriarchal, but kindly importance, which did not drive away -merriment. It was varied, however, for at times a lofty and solemn -manner gained the upper hand in him. On a certain day he brought his -will, and forced all to listen to its paragraphs from beginning to end. -In the touching words of the introduction he took farewell of life, -of his daughter, of Pan Stanislav, and of his grandson, not sparing -directions regarding the education of the latter into a good grandson, -a good son, a good father, and a good citizen; then he made him heir -of all he possessed. And in spite of the fact that since Mashko's -bankruptcy he possessed only as much as Pan Stanislav gave him, still -he was moved by his own munificence and preserved all that evening the -mien of a pelican, which nourishes its young with its own proper blood. - -A person who returns to the world after a grievous illness passes -anew through all the periods of childhood and first youth, with this -difference only,--that that which formerly was counted by years is -counted now by weeks, or even days. So it was with Marynia. Pam Bigiel, -who at first called her "baby," said, in laughing, that gradually -"baby" had changed into a little girl, the little girl into a maiden. -But the maiden began to find her feminine coquetry. Now, when they -combed her hair, she insisted that they should place on her knees a -small mirror, which she had received from her mother; and she looked -into it carefully, to see if Pani Bigiel's promise that "afterward -she would be still more beautiful," was being justified. On the -first occasions the examinations did not satisfy her over-much, but -afterwards more and more. At last she gave command one day to bring -the mirror again, after her hair was dressed; and once more she made a -thorough review of her complexion, her eyes, her mouth, her hair, her -expression,--in a word, of everything which there was to look at. And -the review must have turned out well, for she began to smile, and grow -radiant; at last she turned toward Pan Stanislav's chamber, threatening -with her thin fist, and said, with a very aggressive mien,-- - -"But wait now, Pan Stas!" - -In truth, she had never been so comely. Her complexion, always very -pure, had become still clearer, and more lily-like than it was when Pan -Ignas had lost his head, and rhymed from morning till evening about -it. Besides, the first rosy dawn of health was shining on her cheeks. -From her eyes, from her mouth, from her face, which had grown smaller -after sickness, there shone a species of light, a rebirth into life, -a spring. It was a wonderful head simply, full of bright and clear -colors, and at the same time of delicate outline,--really exquisite, -and, as Pan Ignas had expressed himself once, belonging to the field, -so wonderful that at moments, when it was lying on the pillow, and on -its own dark hair, it was not possible to look at it sufficiently. That -so-called "Pan Stas," who saw everything clearly, and who, according to -the description of Bigiel, "could not move hand or foot from love," did -not need to "wait" at all. Not only did he love her now as a woman and -one dear to him, but he felt for her gratitude beyond bounds because -she had not died, and he showed his gratitude by striving to divine -her thoughts. Marynia had not even imagined at any time that she would -become to such a degree the motive of his life, the sight of his eye, -the soul of his thought and activity. Never had it been disagreeable -to them with each other; but now, with Marynia's return to health, an -unexampled happiness, an unexampled delight, came to their household. - -And young Polanyetski, too, contributed actively. Marynia was not able -to nourish him herself; and her husband, foreseeing this, got a nurse -for his son. Wishing, moreover, to give the sick woman pleasure, he -brought in an old acquaintance of hers in Kremen. She had served once -with the Plavitskis; after their departure she happened in Yalbrykov, -and there a misfortune befell her. It was never known strictly who -the cause was; but if it was possible to reproach any of the greater -proprietors with want of love for the people, it was not possible to -reproach Pan Gantovski, for all Yalbrykov was full of proofs of how -Gantovski loved the people. Even in the negotiations about peasant -privileges of the co-residents of Yalbrykov, among other points raised -was this,--that "the lord heir rides on a white horse, shoots from -pistols, and looks into the girls' eyes;" and if on the one hand -it was not easy to see what particular connection the above habits -of Gantovski had with the agreements about peasant privileges, it -became perfectly clear on the other that, thanks to those habits, Pan -Stanislav found with ease a nurse for his son in Yalbrykov. - -But as that was a youthful, vigorous, and buxom Mazovian, the young man -could only succeed in her care. In general, that little Polanyetski was -a personage who, from the first moment of his arrival in the world, -became more and more a lord in the house, not counting with any one, -nor thinking of anything, save his own wants and pleasures. According -to his method, in moments free from sleep and feasting, he occupied -himself with noise-making, and the development of his little lungs, by -means of a cry which was as piercing as his early age could attain. At -such times he was brought frequently to Marynia. On those occasions -endless sessions began, at which all his physical and mental traits -were investigated minutely, as well as every striking resemblance to -his life-givers. It was asserted that he had the nose of his mother, -the remark of his nurse, that he had a nose like a cat, being rejected -with remarkable unanimity; it was settled, also, that he would have an -immensely interesting smile; that he would be dark, with brown hair; -that he would be tall without fail; that he was very lively, and would -have an astonishing memory. Pani Bigiel, while Marynia was lying in -bed, made, also, on her own account, various discoveries, which she -announced to all in general. Once she rushed into Marynia's room with -delight and haste worthy of every recognition, and said,-- - -"Imagine to thyself, he spread out his little fingers on one hand, and -with the other thou wouldst swear that he was counting. He'll be a -mathematician, beyond doubt." - -And Marynia answered in all seriousness,-- - -"Then he'll take after his father." - -Still she made a discovery earlier, even with reference to date, than -all those of Pani Bigiel,--namely, that he was "a dear little love of -a creature." As to Pan Stanislav, at the first moment he looked at the -new acquaintance with astonishment and a certain distrust. In his time -he had wished greatly to have a daughter, with this reason chiefly, -that, being in make-up of heart a great child-man, he imagined that he -could give all the tenderness in him only to a girl. There was sticking -in him, it is unknown why, an idea that a son would be some kind of a -big lump of a fellow with mustaches almost, speaking in a bass voice, -snorting somewhat like a horse, whom it would not be worth while to -approach with tenderness, for he would hold it in contempt. Only -gradually, after looking at this little figure sleeping on pillows, did -he begin to reach the conviction that not only was that no big "lump of -a boy," but simply a poor little thing, deserving of tenderness, small, -weak, defenceless, needing care and love as much as any little girl in -the world. At last he said to himself, "So he is that kind of boy!" And -thenceforth he became more and more tender toward the little thing; and -after a few days he even tried to carry him to Marynia, which, however, -he did with such an amount of purely superfluous caution, and also -so awkwardly, that he brought to laughter, not only Marynia and Pani -Bigiel, but, with a loss to his own dignity, even the nurse. - -And laughter was heard now in the dwelling of the Polanyetskis from -morning till evening. Both, waking in the morning, woke with that happy -feeling that the day would bring them new delight. Bigiel, who, from -the time that Marynia left her bed, was admitted in the evening with -his violoncello, looking at their life, said once, after a moment of -necessary meditation, "Misfortune may come to good people, as to every -one; but when it is well for them, as God lives, it is better for no -one else." - -And, in truth, life was pleasant for them. Marynia, according to what -she had heard in her time from Pani Bigiel, and what she thought -herself, judged that the cause of this new bloom of love in her husband -was the child, which bound them by new bonds. One day she began even to -speak of this to Pan Stanislav; but he answered with all simplicity,-- - -"No; I give thee my word! I love him in his way; but thee I loved -already fabulously before he came to the world, for thyself, because -thou art as thou art. Look around," said he, "think what is going on in -the world; and to whom can I compare thee?" - -Then, taking her hands, he began to kiss them, not only with immense -love, but also with the greatest respect, and added,-- - -"Thou wilt never know what thou art for me, and how I love thee." - -But, nestling up to him, she asked, with a face bright as the sun in -heaven,-- - -"Indeed, Stas, shall I never know? Try to tell me." - - - - -CHAPTER LXVI. - - -The christening came. Immediately after his arrival in the world, -the young man had been baptized with water by Pani Bigiel, to whom, -impressed by the sickness of the mother, it seemed that the little -one might die any moment. But he had not even thought of that, and -had waited, in the best of health and appetite, for the time of the -solemnity, in which he was to play the leading part. Pan Stanislav -had invited all his acquaintances. Besides people of the house, and -grandfather Plavitski, there were Pani Emilia, who, for that day, had -rallied the remnant of her strength, the Bigiels, with the little -Bigiels, Professor Vaskovski, Svirski, Pan Ignas, and Panna Ratkovski. -Pani Polanyetski, now in health, and happy, looked so enchanting that -Svirski, gazing at her, caught his hair with both hands, and said, with -his usual outspokenness,-- - -"This just passes every understanding! As God lives! a man might lose -his eyes." - -"Well," said Pan Stanislav, puffing with satisfaction, and with that -conceit evident in him that he had always seen that which others saw -only now for the first time. - -But Svirski answered,-- - -"Kneel down, nations! I will say nothing further." - -Marynia was confused at hearing this, but flushed with pleasure, -feeling that Svirski was right. She had, however, to occupy herself -with the guests and the ceremony, and all the more since a certain -disorder had crept in, to begin with. The first couple, Pani Emilia -and Bigiel, were to hold little Stas; the second couple were Panna -Ratkovski and Svirski. Meanwhile, this last man began to create -unexpected difficulties, discovering hindrances, and evading, it -was unknown why. "He would be very glad--he had come from Italy -purposely--of course. That was an arranged affair; but he had never -before held a child at a christening, therefore he didn't know if his -god-child would remain in good health, and especially if he would have -luck with women." At this Pan Stanislav laughed, and called him a -superstitious Italian, but Marynia divined the trouble more quickly. -She took advantage of the moment in which he had pushed back toward -the window to escape, and whispered,-- - -"A gossip[15] of the second couple is no hindrance in this case." - -Svirski raised his eyes to her, then laughed, showing his small sound -teeth, and said on a sudden, turning to Panna Ratkovski,-- - -"It is true, this is only in the second couple; therefore, I will serve -you." - -All surrounded the little Stas, who, in the arms of the nurse, and -dressed in muslin and lace, looked valiant, with his bald spot and -his staring round eyes, in which the external world was reflected as -mechanically as in a mirror. Bigiel took him now in his arms, and the -ceremony began. - -Those present listened with due attention to the solemn sacramental -words, but the young pagan exhibited exceptional hardness of heart. -First he began to kick, so that he half freed himself from Bigiel's -arms; later, when Bigiel, in his name, renounced the devil and his -works, the young man did all in his power to drown the words. It was -only when he saw, all at once, in the midst of his screaming, Bigiel's -spectacles, that he stopped suddenly, as if to let people know that -if there are such astonishing objects in the world, it is a different -thing. - -However, the ceremony ended, and immediately after they gave him into -the hands of the nurse, who put him into a splendid cradle, in the form -of a wagon, the gift of Svirski, and wished to roll him out of the -room. But Svirski, who never in his life, perhaps, had seen so nearly -such a small person, and in whose breast beat a heart long yearning for -fatherhood, stopped the nurse, and, bending down to the cradle, took -the child in his arms. - -"Carefully, carefully!" cried Pan Stanislav, pushing up quickly. - -But the artist turned to him, and said,-- - -"Sir, I have held in my hands the works of Luca della Robbia." - -And, in fact, he lifted the little creature, and began to swing him -with as much dexterity as if he had had care of children all his life. -Then he approached Professor Vaskovski, and asked,-- - -"Well, what does the beloved professor think of his young Aryan?" - -"What?" answered the old man, looking with tenderness at the child; -"naturally, an Aryan, an Aryan of purest water." - -"And a coming missionary," added Pan Stanislav. - -"He will not turn from that in the future; he will not evade, just as -you cannot evade," answered the professor. - -It was not possible, in fact, to prejudge the future; but for -the moment the young Aryan avoided all missions in a manner so -unmistakable, and simply insulting, that it was necessary to give him -to the nurse. The ladies, however, did not cease to smack their lips -at him, and to be charmed with him, until they came to a decisive -conclusion that he was a perfectly exceptional child, that his whole -bearing showed this clearly, and that any one must be without eyes not -to see that that would be the nicest man in the country, and, moreover, -a genius. - -But the "genius" fell asleep at last, as if he had been stunned by the -incense, and meanwhile lunch was served. Marynia, in spite of all her -friendship for the artist, seated Pan Ignas next to Panna Ratkovski. -She wished, as, for that matter, all wished, not excepting even -Svirski, that something should be made clear in their relations, for -Pan Ignas acted strangely. Svirski held that he was not yet entirely -normal. He was healthy; he slept and ate well; he had grown a little -heavier; he spoke with judgment, even more deliberately than had been -his habit,--but there appeared in him a certain infirmity of will, a -certain lack of that initiative for which he had been so distinguished -before. In Italy he grew radiant at remembrance of Panna Ratkovski; -and when he spoke of her his eyes filled with tears at times. On his -return, when some one reminded him that it would be well to make a -visit to Panna Ratkovski, and especially when that one offered to go -with him, he answered, "It is true," and he went with delight. But the -visit made, it seemed as though he did not remember her existence. -At times it was evident that in the depth of his soul something was -troubling him, swallowing all his mental force. Svirski supposed for -a while that it might be the remembrance of Panna Castelli; but he -convinced himself, with a certain astonishment, that it was not, and -at last he began to think that Pan Ignas never mentioned her because -he had lost the feeling that she was real, or that she seemed to him -now an impression so remote, a remembrance so blown apart, that it -could not be brought into a real living whole. He was not melancholy. -On the contrary, one might note at times in him satisfaction with life -and the joy which he experienced, as it were, in this his second birth -in it. Really sad, more and more confined in herself, and increasingly -quiet, was Panna Ratkovski. It may be that, besides a lack of mutual -feeling, other things in Pan Ignas alarmed her; but she did not mention -those alarms to any one. Marynia and Pani Bigiel, judging that the only -cause of her sadness was the conduct of Pan Ignas, showed the most -heartfelt sympathy, and were ready to do anything to help her. Marynia -saw Pan Ignas now for the first time since his return from Italy; but -Pani Bigiel spoke to him daily, praising Panna Ratkovski, reminding -him how much he owed her, and giving him to understand more and more -clearly that it was his duty to pay something of the debt which he owed -her. The honest Svirski, to the detriment of his own hopes, repeated -the same to him; and Pan Ignas agreed to everything, but, as it were, -unwillingly, or without being able to add the final conclusion. He -spoke of his approaching second trip abroad, of plans of still greater -journeys in the future,--in a word, of things which, by their nature, -excluded the co-operation of Panna Ratkovski. - -And now, sitting side by side, they spoke little to each other. Pan -Ignas ate abundantly, and with appetite, even with attention; he -followed with his eyes the new courses which were served first to the -elder guests. Panna Ratkovski, noticing this, looked on him at moments, -as if with painful sympathy. At last this began to vex Marynia; so, -wishing to rouse a conversation between them, she said, bending over -the table,-- - -"You have come so recently from travels, tell me and Steftsia something -of Italy. Hast thou never been there, Steftsia?" - -"I have not," answered Panna Ratkovski; "but not long since I read the -account of a journey--but to read and to see are different." - -And she blushed slightly, for she had betrayed the fact that she had -been reading about Italy just when Pan Ignas was there. - -"Pan Svirski persuaded me to go as far as Sicily," said he, "but it -was hot there at that time; that would be the place to visit at this -season." - -"Ah!" said Marynia, "it is well that I think of it--but my letters? You -asked through Pan Svirski if I wished you to write your impressions, -but afterward I did not receive a single letter." - -Pan Ignas blushed; he was confused, and then in a kind of strange and -uncertain voice, answered,-- - -"No, for I have not been able yet; I will write very much, but later." - -Having heard these words, Svirski approached Marynia after lunch, and -indicating Pan Ignas with his eyes, said,-- - -"Do you know the impression which he makes on me sometimes?--that of a -costly vessel which is cracked." - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [15] With Panna Ratkovski, Svirski wished to avoid spiritual - relationship, a hindrance to marriage. - - - - -CHAPTER LXVII - - -A couple of days after the christening, Svirski visited Pan Stanislav -in the counting-house, to inquire for Marynia's health, and to talk -about various things which lay at his heart. Seeing, however, that he -was late, and that Pan Stanislav was preparing to go, he said,-- - -"Do not stop for me. Let us talk on the street. The light is so sharp -to-day that I cannot work; therefore I will walk to your door with you." - -"In every case I should have been forced to beg your pardon," said Pan -Stanislav. "My Marynia goes out to-day for the first time, and we are -to dine with the Bigiels. She must be dressed by this time, but we have -twenty minutes yet." - -"As she goes out, she is well?" - -"Praise be to God, as well as a bird!" answered Pan Stanislav, with -delight. - -"And the little Aryan?" - -"The little Aryan bears himself stoutly." - -"O happy man, if I had such a toad at home, not to mention such a wife, -I should not know what to do--unless to walk upon house-tops." - -"You will not believe how that boy takes my heart. Every day more, and -in general, in a way that I did not expect, for you must know that I -wanted a daughter." - -"It is not evening yet; the daughter will come. But you are in a hurry; -let us go then." - -Pan Stanislav took his fur coat, and they went to the street. The day -was frosty, clear. Around was heard the hurried sound of sleigh-bells. -Men had their collars over their ears, their mustaches were frosty, and -they threw columns of steam from their mouths. - -"It is a gladsome sort of day," said Pan Stanislav. "I rejoice, for my -Marynia's sake, that it is clear." - -"It is gladsome for you in life; therefore everything seems clear to -you," said Svirski, taking him by the arm. But all at once he dropped -the arm, and stopping the way, said, with an expression as if he wished -to quarrel,-- - -"Do you know that you have the most beautiful woman in Warsaw as wife? -It is I who tell you this--I!" - -And he began to strike his breast with his hand as if to increase -thereby the certainty that it was he and no one else who was speaking -thus. - -"Of course!" answered Pan Stanislav, laughing, "and also the best and -most honest on earth; but let us go on, for it is cold." - -When Svirski took him again by the arm, Pan Stanislav added with some -emotion,-- - -"But what I went through during her sickness, the Lord God alone -knows--Better not mention it--She gave me a surprise simply by her -return to life; but if God grants me to live till spring, I will give a -surprise that will gladden her." - -"There is nothing with which to compare her," answered Svirski. - -Then, halting again, he said, as if in astonishment, "And; as I love -God, so much simplicity at the same time." - -They walked on a while in silence, then Pan Stanislav asked Svirski of -his journey. - -"I shall stay three weeks in Florence," answered the artist. "I have -some work there. Besides, I have grown homesick for the light on San -Miniato and Ginevra, with which, and with Cimabue, I was in love on -a time. Do you remember in Santa Maria Novella, in the chapel of -Rucellai? After a three weeks' stay I shall go to Rome. I wanted to -talk with you about the journey, for this morning Pan Ignas came to me -with the proposition that we should go again together." - -"Ah! and did you agree?" - -"I had not the heart to refuse, though, between ourselves, he is -sometimes a burden. But you know how I loved him, and how I felt for -him, so it is hard for me to say it, but he is burdensome occasionally. -What is to be said in this case? he is changed immensely. At the -christening I told Pani Polanyetski that at times he seems to me like -a costly vessel which is cracked; and that is true. For I saw how he -struggled over those letters, in which he wished to describe Italy for -her. He walked whole hours through the room, rubbed his shot forehead, -sat down, stood up; but the paper remained just as it was, untouched. -God grant him to recover his former power. At present he repeats to -every one that he will write; but he begins to doubt himself, and to -grieve. I know that he grieves." - -"The loss of his power would be a misfortune both for him and Panna -Helena. If you knew how she was concerned to the verge of despair, not -only for his life, but his talent." - -"The loss of that would be a public misfortune; but the person for whom -I am most sorry is Panna Ratkovski. She too begins to doubt whether he -will be what he was, and that tortures her, perhaps, more than other -griefs." - -"Poor girl!" said Pan Stanislav, "and the more so since from all his -plans of travelling one thing is clear, that he does not even think of -her. It is fortunate that Panna Helena secured her independence." - -"I will wait a year," answered Svirski, "and after a year I will -propose a second time. She has taken hold of me, it is not to be -denied! Have you noticed how becoming short hair is to her? She ought -to wear it that way always. I will wait a year," and he was silent; -"but after that I shall consider my hands free. It is not possible -either that in her something will not change in a year, especially -if he gives no sign of life. All this is wonderfully strange. Do you -think that I do not do everything in my power to blow into life some -spark for her? As God is true, a man has never done more against his -own heart than I have. Pani Bigiel too does what she can. But it is -difficult. Again, no one has the right to say to him expressly: marry! -if he does not love her. And this is the more wonderful, since he does -not seem even to think of the other. One Panna Ratkovski is worth more -than a whole grove of such 'Poplars;' but that is another affair! For -me the point is that she should not suppose that I am taking him away -purposely. I have not dissuaded him, for I could not; but, my dear sir, -should there ever be a conversation about our journey, say to her that, -as God lives, I did not persuade Pan Ignas to the journey, and that I -would give more than she supposes to make her happy, even were it at -the cost of an old dog like me." - -"Of course we shall do so." - -"Thank you for that. Before going, I shall be with you again to say -good-by to Pani Polanyetski." - -"Surely in the evening, so that we may sit longer. I think too that you -will return in summer; you and Pan Ignas will spend some time with us." - -"In Buchynek?" - -"In Buchynek or not, that is unknown yet." - -Further conversation was interrupted by the sight of Osnovski, who at -that moment was coming out of a fruit-shop, with a white package in his -hand. - -"See, there is Osnovski!" said Svirski. - -"How changed!" said Pan Stanislav. - -And indeed he was changed immensely. From under his fur cap gazed a -pale face, grown yellow, and, as it were, much older. His fur coat -seemed to hang on him. Seeing his two friends, he was vexed; it was -evident that for a while he hesitated whether or not to go around, -pretending that he did not see them. But the sidewalk was empty, and -they had come so near that he changed his intention, and, coming up, -began to speak with unnatural haste, as if wishing to cover with talk -that of which all three were thinking exclusively. - -"A good day to you, gentlemen! Oh, this is a chance that we meet, for -I am shut up in Prytulov, and come rarely to the city. I have just -bought some grapes, for the doctor orders me to eat grapes. But they -are imported in sawdust, and have the odor of it; I thought they would -be better here. There is frost to-day, indeed. In the country sleighing -is perfect." - -And they walked on together, all feeling awkward. - -"You are going to Egypt, are you not?" inquired Pan Stanislav at last. - -"That is my old plan, and perhaps I shall go. In the country there is -nothing to do in winter; it is tedious to be alone there." - -Here he stopped suddenly, for he saw that he was touching a delicate -subject. And they went on in a silence still more oppressive, feeling -that unspeakable awkwardness which is felt always when, by some tacit -agreement, people talk of things of no interest, while hiding the main -ones, which are painful. Osnovski would have been glad to leave his -two friends; but people accustomed for long years to observe certain -forms pay attention to appearances unconsciously, even in the deepest -misfortune, hence he wanted to find some easy and natural means of -leaving Pan Stanislav and the artist; but not being able to find it, -he merely continued the awkward position. Finally, he began to take -farewell of them in the unexpected and unnatural way of a man who has -lost his head. At the last moment, however, he determined otherwise. -Such a comedy seemed to him unendurable. He had had enough of it. It -flashed into his head that he ought not to make a secret of anything; -that in avoidance of every mention of misfortune there is something -abject. On his face constraint was clear, and suffering; but, halting, -he began to say with a broken voice, losing breath every moment,-- - -"Gentlemen, I beg pardon for detaining you longer. But you know that -I have separated from my wife--I do not see any reason why I should -not speak of it, especially with persons so honorable and so near--I -declare to you, gentlemen, that that was--that that happened so--that -is, that I wished it myself, and that to my wife nothing--" - -But the voice stuck in his throat, and he could not speak further. -Evidently he wanted to take the fault on himself; but on a sudden he -felt all the incredibility, all the extent and desperate emptiness of -a lie like that, which must be a mere sound of words, so that not even -the feeling of any duty, nor any social appearance could justify him. -And, losing his head altogether, he went into the crowd, bearing with -him his grapes and unfathomable misfortune. - -Svirski and Pan Stanislav went on in silence under the impression of -this misfortune. - -"As God is true," said Pan Stanislav at length, "his heart is breaking." - -"For such a man," answered the artist, "there is nothing except to wish -death." - -"And still he has not deserved such a fate." - -"I give you my word," said Svirski, "whenever I think of him, I see -him kissing her hands. He did it so often that I cannot imagine him -otherwise. And what sets me to thinking again is this, that misfortune, -like death, severs the relations of people, or if it does not sever -relations completely, it estranges people. You have not known him long, -but I, for example, lived on intimate terms with him, and now he is to -me somehow farther away, while I am to him more a stranger; there is no -help in this case, and that is so sad." - -"Sad and wonderful--" - -But Svirski stopped on a sudden, and exclaimed,-- - -"Do you know what? May a thunderbolt burn that Pani Osnovski! Panna -Helena said that it was not permitted to despair of a man while he was -living; but as to that one, let a thunderbolt shake her!" - -"There was not in the world, perhaps, a woman more worshipped than -she," said Pan Stanislav. - -"There you have them," answered Svirski, passionately. "Women, taking -them in general--" - -But all at once he struck his glove across his mouth. - -"No!" cried he. "To the devil with my old fault! I have promised myself -not to make any general conclusions about women." - -"I said that he worshipped her," continued Pan Stanislav, "because now -I simply do not understand how he can live without her." - -"But he must." - -Osnovski was forced really to live without his wife, but he was not -able. In Prytulov and in Warsaw, which were full of reminiscences of -her, life soon became for him unendurable; hence a month later he -started on a journey. But, already out of health when he left Warsaw, -he caught cold in an over-heated car, and in Vienna fell so ill that -he had to take to his bed. The cold, which at first was considered -influenza, turned into a violent typhus. After a few days the sick man -lost consciousness, and lay in a hotel at the mercy of strange doctors -and strange people, far from home and his friends. But afterward in the -fever which heated his brain and confused his thoughts it seemed to him -that he saw near his bedside the face dearest in life to him, beloved -at all times, beloved in loneliness, in sickness, and in presence -of death. It seemed to him that he saw it even when he had regained -consciousness, but was so weak that he could not move yet, nor speak, -nor even arrange his own thoughts. - -Later the vision disappeared. But he began to inquire about it from -the Sisters of Charity, who were sent, it was unknown by whom, and who -surrounded him with the most tender care; and he began to yearn beyond -measure. - - - - -CHAPTER LXVIII. - - -After the solemnity of the christening, and after the departure of -Svirski and Pan Ignas, the Polanyetskis began to live again a secluded -and home life, seeing scarcely any one except the Bigiels, Pani -Emilia, and Vaskovski. But it was pleasant for them in that narrow -circle of near friends, and pleasantest of all with themselves. Pan -Stanislav was greatly occupied; he sat long in the counting-house and -outside the counting-house, settling some business of which no one -else knew anything. But, after finishing his work, he hurried home -now with greater haste than when, as betrothed, he flew every day to -the lodgings of the Plavitskis. His old liveliness returned, his old -humor and confidence in life. Soon he made a discovery which seemed -to him wonderful,--namely, that not only did he love his wife with -all his power as his wife and the one dearest to him, but that he was -in love with her as a woman, without alarm or effort, it is true, -without transitions from joy to doubts and despair, but with all the -emotions of sincere feeling, with a whole movement of desire, with a -continually uniform fresh sensitiveness to her feminine charm, and with -an untiring care, which watches, foresees, acts, anticipates, wishes, -and strives continually not to injure happiness, and not to lose it. -"I shall change into an Osnovski," said he, humorously; "but to me -alone is it permitted to be an Osnovski, because my little one will -never become a Pani Aneta." He said "my little one" to her often now, -but there was in that as much respect as petting. He understood, too, -that he never should have loved her so, if she had been other than -she was; that all was the result of her immense, honest will, and of -that sort of wonderful rectitude which issued from her as naturally -as heat from a hearth. Pan Stanislav knew that his mind was the more -active, his thought the more far-reaching, and his knowledge profounder -than her knowledge; still he felt that through her, and through her -alone, all that which was in him had become in some way more finished -and more noble. Through her influence all those principles acquired -by him passed from his head, where they had been a dead theory, to -his heart, where they became active life. He noticed, too, that not -only happiness, but he himself was her work. There was in this even -a little disillusion for him, since he saw, without any doubt, that -had he found some common kind of woman he might have turned out some -common kind of man. At times he wondered even how she could have loved -him; but he called to mind then her expression, "service of God," and -that explained to him everything. For such a woman marriage, too, -was "service of God," as was love also, not by some wild power lying -beyond the will of people, but precisely by an act of honest will, by -serving an oath, by serving God's law, by serving duty. Marynia loved -him because he was her husband. Such was she, and that was the end of -the question! For a long time Pan Stanislav was not able to see that -all that which he worshipped in her was enjoined directly by the first -catechism which one might take up, and that in her training had not -killed the catechism. Perhaps she had not been reared with sufficient -care; but she had been taught that she must serve God, and not use God -to serve herself. - -Pan Stanislav, not understanding well the reasons why she was what she -was, admired her increasingly, honored and loved her. As to her, while -taking things without exaggeration, she did not conceive an excessive -opinion of herself; she understood, however, that life had never been -so pleasant for her as it then was; that she had passed through certain -trials; that during those trials she had acted honorably; that she -had endured the trials with patience; that the Lord God had rewarded -her. And this feeling filled her with peace. Her health came back -completely; she felt, therewith, very pleasant, and very much beloved. -That "Stas," whom formerly she had feared a little, inclined his dark -head frequently to her knees with submissiveness almost; and she -thought with delight that "that man was not at all bending by nature, -and that if he did bend, it was because he loved much." And she just -grew every day. Gratitude rose in her, and she paid him for his love -with her whole heart. - -The young "Aryan" filled his rôle of a ray in the house splendidly. -Sometimes it was, indeed, a ray connected with noise; but when he was -in good-humor, and when, lying in his favorite position, with his legs -raised at right angles, he drew cries of delight from himself, all the -male and female population of the house gathered around his cradle. -Marynia covered his legs, calling him "naughty boy;" but he pulled -off the cover every instant, thinking, evidently, that if a man of -character has determined to kick, he should hold out in his undertaking -bravely. He laughed while he kicked, showing his little toothless gums, -crowing, twittering like a sparrow, cooing like a dove, or mewing -like a cat. On such occasions his nurse and mother talked for whole -hours with him. Professor Vaskovski, who had lost his head over the -boy altogether, maintained with perfect seriousness that that was an -"esoteric speech," which should be phonographed by scientists, for it -might either disclose thoroughly the mystery of astral existence, or, -at least, touch on its main indications. - -In this way the winter months passed in the house of the Polanyetskis. -In January, Pan Stanislav began to make journeys on some business, -and after each return he had long consultations with Bigiel. But from -the middle of January he stayed at home permanently, never going out, -unless to the counting-house, or to take short excursions with Marynia -and Stas in the carriage. The uniformity of their life, or rather the -uniformity of its calmness and happiness, was interrupted only by news -of acquaintances in the city, brought most frequently by Pani Bigiel. -In this way Marynia learned that Panna Ratkovski, who, of late, had -not shown herself anywhere, had established a refuge for children -from the income secured her by Panna Helena, and that Osnovski had -gone really to Egypt, not alone, however, but with his "Anetka," with -whom, after returning to health, he reunited himself. Pan Kresovski, -the former second of Mashko, had seen them in Trieste, and declared to -Pan Stanislav ironically that "the lady had the look of a submissive -penitent." Pan Stanislav, knowing from experience how a person is -crushed in misfortune, and what sincerity there may be in penitence, -replied with perfect seriousness that since her husband had received -Pani Osnovski, no decent man had a right to be more exacting than he -was. - -But later news came from Italy which was more wonderful, and so unheard -of that it became the subject of talk, not only for the Polanyetskis -and the Bigiels, but the whole city,--namely, that the artist Svirski -had asked in Rome for the hand of Panna Castelli, and that they would -be married immediately after Easter. Marynia was so much roused by -this that she persuaded her husband to write to Svirski and ask if it -were true. An answer came in ten days; and when Pan Stanislav entered -his wife's room at last with the letter, holding it by the corner of -the envelope, and with the words, "Letter from Rome!" the serious -Marynia ran up to him, with cheeks red from curiosity, and the two, -standing temple to temple, read as follows:-- - - "Is it true? No, dear friends, it is not true! But that you should - understand why that could not take place, and can never take - place, I must speak to you of Pan Ignas. He came here three days - since. First I persuaded him to remain in Florence, then to glance - at Sienna, Parma, and especially Ravenna. Thence I send him to - Athens, and to-morrow he will go by way of Brindisi. Meanwhile - he sat with me from morning till evening. I saw that something - was troubling the man, and wishing to turn direct conversation - to things which concerned him more closely, I asked yesterday - carelessly if he had not in his portfolio a half a dozen sonnets - on Ravenna. And do you know what took place? At first he grew - pale, and answered, 'Not yet,' but added that he would begin to - write soon; then he threw his hat on the floor suddenly, and began - to sob like a child. Never have I seen an outburst of similar - suffering. He just wrung his hands, saying that he had murdered - his talent; that there was nothing more left in him; that never - would he have power to write another line; that he would prefer a - hundred times that Panna Helena had not saved him. You see what - is happening within him; while people will say, surely, that he - does not write because he has money. And this, beyond doubt, will - remain so. They have killed the poor man, murdered soul and talent - in him, put out the strong fire from which light and warmth might - have come to people. And that, see you, I could not forget. God be - with Panna Castelli! but it was not right for her to pluck such - feathers to make for herself a fan, which she threw out of the - window soon after. No! I could not forget this! Never mind what - I said in Warsaw, that now she must find a Prince Crapulescu, - since no one else will take her; for, besides that kind, there - are blind men in the world also,--plenty of them. As to me, I am - neither Prince Crapulescu, nor blind. It is permitted to forgive - wrongs done to one's self, but not those done to others; for that - would be too easy. And this is all that I can tell you touching - this matter, for you yourselves know the rest. I am waiting out - the year; then I shall repeat my prayer to Panna Ratkovski. If - she wants me, or rejects me, may God bless her in every case; but - still that is my unchangeable decision." - -"Indeed!" interrupted Marynia; "but whence did such news come?" - -But in the continuation of the letter Svirski gave an exact answer. - - "All this gossip" (wrote he), "may have arisen from this that I - have seen those ladies rather often. You remember that, during my - former stay in Rome, Pani Bronich wrote to me first, and I was - with them. Panna Castelli, instead of seeking evasions, blamed - herself. I confess that that affected me. Let people say what they - like, still in an open confession of fault there is a certain - awakening of honesty, a certain courage, a certain turn, a groan - of sorrow, which, if it does not redeem the offence, may redeem - the soul. And believe me that in this which I say there is more - than my heart of butter. Think, also, that in truth it is evil for - them. Are the times few in which I have seen the hesitation with - which they approach people, and how they are received by persons - who have the courage of their principles? So much bitterness has - gathered in these two women, that, as Vaskovski said with truth - once, they are beginning to be embittered against themselves. That - is a terrible position, in which one belongs, as it were, to the - world, and carries the burden of a notable scandal. God be with - them! Much might be written of this; but I remember always what - Panna Helena said,--that one must not despair of a man while he - lives. That unfortunate Lineta has changed from grief; she has - grown thin and ugly, and I am very sorry for her. I am sorry even - for Pani Bronich, who, it is true, bores holes in people's ears - with her lies; but she does it out of attachment to that girl. - Still, as I have said, it is permitted only to forgive wrongs - done ourselves; but a man would be a kind of gorilla, and not a - Christian, if he did not feel a little pity over the misfortunes - of people. Whether I shall have the heart to go to them again - after having seen the despair of Ignas, I know not. I am not - sorry, however, that I was there. People will talk; they will - stop talking; and after a year or so, if God grant me and that - dear maiden to wait it out, they will see that they are talking - nonsense." - -The letter finished with a reference to the Osnovskis, of whose reunion -Svirski knew; he had heard, even, various details which were unknown to -Pan Stanislav. - - "To think" (wrote he) "that God is more powerful than the - perversity of man, and also is fabulously merciful, and that - sometimes He permits misfortune to beat a man on the head as - with a hammer, so as to knock some spark of honesty out of him. - I believe now even in the rebirth of such as Pani Aneta. Maybe - it is naďve in me, but at times I admit that there are no people - in the world who are completely bad. See, something quivered in - Pani Aneta even; she nursed him in his sickness. Oi, those women! - Everything is so turned around in my head that soon I shall not - have an opinion, not merely about them, but about anything." - -Further on were questions about Stas, and heartfelt words for his -life-givers, and finally a promise to return in the first days of -spring. - - - - -CHAPTER LXIX. - - -But spring was coming really, and, besides, it was as warm as it was -early. Pan Stanislav, at the end of March and the beginning of April, -began again to make journeys, and sometimes to spend a number of days -away from home. He and Bigiel were so busied that often they remained -in the counting-house till late in the evening. Pani Bigiel supposed -that they must be undertaking something large; but it astonished her -that her husband, who always spoke with her about his business, and -almost thought aloud in her presence, and even frequently took counsel -with her, was as silent now as if spell-bound. Marynia noticed also -that "Stas" had his head filled with something in an unusual manner. He -was more tender toward her than ever; but it seemed to her that in that -tenderness of his, as well as in every conversation and every petting, -there was some third thing, another thought, which occupied him so -thoroughly that lie could not keep away from it even a moment. And this -state of distraction increased daily till the beginning of May, when it -passed into something feverish. Marynia began to hesitate whether to -ask or not, what the matter was. She was a little afraid to intrude; -but for her it was important also that he should not think that his -affairs concerned her too little. In this uncertainty, she determined -to wait for a favorable moment, hoping that he himself would begin to -touch on his business, even remotely. - -In fact, it seemed to her, on a certain day soon after, that -the opportune moment had come. Pan Stanislav returned from the -counting-house earlier than usual, and with a face in some way -wonderfully radiant, though serious, so that, looking him in the eyes, -she asked, almost mechanically,-- - -"Something favorable must have happened, Stas?" - -He sat near hers and instead of answering directly, began to talk with -a voice which was strange in some sort,-- - -"See how calm and warm. The windows might be opened now. Dost thou know -what I've been thinking of these last days? That for thy health and -Stas's we ought to go soon from the city." - -"But is not Buchynek rented?" asked Marynia. - -"Buchynek is sold," answered he. Then, taking both her hands and -looking into her eyes with immense affection, he said,-- - -"Listen, my dear, I have something to tell thee, and something which -ought to please thee; but promise not to be excited too much." - -"Well, what is it, Stas?" - -"Seest thou, my little one? Mashko fled to foreign parts; for he had -more debts than property. His creditors threw themselves on everything -which was left after him, so as to recover even something. Everything -went into liquidation. Magyerovka has been parcelled, and is lost; but -Kremen, Skoki, and Suhotsin could be saved. Do not grow excited, my -love; I have bought them for thee." - -Marynia looked at him some time, blinking, and as if not believing her -ears. But no! He was so moved himself that he could not jest. Her eyes -were darkened with tears, and all at once she threw both arms around -his neck. - -"Stas!" - -And at that moment she could not find other words; but in this one -exclamation there were thanks and great love, and a woman's homage for -the efficiency of that man who had been able to do everything. Pan -Stanislav understood this; and in the feeling of that immense happiness -which he had not known hitherto, he began to speak, holding her still -at his breast,-- - -"I knew that this would comfort thee, and God knows there is no greater -pleasure for me than thy delight. I remembered that thou wert sorry for -Kremen, that that was an injustice to thee, and that it was possible -to correct it; therefore I corrected it. But that is nothing! If I had -bought ten such Kremens for thee, I should not have repaid thee for the -good which thou hast done me, and still I should not be worthy of thee." - -And he spoke sincerely; but Marynia removed her head from his shoulder, -and, raising on him her eyes, which were at once moist and bright, -said,-- - -"It is I, Stas, that am not worthy of thee; and I did not even hope to -be so happy." - -Then they began to dispute who was the more worthy; but in that dispute -there were frequent intervals of silence, for Marynia, every moment -embracing him, pushed up to him her mouth, beautiful, though a little -too wide, and kissed him; and then he kissed in turn her eyes and her -hands. For a long time yet she wanted now to cry, now to laugh from -delight; for really her happiness surpassed everything which she had -ever hoped for. Her mother had written once, with a weakening hand, -"One should not marry to be happy, but to fulfil the duties which God -imposes; happiness is only an addition and a gift of God." Meanwhile -this addition was now too great to find place in her heart. There had -been trials, there had been moments of grief to her, and even of doubt; -but all had passed, and at last that "Stas" not only loved her as the -sight of his eye, but he had done more than he had ever promised. - -And at that moment, while walking with long strides through the room, -still excited, but pleased with himself, and with an expression of -complete boastfulness on his dark, challenging face, he said,-- - -"Well, Marys[16]! Now for the first time will work begin, will it not? -For I haven't the least idea of country life and that will be thy -affair. But I think that I shall not be the worst of managers. We shall -both work, for that Kremen is a big undertaking." - -"My golden Stas," answered she, clasping her hands, "I know that thou -hast done that for me; but will it not injure thee in business?" - -"In business? It is thy idea, perhaps, that I let myself be stripped. -Not at all! I bought cheaply, very cheaply. Bigiel, who is afraid of -everything, still confesses that that is a good purchase; besides, I -remain in company with him for the future. But only be not afraid of -Kremen, Marys, or the old troubles. There will be something to work -with; and I tell thee sincerely that if to-day all Kremen were to sink -in the earth, we should have enough to support us, together with Stas." - -"I," said Marynia, looking at him more or less as she would on -Napoleon, or some other conqueror of similar size, "am certain that -thou wilt do all that thou wishest, but I know that it was only for me -that Kremen was bought." - -"And I hope that I bought it, too, because thy mother is lying there, -because I love thee, and because thou lovest Kremen," answered Pan -Stanislav. "But in thy way thou hast brought me back to the soil. -I recall thy words in Venice when Mashko wanted to sell Kremen to -Bukatski. Thou hast no idea of how I am under thy influence. Sometimes -thou wilt say a thing, and I for the moment make no answer; still it -remains in me, and later it is heard unexpectedly. So it was in this -business. It seems strange to me now for a man to dwell on this planet, -to have some wealth, as it were, and not have three square ells of -this earth, concerning which he might say 'mine.' Then the question -was settled. Then came the purchase. Perhaps thou hast noticed that -for some months I have been buzzing about like a fly in a caldron. I -did not wish to speak to thee till all was finished; I preferred a -surprise. And thou hast it! This is because thou hast recovered, and -art so beloved." - -Here he seized her hands, and began to press them again to his mouth -and his forehead. She wanted to kiss his hands, too, but he would not -permit that; and at last they began to run after each other, like -children, through the room, speaking to each other words which were -kindly, and bright as sunbeams. Marynia wanted so much to go straight -to Kremen, and to such a degree was she unable to think of aught else, -that at last he threatened to grow jealous of Kremen, and to sell it. - -"Oi! thou wilt not sell," said she, shaking her head. - -"Why not?" - -"Because," said she, taking his ear, and whispering into it, "thou -lovest me." - -And he began to nod in sign that that was true. But they agreed, to the -great delight of Marynia, to go with their whole household to Kremen at -the end of the week,--a thing perfectly possible, for Pan Stanislav had -made the house ready for the coming of the "heiress." He assured her, -too, that almost nothing had changed, and he had tried only that the -rooms should not seem too empty; then he began to laugh suddenly, and -said, "I am curious to know what papa will say to this." - -The conjectural astonishment of "papa" was a new cause of delight to -Marynia. For that matter, there was no need to wait long for Plavitski, -since he came to dinner half an hour later. He had barely showed -himself when Marynia, throwing herself on his shoulder, told with one -breath the happy news; he was really astonished, and even moved. -Perhaps he felt the happiness of his daughter; perhaps there was roused -in him an attachment for that corner, in which he had lived so many -years; it is enough that his eyes grew moist. First he mentioned his -sweat, with which that soil was soaked; then he began to say something -of the "old man," and of his "refuge in the country;" at last, pressing -Pan Stanislav's head between his palms, he said,-- - -"God grant thee luck to manage as well as I have managed, and be -assured that I shall not refuse thee either my assistance or my -counsels." - -In the evening, at the Bigiels', Marynia, still intoxicated with her -happiness, said to Pani Bigiel,-- - -"Well, now, tell me, how could I help loving a man like that?" - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [16] Pronounced Márees, a diminutive of Marynia. - - - - -CHAPTER LXX. - - -Next morning after the arrival of the Polanyetskis in Kremen, it was -Sunday. Pan Stanislav himself rose late, for they had come at one -o'clock the night previous. In Kremen the servants had been waiting -with bread and salt for them. Marynia, laughing and weeping in turn, -examined every corner in the house, and after that was unable to fall -asleep, from emotion, till almost daylight. For all these reasons -Pan Stanislav did not permit her to rise; but since she wanted to -go to Mass at Vantory rather early, so as to pray at the church for -her mother, he promised to have the carriage ready, and let her know -when it was time. Immediately after breakfast he went out to look at -his new inheritance. It was the second half of May, and the day was -exceptionally beautiful. Rain had fallen in the night, and the sun -was shining on little pools in the yard; and on the buildings it was -reflected in diamond brightness in raindrops hanging on the leaves, -and it made the wet roofs of the barns, cow-houses, and sheep-houses -gleam. In that glitter, and in the bright May green of the trees, -Kremen seemed altogether charming. Around the buildings there was -hardly any movement, for it was Sunday; but at the stable were busied -some men, who had to drive to church. This silence and sleepiness -struck Pan Stanislav strangely. Having intended for some time to buy -Kremen, he had been there repeatedly, and knew that it was a neglected -property. Mashko had begun, it is true, to build a granary, which was -covered with a red roof, but he had not finished it. He had never lived -in the place himself, and toward the end could not expend anything -on the property, hence neglect was visible at every step. But never -had it seemed to Pan Stanislav neglected so absolutely as now, when -he was able to say to himself, "This is mine." The buildings were -somehow leaning; the walls in them not very solid; the fences were -inclining and broken; under the walls were lying fragments of various -broken agricultural implements. Everywhere the earth seemed desirous -of drawing into itself that which was on its surface; everywhere was -seen a kind of passive abandonment of things to themselves; everywhere -carelessness was visible. Of agriculture Pan Stanislav knew only -this, that there was need to be careful in expenses; for the rest, he -had not the least conception of it, save some general information, -which had struck his ears in childhood. But, looking at his kingdom, -he divined that cultivation of its fields must coincide exactly with -that carelessness which he saw around; he had a clear feeling that if -anything was done there it was rather from custom, from routine, as it -were, and because of this alone, that some such thing had been done -ten, twenty, a hundred years earlier. That exertion, that untiring, -watchful energy, which is the basis of commerce, of industry, and of -city industry in general,--of that there was not a trace. "If I brought -nothing more than that to this torpor," said Pan Stanislav, "it would -be very much, for there is an absolute lack of energy. Besides, I have -money, and at least this much knowledge,--that I know to begin with -that I know nothing, and second, I know that I must learn and inquire." -He remembered, besides, from his Belgian times, that even abroad, even -there in Belgium, the spirit of man and the exertion of will meant -more than the most powerful machines. And in this regard he counted on -himself, and he was able to count. He felt that he was a persistent -and active man. Everything taken in hand by him hitherto had to move, -whether it would or not. He felt, besides, that in business he had a -head that was not fantastic, but one reckoning accurately; and, thanks -to this feeling, not only did he not lose confidence at sight of the -neglect which he saw before him, but he found in it something like a -spur. That torpor, that neglect, that inertia, that sleepiness, seemed -to challenge him; and, casting his eyes around, he said to them almost -with pleasure, "That's all right; we'll have a trial!" And he was even -in a hurry for the trial. - -These first reviews and thoughts did not spoil his humor, but took much -time. Looking at his watch, he saw that if he wished to be in Vantory -for Mass, it was time to start at once; giving the order, then, to -attach the horses, he returned hastily to the house, and knocked at -Marynia's door. - -"Lady heiress!" called he, "the service of God!" - -"Yes, yes!" answered the gladsome voice of Marynia through the door, "I -am ready." - -Pan Stanislav went in, and saw her in a light summer robe, like that -in which he saw her at his first visit in Kremen. She had dressed thus -purposely; and he, to her great delight, understood her intention, for -he exclaimed, stretching out his hands to her,-- - -"Panna Plavitski!" - -And she, as if embarrassed, put her nose up to his face, and pointed to -the cradle, in which Stas was sleeping. - -Then they drove to the church with Papa Plavitski. It was a spring -day, bright, full of warm breezes and gladness. In the groves the -cuckoos were calling, and on the fields striding storks were visible. -Along the road hoopoos and magpies flew from tree to tree before the -carriage. From time to time a breeze sprang up and flew over the green -fleeces, as over waves, bending the blades of grass, and forming -quivering shades on the green of the fields. Around about was the odor -of the soil, of grass, of spring. He and she were seized by a swarm of -reminiscences. In her was called forth, though a little blunted by life -in the city, that love of hers for land, and the country, the forest -and green fields, the fruits in the fields, the pastures narrowing -in the distance, the broad expanses of air, and that extent of the -sky which is far greater than in cities. All this filled her with a -half-conscious feeling which verged on the intoxication of delight. -And Pan Stanislav remembered how once, in the same way, he had ridden -to church with Pan Plavitski, and how, in like manner, the hoopoos and -magpies flew from tree to tree before him. But now he felt at his side -that rosy woman, whom he had seen then for the first time,--that former -Panna Plavitski. In one word, he made present in his mind all that had -taken place between them: the first acquaintance, and that charm with -which she possessed him; their later disagreement; that strange part -which Litka played in their lives; their marriage, later life, and -the hesitations of happiness; the changes which, under the influence -of that clear spirit, took place in him, and the present clearing up -of life. He had also a blissful feeling that the evil had passed; -that he had found more than he had dreamed of; that at present, it is -true, misfortunes of every kind might come on him; but with reference -to relations with her, his life had become clear once for all, and -very honorable, almost equally the same as "the service of God," and -as much more sunny than the past as that horizon which surrounded -them was sunnier than that of the city. At this thought, happiness -and affection for her overflowed his heart. Arriving at Vantory, he -repeated "eternal repose" for the soul of that mother to whom he was -thankful for such a wife, with no less devotion than Marynia herself. -It seemed to him that he loved that dust, buried under the church, with -the same filial affection as the dust of his own mother. - -But now the bell sounded for Mass. In the church again old memories -thronged into his mind. Everything around him was known somehow, so -that at moments he felt the illusion that he had been there yesterday. -The nave of the church was filled with the same gray crowd of peasants, -and the odor of sweet flag; the same priest was celebrating Mass at the -altar: the same birch branches, moved by the breeze, were striking the -window from the outside; and Pan Stanislav thought again, as before, -that everything passes, life passes, pains pass, hopes, impulses, -pass, directions of thought and whole systems of philosophy pass, -but Mass, as of old, is celebrated, as if in it alone were eternal -indestructibility. Marynia alone was a new form in the old picture. Pan -Stanislav, looking at moments on her calm face, and her eyes raised to -the altar, divined that she was praying with her whole soul for their -future life in the country; hence he accommodated himself to her, and -prayed with her. - -But after Mass, on the church square, neighbors surrounded them, old -acquaintances of Pan Plavitski and Marynia. Plavitski, however, looked -around in vain for Pani Yamish; she had been in the city for a number -of days. Councillor Yamish was cured completely from catarrh of the -stomach; and therefore well, and made young, at the sight of Marynia he -fell into genuine enthusiasm. - -"Here is my pupil!" cried he, kissing her hand, "the house mistress! my -golden Marynia! Aha! the birds have come back to the old nest. But how -beautiful she is always, as God is true,--a young lady, just a young -damsel to look at, though I know that there is a son in the house." - -Marynia was blushing from delight; but at that moment the Zazimskis -approached, with their six children, and with them also Pan Gantovski, -called commonly "Little Bear," the former unsuccessful rival for -Marynia, and the incomplete slayer of Mashko. Gantovski approached -awkwardly and with some confusion, as if dazzled by Marynia's beauty, -and seized with sorrow for the happiness which had missed him. In -fact, Marynia greeted him with comic awkwardness; but Pan Stanislav -stretched his hand to him in friendliness, with the magnanimity of a -conqueror, and said,-- - -"Oh, I find here acquaintances even from years of childhood. How are -you?" - -"In the old fashion," answered Gantovski. - -But Pan Yamish, who was in excellent humor, said, looking teasingly at -the young man,-- - -"He has his cares in regulating peasant privileges." - -Gantovski grew still more confused, for the whole neighborhood was -talking of those troubles. For some years the poor fellow had been -barely able to live in that Yalbrykov of his. The regulation of peasant -privileges and the selling of timber might have brought him to the open -road at length, when in opposition to all the conditions, which more -than once had been near settlement, there rose the eternal unchangeable -reproach on the part of his Yalbrykov neighbors that "the lord heir -rides on a white horse, fires from pistols, and looks into the girls' -eyes." - -Gantovski, though accustomed from years of youth to various country -troubles, lost at times his patience and cried out in genuine despair,-- - -"Well, dog blood! what has one to do with the other? May the brightest -thunderbolts shake every one of you!" - -But after such a convincing dictum, the Yalbrykov peasant -representatives assembled as usual a new mature council, and, after a -careful consideration of everything, _for_ and _against_, announced -again, while scratching the backs of their heads, that all would be -right, but that "the lord heir rides on a white horse, fires from -pistols, and looks at the girls." - -Meanwhile Marynia, who had as much attachment for Pan Yamish as if -he had been one of the family, when she heard that he was a straw -widower, invited him to dinner. But beyond expectation Plavitski, -angry because he had not found Pani Yamish in Vantory, and mindful -of his Sunday whist parties with "Gantos," invited Gantovski too, in -consequence of which the Polanyetskis drove ahead very hurriedly, so -that Marynia might have time to make needful arrangements. Behind them -came Plavitski and the councillor; Gantovski dragged on in the rear in -his brichka drawn by a lean Yalbrykov nag. - -Along the road Plavitski said to Councillor Yamish,-- - -"I cannot tell you. My daughter is happy. He is a good man and an -energetic piece, but--" - -"But what?" asked Pan Yamish. - -"But flighty. Thou hast in mind, neighbor, that he pressed me so hard -for some wretched twelve thousand rubles that I was forced to sell -Kremen. And what then? Then he bought back that same Kremen. If he had -not squeezed me, he would not have had to buy Kremen, for he would have -had it for nothing with Marynia after my death. He is a good-natured -man, but here" (and while he was saying this, Plavitski tapped his -forehead with his finger) "there is something lacking! What is true, is -not a sin." - -"Hm!" answered Yamish, who did not wish to cause bitterness to -Plavitski by the remark that if Kremen had remained longer in _his_ -hands nothing would have been left of it. - -Plavitski sighed, and said,-- - -"But for me in my old age new toil, for now everything must go by my -head." - -With difficulty did Pan Yamish restrain himself from shouting, "May -God forbid!" but he knew Pan Stanislav well enough to know that there -was no danger. Plavitski did not believe much in what he himself said; -he was a little afraid of his son-in-law, and he knew well that now -everything would go by another head. - -Thus conversing, they drove up to the porch. Marynia, who had arranged -everything already for the dinner, received them with Stas in her arms. - -"I wanted to present my son to you before we sat down to table," said -she; "a big son! a tremendous boy! a nice son!" - -And in time to these words she began to sway him toward Pan Yamish. -Pan Yamish touched Stas's face with his fingers, whereupon the "nice -son" first made a grimace, then smiled, and all at once gave out a -sound which might have a certain exceptionally important meaning for -investigators of "esoteric speech;" but for an ordinary ear it recalled -wonderfully the cry of a magpie or a parrot. - -Meanwhile Gantovski came, and having hung up his overcoat on a peg -in the entrance, he was looking in it for a handkerchief, when, by a -strange chance, Rozulka, young Stas's nurse, found herself also in -the entrance, and approaching Gantovski, embraced his knees, and then -kissed his hands. - -"Oh! how art thou, how art thou? What wilt thou say?" asked the heir of -Yalbrykov. - -"Nothing! I only wished to make obeisance," said Rozulka, submissively. - -Gantovski bent a little to one side, and began to search for something -with his fingers in his breast pocket; but evidently she had come only -to bow to the heir, for, without waiting for a gift, she kissed his -hand again, and walked away quietly to the nursery. - -Gantovski went with a heavy face to the rest of the company, muttering -to himself in bass,-- - -"Um-dree-dree! Um-dree-dree! Um-dramta-ta!" - -Then all sat down at the table, and a conversation began about the -return of the Polanyetskis to the country. Pan Yamish, who, of himself, -was an intelligent man, and, as a councillor, must be wise by virtue of -his office, and eloquent, turned to Pan Stanislav, and said,-- - -"You come to the country without a knowledge of agriculture, but with -that which is lacking mainly to the bulk of our country residents,--a -knowledge of administration, and capital. Hence, I trust, and I am -sure, that you will not come out badly in Kremen. Your return is for -me a great joy, not only with reference to you and my beloved pupil, -but because it is also a proof of what I say always, and assert, that -the majority of us old people must leave the land; but our sons, and -if not our sons, our grandsons, will come back; and will come back -stronger, better trained in the struggle of life, with calculation in -their heads, and with the traditions of work. Do you remember what I -told you once,--that land attracts, and that it is genuine wealth? You -contradicted me, then, but to-day--see, you are the owner of Kremen." - -"That was through her, and for her," answered Pan Stanislav, pointing -to his wife. - -"Through her, and for her," repeated the councillor; "and do you think -that in my theory there is no place for women, and that I do not know -their value? They divine with heart and conscience where there is real -obligation, and with their hearts they urge on to it. But land is a -real obligation, as well as real wealth." - -Here Pan Yamish, who, in the image and likeness of many councillors, -had this weakness, that he was fond of listening to himself, closed his -eyes, so as to listen still better, and continued,-- - -"Yes, you have returned through your wife! Yes, that is her merit; and -God grant us that such women be born more frequently! But in your way -you have all come out of the soil, and therefore soil attracts you. -We ought to have the plough on our escutcheons, all of us. And I tell -you more, not only did Pan Stanislav Polanyetski return, not only did -Pani Marynia Polanyetski return, but the family of the Polanyetskis -returned, for in it was awakened the instinct of whole generations, who -grew out of the soil, and whose dust is enriching it." - -When he had said this, Pan Yamish rose, and taking a goblet, -exclaimed,-- - -"In the hands of Pani Polanyetski, the health of the family of the -Polanyetskis!" - -"To the health of the family of the Polanyetskis!" cried Gantovski, -who, having a feeling heart, was ready to forgive the family of the -Polanyetskis all the sufferings of heart through which he had passed by -reason of them. - -And all went with their glasses to Pani Marynia, who thanked them with -emotion; but to Pan Stanislav, who approached her, she whispered,-- - -"Ai, Stas, how happy I am!" - -But when all in the company found themselves again at their places, -Papa Plavitski added, on his part,-- - -"Keep the soil to the very last! that is what I have been advocating -all my life." - -"That is certain!" confirmed Gantovski. - -But in his soul he thought, "If it were not for those dog blood -troubles!" - -And at that very time, in the nursery, Rozulka was singing little Stas -to sleep with the sad village song,-- - - "Those ill-fated chambers. - Oi, thou my Yasenku!" - -After dinner, the guests were making ready to separate; but Plavitski -kept them for a "little party," so that they went away only when the -sun was near setting. Then the Polanyetskis, having amused themselves -first with little Stas, went out on the porch, and further, to the -garden, for the evening was calm and clear. Everything reminded them -of that first Sunday which they had spent there together; it seemed to -them like some wonderful and pleasant dream, and reminiscences of that -kind were there without number at every step. The sun was going down -in the same way, large and shining; the trees stood motionless in the -stillness of evening, reddening at the tops from the evening light; -on the other side of the house the storks were chattering in the same -way on their nests; there was the same mood of all things around them, -cherishing and vesperal. They began to walk about, to pass through all -the alleys, go to the fences, look at the fields, which lost themselves -in the distance, at the narrow strips of woods barring the horizon, and -to say quiet things to each other, and also as quietly as that evening -was quiet. All this which surrounded them was to be their world. Both -felt that that village was taking them into itself; that some relation -was beginning to weave itself between them and it; that henceforth -their life must flow there, not elsewhere,--laborers, devoted to the -"service of God" in the field. - -When the sun had gone down, they returned to the porch; but, as -on that first occasion, so now they remained on it, waiting for -perfect darkness. But formerly Marynia had kept at a distance from -Pan Stanislav; now she nestled up to his side, and said, after some -silence,-- - -"It will be pleasant for us here with each other, Stas, will it not?" - -And he embraced her firmly, so as to feel her at his very heart, and -said,-- - -"My beloved, my greatly beloved!" - -Then from beyond the alder-trees, which were wrapped in haze, rose the -ruddy moon; and the frogs in the ponds, having learned, evidently, that -the lady had returned, she whom they had seen so often at the shore, -called in the midst of the evening silence, in one great chorus,-- - -"Glad! glad!" - - -THE END. - - -Transcriber's Note - -Page numbers given in these notes refer those of the printed source. - -Certain compound words appear with and without hyphens. Should the -sole use of a hyphen appear at a line break in the original, the -most common form is followed, or modern usage applied if no other -instances exist. - -The list below describes the various textual issues encountered, -most of them likely printer's errors, and their resolution. The printer -seems to have particular trouble with the Polish proper names and -honorifics. Where there were inconsistent or apparently incorrect -usages, a Polish language text was used to confirm the correct forms. - -This text is organized as three books. The translator for our edition -eliminated the books and re-numbered the chapters consecutively. - -In Chapter LXIV, the first name of Mashko's wife appears once as both -'Terenia' (p. 624) and 'Teresia' (p. 626). 'Terenia' is to be the -correct spelling. - -p. 57 I never go out of the city in summer.["] Added. - -p. 82 and be at rest as to Mashko.['/"] Corrected. - -p. 119 and from the offence given by him[.] Added. - -p. 140 answered Pani Emilia[,] Added. - -p. 153 in whom irritation against Mashko [has] _sic._ - been gathering - -p. 233 Pan Mashko is a practical man[.] Added. - -p. 258 and kiss her feet[.] Added. - -p. 304 Bukat[ks/sk]i was then in a fit Transposed. - -p. 357 But, my Ane[kt/tk]a Transposed. - -p. 387 Pann[i/a] Castelli Corrected. - -p. 408 Sche[w/v]eningen Changed to match - all other instances. - -p. 411 had shown himse[l]f Added. - -p. 422 looked at her with a[s]tonishment Added. - -p. 429 those formulas sati[s]fied Pani Mashko Added. - -p. 451 those "who were kind" to Prytulov[.] Added. - -p. 462 down at his side, said,[--] Added. - - but at the same [time?] exceptionally _sic._ - -p. 523 Osno[sv/vs]ki, knowing nothing Transposed. - -p. 524 spite against Steftsia Ratkov[ks/sk]i Transposed. - -p. 525 ["]Koposio laughs at her Added. - -p. 528 ["]They have not returned yet; Added. - -p. 604 "What does Kresov[s]ki say?" Added. - -p. 626 Tere[s/n]ia Corrected. - - - - - - - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Children of the Soil, by Henryk Sienkiewicz - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHILDREN OF THE SOIL *** - -***** This file should be named 44939-8.txt or 44939-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/9/3/44939/ - -Produced by KD Weeks, Charlene Taylor, Bryan Ness and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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