The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy. Henryk Sienkiewicz

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СКАЧАТЬ use to talk; twelve weeks! And if you are wounded, you cannot return; what will they think then?"

      "I will return if I have to crawl. But don't be afraid! In the meanwhile the king may return and one will be able to beseech him for clemency."

      "That is true," answered Macko.

      But after awhile he added:

      "The castellan also told me this: 'On account of the queen's death, we forgot about your nephew; but now his sentence must be executed.'"

      "Ej, he will permit," answered Zbyszko, hopefully. "He knows that a nobleman will keep his word, and it is just the same to him, whether they behead me now, or after St. Michael's day."

      "Ha! I will go to-day."

      "You better go to Amylej to-day, and rest awhile. He will bandage your wound, and to-morrow you can go to the castellan."

      "Well, with God then!"

      "With God!"

      They hugged each other and Macko turned toward the door; but he stopped on the threshold and frowned as if he remembered something unpleasant.

      "Bah, but you do not yet wear the girdle of a knight; Lichtenstein will tell you that he will not fight with you; what can you do then?"

      Zbyszko was filled with sorrow, but only for a moment, then he said:

      "How is it during war? Is it necessary that a knight choose only knights?"

      "War is war; a single combat is quite different."

      "True, but wait. You must find some way. Well, there is a way! Prince Janusz will dub me a knight. If the princess and Danusia ask him, he will do it. In the meantime I will fight in Mazowsze with the son of Mikolaj of Dlugolas."

      "What for?"

      "Because Mikolaj, the same who is with the princess and whom they call

       Obuch, called Danusia, 'bush.'"

      Macko looked at him in amazement. Zbyszko, wishing to explain better about what had occurred, said further:

      "I cannot forgive that, but I cannot fight with Mikolaj, because he must be nearly eighty years old."

      To this Macko said:

      "Listen! It is a pity that you should lose your head; but there will not be a great loss of brains, because you are stupid like a goat."

      "Why are you angry?"

      Macko did not answer, but started to leave. Zbyszko sprang toward him and said:

      "How is Danusia? Is she well yet? Don't be angry for a trifle. You have been absent so long!"

      Again he bent toward the old man who shrugged his shoulders and said mildly:

      "Jurandowna is well, only they will not let her go out of her room yet.

       Good-bye!"

      Zbyszko remained alone, but he felt as if he had been regenerated. He rejoiced to think that he might be allowed to live three months more. He could go to remote lands; he could find Lichtenstein, and engage in deadly combat with him. Even the thought about that filled him with joy. He would be fortunate, to be able to ride a horse, even for twelve weeks; to be able to fight and not perish without vengeance. And then—let happen what would happen—it would be a long time anyhow! The king might return and forgive him. War might break out, and the castellan himself when he saw the victor of the proud Lichtenstein, might say: "Go now into the woods and the fields!"

      Therefore a great hope entered his heart. He did not think that they would refuse to grant him those three months. He thought that perhaps they would grant hem more. The old Pan of Tenczyn would never admit that a nobleman could not keep his word.

      Therefore when Macko came to the prison, the next day toward evening,

       Zbyszko, who could hardly sit quiet, sprang toward him and asked:

      "Granted?"

      Macko sat on the truckle-bed, because he could not stand on account of his feebleness; for a while he breathed heavily and finally said:

      "The castellan said: 'If you wish to divide your land, or attend to your household, then I will release your nephew for a week or two on his knightly word, but for no longer.'"

      Zbyszko was so much surprised, that for a while he could not say a word.

      "For two weeks?" asked he, finally. "But I could not even reach the frontier in two weeks! How is it? You did not tell the castellan why I wished to go to Marienburg?"

      "Not only I, but the Princess Anna begged for you."

      "And what then?"

      "What? The old man told her that he did not want your head, and that he pitied you. 'If I could find,' said he, 'some law in his favor, or only a pretext, I would release him altogether; but I cannot. There would be no order in a country in which the people shut their eyes to the law, and acted according to friendship; I will not do it; even if it were Toporczyk, who is a relative of mine, or even my own brother, I would not. Such hard people are here!' And he said still further; 'We do not care about the Knights of the Cross; but we cannot bring reproach on ourselves. What would they think of us, and all our guests, coming from all parts of the world, if I release a nobleman sentenced to death, in order to give him a chance to fight? Would they believe that he will be punished, and that there is some law in our country? I prefer to order one head cut off, than to bring contempt on the king and the kingdom.' The princess told him that that was strange justice, from which even a king's relative could not obtain anything by her prayer; but the old man answered: 'The king may use clemency; but he will not tolerate lawlessness.' Then they began to quarrel because the princess grew very angry: 'Then,' said she, 'don't keep him in the prison!' And the castellan replied to this: 'Very well! To-morrow I will order a scaffold built on the market square.' Then they departed. Only the Lord Jesus can help you."

      There was a long moment of silence.

      "What?" he said, gloomily. "Then it will be immediately?"

      "In two or three days. There is no help. I have done what I could. I fell at the castellan's knees; I implored him for mercy, but he repeated: 'Find a law, or a pretext.' But what can I find? I went to see the ksiondz Stanislaw of Skarbimierz, and I begged him to come to you. At least you will have this honor, that the same priest who heard the queen's confession will hear yours. But I did not find him home; he had gone to Princess Anna."

      "Perhaps for Danusia!"

      "Not at all. The girl is better. I will go see him to-morrow early in the morning. They say that if he bears one's confession, salvation is as sure as if you had it in your pocket."

      Zbyszko put his elbows on his knees and dropped his head so that his hair covered his face entirely. The old man looked at him a long time and finally began to call him softly:

      "Zbyszku! Zbyszku!"

      The boy raised his head. His face had an expression of anger СКАЧАТЬ