"Ah, is it not a shame for you," said he, "being n.o.bles and brothers to raise such a quarrel? Is this the way to nourish love among brothers?
But about what are ye fighting? Is Panna Anulka a mushroom that the first man who finds her in the forest can put her in his basket? It is the custom among pelicans, and they are not n.o.bles, or even people, to yield everything through family affection, and when they fail to find fish they feed one another with blood from their own bodies. Think of your dead parents; they are shedding tears up there now over this quarrelling among sons whom they surely advised to act differently from this when they blessed them. For those parents heavenly food is now tasteless, and they dare not raise their eyes to the Evangelists whose names they gave you in holy baptism."
Thus spoke Pan Stanislav and though at first he wished to laugh he was touched as he spoke by his own words, for he too had drunk somewhat because of the company at dinner. At last the Bukoyemskis were greatly moved by his speech, and all four of them ended in tears, while Mateush the eldest one cried to them,--
"Oh kill me, for G.o.d"s sake, but call me not Cain!"
Thereupon Yan, who had mentioned Cain, threw himself into the arms of Mateush.
"Oh, brother," cried he, "give me to the hangman for doing so."
"Forgive me, or I shall burst open from sorrow," cried Marek.
"I have barked like a dog against the commandment," said Lukash.
And they fell to embracing one another, but Mateush freed himself finally from his brothers, sat on a bench very suddenly, unb.u.t.toned his coat, threw open his shirt, and, baring his breast, exclaimed in broken accents,--
"Here ye have me! here, like a pelican!"
Thereupon they sobbed the more loudly.
"A pelican! a genuine pelican! As G.o.d is dear to me,--a pelican!"
"Take Panna Anulka."
"She is thine! Take her, thou," said the brothers.
"Let the youngest man have her."
"Never! Impossible!"
"Devil take her!"
"Devil take her!"
"We don"t want her!"
Hereupon Marek struck his thighs with his palms till the chamber resounded.
"I know what"s to be done," cried he.
"What dost thou know? Speak, do not hide it!"
"Let Stanislav have her!"
When they heard this the other three sprang from their benches. Marek"s idea struck them to the heart so completely that they surrounded Pan Stanislav.
"Take her, Stashko!"
"It will please us most of all."
"If thou love us!"
"Do this to please us!"
"May G.o.d bless you!" cried Mateush; and he raised his eyes heavenward, as he stretched his hands over Stanislav.
Stanislav blushed, and he stood there astonished, repeating,--
"Fear G.o.d"s wounds!"
But his heart quivered at the thought, for having pa.s.sed two whole years with his father amid the dense forests, and seeing few people, he had not met for a legion of days such a marvellous maiden. He had seen some one like her in Brejani, for he had been sent by his father to gain elegance at the court there and a knowledge of government. But he was a lad then, and time had effaced those remote recollections. And now he saw in the midst of those forests unexpectedly just such a beautiful flower as the other one, and men said to him straightway: "Oh take it!" In view of this he was dreadfully shamefaced and answered,--
"Fear G.o.d! How could ye or I get her?"
But they, as is usual with men who are tipsy, saw no obstacle to anything and insisted.
"No man of us will be jealous," said Marek, "take her! We must go to the war whatever happens; we have had watching enough in this forest.
Thirty thalers for the whole G.o.d-given year. It does not buy drink for us, and what is there left then for clothing? We sold our saddle beasts, and now we hunt wolves with thy horses and outfits--A hard lot for orphans. Better perish in war--But take her thou, if thou love us!"
"Take her!" cried out Mateush, "but we will go to Rakuz, to Lyubomirski, to help the Germans in sh.e.l.ling out pagans."
"Take her immediately."
"Take her to-morrow! To the church with her straightway!"
But Stanislav had recovered from astonishment and was as sober as if he had not touched a drop since the morning.
"Oh, stop, what are ye saying? Just as if only your will or mine were all that is needed! But what will she say and what will Pan Gideon say?
Pan Gideon is self-willed and haughty. Even though the young lady grew friendly in time, he might prefer to see her sow rue than be the wife of any poor devil like me, or like any one of you brothers."
"Oh pshaw!" exclaimed Yan. "Is Pan Gideon the Castellan of Cracow, or grand hetman? If he is too high for us let him beware how he thrusts up his nose in our presence. Are the Bukoyemskis too small to be his gossips?"
"Ah, never mind! He is old, the time of his death is not distant, let him have a care lest he be stopped by Saint Peter in heaven"s gateway.
Oh take our part! holy Peter, and say this to him: "Thou didst not know during life, thou son of a such a one, how to respect my blood relatives; kiss now the dog"s snout for thy conduct." Let that be said after death to Pan Gideon. But meanwhile we will not let him belittle us in his lifetime."
"How! because we have no fortune must we be despised and treated like peasants?"
"Is that the pay for our blood, for our wounds, for our service to the country?"
"O my brothers, ye orphans of G.o.d! many an injustice has met you, but one more grievous than this no man has ever yet put on us."
"That is true, that is true!" exclaimed Lukash and Marek and Yan in sad accents.
And tears of grief flowed down their faces afresh and abundantly, but when they had wept out their fill they fell to storming, for it seemed to them that such an offence to men of birth should not be forgotten.
Lukash, the most impulsive of all the four brothers, was the first to make mention of this matter.
"It is difficult to challenge him to sabres," said he, "for he has lost an arm and is old, but if he has contemned us, we must have satisfaction. What are we to do? Think of this!"