That same day Pan Michael announced himself at the quarters of the hetman, who gave command to admit the little knight, and said to him, "I must send Rushchyts to the Crimea to see what is pa.s.sing there, and to stir up the Khan to observe his treaties. Do you wish to enter service again and take the command after Rushchyts? You, Vilchkovski, Silnitski, and Pivo will have an eye on Doroshenko, and on the Tartars, whom it is impossible to trust altogether at any time."
Pan Michael grew sad. He had served the flower of his life. For whole tens of years he had not known rest; he had lived in fire, in smoke, in toil, in sleeplessness, without a roof over his head, without a handful of straw to lie on. G.o.d knows what blood his sabre had not shed. He had not settled down; he had not married. Men who deserved a hundred times less were eating the bread of merit; had risen to honors, to offices, to starostaships. He was richer when he began to serve than he was then. But still it was intended to use him again, like an old broom.
His soul was rent, because, when friendly and pleasant hands had been found to dress his wounds, the command was given to tear himself away and fly to the desert, to the distant boundaries of the Commonwealth, without a thought that he was so greatly wearied in soul. Had it not been for interruptions and service, he would have enjoyed at least a couple of years with a.n.u.sia. When he thought of all this, an immense bitterness rose in his soul; but since it did not seem to him worthy of a cavalier to mention his own services and dwell on them, he answered briefly,--
"I will go."
"You are not in service," said the hetman; "you can refuse. You know better yourself if this is too soon for you."
"It is not too soon for me to die," replied Pan Michael.
Sobieski walked a number of times through the chamber, then he stopped before the little knight and put his hand on his shoulder confidentially. "If your tears are not dried yet, the wind of the steppe will dry them for you. You have toiled, cherished soldier, all your life; toil on still further! And should it come ever to your head that you are forgotten, unrewarded, that rest is not granted you, that you have received not b.u.t.tered toast, but a crust, not a starostaship, but wounds, not rest, but suffering only, set your teeth and say, "For thee, O Country!" Other consolation I cannot give, for I haven"t it; but though not a priest, I can give you the a.s.surance that serving in this way, you will go farther on a worn-out saddle than others in a carriage and six, and that gates will be opened for you which will be closed before them."
"To thee, O Country!" said Pan Michael, in his soul, wondering at the same time that the hetman could penetrate his secret thoughts so quickly.
Pan Sobieski sat down in front of him and continued: "I do not wish to speak with you as with a subordinate, but as with a friend,--nay! as a father with a son. When we were in the fire at Podhaytse, and before that in the Ukraine; when we were barely able to prevent the preponderance of the enemy,--here, in the heart of the country, evil men in security, behind our shoulders, were attaining in turbulence their own selfish ends. Even in those days it came more than once to my head that this Commonwealth must perish. License lords it too much over order; the public good yields too often to private ends. This has never happened elsewhere in such a degree. These thoughts were gnawing me in the day in the field, and in the night in the tent, for I thought to myself: "Well, we soldiers are in a woful condition; but this is our duty and our portion. If we could only know that with this blood which is flowing from our wounds, salvation was issuing also." No! even that consolation there was not. Oh, I pa.s.sed heavy days in Podhaytse, though I showed a glad face to you officers, lest you might think that I had lost hope of victory in the field. "There are no men," thought I,--"there are no men who love this country really." And it was to me as if some one had planted a knife in my breast, till a certain time--the last day at Podhaytse, when I sent you with two thousand to the attack against twenty-six thousand of the horde, and you all flew to apparent death, to certain slaughter, with such a shouting, with such willingness, as if you were going to a wedding--suddenly the thought came to me: "Ah, these are my soldiers." And G.o.d in one moment took the stone from my heart, and in my eyes it grew clear. "These,"
said I, "are perishing from pure love of the mother; they will not go to confederacies, nor to traitors. Of these I will form a sacred brotherhood; of these I will form a school, in which the young generation will learn. Their example will have influence; through them this ill-fated people will be reborn, will become free of selfishness, forget license, and be as a lion feeling wonderful strength in his limbs, and will astonish the world. Such a brotherhood will I form of my soldiers!""
Here Sobieski flushed up, reared his head, which was like the head of a Roman Caesar, and stretching forth his hands, exclaimed, "O Lord!
inscribe not on our walls "Mene, Tekel, Peres!" and permit me to regenerate my country!"
A moment of silence followed. Pan Michael sat with drooping head and felt that trembling had seized his whole body.
The hetman walked some time with quick steps through the room and then stopped before the little knight. "Examples are needed," said he,--"examples every day to strike the eye. Volodyovski, I have reckoned you in the first rank of the brotherhood. Do you wish to belong to it?"
The little knight rose and embraced the hetman"s knees. "See," said he, with a voice of emotion, "when I heard that I had to march again, I thought that a wrong had been done, and that leisure for my suffering belonged to me; but now I see that I sinned, and I repent of my thought and am unable to speak, for I am ashamed."
The hetman pressed Pan Michael to his heart in silence. "There is a handful of us," said he; "but others will follow the example."
"When am I to go?" asked the little knight. "I could go even to the Crimea, for I have been there."
"No," answered the hetman; "to the Crimea I will send Pan Rushchyts. He has relations there, and even namesakes, likely cousins, who, seized in childhood by the horde, have become Mussulmans and obtained office among the Pagans. They will help him in everything. Besides, I need you in the field; there is no man your equal in dealing with Tartars."
"When have I to go?" repeated the little knight.
"In two weeks at furthest. I need to confer yet with the vice-chancellor of the kingdom and with the treasurer, to prepare letters for Rushchyts and give him instructions. But be ready, for I shall be urgent."
"I shall be ready from to-morrow."
"G.o.d reward you for the intention! but it is not needful to be ready so soon. Moreover, you will not go to stay long; for during the election, if only there is peace, I shall need you in Warsaw. You have heard of candidates. What is the talk among n.o.bles?"
"I came from the cloister not long since, and there they do not think of worldly matters. I know only what Pan Zagloba has told me."
"True. I can obtain information from him; he is widely known among the n.o.bles. But for whom do you think of voting?"
"I know not myself yet; but I think that a military king is necessary for us."
"Yes, yes! I have such a man too in mind, who by his name alone would terrify our neighbors. We need a military king, as was Stefan Batory.
But farewell, cherished soldier! We need a military king. Do you repeat this to all. Farewell. G.o.d reward you for your readiness!"
Pan Michael took farewell and went out. On the road he meditated. The soldier, however, was glad that he had before him a week or two, for that friendship and consolation which Krysia gave was dear to him. He was pleased also with the thought that he would return to the election, and in general he went home without suffering. The steppes too had for him a certain charm; he was pining for them without knowing it. He was so used to those s.p.a.ces without end, in which the horseman feels himself more a bird than a man.
"Well, I will go," said he, "to those measureless fields, to those stanitsas and mounds, to taste the old life again, make new campaigns with the soldiers, to guard those boundaries like a crane, to frolic in spring in the gra.s.s,--well, now, I will go, I will go!"
Meanwhile he urged on the horse and went at a gallop, for he was yearning for the speed and the whistle of the wind in his ears. The day was clear, dry, frosty. Frozen snow covered the ground and squeaked under the feet of the horse. Compressed lumps of it flew with force from his hoofs. Pan Michael sped forward so that his attendant, sitting on an inferior horse remained far behind. It was near sunset; a little later twilight was in the heavens, casting a violet reflection on the snowy expanse. On the ruddy sky the first twinkling stars came out; the moon hung in the form of a silver sickle. The road was empty; the knight pa.s.sed an odd wagon and flew on without interruption. Only when he saw Ketling"s house in the distance did he rein in his horse and let his attendant come up. All at once he saw a slender figure coming toward him. It was Krysia.
When he recognized her, Pan Michael sprang at once from his horse, which he gave to the attendant, and hurried up to the maiden, somewhat astonished, but still more delighted at sight of her. "Soldiers declare," said he, "that at twilight we may meet various supernatural beings, who are sometimes of evil, sometimes of good, omen; but for me there can be no better omen than to meet you."
"Pan Adam has come," answered Krysia; "he is pa.s.sing the time with Basia and Pani Makovetski. I slipped out purposely to meet you, for I was anxious about what the hetman had to say."
The sincerity of these words touched the little knight to the heart.
"Is it true that you are so concerned about me?" asked he, raising his eyes to her.
"It is," answered Krysia, with a low voice.
Pan Michael did not take his eyes from her; never before had she seemed to him so attractive. On her head was a satin hood; white swan"s-down encircled her small, palish face, on which the moonlight was falling,--light which shone mildly on those n.o.ble brows, downcast eyes, long lids, and that dark, barely visible down above her mouth. There was a certain calm in that face and great goodness. Pan Michael felt at the moment that the face was a friendly and beloved one; therefore he said,--
"Were it not for the attendant who is riding behind, I should fall on the snow at your feet from thankfulness."
"Do not say such things," answered Krysia, "for I am not worthy; but to reward me say that you will remain with us, and that I shall be able to comfort you longer."
"I shall not remain," said Pan Michael.
Krysia stopped suddenly. "Impossible!"
"Usual soldier"s service! I go to Russia and to the Wilderness."
"Usual service?" repeated Krysia, And she began to hurry in silence toward the house. Pan Michael walked quickly at her side, a trifle confused. Somehow it was a little oppressive and dull in his mind. He wanted to say something; he wanted to begin conversation again; he did not succeed. But still it seemed to him that he had a thousand things to say to her, and that just then was the time, while they were alone and no one preventing.
"If I begin," thought he, "it will go on;" therefore he inquired all at once, "But is it long since Pan Adam came?"
"Not long," answered Krysia.
And again their conversation stopped.
"The road is not that way," thought Pan Michael. "While I begin in that fashion, I shall never say anything. But I see that sorrow has gnawed away what there was of my wit."
And for a time he hurried on in silence; his mustaches merely quivered more and more vigorously. At last he halted before the house and said, "Think, if I deferred my happiness so many years to serve the country, with what face could I refuse now to put off my own comfort?"
It seemed to the little knight that such a simple argument should convince Krysia at once; in fact, after a while she answered with sadness and mildness, "The more nearly one knows Pan Michael, the more one respects and honors him."
Then she entered the house. Basia"s exclamations of "Allah! Allah!"
reached her in the entrance. And when they came to the reception-room, they saw Pan Adam in the middle of it, blindfolded, bent forward, and with outstretched arms trying to catch Basia, who was hiding in corners and giving notice of her presence by cries of "Allah!" Pani Makovetski was occupied near the window in conversation with Zagloba.
The entrance of Krysia and the little knight interrupted the amus.e.m.e.nt.
Pan Adam pulled off the handkerchief and ran to greet Volodyovski.
Immediately after came Pani Makovetski, Zagloba, and the panting Basia.
"What is it? what is it? What did the hetman say?" asked one, interrupting another.