Pan Michael: An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey

  CHAPTER XLII.

  News of Basia's arrival flew like a thunderbolt through Hreptyoff; butno one except the little knight, Pan Zagloba, and the serving-women sawher that evening, or the following evenings. After that swoon on thethreshold she recovered presence of mind sufficiently to tell in a fewwords at least what had happened, and how it had happened; but suddenlya new fit of fainting set in, and an hour later, though they used allmeans to revive her, though they warmed her, gave her wine, tried togive her food, she did not know even her husband, and there was nodoubt that for her a long and grievous illness was beginning.

  Meanwhile excitement rose in all Hreptyoff. The soldiers, learning that"the lady" had come home half alive, rushed out to the square like aswarm of bees; all the officers assembled, and whispering in low voiceswere waiting impatiently for news from the bedroom where Basia waslying. For a long time, however, it was impossible to learn anything.It is true that at times waiting-women hurried past, one to the kitchenfor hot water, another to the dispensary for plasters, ointments, andherbs; but they let no one detain them. Uncertainty was weighing likelead on all hearts. Increasing crowds, even from the village, collectedon the square; inquiries passed from mouth to mouth; men describedAzya's treason, and said that "the lady" had saved herself by flight,had fled a whole week without food or sleep. At these tidings thebreasts of all swelled with rage. At last a wonderful and terriblefrenzy seized the assembly of soldiers; but they repressed it throughfear of injuring the sick woman by an outburst.

  At last, after long waiting, Pan Zagloba went out to the officers, hiseyes red, and the remnant of the hair on his head standing up; theysprang to him in a crowd, and covered him at once with anxiousquestions in low tones.

  "Is she alive; is she alive?"

  "She is alive," said the old man; "but God knows whether she will livean hour."

  Here the voice stuck in his throat; his lower lip quivered. Seizing hishead with both hands, he dropped heavily on the bench, and suppressedsobbing heaved his breast.

  At sight of this, Pan Mushalski caught in his embrace PanNyenashinyets, though he cared not much for him ordinarily, and beganto moan quietly; Pan Nyenashinyets seconded him at once. Pan Motovidlostared as if he were trying to swallow something, but could not; PanSnitko fell to unbuttoning his coat with quivering fingers; Pan Hromykaraised his hands, and walked through the room. The soldiers, seeingthrough the windows these signs of despair, and judging that the ladyhad died already, began an outcry and lamentation. Hearing this,Zagloba fell into a sudden fury, and shot out like a stone from a slingto the square.

  "Silence, you scoundrels! may the thunderbolts split you!" cried he, ina suppressed voice.

  They were silent at once, understanding that the time for lamentationhad not come yet; but they did not leave the square. Zagloba returnedto the room, quieted somewhat, and sat again on the bench.

  At that moment a waiting-woman appeared again at the door of the room.

  Zagloba sprang toward her.

  "How is it there?"

  "She is sleeping."

  "Is she sleeping? Praise be to God!"

  "Maybe the Lord will grant--"

  "What is the Pan Commandant doing?"

  "The Pan Commandant is at her bedside."

  "That is well. Go now for what you were sent."

  Zagloba turned to the officers and said, repeating the words of thewoman,--

  "May the Most High God have mercy! She is sleeping! Some hope isentering me--Uf!"

  And they sighed deeply in like manner. Then they gathered aroundZagloba in a close circle and began to inquire,--

  "For God's sake, how did it happen? What happened? How did she escapeon foot?"

  "At first she did not escape on foot," whispered Zagloba, "but with twohorses, for she threw that dog from his saddle,--may the plague slayhim!"

  "I cannot believe my ears!"

  "She struck him with the butt of a pistol between the eyes; and as theywere some distance behind no one saw them, and no one pursued. Thewolves ate one horse, and the other was drowned under the ice. OMerciful Christ! She went, the poor thing, alone through forests,without eating, without drinking."

  Here Pan Zagloba burst out crying again, and stopped his narrative fora time; the officers too sat down on benches, filled with wonder andhorror and pity for the woman who was loved by all.

  "When she came near Hreptyoff," continued Zagloba, after a while, "shedid not know the place, and was preparing to die; just then she heardthe squeak of the well-sweeps, knew that she was near us, and draggedherself home with her last breath."

  "God guarded her in such straits," said Pan Motovidlo, wiping his moistmustaches. "He will guard her further."

  "It will be so! You have touched the point," whispered a number ofvoices.

  With that a louder noise came in from the square; Zagloba sprang upagain in a rage, and rushed out through the doorway.

  Head was thrust up to head on the square; but at sight of Zagloba andtwo other officers the soldiers pushed back into a half-circle.

  "Be quiet, you dog souls!" began Zagloba, "or I'll command--"

  But out of the half-circle stepped Zydor Lusnia,--a sergeant ofdragoons, a real Mazovian, and one of Pan Michael's favorite soldiers.This man advanced a couple of steps, straightened himself out like astring, and said with a voice of decision,--

  "Your grace, since such a son has injured our lady, as I live, wecannot but move on him and take vengeance; all beg to do this. And ifthe colonel cannot go, we will go under another command, even to theCrimea itself, to capture that man; and remembering our lady, we willnot spare him."

  A stubborn, cold, peasant threat sounded in the voice of the sergeant;other dragoons and attendants in the accompanying squadrons began togrit their teeth, shake their sabres, puff, and murmur. This deepgrumbling, like the grumbling of a bear in the night, had in itsomething simply terrible.

  The sergeant stood erect waiting for an answer; behind him whole rankswere waiting, and in them was evident such obstinacy and rage that inpresence of it even the ordinary obedience of soldiers disappeared.

  Silence continued for a while; all at once some voice in a remoter linecalled out,--

  "The blood of that one is the best medicine for 'the lady.'"

  Zagloba's anger fell away, for that attachment of the soldiers to Basiatouched him; and at that mention of medicine another plan flashed up inhis head,--namely, to bring a doctor to Basia. At the first moment inthat wild Hreptyoff no one had thought of a doctor; but neverthelessthere were many of them in Kamenyets,--among others a certain Greek, afamous man, wealthy, the owner of a number of stone houses, and solearned that he passed everywhere as almost skilled in the black art.But there was a doubt whether he, being wealthy, would be willing tocome at any price to such a desert,--he to whom even magnates spokewith respect.

  Zagloba meditated for a short time, and then said,--

  "A fitting vengeance will not miss that arch hound, I promise you that;and he would surely prefer to have his grace, the king, swear vengeanceagainst him than to have Zagloba do it. But it is not known whether heis alive yet; for the lady, in tearing herself out of his hands, struckhim with the butt of her pistol right in the brain. But this is not thetime to think of him, for first we must save the lady."

  "We should be glad to do it, even with our own lives," answered Lusnia.

  And the crowd muttered again in support of the sergeant.

  "Listen to me," said Zagloba. "In Kamenyets lives a doctor namedRodopul. You will go to him; you will tell him that the starosta ofPodolia has sprained his leg at this place and is waiting for rescue.And if he is outside the wall, seize him, put him on a horse, or into abag, and bring him to Hreptyoff without stopping. I will give commandto have horses disposed at short distances apart, and you will go at agallop. Only be careful to bring him alive, for we have no businesswith dead doctors."

  A mutter of satisfaction was heard on every side; Lusnia moved h
isstern mustaches and said,--

  "I will bring him surely, and I will not lose him till we come toHreptyoff."

  "Move on!"

  "I pray your grace--"

  "What more?"

  "But if he should die of fright?"

  "He will not. Take six men and move."

  Lusnia shot away. The others were glad to do something for the lady;they ran to saddle the horses, and in a few "Our Fathers" six men wereracing to Kamenyets. After them others took additional horses, to bedisposed along the road.

  Zagloba, satisfied with himself, returned to the house.

  After a while Pan Michael came out of the bedroom, changed, halfconscious, indifferent to words of sympathy and consolation. When hehad informed Zagloba that Basia was sleeping continually, he dropped onthe bench, and gazed with wandering look on the door beyond which shewas lying. It seemed to the officers that he was listening; thereforeall restrained their breathing, and a perfect stillness settled down inthe room.

  After a certain time Zagloba went on tiptoe to the little knight.

  "Michael," said he, "I have sent to Kamenyets for a doctor; but maybeit is well to send for some one else?"

  Volodyovski was collecting his thoughts, and apparently did notunderstand.

  "For a priest," said Zagloba. "Father Kaminski might come by morning."

  The little knight closed his eyes, turned toward the fire, his face aspale as a kerchief, and said in a hurried voice,--

  "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!"

  Zagloba inquired no further, but went out and made arrangements. Whenhe returned, Pan Michael was no longer in the room. The officers toldZagloba that the sick woman had called her husband, it was unknownwhether in a fever or in her senses.

  The old noble convinced himself soon, by inspection, that it was in afever.

  Basia's cheeks were bright red; her eyes, though glittering, were dull,as if the pupils had mingled with the white; her pale hands weresearching for something before her, with a monotonous motion, on thecoverlet. Pan Michael was lying half alive at her feet.

  From time to time the sick woman muttered something in a low voice, oruttered uncertain phrases more loudly; among them "Hreptyoff" wasrepeated most frequently: evidently it seemed to her at times that shewas still on the road. That movement of her hands on the coverletdisturbed Zagloba especially, for in its unconscious monotony he sawsigns of coming death. He was a man of experience, and many people haddied in his presence; but never had his heart been cut with such sorrowas at sight of that flower withering so early.

  Understanding that God alone could save that quenching life, he kneltat the bed and began to pray, and to pray earnestly.

  Meanwhile Basia's breath grew heavier, and changed by degrees to arattling. Volodyovski sprang up from her feet; Zagloba rose from hisknees. Neither said a word to the other; they merely looked into eachother's eyes, and in that look there was terror. It seemed to them thatshe was dying, but it seemed so only for some moments; soon herbreathing was easier and even slower.

  Thenceforth they were between fear and hope. The night dragged onslowly. Neither did the officers go to rest; they sat in the room, nowlooking at the door of the bedroom, now whispering among themselves,now dozing. At intervals a boy came in to throw wood on the fire; andat each movement of the latch they sprang from the bench, thinking thatVolodyovski or Zagloba was coming, and they would hear the terriblewords, "She is living no longer!"

  At last the cocks crowed, and she was still struggling with the fever.Toward morning a fierce rain-storm burst forth; it roared among thebeams, howled on the roof; at times the flames quivered in the chimney,casting into the room puffs of smoke and sparks. About daylight PanMotovidlo stepped out quietly, for he had to go on a reconnoissance. Atlast day came pale and cloudy, and lighted weary faces.

  On the square the usual movement began. In the whistling of the stormwere heard the tramp of horses on the planking of the stable, thesqueak of the well-sweeps, and the voices of soldiers; but soon a bellsounded,--Father Kaminski had come.

  When he entered, wearing his white surplice, the officers fell on theirknees. It seemed to all that the solemn moment had come, after whichdeath must follow undoubtedly. The sick woman had not regainedconsciousness; therefore the priest could not hear her confession. Heonly gave her extreme unction; then he began to console the littleknight, and to persuade him to yield to the will of God. But there wasno effect in that consolation, for no words could reach his pain.

  For a whole day death hovered over Basia. Like a spider, which secretedin some gloomy corner of the ceiling crawls out at times to the light,and lets itself down on an unseen web, death seemed at times to comedown right there over Basia's head; and more than once it seemed tothose present that his shadow was falling on her forehead, that thatbright soul was just opening its wings to fly away out of Hreptyoff,somewhere into endless space, to the other side of life. Then againdeath, like a spider, hid away under the ceiling, and hope filled theirhearts.

  But that was merely a partial and temporary hope, for no one dared tothink that Basia would survive the attack. Pan Michael himself had nohope of her recovery; and this pain of his became so great thatZagloba, though suffering severely himself, began to be afraid, and tocommend him to the care of the officers.

  "For God's sake, look after him!" said the old man; "he may plunge aknife into his body."

  This did not come, indeed, to Pan Michael's head; but in that rendingsorrow and pain he asked himself continually,--

  "How am I to stay behind when she goes? How can I let that dearest lovego alone? What will she say when she looks around and does not find menear her?"

  Thinking thus, he wished with all the powers of his soul to die withher; for as he could not imagine life for himself on earth without her,in like manner he did not understand that she could be happy in thatlife without him, and not yearn for him. In the afternoon theill-omened spider hid again in the ceiling. The flush in Basia's cheekswas quenched, and the fever decreased to a degree that someconsciousness came back to her.

  She lay for a time with closed eyes, then, opening them, looked intothe face of the little knight, and asked,--

  "Michael, am I in Hreptyoff?"

  "Yes, my love," answered Volodyovski, closing his teeth.

  "And are you really near me?"

  "Yes; how do you feel?"

  "Ai, well."

  It was clear that she herself was not certain that the fever had notbrought before her eyes deceptive visions; but from that moment sheregained consciousness more and more.

  In the evening Lusnia and his men came and shook out of a bag beforethe fort the doctor of Kamenyets, together with his medicines; he wasbarely alive. But when he learned that he was not in robber hands, ashe thought, but was brought in that fashion to a patient, after apassing faintness he went to the rescue at once, especially as Zaglobaheld before him in one hand a purse filled with coin, in the other aloaded pistol, and said,--

  "Here is the fee for life, and there is the fee for death."

  That same night, about daybreak, the spider of ill-omen hid awaysomewhere for good; thereupon the decision of the doctor, "She will besick a long time, but she will recover," sounded with joyful echothrough Hreptyoff. When Pan Michael heard it first, he fell on thefloor and broke into such violent sobbing that it seemed as though hisbosom would burst. Zagloba grew weak altogether from joy, so that hisface was covered with sweat, and he was barely able to exclaim, "Adrink!" The officers embraced one another.

  On the square the dragoons assembled again, with the escort and theCossacks of Pan Motovidlo; it was hardly possible to restrain them fromshouting. They wanted absolutely to show their delight in some fashion,and they began to beg for a number of robbers imprisoned in the cellarsof Hreptyoff, so as to hang them for the benefit of the lady.

  But the little knight refused.