The surprising horror had reduced everyone to soberness: all tipsiness, all winy drowsiness, had pa.s.sed away.
"Lorand, Lorand," sobbed mother, pressing him frantically to her breast, while grandmother, unable to speak or to weep, clutched his hand.
"Oh Lorand, dear...."
But Lorand grasped the two ladies" hands and led them towards me.
"It is him you must embrace, not me: his is the triumph."
Then he caught sight of that sweet angel bowed upon my shoulder, who was still holding my hand in hers: he recollected those words with which f.a.n.n.y a moment before had betrayed our secret. "This hand is mine"--and he smiled at me.
"Is that the way matters stand? Then you have your reward in your hands, ... and you can leave these two weeping women to me."
Therewith he threw himself on his face upon the floor before them, and embracing their feet kissed the dust beneath them.
"Oh, my darlings! My loved ones."
CHAPTER XXI
THAT LETTER
What those who had so long waited, spoke and thought during that night cannot be written down. These are sacred matters, not to be exposed to the public gaze.
Lorand confessed all, and was pardoned for all.
And he was as happy in that pardon as a child who had been again received into favor.
Lorand indeed felt as if he were beginning his life now at the point where ten years before it had been interrupted, and as if all that happened during ten years had been merely a dream, of which only the heavy beard of manhood remained.
It was very late in the morning when he and Desiderius woke. Sleep had proved very pleasant for once.
Sleep--and in place of death too.
"Well old fellow," said Lorand to his brother, "I owe you one more adventurous joke, with which I wish to surprise you."
The threat was uttered so good-humoredly that Desiderius had no cause to be frightened, but he said quietly: "Tell me what it is."
Lorand laughed.
"I shall not go home with you now."
"Well, and what shall you do?" inquired Desiderius quite as astonished as Lorand had expected.
"I shall escape from you," he said, shaking his head good-humoredly.
"Ah, that is an audacious enterprise! But tell me, where are you going to escape to?"
"Ha, ha! I shall not merely tell you where I am going, but I shall take you with me to look after me henceforward as you have done hitherto."
"You are very wise to do so.--May I know whither?"
"Back to Lankadomb."
"To Lankadomb? Perhaps you have lost something there?"
"Yes, my senses.--Well don"t look at me so curiously as if you wished to ask whether I ever had any. You and this little girl quite understand each other. I see that mother and grandmother too are sufficiently in love with her to give her to you: but my blessing has yet to come, old man--that you have not received yet."
"Hope a.s.sures me that perhaps I have softened your hard heart."
"Not all at once. I shall tell you something."
"I am all ears."
"In my will I pa.s.sed over all my worldly wealth to you: the sealed letter is in your possession. As far as I know you, I believe I shall cause you endless joy by asking back my will from you, and telling you that you will now be poorer by half your wealth, for the other half I require."
"I know that without waiting for you to teach me. But what has your old testament to do with the gospel of my heart?"
"Oh your head must be very dense, old fellow, if you don"t understand yet. Then listen to my ultimatum. I refuse to give my consent to your marrying--before me."
Desiderius threw himself on Lorand"s neck; he understood now.
"There is somebody you love?"
Lorand a.s.sented with a smile.
"Of course there is. But--you know how that blackguard (by Jove, you gave him a powerful shaking!) confused my calculation for an entire life. I could not make her understand about that of which the continuation begins only to-day. Still, all the more reason for hastening. A half hour is necessary to tell another all about it, half an hour in a carriage: they will remain here meanwhile. We shall fly to Topandy at Lankadomb: by evening we shall have finished all, and to-morrow we shall be here again, like two flying madmen, who are striving to see which can carry the other off more rapidly towards the goal--where happiness awaits him. I shall drive the horses to Lankadomb, you can drive them back."
"Poor horses!"
Desiderius did not dare to go himself with these glad tidings to his mother. He entrusted f.a.n.n.y to prepare her for them--perhaps so much delight would have killed her.
They told her Lorand had official business which called him to Lankadomb for one day; and they started together with Topandy.
Topandy was let into the secret, and considered it his duty to go with Lorand--he might be required to give the bride away.
The world around Lorand had changed--at least so he thought, but the change in reality was within him.
He was indeed born again: he had become quite a different man from the Lorand of yesterday. The noisy good-humor of yesterday badly concealed the resolve that despised death, just as the dreaminess of to-day openly betrayed the happiness that filled his heart.
The whole way Desiderius could scarcely get one word from him, but he might easily read in his face all upon which he was meditating: and if he did utter once or twice encomiums on the beautiful May fields, Desiderius could see that his heart too felt spring within it.
How beautiful it was to live again, to be happy and gay, to have hopes, expect good in the future, to love and be proud in one"s love, to go with head erect, to be all in all to someone!
At noon they arrived at Lankadomb.