The Strange Story of Rab Ráby

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  When Raby was left alone he began to see that what had been done wasreally a foolish proceeding.

  To attack a peaceful town with armed force, beat thirty or forty of itscitizens, to say nothing of its magistracy, black and blue--this wasbeyond a joke in any civilised city.

  Besides, those who had their heads broken in the fray, would not besilent about their grievances. For that matter, Boske had already seenseveral vehicles full of people with bandaged heads, proceeding in thedirection of Buda.

  Mathias Raby therefore determined to go himself to Pesth without waitingto be sent for, and then to testify to what had occurred.

  Of course he could not think of leaving Boske behind alone in the emptyhouse, where there was nothing now left to take care of. The cows hadlong since been turned into butcher's meat for the benefit of theinvaders, who had likewise drunk up every drop of wine in the cellar.

  And it was lucky Raby took Boske with him, as we shall see later.

  Again he alighted at his old inn, and, donning his official dress, hecaused himself to be taken in a sedan-chair to the palace of thegovernor.

  When he entered the ante-chamber the first people he saw were theSzent-Endre officials waiting likewise to see his Excellency, just asthey had come from the fight. One had his arm in a sling, another showeda black eye, and a third a bandaged hand.

  But even these grievances were for the moment, it seemed, thrust asidedirectly Raby entered, for on seeing him they all began to talk andgesticulate noisily. He could not follow what they said, for most ofthem spoke Rascian, then the language of the Hungarian middle classes,whereof he only knew a few words, but from their tone and gestures, hegathered that the conversation concerned him, and that they werepreparing to make things hot for him.

  So he did not feel exactly comfortable as he turned his back on them andwithdrew to the window.

  All at once the noise ceased suddenly as the usher announced "HisExcellency is coming," while the audience began at once to cringe andwhine, and put on a woful air all round.

  The door of the ante-chamber was thrown open, and his Excellency camein.

  He nodded grimly at the waiting crowd, for whose woes his face betrayedno particular sympathy, but when he saw Raby he went up to him, slappedhim on the shoulder, and his face relaxed into a smile.

  This was indeed a rare event, for it took a lot to make his Excellencysmile! Moreover, he greeted his guest with a dignified cordiality.

  "Well met, my friend! I'm glad you've come. You are on the right road.Walk in here, and don't let anyone disturb us," he added, turning to theusher, "as long as his Imperial Majesty's representative is with me. Butyou," and he turned to the expectant crowd of suppliants, "you can justgo to where you came from; you have only got what you deserved."

  But those left behind in the ante-room looked at one another, and didnot exactly know what to make of it, till his Excellency's secretarytold them that the hurts they had received were fully recognised by thelaw, and that they would have redress later if they now went homequietly.

  His Excellency, meanwhile, plunged into the matter straight away.

  "Now see here, my worthy sir, you can only obtain satisfaction inHungary from the Magyar laws themselves. The thing is to know how toprofit by them, for we have excellent statutes; there is no need tosupplement them. I should like to know if the collective tribunals ofAustria itself would settle your affair so thoroughly and effectually,nay and cheaply, as the captain of the Velencze company has done. Butyou have been to the Emperor again with your denunciations, and evennow, I daresay, have your pockets full of imperial instructions. Don'ttake them out if your case is brought before me, for I warn you, I shallnot open them. I wonder if his Majesty knows, by the way, that I neverread the instructions he sends me."

  "But I now bring other orders from his Majesty," said Raby, who did notthink it worth while to say all he knew. "His Majesty has thought agreat deal about his Hungarian subjects, and has great projects forbettering this city."

  "What may such projects be, pray?"

  "First of all, he is giving permission to the Jewish community in Pesthto build a synagogue."

  "A synagogue for the Jews!" cried his Excellency, springing up in horrorfrom his seat. "Impossible! Pesth will not be bettered by that, it willbe completely ruined. Why in a hundred years' time, if that is allowed,the Jews will be having all the rights of citizens. Heaven forbid theyshould be permitted a place in the Assembly, for they will want to getin there. Well, that is enough for a beginning; is there anything else?"

  "Of course," pursued Raby, and since his interlocutor was standing atthe window, he too went there and looked out at the view over the Danubeand Pesth. "Does your Excellency see the great square plain on the edgeof the Pesth woods, that is bordered on one side with willows?"

  "I see, and what of that?"

  "His Majesty has ordered that a large building two stories high, withnine courts, and two thousand windows, shall be erected there. He has,himself, shown me the plans of the edifice which is to be built at hisown expense."

  "Good heavens! What's that for? is his Majesty going to shut up thereall those who do not respect his edicts?"

  "No, it is for a hospital for the city of Pesth."

  "A hospital, indeed! As if the ordinary lazaretto was not enough."

  "It will also serve as a foundling asylum."

  "What, for the children who are deserted by their mothers? Why, thereare none such in Pesth. The citizens won't tolerate such worthless womenin their midst. Such folks must do penance as the Church directs, orelse be driven from the city."

  "It may be so now, but in course of time, when Pesth is raised to therank of great world-cities, the magistracy will have something else todo than to control the private lives of its citizens."

  "Now, how in the world can Pesth become a great city, I should like toknow? Will the Emperor come and live here himself?"

  "Perhaps not now, but he means to make it a great place for trade."

  "Pesth a place for trade? Why! what are you thinking about? You willnever see any trade done in Pesth but by rag-merchants and swine-herds."

  Raby smiled.

  "The Emperor means to raise Pesth to the level of a great commercialcentre by certain big schemes he has in view. He proposes, for instance,to have a canal cut which shall connect Pesth with Trieste, and sobring it into direct connection with the coast."

  "Connect Pesth with Trieste! Why my good young friend" (the speaker haddropped his previous formalities in his astonishment), "don't take mefor a fool, I pray! Remember it is not the first of April. What is theEmperor thinking of? What about the Carpathians, pray?"

  "The mountains will be tunnelled, and the canal is to run under them."

  "Now just listen to me, my good sir! If you do not respect my officialcapacity, otherwise the Imperial Hungarian Presidency of the CountyAssembly, which I represent, you should at least have regard to my greyhairs, and find some other fool to impose on with your scheme. Why, thiswould take millions of money."

  "The actual estimate amounts to sixty millions."

  "Sixty millions! What are you dreaming of? Why, the Emperor has not gotas much as that out of the whole Hungarian revenue in twenty years."

  "The financial provision for this undertaking lies ready to hand. Asyndicate has been formed which will answer for the needful funds, anddirectly Pesth is brought into connection with the sea its commercialpossibilities can be developed. Imagine a water-way from Pesth toTrieste, one of the great emporiums of the world's trade in the centreof Hungary!"

  But his Excellency could not imagine it.

  "Tut, tut," he cried, and his eyes flashed angrily. "What do you meanby taking such a chimera seriously? A canal from the centre of Hungaryto the coast, what does it mean but foreign traders sucking the life andstrength out of this country to glut their markets with our wealth. Wewon't have anything of the kind! The ruling classes of this country willhave something to say
to that. We will not let the people of this nationbe plunged into misery thus. Why, foreign traders would just exploit ourmineral wealth to their hearts' content, and leave the poor folk of thiscountry starving. No, no, my friend, don't you think we will ever haveanything of the kind."

  Raby would not give in; he was by this time quite at home on thesequestions. He could, moreover, give excellent reasons why every landthat has a seaport is prosperous, for trade does not impoverish people,it enriches them. To which his Excellency retorted that of course tradewas a good thing for nations who knew how to get the best of theirneighbours, but for a simple unsophisticated folk, like the Hungarians,it meant ruin.

  In the midst of this heated controversy, the two did not perceive thatthe district commissioner had entered without being announced, and waslistening with much amusement to the debate.

  The district commissioner could not abide wrangling, so he promptlyturned the conversation on to neutral topics.

  "Eh, what is all this about? We, at any rate, have nothing to do withthe nation's economics. Tell us rather what is going on in Vienna. Forremarkably funny events have happened surely since we met." And thespeaker laughed slily, as if struck by some comical reminiscence.

  Raby knew well enough what caused his companion's mirth. He wasthinking, doubtless, of Fruzsinka and the two other "wives." And thethought pierced him with a sudden stab of pain.

  The good-natured official suppressed his ill-timed laughter, however, ashe diverted the subject.

  "Now tell us something about the capital, my dear fellow? Have you beento the National Theatre and seen the latest comedy there?"

  "I had no leisure," said Raby drily, "to go to the theatre, and see whatthe comedies were like. You will have more time for that probably than Ishall."

  Which retort surprised the worthy district commissioner not a little.

  Then Mathias Raby turned to the governor with a deeply respectful bow,only waved a careless "adieu" to the district commissioner, andwithdrew.

  "He is put out with you about something or other," remarked the governorto his companion.

  "Yes, he snapped, didn't he, like a puppy when you tread on his tail."

  But just then, in came the secretary with despatches that had justarrived by the last post.

  "One for you as well, worshipful sir," said the secretary to thedistrict commissioner. "Shall I send it into your office, or will youhave it here, seeing it is marked 'personal.'"

  "All right. Give it me here, please," was the careless answer.

  And the light-hearted official broke the seal and began to read themissive, stretched at ease in his chair.

  But he did not remain so, for hardly had he perused its contents than hegot up, and his face grew suddenly pale under its cosmetic.

  "Be kind enough to read that," he stammered, embarrassed, "the Emperorwrites an autograph letter to summon me to Vienna, and I am dismissedfrom my post as district commissioner."

  "And in my despatch your successor is already nominated."

  "I do not understand it."

  "But I do. Now, my friend, you will have time to judge for yourself whatthe comedy at the National Theatre is like."

  The ex-official pressed his hand to his brow.

  But as his Excellency took a pinch of snuff he said drily: "It is not apuppy who snaps, but a big dog who can bite when he wants to. And he hasflown at you, my friend, that's clear."