Page:Halek's Stories and Evensongs.pdf/208

 gown, and this frank announcement of Pani Horska took him by surprise: but not unfavourably. He thought to himself, “They expected to be invited and were not. I am here.”

He felt as though he ought to say something and at the very least express his thanks. But before he had prepared a reply, he perceived that it was already too late to make one. So he said, “What we shall dream here will be fulfilled.”

Pani Horska scarcely heard his observation for continuing her previous train of thought she said: “Some people are much too presuming, others who have more right to be so, are silent; when I see those two young people, the only thing I seem to hear in all they say is, ‘We have considerable means of our own!’ A man can be happy even in modest circumstances.”

Vojtech felt again as though he ought to thank her but he did not know what reply to make. The words were quite general and yet he felt that he could have kissed Pani Horska’s hand for them. But he pressed the hand of Lidunka instead.

When the landlady announced that she wished to get the bed ready, our party went out before the door, and there sat down on a bench. The moon lighted them and if all the stars in heaven found one another as the eyes of Lidunka and Vojtech found each other, then it is not difficult to understand why they linger so long side by side. Both shared in the general conversation: but if either of them had had to tell the truth, they would have said that the words they spoke were not their own particular conversation; under cover of that audible conversation flowed another without words. Its kingdom was everlasting and words were repugnant to it.

When they said good night Vojtech kissed Pani Horska’s hand as if he would have said, “This is a long standing debt.” And he first kissed the hand of Lidunka’s little sister—doubtless as an excuse for kissing Lidunka’s also.

Lidunka slipped on the threshold and Vojtech catching her in his arms almost carried her into the hall. When he said good night his whole soul quivered with emotion.

Having closed the door behind them and returned to the hall he tucked the little boy into the bed which they were to have together and himself went out before the threshold. He felt he could not sleep and sat down on the place which had been previously occupied by Lidunka.

How lovely that evening was! Vojtech thought that all his life long he had never seen such beauty. Everything looked so