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

  CHAPTER VII.

  Ketling and Pan Michael promised each other to ride stirrup to stirrupagain should occasion offer, to sit at one fire, and to sleep withtheir heads on one saddle. But meanwhile an event separated them. Notlater than a week after their first greeting, a messenger came fromCourland with notice that that Hassling who had adopted the youthfulScot and given him his property had fallen suddenly ill, and wishedgreatly to see his adopted son. The young knight did not hesitate; hemounted his horse and rode away. Before his departure he begged Zaglobaand Pan Michael to consider his house as their own, and to live thereuntil they were tired of it.

  "Pan Yan may come," said he. "During the election he will come himselfsurely; even should he bring all his children, there will be room herefor 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 verycomfortable in Ketling's house; but they were pleasant for Pan Michaelalso. Pan Yan did not come, but Pan Michael's sister announced herarrival. She was married to Pan Makovetski, stolnik of Latychov. Hismessenger came to the residence of the hetman to inquire if any of hisattendants knew of the little knight. Evidently Ketling's house wasindicated to him at once.

  Volodyovski was greatly delighted, for whole years had passed since hehad seen his sister; and when he learned that, in absence of betterlodgings, she had stopped at Rybaki in a poor little cottage, he flewoff straightway to invite her to Ketling's house. It was dusk when herushed into her presence; but he knew her at once, though two otherwomen 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 womenstood like two candles and looked at the greeting.

  Pani Makovetski found speech first, and began to cry out in a thin andrather squeaking voice, "So many years,--so many years! God give youaid, dearest brother! The moment the news of your misfortune came, Isprang up at once to come hither; and my husband did not detain me, fora storm is threatening us from the side of Budjyak. People are talkingalso of the Belgrod Tartars; and surely the roads are growing black,for tremendous flocks of birds are appearing, and before every invasionit is that way. God console you, beloved, dear, golden brother! Myhusband 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 theTartars, for the country here will be in a blaze, therefore one thingfits with another. Go,' said he, 'to Warsaw, hire good lodgings intime, so there may be some place to live in.' He, with men of thoseparts, 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 thewindow, let me look in your face; your lips have grown thin, but ingrief it cannot be otherwise. It was easy for my husband to say inRussia, 'Find lodgings!' but here there is nothing anywhere. We are inthis hovel; you see it. I have hardly been able to get three bundles ofstraw to sleep on."

  "Permit me, sister," said the little knight.

  But the sister would not permit, and spoke on, as if a mill wererattling: "We stopped here; there was no other place. My host looks outof his eyes like a wolf; maybe they are bad people in the house. It istrue that we have four attendants,--trusty fellows,--and we ourselvesare 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, andBasia[8] has two of them; but Krysia[9] does not like fire-arms. Thisis 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, foryou have experience in Warsaw."

  "I have lodgings ready," interrupted Pan Michael, "and such good onesthat a senator might occupy them with his retinue. I live with myfriend, Captain Ketling, and will take you with me at once."

  "But remember that there are three of us, and two servants and fourattendants. But for God's sake! I have not made you acquainted with thecompany." Here she turned to her companions. "You know, young ladies,who he is, but he does not know you; make acquaintance even in thedark. The host has not heated the stove for us yet. This is PannaKrystina Drohoyovski, and that Panna Barbara Yezorkovski. My husband istheir 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 littleknight. "Pan Zagloba lives with me. I asked him to have supper preparedfor us."

  "That famous Pan Zagloba?" asked Panna Basia, all at once.

  "Basia, be quiet!" said the lady. "I am afraid that there will beannoyance."

  "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, youngladies, will you give command to carry out the trunks? I brought awagon too for things, and Ketling's carriage is so wide that we fourcan sit in it easily. See what comes to my head; if your attendants arenot drunken fellows, let them stay here till morning with the horsesand larger effects. We'll take now only what things are required most."

  "We need leave nothing," said the lady, "for our wagons are stillunpacked; just attach the horses, and they can move at once. Basia, goand give orders!"

  Basia sprang to the entrance; and a few "Our Fathers" later shereturned 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 towardMokotov. 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 darkalready that they could not see one another's features.

  "Young ladies, do you know Warsaw?" asked Pan Michael, bending towardPanna Krysia, and raising his voice above the rattle of the carriage.

  "No," answered Krysia, in a low but resonant and agreeable voice. "Weare real rustics, and up to this time have known neither famous citiesnor famous men."

  Saying this, she inclined her head somewhat, as if giving to understandthat she counted Pan Michael among the latter; he received the answerthankfully. "A polite sort of maiden!" thought he, and straightwaybegan to rack his head over some kind of compliment to be made inreturn.

  "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 asudden.

  "Ah, here is a kid for you!" thought Pan Michael.

  But he said nothing, and they rode on in silence for some time; Basiaturned again to the little knight and asked, "Do you know whether therewill 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 thehorses during the whole journey?"

  Conversing thus, they arrived before Ketling's house. All the windowswere brilliantly lighted to receive the lady. The servants ran out withPan Zagloba at the head of them; he, springing to the wagon and seeingthree women, inquired straightway,--

  "In which lady have I the honor to greet my special benefactress, andat 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 withgreat attention and clattering of feet to the ante-room. "Let me bepermitted to give greeting once
more inside the threshold," said he, onthe way.

  Meanwhile Pan Michael was helping the young ladies to descend. Sincethe carriage was high, and it was difficult to find the steps in thedarkness, he caught Panna Krysia by the waist, and bearing her throughthe air, placed her on the ground; and she, without resisting, inclinedduring the twinkle of an eye her breast on his, and said, "I thankyou."

  Pan Michael turned then to Basia; but she had already jumped down onthe other side of the carriage, therefore he gave his arm to PannaKrysia. In the room acquaintance with Zagloba followed. He, at sight ofthe two young ladies, fell into perfect good-humor, and invited themstraightway to supper. The platters were steaming already on the table;and as Pan Michael had foreseen, there was such an abundance that itwould have sufficed for twice as many persons.

  They sat down. Pan Michael's sister occupied the first place; next toher, on the right, sat Zagloba, and beyond him Panna Basia. Pan Michaelsat on the left side near Panna Krysia. And now for the first time thelittle knight was able to have a good look at the ladies. Both werecomely, but each in her own style. Krysia had hair as black as thewings of a raven, brows of the same color, deep-blue eyes; she was apale brunette, but of complexion so delicate that the blue veins on hertemples were visible. A barely discernible dark down covered her upperlip, showing a mouth sweet and attractive, as if put slightly forwardfor a kiss. She was in mourning, for she had lost her father not longbefore, and the color of her garments, with the delicacy of hercomplexion and her dark hair, lent her a certain appearance ofpensiveness and severity. At the first glance she seemed older than hercompanion; but when he had looked at her more closely, Pan Michael sawthat the blood of first youth was flowing under that transparent skin.The more he looked, the more he admired the distinction of her posture,the swanlike neck, and those proportions so full of maiden charms.

  "She is a great lady," thought he, "who must have a great soul; but theother is a regular tomboy."

  In fact, the comparison was just. Basia was much smaller than hercompanion, and generally minute, though not meagre; she was ruddy as abunch of roses, and light-haired. Her hair had been cut, apparentlyafter illness, and she wore it gathered in a golden net. But the hairwould not sit quietly on her restless head; the ends of it were peepingout through every mesh of the net, and over her forehead formed anunordered yellow tuft which fell to her brows like the tuft of aCossack, which, with her quick, restless eyes and challenging mien,made that rosy face like the face of a student who is only watching toembroil some one and go unpunished himself. Still, she was so shapelyand fresh that it was difficult to take one's eyes from her; she had aslender nose, somewhat in the air, with nostrils dilating and active;she had dimples in her cheeks and a dimple in her chin, indicating ajoyous disposition. But now she was sitting with dignity and eatingheartily, only shooting glances every little while, now at Pan Zagloba,now at Volodyovski, and looking at them with almost childlikecuriosity, as if at some special wonder.

  Pan Michael was silent; for though he felt it his duty to entertainPanna Krysia, he did not know how to begin. In general, the littleknight was not happy in conversation with ladies; but now he was themore gloomy, since these maidens brought vividly to his mind the deardead one.

  Pan Zagloba entertained Pani Makovetski, detailing to her the deeds ofPan Michael and himself. In the middle of the supper he fell torelating how once they had escaped with Princess Kurtsevich andJendzian, four of them, through a whole chambul, and how, finally, tosave the princess and stop the pursuit, they two had hurled themselveson the chambul.

  Basia stopped eating, and resting her chin on her hand, listenedcarefully, shaking her forelock, at moments blinking, and snapping herfingers in the most interesting places, and repeating, "Ah, ah! Well,what next?" But when they came to the place where Kushel's dragoonsrushed up with aid unexpectedly, sat on the necks of the Tartars, androde on, slashing them, for three miles, she could contain herself nolonger, but clapping her hands with all her might, cried, "Ah, I shouldlike to be there, God knows I should!"

  "Basia!" cried the plump little Pani Makovetski, with a strong Russianaccent, "you have come among polite people; put away your 'God knows.'O Thou Great God! this alone is lacking, Basia, that you should cry,'May the bullets strike me!'"

  The maiden burst out into fresh laughter, resonant as silver, andcried, "Well, then, auntie, may the bullets strike me!"

  "O my God, the ears are withering on me! Beg pardon of the wholecompany!" cried the lady.

  Then Basia, wishing to begin with her aunt, sprang up from her place,but at the same time dropped the knife and the spoons under the table,and then dived down after them herself.

  The plump little lady could restrain her laughter no longer; and shehad a wonderful laugh, for first she began to shake and tremble, andthen to squeak in a thin voice. All had grown joyous. Zagloba was inraptures. "You see what a time I have with this maiden," said PaniMakovetski.

  "She is a pure delight, as God is dear to me!" exclaimed Zagloba.

  Meanwhile Basia had crept out from under the table; she had found thespoons and the knife, but had lost her net, for her hair was fallinginto her eyes altogether. She straightened herself, and said, hernostrils quivering meanwhile, "Aha, lords and ladies, you are laughingat my confusion. Very well!"

  "No one is laughing," said Zagloba, in a tone of conviction, "no one islaughing,--no one is laughing! We are only rejoicing that the Lord Godhas given us delight in the person of your ladyship."

  After supper they passed into the drawing-room. There Panna Krysia,seeing a lute on the wall, took it down and began to run over thestrings. Pan Michael begged her to sing.

  "I am ready, if I can drive sadness from your soul."

  "I thank you," answered the little knight, raising his eyes to her ingratitude.

  After a while this song was heard:--

  "O knights, believe me, Useless is armor; Shields give no service; Cupid's keen arrows, Through steel and iron, Go to all hearts."

  "I do not indeed know how to thank you," said Zagloba, sitting at adistance with Pan Michael's sister, and kissing her hands, "for comingyourself and bringing with you such elegant maidens that the Gracesthemselves might heat stoves for them. Especially does that littlehaiduk please my heart, for such a rogue drives away sorrow in suchfashion that a weasel could not hunt mice better. In truth, what isgrief unless mice gnawing the grains of joyousness placed in ourhearts? You, my benefactress, should know that our late king, YanKazimir, was so fond of my comparisons that he could not live a daywithout them. I had to arrange for him proverbs and wise maxims. Heused to have these repeated to him before bed-time, and by them it wasthat he directed his policy. But that is another matter. I hope toothat our Michael, in company with these delightful girls, will forgetaltogether his unhappy misfortune. You do not know that it is only aweek since I dragged him out of the cloister, where he wished to makevows; but I won the intervention of the nuncio himself, who declared tothe prior that he would make a dragoon of every monk in the cloister ifhe did not let Michael out straightway. There was no reason for him tobe there. Praise be to God! Praise be to God! If not to-day, to-morrowsome one of those two will strike such sparks out of him that his heartwill be burning like punk."

  Meanwhile Krysia sang on:--

  "If shields cannot save From darts a strong hero, How can a fair head Guard her own weakness? Where can she hide!"

  "The fair heads have as much fear of those shafts as a dog has ofmeat," whispered Zagloba to Pan Michael's sister. "But confess, mybenefactress, that you did not bring these titmice here without secretdesigns. They are maidens in a hundred!--especially that little haiduk.Would that I were as blooming as she! Ah, Michael has a cunningsister."

  Pani Makovetski put on a very artful look, which did not, however,become her honest, simple face in t
he least, and said, "I thought ofthis and that, as is usual with us; shrewdness is not wanting to women.My husband had to come here to the election; and I brought the maidensbeforehand, for with us there is no one to see unless Tartars. Ifanything lucky should happen to Michael from this, I would make apilgrimage on foot to some wonder-working image."

  "It will come; it will come!" said Zagloba.

  "Both maidens are from great houses, and both have property; that, too,means something in these grievous times."

  "There is no need to repeat that to me. The war has consumed Michael'sfortune, though I know that he has some money laid up with great lords.We took famous booty more than once, gracious lady; and though that wasplaced at the hetman's discretion, still, a part went to be divided'according to sabres,' as the saying is in our soldier speech. So muchcame to Michael's share more than once that if he had saved all hisown, he would have to-day a nice fortune. But a soldier has no thoughtfor to-morrow; he only frolics to-day. And Michael would have frolickedaway all he had, were it not that I restrained him on every occasion.You say, then, gracious lady, that these maidens are of high blood?"

  "Krysia is of senatorial blood. It is true that our castellans on theborder are not castellans of Cracow, and there are some of whom few inthe Commonwealth have heard; but still, whoso has sat once in asenator's chair bequeaths to posterity his splendor. As torelationship, Basia almost surpasses Krysia."

  "Indeed, indeed! I myself am descended from a certain king of theMassagetes, therefore I like to hear genealogies."

  "Basia does not come from such a lofty nest as that; but if you wish tolisten,--for in our parts we can recount the relationship of everyhouse on our fingers,--she is, in fact, related to the Pototskis andthe Yazlovyetskis and the Lashches. You see, it was this way." Here PanMichael's sister gathered in the folds of her dress and took a moreconvenient position, so that there might be no hindrance to any part ofher favorite narrative; she spread out the fingers of one hand, andstraightening the index finger of the other, made ready to enumeratethe grandfathers and grandmothers. "The daughter of Pan Yakob Pototski,Elizabeth, from his second wife, a Yazlovyetski, married Pan YanSmyotanko, banneret of Podolia."

  "I have caulked that into my memory," said Zagloba.

  "From that marriage was born Michael Smyotanko, also banneret ofPodolia."

  "H'm! a good office," said Zagloba.

  "He was married the first time to a Dorohosto--no! to a Rojynski--no!to a Voronich! God guard me from forgetting!"

  "Eternal rest to her, whatever her name was," said Zagloba, withgravity.

  "And for his second wife he married Panna Lashch."

  "I was waiting for that! What was the result of the marriage?"

  "Their sons died."

  "Every joy crumbles in this world."

  "But of four daughters, the youngest, Anna, married Yezorkovski, of theshield Ravich, a commissioner for fixing the boundaries of Podolia; hewas afterward, if I mistake not, sword-bearer of Podolia."

  "He was, I remember!" said Zagloba, with complete certainty.

  "From that marriage, you see, was born Basia."

  "I see, and also that at this moment she is aiming Ketling's musket."In fact, Krysia and the little knight were occupied in conversation,and Basia was aiming the musket at the window for her own amusement.

  Pani Makovetski began to shake and squeak at sight of that. "You cannotimagine what I pass through with that girl! She is a regular haydamak."

  "If all the haydamaks were like her, I would join them at once."

  "There is nothing in her head but arms, horses, and war. Once she brokeout of the house to hunt ducks with a gun. She crept in somewhere amongthe rushes, was looking ahead of her, the reeds began to open--what didshe see? The head of a Tartar stealing along through the reeds to thevillage. Another woman would have been terrified, and woe to her if shehad not fired quickly; the Tartar dropped into the water. Just imagine,she laid him out on the spot; and with what? With duck-shot."

  Here the lady began to shake again and laugh at the mishap of theTartar; then she added, "And to tell the truth, she saved us all, for awhole chambul was advancing; but as she came and gave the alarm, we hadtime to escape to the woods with the servants. With us it is alwaysso!"

  Zagloba's face was covered with such delight that he half closed hiseye for a moment; then he sprang up, hurried to the maiden, and beforeshe saw him, he kissed her on the forehead. "This from an old soldierfor that Tartar in the rushes," said he.

  The maiden gave a sweeping shake to her yellow forelock. "Didn't I givehim beans?" cried she, with her fresh, childish voice, which sounded sostrangely in view of what she meant with her words.

  "Oh, my darling little haydamak!" cried Zagloba, with emotion.

  "But what is one Tartar? You gentlemen have cut them down by thethousand, and Swedes, and Germans, and Rakotsi's Hungarians. What am Ibefore you, gentlemen,--before knights who have not their equals in theCommonwealth? I know that perfectly! Oho!"

  "I will teach you to work with the sabre, since you have so muchcourage. I am rather heavy now, but Michael there, he too is a master."

  The maiden sprang up in the air at such a proposal; then she kissedZagloba on the shoulder and courtesied to the little knight, saying, "Igive thanks for the promise. I know a little already."

  But Pan Michael was wholly occupied talking with Krysia; therefore heanswered inattentively, "Whatever you command."

  Zagloba, with radiant face, sat down again near Pani Makovetski. "Mygracious benefactress," said he, "I know well which Turkish sweetmeatsare best, for I passed long years in Stambul; but I know this too, thatthere is just a world of people hungry for them. How has it happenedthat no man has coveted that maiden to this time?"

  "As God lives, there was no lack of men who were courting them both.But Basia we call, in laughing, a widow of three husbands, for at onetime three worthy cavaliers paid her addresses,--all nobles of ourparts, and heirs, whose relationship I can explain in detail to you."

  Saying this, Pani Makovetski spread out the fingers of her left handand straightened her right index finger; but Zagloba inquired quickly,"And what happened to them?"

  "All three died in war; therefore we call Basia a widow."

  "H'm! but how did she endure the loss?"

  "With us, you see, a case like that happens every day; and it is a rarething for any man, after reaching ripe age, to pass away with his owndeath. Among us people even say that it is not befitting a nobleman todie otherwise than in the field. 'How did Basia endure it?' Oh, shewhimpered a little, poor girl, but mostly in the stable; for whenanything troubles her, she is off to the stable. I sent for her onceand inquired, 'For whom are you crying?' 'For all three,' said she. Isaw from the answer that no one of them pleased her specially. I thinkthat as her head is stuffed with something else, she has not felt thewill of God yet; Krysia has felt it somewhat, but Basia perhaps not atall."

  "She will feel it!" said Zagloba. "Gracious benefactress, we understandthat perfectly. She will feel it! she will feel it!"

  "Such is our predestination," said Pani Makovetski.

  "That is just it. You took the words out of my mouth."

  Further conversation was interrupted by the approach of the youngersociety. The little knight had grown much emboldened with Krysia; andshe, through evident goodness of heart, was occupied with him and hisgrief, like a physician with a patient. And perhaps for this veryreason she showed him more kindness than their brief acquaintancepermitted. But as Pan Michael was a brother of the stolnik's wife, andthe young lady was related to the stolnik, no one was astonished. Basiaremained, as it were, aside; and only Pan Zagloba turned to herunbroken attention. But however that might be, it was apparently allone to Basia whether some one was occupied with her or not. At first,she gazed with admiration on both knights; but with equal admirationdid she examine Ketling's wonderful weapons distributed on the walls.Later she began to yawn somewhat; then her eyes grew heavier andheavier, and at last s
he said,--

  "I am so sleepy that I may wake in the morning."

  After these words the company separated at once; for the ladies werevery weary from the journey, and were only waiting to have bedsprepared. When Zagloba found himself at last alone with Pan Michael, hebegan first of all to wink significantly, then he covered the littleknight with a shower of light fists. "Michael! what, Michael, hei? liketurnips! Will you become a monk, what? That bilberry Krysia is a sweetone. And that rosy little haiduk, uh! What will you say of her,Michael?"

  "What? Nothing!" answered the little knight.

  "That little haiduk pleased me principally. I tell you that when I satnear her during supper I was as warm from her as from a stove."

  "She is a kid yet; the other is ever so much more stately."

  "Panna Krysia is a real Hungarian plum; but this one is a little nut!As God lives, if I had teeth! I wanted to say if I had such a daughter,I'd give her to no man but you. An almond, I say, an almond!"

  Volodyovski grew sad on a sudden, for he remembered the nicknames whichZagloba used to give Anusia. She stood as if living before him there inhis mind and memory,--her form, her small face, her dark tresses, herjoyfulness, her chattering, and ways of looking. Both these wereyounger, but still she was a hundred times dearer than all who wereyounger.

  The little knight covered his face with his palms, and sorrow carriedhim away the more because it was unexpected. Zagloba was astonished;for some time he was silent and looked unquietly, then he asked,"Michael, what is the matter? Speak, for God's sake!"

  Volodyovski spoke, "So many are living, so many are walking through theworld, but my lamb is no longer among them; never again shall I seeher." Then pain stifled his voice; he rested his forehead on the arm ofthe sofa and began to whisper through his set lips, "O God! O God! OGod!"