CHAPTER X.
A time of serious labor began now for Volodyovski,--of letter-writingand journeying. The week following he transferred his head-quarters toUpita, where he began the levy. The nobles flocked to him willingly,both great and small, for he had a wide reputation. But especially camethe Lauda men, for whom horses had to be provided. Volodyovski hurriedaround as if in boiling water; but since he was active and spared nopains, everything went on successfully enough. Meanwhile he visited inLyubich Pan Kmita, who had advanced considerably toward health; andthough he had not risen yet from his bed, it was known that he wouldrecover.
Kmita recognized the knight at once, and turned a little pale at sightof him. Even his hand moved involuntarily toward the sabre above hishead; but he checked himself when he saw a smile on the face of hisguest, put forth his thin hand, and said,--
"I thank you for the visit. This is courtesy worthy of such acavalier."
"I have come to inquire if you cherish ill feeling against me," saidPan Michael.
"I have no ill feeling; for no common man overcame me, but a swordsmanof the first degree. Hardly have I escaped."
"And how is your health?"
"It is surely a wonder to you that I have come out alive. I confessmyself that it is no small exploit." Here Kmita laughed. "Well, theaffair is not lost. You may finish me at your pleasure."
"I have not come with such intent--"
"You must be the devil," interrupted Kmita, "or must have a captivespirit. God knows I am far from self-praise at this moment, for I amreturning from the other world; but before meeting you I thought, 'If Iam not the best sabre in the Commonwealth, I am the second.' But Icould not have warded off the first blow if you had not wished it. Tellme where did you learn so much?"
"I had some little innate capacity, and my father taught me fromboyhood. He said many a time, 'God has given you insignificant stature;if men do not fear you, they will laugh at you.' Later on, whileserving with the voevoda of Rus, I finished my course. With him were afew men who could stand boldly before me."
"But could there be such?"
"There could, for there were. There was Pan Podbipienta, a Lithuanianof high birth, who fell at Zbaraj,--the Lord light his soul!--a man ofsuch strength that there were no means to stop him, for he could cutthrough opponent and weapons. Then there was Skshetuski, my heartfeltfriend and confidant, of whom you must have heard."
"Of course! He came out of Zbaraj, and burst through the Cossacks. Soyou are of such a brace, and a man of Zbaraj! With the forehead! withthe forehead! Wait a moment; I have heard of you at the castle ofRadzivill, voevoda of Vilna. Your name is Michael?"
"Exactly; I am Michael. My first name is Yerzi; but since Saint Michaelleads the whole host of heaven, and has gamed so many victories overthe banners of hell, I prefer him as a patron."
"It is sure that Yerzi is not equal to Michael. Then you are that sameVolodyovski of whom it is said that he cut up Bogun?"
"I am he."
"Well, to receive a slash on the head from such a man is not amisfortune. If God would grant us to be friends! You called me atraitor, 'tis true, but you were mistaken." When he said this, Kmitafrowned as if his wound caused him pain again.
"I confess my mistake," answered Volodyovski. "I do not learn that fromyou; your men told me. And know that if I had not learned it I shouldnot have come here."
"Tongues have cut me and cut me," said Kmita, with bitterness. "Letcome what may, I confess more than one mark is against me; but in thisneighborhood men have received me ungraciously."
"You injured yourself most by burning Volmontovichi, and by the lastseizure."
"Now they are crushing me with lawsuits. I am summoned to courts. Theywill not give a sick man time to recover. I burned Volmontovichi, 'tistrue, and cut down some people; but let God judge me if I did that fromcaprice. The same night, before the burning I made a vow to live withall men in peace, to attract to myself these homespuns around here, tosatisfy the basswood barks in Upita, for there I really played thetyrant. I returned to my house, and what did I find? I found mycomrades cut up like cattle, lying at the wall. When I learned that theButryms had done this, the devil entered me, and I took sternvengeance. Would you believe why they were cut up, why they wereslaughtered? I learned myself later from one of the Butryms, whom Ifound in the woods. Behold, it was for this,--that they wanted to dancewith the women of the nobles in a public house! Who would not havetaken vengeance?"
"My worthy sir," answered Volodyovski, "it is true that they actedseverely with your comrades; but was it the nobles who killed them? No;their previous reputation killed them,--that which they brought withthem; for if orderly soldiers had wished to dance, surely they wouldnot have slain them."
"Poor fellows!" said Kmita, following his own thoughts, "while I waslying here now in a fever, they came in every evening through that doorfrom the room outside. I saw them around this bed as if living, blue,hacked up, and groaning continually, 'Yendrus! give money to have aMass for our souls; we are in torments!' Then I tell you the hair stoodon my head, for the smell of sulphur from them was in the room. I gavemoney for a Mass. Oh, may it help them!"
A moment of silence then followed.
"As to the carrying off," continued Kmita, "no one could have told youabout that; for in truth she saved my life when the nobles were huntingme, but afterward she ordered me to depart and not show myself beforeher eyes. What was there left for me after that?"
"Still it was a Tartar method."
"You know not what love is, and to what despair it may bring a man whenhe loses that which he prizes most dearly."
"I know not what love is?" cried Volodyovski, with excitement. "Fromthe time that I began to carry a sabre I was in love. It is true thatthe object changed, for I was never rewarded with a return. Were it notfor that, there could have been no Troilus more faithful than I."
"What kind of love can that be when the object is changing?" saidKmita.
"I will tell you something else which I saw with my own eyes. In thefirst period of the Hmelnitski affair, Bogun, the same who next toHmelnitski has now the highest respect of the Cossacks, carried offPrincess Kurtsevich, a maiden loved by Skshetuski above all things.That was a love! The whole army was weeping in view of Skshetuski'sdespair; for his beard at some years beyond twenty grew gray, and canyou guess what he did?"
"I have no means of knowing."
"Well, because the country was in need, in humiliation, because theterrible Hmelnitski was triumphing, he did not go to seek the girl. Heoffered his suffering to God, and fought under Prince Yeremi in all thebattles, including Zbaraj, and covered himself with such glory thatto-day all repeat his name with respect. Compare his action with yourown and see the difference."
Kmita was silent, gnawed his mustache. Volodyovski continued,--
"Then God rewarded and gave him the maiden. They married immediatelyafter Zbaraj, and now have three children, though he has not ceased toserve. But you by making disturbance have given aid to the enemy andalmost lost your own life, not to mention that a few days ago you mighthave lost the lady forever."
"How is that?" asked Kmita, sitting up in the bed; "what happened toher?"
"Nothing; but there was found a man who asked for her hand and wantedto marry her."
Kmita grew very pale; his hollow eyes began to shoot flames. He wantedto rise, even struggled for a moment; then cried, "Who was this devil'sson? By the living God, tell me!"
"I," said Pan Volodyovski.
"You,--you?" asked Kmita, with astonishment, "Is it possible?"
"It is."
"Traitor! that will not go with you! But she--what--tell me everything.Did she accept?"
"She refused me on the spot, without thinking."
A moment of silence followed. Kmita breathed heavily, and fixed hiseyes on Volodyovski, who said,--
"Why call me traitor? Am I your brother or your best man? Have I brokenfaith with you? I conquered you in bat
tle, and could have done what Iliked."
"In old fashion one of us would seal this with his blood,--if not witha sabre, with a gun. I would shoot you; then let the devils take me."
"Then you would have shot me, for if she had not refused I should nothave accepted a second duel. What had I to fight for? Do you know whyshe refused me?"
"Why?" repeated Kmita, like an echo.
"Because she loves you."
That was more than the exhausted strength of the sick man could bear.His head fell on the pillows, a copious sweat came out on his forehead,and he lay there in silence.
"I am terribly weak," said he, after a while. "How do you know that sheloves me?"
"Because I have eyes and see, because I have reason and observe; justafter I had received the refusal my head became clear. To begin with,when after the duel I came to tell her that she was free, for I hadslain you, she was dazed, and instead of showing gratitude she ignoredme entirely; second, when the Domasheviches were bringing you in, shecarried your head like a mother; and third, because when I visited her,she received me as if some one were giving me a slap in the face. Ifthese explanations are not sufficient, it is because your reason isshaken and your mind impaired."
"If that is true," said Kmita, with a feeble voice, "many plasters areput on my wounds; better balsam than your words there could not be."
"But a traitor applies this balsam."
"Oh, forgive me! Such happiness cannot find place in my mind, that shehas a wish for me still."
"I said that she loves you; I did not say that she has a wish foryou,--that is altogether different."
"If she has no wish for me, I will break my head against the wall; Icannot help it."
"You might if you had a sincere desire of effacing your faults. Thereis war now; you may go, you may render important services to our dearcountry, you may win glory with bravery, and mend your reputation. Whois without fault? Who has no sin on his conscience? Every one has. Butthe road to penance and correction is open to all. You sinned throughviolence, then avoid it henceforth; you offended against the country byraising disturbance in time of war, save the country now; you committedwrongs against men, make reparation for them. This is a better and asurer way for you than breaking your head."
Kmita looked attentively at Volodyovski; then said, "You speak like asincere friend of mine."
"I am not your friend, but in truth I am not your enemy; and I am sorryfor that lady, though she refused me and I said a sharp word to her inparting. I shall not hang myself by reason of the refusal; it is notthe first for me, and I am not accustomed to treasure up offences. If Ipersuade you to the right road, that will be to the country a serviceon my part, for you are a good and experienced soldier."
"Is there time for me to return to this road? How many summonses arewaiting for me? I shall have to go from the bed to the court--unless Iflee hence, and I do not wish to do that. How many summonses, and everycase a sure sentence of condemnation!"
"Look, here is a remedy!" said Volodyovski, taking out the commission.
"A commission!" cried Kmita; "for whom?"
"For you! You need not appear at any court, for you are in the hetman'sjurisdiction. Hear what the prince voevoda writes me."
Volodyovski read to Kmita the private letter of Radzivill, drew breath,moved his mustaches, and said, "Here, as you see, it depends on meeither to give you the commission or to retain it."
Uncertainty, alarm, and hope were reflected on Kmita's face. "What willyou do?" asked he, in a low voice.
"T will give the commission," said Volodyovski.
Kmita said nothing at first; he dropped his head on the pillow, andlooked some time at the ceiling. Suddenly his eyes began to grow moist;and tears, unknown guests in those eyes, were hanging on the lashes.
"May I be torn with horses," said he at last, "may I be pulled out ofmy skin, if I have seen a more honorable man! If through me you havereceived a refusal,--if Olenka, as you say, loves me,--another wouldhave taken vengeance all the more, would have pushed me down deeper;but you give your hand and draw me forth as it were from the grave."
"Because I will not sacrifice to personal interests the country, towhich you may render notable service. But I say that if you hadobtained those Cossacks from Trubetskoi or Hovanski, I should have keptthe commission. It is your whole fortune that you did not do that."
"It is for others to take an example from you," said Kmita. "Give meyour hand. God permit me to repay you with some good, for you havebound me in life and in death."
"Well, we will speak of that later. Now listen! There is no need ofappearing before any court, but go to work. If you will render serviceto the Commonwealth, these nobles will forgive you, for they are verysensitive to the honor of the State. You may blot out your offencesyet, win reputation, walk in glory as in sunlight, and I know of onelady who will give you a lifelong reward."
"Hei!" cried Kmita, in ecstasy, "why should I rot here in bed when theenemy is trampling the country? Hei! is there any one there? Come, boy,give me my boots; come hither! May the thunderbolts strike me in thisbed if I stay here longer in uselessness!"
Volodyovski smiled with satisfaction and said, "Your spirit is strongerthan your body, for the body is not able to serve you yet."
When he had said this he began to take farewell; but Kmita would notlet him go, thanked him, and wished to treat him with wine. In fact, itwas well toward evening when the little knight left Lyubich anddirected his course to Vodokty.
"I will reward her in the best fashion for her sharp word," said he tohimself, "when I tell her that Kmita will rise, not only from his bed,but from evil fame. He is not ruined yet, only very passionate. I shallcomfort her wonderfully too, and I think she will meet me better thistime than when I offered myself to her."
Here our honest Van Michael sighed and muttered: "Could it be knownthat there is one in the world predestined to me?"
In the midst of such meditations he came to Vodokty. The tow-headed manof Jmud ran out to the gate, but made no hurry to open; he only said,--
"The heiress is not at home."
"Has she gone away?"
"She has gone away."
"Whither?"
"Who knows?"
"When will she come back?"
"Who knows?"
"Speak in human fashion. Did she not say when she would return?"
"Maybe she will not return at all, for she went away with wagons andbags. From that I think she has gone far for a long time."
"Is that true?" muttered Pan Michael. "See what I have done!"