Page:Poet Lore, volume 26, 1915.djvu/299

 Sylvia.—Except?

Christine.—I —your dear faithful Christine. And still even I don’t yet know how that feeling which fills your whole soul was inspired in you. There are still some secrets of human life which I do not understand!

Sylvia.—How that feeling for him was inspired in me! Learn to know him, to understand his noble, dauntless spirit—and you’ll comprehend all.

Christine.—And have you not known anyone like that else where? What about Count Sterneck. You and I both have heard that he is engaged to you. What about Count Morzin?

Sylvia.—Where are they both as compared with Jeroným? How did he act and how did they behave in that moment when he engaged my whole soul’s interest! We were to go for a hunt. Jeroným had been sent ahead to prepare the snares. He had to pass around a cottage on the edge of the forest. “The Glade” they call it. He heard screams and lamentations. What was happening? Two local musketeers, led by the secretary and director Karmín wanted to bind the oldest son of the widow Klen. She lay ill on a bed surrounded by a whole group of smaller children. The son was obliged to earn their bread, and had, therefore, gone for a week to work in the city and had neglected to serve his week of soccage! In addition to that, they claimed that he had taken a piece of wood in the forest for fuel in their home. Whether he was guilty or not I don’t know. But it is certain that Karmín came upon him with his soldiers and wanted to lead him away in chains to perform vassal service and then into prison. What did Karmín care whether or not the whole family died of hunger in the meantime or whether the mother died of fright.

Christine.—That’s terrible! Are such deeds possible?

Sylvia.—Not possible but actual. Young Klen defended himself like a lynx and the two younger brothers—weak little boys—seeing their mother weeping so despairingly, tried to help him. The bailiff seized one of the boys and dashed him to the ground. Young Klen threw himself madly on the bailiff. Heaven only knows what else would have happened. Karmín in fear of the young madman ran out of the hut and seeing Jeroným called him to help against Klen. He, comprehending what had happened, knocked down the two bailiffs and like a young lion placed himself at the defense of the poor family. I don’t want