"I bring you these gentlemen," said Yatsek.
The face of the old man grew bright for a moment, but became serious straightway, when he saw the Bukoyemskis and Stanislav blood-bedaubed.
"All five!" cried he, clasping his hands.
"There are five!"
"An offence against heaven! Gentlemen, how is it with you?" asked he, turning to the wounded men.
They touched their caps to him, except Marek, who, since the cutting of his shoulder-blade, could move neither his left nor his right hand. He merely groaned, saying,--
"He has peppered us well. We cannot deny it."
"That is nothing," said the others.
"We hope in G.o.d that it is nothing," answered Father Voynovski. "Come to the house now as quickly as possible! I will care for you this minute. Move on with the sleigh," said he.
And then he himself followed promptly with Yatsek. But after a while he stopped on the roadway. Joy shone, in his face again. He embraced Yatsek"s neck on a sudden.
"Let me press thee, O Yatsek," cried he. "Thou hast brought in a sleigh load of enemies, like so many wheat sheaves."
Yatsek kissed his hand then, and answered,--
"They would have it so, my benefactor."
The priest put his hand on the head of the young man again, as if wishing to bless him, but all at once he restrained himself, because gladness in this case was not befitting his habit, so he looked more severe, and continued,--
"Think not that I praise thee. It was thy luck that they themselves wished this, but still, it is a scandal."
They drove into the courtyard. Yatsek sprang to the sleigh so that he might, with the driver and the single house-servant, help out the wounded men. But they stepped out themselves, except Marek, whose arms they supported and soon they were all in Yatsek"s dwelling. Straw had been spread there already, and even Yatsek"s own bed had been covered with a white, slightly worn horse skin. At the head a felt roll served as pillow. On the table near the window was bread kneaded with spider-web, excellent for blood stopping. There were also choice balsams which the priest had for healing.
The old man took off his soutane and went to dressing the wounds with the skill of a veteran who had seen thousands of wounded men, and who from long practice knew how to handle wounds better than many a surgeon. His work went on quickly, for, except Marek, the men had suffered slightly.
Marek"s shoulder-blade needed considerably longer work, but when at last it was dressed the priest wiped his b.l.o.o.d.y hands, and then rested.
"Well," said he, "thanks to the Lord Jesus, it has pa.s.sed without grievous accident. This also is certain, that you feel better, gentlemen, all of you."
"One would like a drink!" said Mateush.
"It would not hurt! Give command, Yatsek, to bring water."
Mateush rose up on the straw. "How water?" asked he in a voice of emotion.
Marek, who was lying face downward on Yatsek"s bed groaning, called out quickly,--
"The revered father must wash his hands, of course."
Hereupon Yatsek looked with real despair at the priest, who laughed and then added,--
"They are soldiers! Wine is permitted, but in small quant.i.ty."
Yatsek drew him by the sleeve to the alcove.
"Benefactor," whispered he, "what can I do? The pantry is empty, and so is the cellar. Time after time I must tighten my girdle. What can I give them?"
"There is something here, there is something!" said the old man. "When leaving home I made arrangements, and brought a little with me. Should that not suffice I will get more at the brewery in Yedlina--for myself, of course, for myself. Command to give them one gla.s.s at the moment to calm them after the encounter."
When he heard this Yatsek set to work quickly, and soon the Bukoyemskis were comforting one another. Their good feeling for Yatsek increased every moment.
"We fought, for that happens to every man," said Mateush, "but right away I thought thee a dignified cavalier."
"Not true; it was I who thought so first," put in Lukash.
"Thou think? Hast thou ever been able to think?"
"I think just now that thou art a blockhead, so I am able to think,--but my mouth pains me."
Thus they were quarrelling already. But that moment a mounted man darkened the window.
"Some one has come!" exclaimed Father Voynovski.
Yatsek went to see who it was, and returned quickly, with troubled visage.
"Pan Gideon has sent a man," said he, "with notice that he is waiting for us at dinner."
"Let him eat it alone!" replied Yan Bukoyemski.
"What shall we say to him?" inquired Yatsek, looking at Father Voynovski.
"Tell him the truth," said the old man--"but better, I will tell it myself."
He went out to the messenger.
"Tell Pan Gideon," said he, "that neither Pan Tsyprianovitch nor the Bukoyemskis can come, for they have been wounded in a duel to which they challenged Pan Tachevski; but do not forget to tell him that they are not badly wounded. Now hurry!"
The man rushed away with every foot which his horse had, and the priest fell to quieting Yatsek, who was greatly excited. He did not fear to meet five men in battle, but he feared greatly Pan Gideon, and still more what Panna Anulka would say and would think of him.
"Well, it has happened," continued the priest, "but let them learn at the earliest that it was not through thy fault."
"Will you testify, gentlemen?" inquired Yatsek, turning to the wounded men.
"Though we are dry, we will testify," answered Mateush.
Still, Yatsek"s alarm increased more and more, and soon after, when a sleigh with Pan Gideon and Pan Grothus stopped at the porch, the heart died in him utterly. He sprang out, however, to greet and bow down to the knees of Pan Gideon; but the latter did not even glance at Yatsek, just as though he had not seen the man, and with a gloomy stern face he strode into the chamber. He inclined to the priest with respect but with coldness, for since the day that the old man had reproached him from the altar for excessive severity toward peasants, the stubborn old n.o.ble was unable to forgive him; so now, after that cold salute, he turned to the wounded men straightway, and gazed at them a moment.
"Gracious gentlemen," said he, "after what has just happened, I should not pa.s.s the threshold of this building, be sure of that, did I not wish to show how cruelly I am wounded by that wrong which you have suffered. See how my hospitality has ended! See how in my house my rescuers have been recompensed. But I say this, that whoso has wronged you has wronged me, whoso has spilt your blood has done worse than spill mine, for the man who challenged you under my roof has insulted me--"
Here Mateush interrupted him suddenly,--