Page:Henryk Sienkiewicz - Potop - The Deluge (1898 translation by Jeremiah Curtin) - Vol 1.djvu/581

Rh Kmita was alarmed. He thought that the priest called the command of the King of Sweden the will of God and was not thinking of resistance; therefore he said, —

"I saw in Pultusk a church in Swedish hands, the soldiers were playing cards in the sanctuary of God, kegs of beer were on the altars, and shameless women were there with the soldiers."

The prior looked steadily, directly in the eyes of the soldier. "A wonderful thing!" said he; "sincerity and truth are looking out of your eyes."

Kmita flushed. "May I fall a corpse here if what I say is not true."

"In every case these tidings over which we must deliberate are important."

"You will permit me to ask the older fathers and some of the more important nobles who are now dwelling with us. You will permit, —"

"I will repeat gladly the same thing before them."

Father Kordetski went out, and in quarter of an hour returned with four older fathers. Soon after Pan Rujyts- Zamoyski, the sword-bearer of Syeradz, entered, — a dignified man; Pan Okyelnitski, banneret of Vyelunie; Pan Pyotr Charnyetski, a young cavalier with a fierce war-like face, like an oak in stature and strength ; and other nobles of various ages. The prior presented to them Pan Babinich from Jmud, and repeated in the presence of all the tidings which he had brought. They wondered greatly and began to measure Pan Andrei with their eyes inquiringly and incredulously, and when no one raised his voice the prior said, —

"May God preserve me from attributing to this cavalier evil intention or calumny; but the tidings which he brings seem to me so unlikely that I thought it proper for us to ask about them in company. With the sincerest intention this cavalier may be mistaken; he may have heard incorrectly, understood incorrectly, or have been led into error through heretics. To fill our hearts with fear, to cause panic in a holy place, to harm piety, is for them an immense delight, which surely no one of them in his wickedness would like to deny himself."

"That seems to me very much like truth," said Father Nyeshkovski, the oldest in the assembly.

"It would be needful to know in advance if this cavalier is not a heretic himself?" said Pyotr Charnyetski.