CHAPTER L.
At the sound of those few words, "In the King's name," the door of theAssembly House was immediately opened; the formula acted like magic.
There are two words which are often written down together, "Emperor" and"King," wherein the outer world sees little difference, but forHungarians there is all the difference in the world. For the Magyar, thefirst means only the foreign yoke, and all that it stands for; but thesecond represents that rightful regal authority which in Hungary neverfails to win the loyalty and love of those to whom it appeals. And it isa distinction which the world outside Hungary is sometimes slow torecognise.
And so it was that when the red-coated courier appeared before the Pesthtribunal he was received with the utmost respect. It was the office ofthe head notary to open and read the missive, which he did first tohimself. When he had finished, tears stood in the strong man's eyes. Andas he began to read it aloud, his voice trembled audibly, and he wasvisibly moved.
"WORSHIPFUL CITIZENS!
"His Majesty the King herewith, by this present royal rescript, withdraws all vexatious edicts hitherto issued, with the exception of his edict of tolerance and that for the freeing of the serfs. He revokes the compulsory order for the use of a foreign language, and rehabilitates your council and restores your constitution. He concludes a war carried on against the will of the nation by an honourable peace. He asks you, the members of the Pesth magistracy, to call a general council and promulgate the constitution in Pesth, and further orders that the holy crown of Hungary be brought from Vienna to Buda, after which he will summon Parliament and will be crowned there."
The last words were drowned by loud cries of "Long live the King!" whilethe council members sprang up from their places huzzaing and cheering.They seemed like changed beings. Even Tarhalmy, the grave phlegmaticman, generally as cold as ice and a slave to duty, was transformed, andhis set, serious face flamed with a sudden enthusiasm.
"Now, gentlemen," he cried, "comes the new order, now we shall havejustice done. And before God and men can I now say, 'Woe to those whohave done this foul wrong to Mathias Raby.' I will justify him at thebar of our country, and none who helped to persecute this brave manshall escape unpunished. The nation shall judge him."
"Hear, hear!" shouted many voices, and the loudest of all was Petray's.
"Justice for Raby," exclaimed that worthy, "yes, it is right he shouldhave it. I have always told the lieutenant here what a sin and a shameit was thus to compass his ruin."
"What?" cried Laskoy, "I, compassing Raby's ruin? What do you mean? Whobut you managed the whole business, I should like to know!"
"That's a lie!" retorted his antagonist, and the strife promised to beendless, for the others now joined in lustily, and swords were all butdrawn.
Tarhalmy took his documents under his arm. "I am going," he said, "Iprefer to choose my own company."
* * * * *
Meantime, the news of the royal proclamation had spread like wild-fire,and nothing else was talked of. Nagy (otherwise "Kurovics") hastened toJanosics to impart to him the news that the members of the council werequarrelling as to which one was guilty of Raby's condemnation, and thatit would be as well at any rate, it should not be laid at the door ofthe prison officials.
So the two made for the condemned cell, where Raby had been dragged allbut unconscious.
The prisoner imagined they had come to lead him to the galleys.
"No, my friend, thank your stars you are not going there," shoutedJanosics, "you are reprieved! You are free!"
And a sudden thrill of joy born of his regained liberty, shot throughthe exhausted frame of the prisoner, remembering he was not to bescourged at the oar. But then his unbending spirit reasserted itself,and he exclaimed proudly, "I need no man's grace, and I accept none ofyour favours, I would rather die here!"
"You won't then do anything of the kind," retorted the gaoler, "but youwill just march! Here, thrust him out, you fellows," and he called up acouple of warders who roughly seized the prisoner between them, andcarried him in spite of his struggles into the courtyard below. Therewas a small iron door which led into a side thoroughfare, and thisJanosics opened and pushed Raby through it, out into the street theother side.
There they left him on the cobbles, in a dead faint from the efforts hehad made, and there he lay like a lifeless log. The prison authoritiesdid not care on whom the blame for detaining Raby fell, but they weredetermined it should not lay with them.
Janosics returned whistling into his room. But suddenly he ceased towhistle; something seemed to be throttling him. His limbs too wereconvulsed by a sudden tremor, and horrible spasms of pain shot throughhis whole body. When he tried to cry out, he failed to utter a sound,and only blood came from his mouth. And still that awful sensation ofstrangulation oppressed him, so that he tugged at the kerchief about histhroat to get it off; it was the one Fruzsinka had worn. And the wordsof the dead woman, her warning that none should come near her, cameback to him.
The doctor he sent for, directly he saw his patient, exclaimed inhorror, "This is the oriental plague," for he recognised the symptoms ofthe fell malady.
And that word at once drove every living soul away from the unhappy man,and he was left writhing in his agony behind the door till he was still,for that meant he was dead. Then they sent two condemned felons to wrapup the corpse in a horse-rug and carry it out into the cemetery there tobe buried like a dog. The only thing they troubled after was as towhether enough quicklime had been thrown into the grave.
* * * * *
But Raby lay half-dead on the cobble-stones. There were no other housesin the alley, save the monster barracks, the university hospital, andthe great stone rampart of the hinder part of the Assembly House.
As a rule, only one person went up that alley every day, and that was anold Jew named Abraham. He was no longer bound by law to wear the redmantle, and could go about in his black gown and kaftan. With him was ared-haired boy, his youngest son, an intelligent lad who had excellentlegs and could run with the best.
But Abraham left him at the corner of the alley and went alone to thelittle iron door.
There he was accustomed to wait each morning till a heyduke appeared.Then he would push a paper containing a piece of gold under the door,and receive in exchange another morsel of paper. This contained thelatest news of Rab Raby, and Abraham promptly gave it to the youngsterwaiting at the corner, who forthwith would run with it to Buda, whereMariska was waiting for it.
But on this particular morning, the Jew found no news of Raby, butinstead, the prisoner himself, lying on the stones, as one dead.
The old man raised no alarm, nor did he utter a word, but bending overthe prostrate man, laid his hand on Raby's heart to see if it yet beat.
When he had satisfied himself that Raby was still alive, Abraham wrappedhim up in his warm fur-lined mantle, took him in his arms, and carriedhim to the corner of the alley, where he and his son between themdragged him into a sedan-chair, and bore him off--whither no one knew!
* * * * *
A voice like the voice of the angels themselves (so it seemed to thehalf-conscious man who heard it) sweet as the song of the spheres andthrilling with some unwonted harmony which did not seem of this earth,recalled the stricken soul of Mathias Raby back from the shadows ofdeath where it yet lingered.
"May heaven preserve you to us, poor Raby," whispered the voice.
The ex-prisoner awoke from his swoon to find himself in a warm room,whose atmosphere was redolent with some refreshing fragrance, pillowedon soft cushions, while above him were bending two blue eyes that seemedas if they carried in their inmost depths, something of the light ofparadise itself. Such eyes, and who could forget them, once having seenthem?
* * * * *
But to this day the treasure-chest of
Szent-Endre has never been found,so effectually was it hidden from all men.
THE END.
_Jarrold & Sons, Ltd., Printers, The Empire Press, Norwich._
Transcriber's Note: The following typographical errors present in theoriginal text have been corrected.
In Chapter III, "based on a false premiss" was changed to "based on afalse premise".
In Chapter V, "the gate of the vineyards were shut" was changed to "thegates of the vineyards were shut".
In Chapter VIII, periods was added after "others lay dormant" and "shehas become a fine girl".
In Chapter XI, "_Did you call me, dear father?_ asked he girl" waschanged to "_Did you call me, dear father?_ asked the girl".
In Chapter XIV, "Thereupon, he sent the wooer to Fraulein, Fruzsinka"was changed to "Thereupon, he sent the wooer to Fraulein Fruzsinka".
In Chapter XVI, "the csako on their heads" was changed to "the csako ontheir heads".
In Chapter XVII, _"Why do you call him a "worshipful gentleman," askedthe president._ was changed to _"Why do you call him a 'worshipfulgentleman,'" asked the president._, and a period was changed to aquestion mark after "in order to save his fellow-citizens from beggary".
In Chapter XIX, a period was changed to a question mark after "Whatcould be the reasons of his delay".
In Chapter XX, "a coquettishly clad peasant from the Aldfold" waschanged to "a coquettishly clad peasant from the Alfold", a quotationmark was added before "These registered formulas are falsified", and "Hefancied al Pesth" was changed to "He fancied all Pesth".
In Chapter XXIII, "What for the children who are deserted by theirmothers?" was changed to "What, for the children who are deserted bytheir mothers?"
In Chapter XXIX, missing periods were added after "Where all the othersare" and "to demand an explanation".
In Chapter XXXII, "said Raby, suiting the action to the word" waschanged to "said Raby, suiting the action to the word".
In Chapter XXXIII, "They stopped the calvacade" was changed to "Theystopped the cavalcade".
In Chapter XL, a period was changed to a question mark after "had notthe Emperor himself promised to come".
In Chapter XLIV, "A wasted and attentuated figure" was changed to "Awasted and attenuated figure".
In Chapter XLVIII, a comma was added after "deceived by the patient'ssymptoms".
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