Page:Henryk Sienkiewicz - In Vain.djvu/188

176 thy delicacy of feeling, with thy acts; thou becomest her king’s son—her ideal. Ei, old man, how this tickles vanity! What romances these are, Satan take me!

It is a whole novel. A steed, a noble figure, on her part smiles and tears they are separated by fate; later they meet, they agree, they are reconciled, and Numa marries Pompilius!"

These last words Augustinovich pronounced with a certain maliciousness.

"Art thou speaking of Lula and Pelski?" asked Yosef, gloomily.

"Yes; Pelski looked at her through curiosity, and she, as thou knowest, is a fair maiden, and that rôle pleased him. Pelski is an ordinary man, an aristocrat,—in one word, zero,—but if she pays no attention to the statue—"

"Yes, if?" interrupted Yosef, catching at the last word.

"But thou—why deceive thyself? It must be all one to thee. Thou art not a child nor a woman; thou hadst full knowledge of what thou wert doing when going to Helena with a declaration."