Pan Michael

"Grandfather wants his way; grandmother will have hers. Come down to me this minute!"

"I will not go down!"

"It is laughable, as G.o.d is dear to me, to take defeat to heart as you do. Not you alone, angry weasel, but Kmita, who pa.s.sed for a master of masters, did Pan Michael treat in this way, and not in sport, but in a duel. The most famous swordsmen--Italians, Germans, and Swedes--could not stand before him longer than during one 'Our Father,' and here such a gadfly takes the affair to heart. Fie! be ashamed of yourself! Come down, come down! Besides, you are only beginning to learn."

"But I cannot endure Pan Michael!"

"G.o.d be good to you! Is it because he is _exquisitissimus_ in that which you yourself wish to know? You should love him all the more."

Zagloba was not mistaken. The admiration of Basia for the little knight increased in spite of her defeat; but she answered, "Let Krysia love him."

"Come down! come down!"

"I will not come down."

"Very well, stay there; but I will tell you one thing: it is not nice for a young lady to sit on a ladder, for she may give an amusing exhibition to the world."

"But that's not true," answered Basia, gathering in her skirts with her hand.

"I am an old fellow,--I won't look my eyes out; but I'll call everybody this minute, let others stare at you."

"I'll come down!" cried Basia.

With that, Zagloba turned toward the side of the house. "As G.o.d lives, somebody is coming!" said he.

In fact, from behind the corner appeared young Adam Novoveski, who, coming on horseback, had tied his beast at the side-gate and pa.s.sed around the house himself, wis.h.i.+ng to enter through the main door.

Basia, seeing him, was on the ground in two springs, but too late.

Unfortunately Pan Adam had seen her springing from the ladder, and stood confused, astonished, and covered with blushes like a young girl.

Basia stood before him in the same way, till at last she cried out,--

"A second confusion!"

Zagloba, greatly amused, blinked some time with his sound eye; at length he said, "Pan Novoveski, a friend and subordinate of our Michael, and this is Panna Drabinovski (Ladder). Tfu! I wanted to say Yezorkovski."

Pan Adam recovered readily; and because he was a soldier of quick wit, though young, he bowed, and raising his eyes to the wonderful vision, said, "As G.o.d lives! roses bloom on the snow in Ketling's garden."

But Basia, courtesying, muttered to herself, "For some other nose than yours." Then she said very charmingly, "I beg you to come in."

She went forward herself, and rus.h.i.+ng into the room where Pan Michael was sitting with the rest of the company, cried, making reference to the red kontush of Pan Adam, "The red finch has come!" Then she sat at the table, put one hand into the other, and pursed her mouth in the style of a demure and strictly reared young lady.

Pan Michael presented his young friend to his sister and Panna Krysia; and the friend, seeing another young lady of equal beauty, but of a different order, was confused a second time; he covered his confusion, however, with a bow, and to add to his courage reached his hand to his mustache, which had not grown much yet. Twisting his fingers above his lip, he turned to Pan Michael and told him the object of his coming.

The grand hetman wished anxiously to see the little knight. As far as Pan Adam could conjecture, it was a question of some military function, for the hetman had received letters recently from Pan Vilchkovski, from

"The Khan himself and Sultan Galga, who made treaties with us at Podhaytse," continued Pan Adam, "wish to observe the treaties; but Budjyak is as noisy as a bee-hive at time of swarming. The Belgrod horde also are in an uproar; they do not wish to obey either the Khan or Galga."

"Pan Sobieski has informed me already of that, and asked for advice,"

said Zagloba. "What do they say now about the coming spring?"

"They say that with the first gra.s.s there will be surely a movement of those worms; that it will be necessary to stamp them out a second time," replied Pan Adam, a.s.suming the face of a terrible Mars, and twisting his mustache till his upper lip reddened.

Basia, who was quick-eyed, saw this at once; therefore she pushed back a little, so that Pan Adam might not see her, and then twisted, as it were, her mustache, imitating the youthful cavalier. Pan Michael's sister threatened with her eyes, but at the same time she began to quiver, restraining her laughter with difficulty. Volodyovski bit his lips; and Krysia dropped her eyes till the long lashes threw a shadow on her cheeks.

"You are a young man," said Zagloba, "but a soldier of experience."

"I am twenty-two years old, and I have served the country seven years without ceasing; for I escaped to the field from the lowest bench in my fifteenth year," answered the young man.

"He knows the steppe, knows how to make his way through the gra.s.s, and to fall on the horde as a kite falls on grouse," said Pan Michael. "He is no common partisan! The Tartar will not hide from him in the steppe."

Pan Adam blushed with delight that praise from such famous lips met him in presence of ladies. He was withal not merely a falcon of the steppes, but a handsome fellow, dark, embrowned by the winds. On his face he bore a scar from his ear to his nose, which from this cut was thinner on one side than the other. He had quick eyes, accustomed to look into the distance, above them very dark brows, joined at the nose and forming, as it were, a Tartar bow. His head, shaven at the sides, was surmounted by a black, bushy forelock. He pleased Basia both in speech and in bearing; but still she did not cease to mimic him.

"As I live!" said Zagloba, "it is pleasant for old men like me to see that a new generation is rising up worthy of us."

"Not worthy yet," answered Pan Adam.

"I praise the modesty too. We shall see you soon receiving commands."

"That has happened already!" cried Pan Michael. "He has been commandant, and gained victories by himself."

Pan Adam began so to twist his mustache that he lacked little of pulling out his lip. And Basia, without taking her eyes from him, raised both hands also to her face, and mimicked him in everything. But the clever soldier saw quickly that the glances of the whole company were turning to one side, where, somewhat behind him, was sitting the young lady whom he had seen on the ladder, and he divined at once that something must be against him. He spoke on, as if paying no heed to the matter, and sought his mustache as before. At last he selected the moment, and wheeled around so quickly that Basia had no time either to turn her eyes from him, or to take her hands from her face. She blushed terribly, and not knowing herself what to do, rose from the chair. All were confused, and a moment of silence followed.

Basia struck her sides suddenly with her hands: "A third confusion!"

cried she, with her silvery voice.

"My gracious lady," said Pan Adam, with animation, "I saw at once that something hostile was happening behind me. I confess that I am anxious for a mustache; but if I do not get it, it will be because I shall fall for the country, and in that event I hope I shall deserve tears rather than laughter from your ladys.h.i.+p."

Basia stood with downcast eyes, and was the more put to shame by the sincere words of the cavalier.

"You must forgive her," said Zagloba. "She is wild because she is young, but she has a golden heart."

And Basia, as if confirming Zagloba's words, said at once in a low voice, "I beg your forgiveness most earnestly."

Pan Adam caught her hands that moment and fell to kissing them. "For G.o.d's sake, do not take it to heart! I am not some kind of barbarian.

It is for me to beg pardon for having dared to interrupt your amus.e.m.e.nt. We soldiers ourselves are fond of jokes. _Mea culpa!_ I will kiss those hands again, and if I have to kiss them till you forgive me, then, for G.o.d's sake, do not forgive me till evening!"

"Oh, he is a polite cavalier. You see, Basia!" said Pani Makovetski.

"I see!" answered Basia.

"It is all over now," cried Pan Adam.

When he said this he straightened himself, and with great resolution reached to his mustache from habit, but suddenly remembered himself and burst out in hearty laughter. Basia followed him; others followed Basia. Joy seized all. Zagloba gave command straightway to bring one and a second bottle from Ketling's cellar, and all felt well. Pan Adam, striking one spur against the other, pa.s.sed his fingers through his forelock and looked more and more ardently at Basia. She pleased him greatly. He grew immensely eloquent; and since he had served with the hetman, he had lived in the great world, therefore had something to talk about. He told them of the Diet of Convocation, of its close, and how in the senate the stove had tumbled down under the inquisitive spectators, to the great amus.e.m.e.nt of all. He departed at last after dinner, with his eyes and his soul full of Basia.

CHAPTER IX.