"Andrew," he asked, "why are there so many carts on the road to the city?"
"Ah, those, please your honor, are Rzeslewo peasants."
"Rzeslewo? What have they to do there?"
"Ah! please your honor, on account of the will of the deceased Pan Zarnowski; it is to give them Rzeslewo."
Krzycki turned to Gronski.
"I heard," he said, "that somebody circulated among them such a story, but did not think that they would believe it."
And afterwards again to the coachman:
"Who told them that?"
The old driver hesitated somewhat in his reply:
"The people gossip that it was the Tutor."
Ladislaus began to laugh.
"Oh, stupid peasants!" he said. "Why, he never in his life saw Pan Zarnowski. How would he know about the will?"
But after a moment of meditation he said, partly to his companions and partly to himself:
"Everything must have some object, so if Laskowicz did that, let some one explain to me why he did it."
"Do you suspect him of it?" asked Gronski.
"I do not know, for heretofore I had a.s.sumed that one could be a socialist and keep his wits in order."
"Ah, so he is a bird of that nest? Tell me how long has he been with you and what manner of a man is he?"
"He has been with us half a year. We needed an instructor for Stas and some one recommended him to us. We were informed that he would have to leave Warsaw for a certain time to elude the police and, in fact, for that reason received him more eagerly, thinking that some patriotic matter was involved. Later, when it appeared that he was of an entirely different calibre, mother would not permit his dismissal in hope that she might convert him. At the beginning she had lengthy heart-to-heart talks with him and requested me to be friendly with him. We treated him as a member of the family, but the result has been such that he hates us, not only as people belonging to a sphere which he envies, but also, as it seems, individually."
"It is evident," said Dolhanski, "he holds it evil of you that you are not such as he imagined you would be; neither so wicked nor so stupid.
And you may rest a.s.sured that he will never forgive that in you."
"That may be so. In any case, he will shortly despise us from a distance, for after a month we part. I understand that one can and ought to tolerate all convictions, but there is something in him, besides his principles and hatreds, which is so conflicting with all our customs, and something so strange that we have had enough of him."
"My Laudie," answered Dolhanski, "do not necessarily apply this to yourself, for I speak generally, but since you have mentioned toleration, I will tell you that in my opinion toleration in Poland was and is nothing else than downright stupidity, and monumental stupidity at that."
"In certain respects Dolhanski is right," answered Gronski. "It may be that in the course of our history we tolerated various ideas and elements not only through magnanimous forbearance, but also because in our indolence we did not care to contend with them."
To this Ladislaus, who did not like to engage in general argumentation, said:
"That is all right, but all that does not explain why Laskowicz should spread among the peasants the news that Uncle Zarnowski devised Rzeslewo to them."
"There is, as yet, no certainty that he did," answered Gronski. "We will very soon learn the truth at the notary"s."
VII
The hour was five in the afternoon. The ladies sat on the veranda, at tea, when the young men returned from the city. Miss Anney rose when they appeared and, not wishing to be present, as a stranger, at the family conversation, left on some pretext for her room. Pani Krzycki greeted them with slightly affected calm, because in reality the thought of the will did not leave her for a moment. She was not greedier than the generality of common mortals, but she was immensely concerned that, after her demise, at the distribution of the estate, Ladislaus should have enough to pay off the younger members of the family and to sustain himself at Jastrzeb. And some respectable bequest would in a remarkable manner facilitate the making of such payments.
Besides, at the bottom of the n.o.ble soul of Pani Krzycki there lay hidden the faith that Providence owed, to a certain extent, greater obligations to the Krzycki family than to any ordinary family. For that reason, even if the whole of Rzeslewo fell to the lot of that family, she would with readiness and willingness submit to such a decree of Providence. Finally, descending from the blood of a people who in certain cases can sacrifice fortune, but love extraordinarily to acquire it without any effort, she fondled all day the thought that such an easy acquisition was about to occur.
But in the countenances of Ladislaus and Gronski she could at once discern that they brought specific intelligence. Dolhanski, who was the first to alight from the carriage, was the first to begin the report.
"I antic.i.p.ate the question, what is the news?" he said, drawling his expressions with cold irony, "and I answer everything is for the best, for the Rzeslewo Mats and Jacks will have something with which they can travel to Carlsbad."
Pani Krzycki grew somewhat pale and, turning to Gronski, asked:
"What, in truth, gentlemen, have you brought with you?"
"The will in its provisions is peculiar," answered Gronski, "but was executed in a n.o.ble spirit. Rzeslewo is devised for a peasants"
agricultural school and the interest of the funds is to be devoted to sending the pupils of the school, who have finished their courses, for a year"s or two years" practice in country husbandry in Bohemia."
"Or, as I stated, to Carlsbad, Marienbad, Teplitz, and other places of the same character," explained Dolhanski.
A moment of silence followed. Marynia, who was pouring the tea, began, with teapot in hand, to gaze with inquiring look at those present, desiring evidently to unriddle whether they praised or condemned it and whether it gave them pleasure or annoyance. Pani Otocka looked at Gronski with eyes which evinced delight; while Pani Krzycki leaned with both hands upon the cane which she used owing to rheumatism in her limbs, and after a certain time asked in a slightly hoa.r.s.e voice:
"So, it is for a public purpose?"
"Yes," answered Gronski, "the organization of the school and afterwards the division of the funds for the stay in Bohemia is to be a.s.sumed by a special Directory of the Trust Society of this province, and the designated curator of the school is Laudie."
"Too bad it is not I," interposed Dolhanski. "I would arrange it very quickly."
"There are specific bequests," continued Gronski, "and these are very strange. He bequeaths various small sums to the household servants and ten thousand roubles to some Skibianka, daughter of a blacksmith at the Rzeslewo manor, who in his time emigrated to America."
"Skibianka!" repeated Pani Krzycki with astonishment.
Dolhanski bit off the ends of his mustache, smiled, and started to grumble that the n.o.bility was always distinguished for its love of the common people, but Gronski looked at him severely; after which he drew from his pocket a memorandum and said:
"That provision of the will is worded as follows: Whereas the parents of Hanka Skiba or Skibianka emigrated during my sojourn abroad for medical treatment, and I have not had the opportunity of ascertaining where they can be found, therefore I obligate my relative, Ladislaus Krzycki, to cause to be published in all the Polish newspapers printed in the United States and in Parana, advertis.e.m.e.nts. If the said legatee does not within two years appear to receive the bequest, the entire sum with interest becomes the property of the said Ladislaus Krzycki."
"And I already have announced that I do not intend to accept that specific bequest," cried the young man excitedly.
All eyes were turned toward him; he added:
"I would not think of it; I would not think of it."
"Why not?" asked his mother after a while.
"Because I cannot. Let us suppose that the legatee appears, say for instance, within three years instead of two, what would happen? Would I pocket the bequest and drive her away? No! I could not do that.
Finally, there are other considerations of which I do not wish to speak."
In fact, only by these "other considerations," could such a considerable bequest to a simple village girl be explained; therefore Pani Krzycki became silent. After a while she said: