"I will love you till death," said Pan Michael.
Further conversation was interrupted by the coming of a new guest. The soldiers, occupied with Volodyovski, had not heard the arrival of that guest, and saw him only when he was standing in the door. He was a man enormous in stature, of majestic form and bearing. He had the face of a Roman emperor; in it was power, and at the same time the true kindness and courtesy of a monarch. He differed entirely from all those soldiers around him; he grew notably greater in face of them, as if the eagle, king of birds, had appeared among hawks, falcons, and merlins.
"The grand hetman!" cried Ketling, and sprang up, as the host, to greet him.
"Pan Sobieski!" cried others.
All heads were inclined in an obeisance of deep homage. All save Pan Michael knew that the hetman would come, for he had promised Ketling; still, his arrival had produced so profound an impression that for a time no one dared to speak first. That too was homage extraordinary.
But Sobieski loved soldiers beyond all men, especially those with whom he had galloped over the necks of Tartar chambuls so often; he looked on them as his own family, and for this reason specially he had determined to greet Volodyovski, to comfort him, and finally, by showing such unusual favor and attention, to retain him in the ranks of the army. Therefore when he had greeted Ketling, he stretched out his hands at once to the little knight; and when the latter approached and seized him by the knees, Sobieski pressed the head of Pan Michael with his palms.
"Old soldier," said he, "the hand of G.o.d has bent thee to the earth, but it will raise thee, and give comfort. G.o.d aid thee! Thou wilt stay with us now."
Sobbing shook the breast of Pan Michael. "I will stay!" said he, with tears.
"That is well; give me of such men as many as possible. And now, old comrade, let us recall those times which we pa.s.sed in the Russian steppes, when we sat down to feast under tents. I am happy among you.
Now, our host, now!"
"Vivat Joannes dux!" shouted every voice.
The feast began and lasted long. Next day the hetman sent a cream-colored steed of great price to Pan Michael.
CHAPTER VII.
Ketling and Pan Michael promised each other to ride stirrup to stirrup again should occasion offer, to sit at one fire, and to sleep with their heads on one saddle. But meanwhile an event separated them. Not later than a week after their first greeting, a messenger came from Courland with notice that that Ha.s.sling who had adopted the youthful Scot and given him his property had fallen suddenly ill, and wished greatly to see his adopted son. The young knight did not hesitate; he mounted his horse and rode away. Before his departure he begged Zagloba and Pan Michael to consider his house as their own, and to live there until they were tired of it.
"Pan Yan may come," said he. "During the election he will come himself surely; even should he bring all his children, there will be room here for the whole family. I have no relatives; and even if I had brothers, they would not be nearer to me than you are."
Zagloba especially was gratified by these invitations, for he was very comfortable in Ketling"s house; but they were pleasant for Pan Michael also. Pan Yan did not come, but Pan Michael"s sister announced her arrival. She was married to Pan Makovetski, stolnik of Latychov. His messenger came to the residence of the hetman to inquire if any of his attendants knew of the little knight. Evidently Ketling"s house was indicated to him at once.
Volodyovski was greatly delighted, for whole years had pa.s.sed since he had seen his sister; and when he learned that, in absence of better lodgings, she had stopped at Rybaki in a poor little cottage, he flew off straightway to invite her to Ketling"s house. It was dusk when he rushed into her presence; but he knew her at once, though two other women were with her in the room, for the lady was small of stature, like a ball of thread. She too recognized him; while the other women stood like two candles and looked at the greeting.
Pani Makovetski found speech first, and began to cry out in a thin and rather squeaking voice, "So many years,--so many years! G.o.d give you aid, dearest brother! The moment the news of your misfortune came, I sprang up at once to come hither; and my husband did not detain me, for a storm is threatening us from the side of Budjyak. People are talking also of the Belgrod Tartars; and surely the roads are growing black, for tremendous flocks of birds are appearing, and before every invasion it is that way. G.o.d console you, beloved, dear, golden brother! My husband must come to the election himself, so this is what he said: "Take the young ladies, and go on before me. You will comfort Michael,"
said he, "in his grief; and you must hide your head somewhere from the Tartars, for the country here will be in a blaze, therefore one thing fits with another. Go," said he, "to Warsaw, hire good lodgings in time, so there may be some place to live in." He, with men of those parts, is listening on the roads. There are few troops in the country; it is always that way with us. You, Michael, my loved one, come to the window, let me look in your face; your lips have grown thin, but in grief it cannot be otherwise. It was easy for my husband to say in Russia, "Find lodgings!" but here there is nothing anywhere. We are in this hovel; you see it. I have hardly been able to get three bundles of straw to sleep on."
"Permit me, sister," said the little knight.
But the sister would not permit, and spoke on, as if a mill were rattling: "We stopped here; there was no other place. My host looks out of his eyes like a wolf; maybe they are bad people in the house. It is true that we have four attendants,--trusty fellows,--and we ourselves are not timid, for in our parts a woman must have a cavalier"s heart, or she could not live there. I have a pistol which I carry always, and Basia[8] has two of them; but Krysia[9] does not like fire-arms. This is a strange place, though, and we prefer safer lodgings."
"Permit me, sister," repeated Volodyovski.
"But where do you live, Michael? You must help me to find lodgings, for you have experience in Warsaw."
"I have lodgings ready," interrupted Pan Michael, "and such good ones that a senator might occupy them with his retinue. I live with my friend, Captain Ketling, and will take you with me at once."
"But remember that there are three of us, and two servants and four attendants. But for G.o.d"s sake! I have not made you acquainted with the company." Here she turned to her companions. "You know, young ladies, who he is, but he does not know you; make acquaintance even in the dark. The host has not heated the stove for us yet. This is Panna Krystina Drohoyovski, and that Panna Barbara Yezorkovski. My husband is their guardian, and takes care of their property; they live with us, for they are orphans. To live alone does not beseem such young ladies."
While his sister was speaking, Pan Michael bowed in soldier fashion; the young ladies, seizing their skirts with their fingers, courtesied, wherewith Panna Barbara nodded like a young colt.
"Let us take our seats in the carriage, and drive on!" said the little knight. "Pan Zagloba lives with me. I asked him to have supper prepared for us."
"That famous Pan Zagloba?" asked Panna Basia, all at once.
"Basia, be quiet!" said the lady. "I am afraid that there will be annoyance."
"Oh, if Pan Zagloba has his mind on supper," said the little knight, "there will be enough, even if twice as many were to come. And, young ladies, will you give command to carry out the trunks? I brought a wagon too for things, and Ketling"s carriage is so wide that we four can sit in it easily. See what comes to my head; if your attendants are not drunken fellows, let them stay here till morning with the horses and larger effects. We"ll take now only what things are required most."
"We need leave nothing," said the lady, "for our wagons are still unpacked; just attach the horses, and they can move at once. Basia, go and give orders!"
Basia sprang to the entrance; and a few "Our Fathers" later she returned with the announcement that all was ready.
"It is time to go," said Pan Michael.
After a while they took their seats in the carriage and moved on toward Mokotov. Pan Michael"s sister and Panna Krysia occupied the rear seats; in front sat the little knight at the side of Basia. It was so dark already that they could not see one another"s features.
"Young ladies, do you know Warsaw?" asked Pan Michael, bending toward Panna Krysia, and raising his voice above the rattle of the carriage.
"No," answered Krysia, in a low but resonant and agreeable voice. "We are real rustics, and up to this time have known neither famous cities nor famous men."
Saying this, she inclined her head somewhat, as if giving to understand that she counted Pan Michael among the latter; he received the answer thankfully. "A polite sort of maiden!" thought he, and straightway began to rack his head over some kind of compliment to be made in return.
"Even if the city were ten times greater than it is," said he at last, "still, ladies, you might be its most notable ornament."
"But how do you know that in the dark?" inquired Panna Basia, on a sudden.
"Ah, here is a kid for you!" thought Pan Michael.
But he said nothing, and they rode on in silence for some time; Basia turned again to the little knight and asked, "Do you know whether there will be room enough in the stable? We have ten horses and two wagons."
"Even if there were thirty, there would be room for them."
"Hwew! hwew!" exclaimed the young lady.
"Basia! Basia!" said Pani Makovetski, persuasively.
"Ah, it is easy to say, "Basia, Basia!" but in whose care were the horses during the whole journey?"
Conversing thus, they arrived before Ketling"s house. All the windows were brilliantly lighted to receive the lady. The servants ran out with Pan Zagloba at the head of them; he, springing to the wagon and seeing three women, inquired straightway,--
"In which lady have I the honor to greet my special benefactress, and at the same time the sister of my best friend, Michael?"
"I am she!" answered the lady.
Then Zagloba seized her hand, and fell to kissing it eagerly, exclaiming, "I beat with the forehead,--I beat with the forehead!"
Then he helped her to descend from the carriage, and conducted her with great attention and clattering of feet to the ante-room. "Let me be permitted to give greeting once more inside the threshold," said he, on the way.