Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/118

94 "None. The castellan added: 'I am sorry for him; Princess Anna too entreats in his favor, but since I can do nothing, I am powerless.'"

"Then is Princess Anna here yet? "

"May God reward her! She is a kindly lady. She is here yet, for Yurand's daughter is ill, and the princess loves her as if she were her own child."

"Oh, for God's sake! And sickness has fallen on Danusia! What is the matter with her?"

"Do I know? The princess says that some one has bewitched her."

"Surely Lichtenstein! no one else except Lichtenstein a dog is his mother!"

"Perhaps it was he. But what canst thou do to him? Nothing!"

"Since Danusia is sick all here have forgotten me—"

Zbyshko walked with great strides through the room, then he grasped Matsko's hand and said, after kissing it,—

"God reward you for everything! You will die for my sake; but since you have gone to Prussia, before you lose the rest of your strength do one other thing. Go to the castellan; beg him to let me out, on the word of a knight, for twelve weeks even. I will return then and let them cut off my head. But it cannot be that we should die unavenged. You know—I will go to Malborg and straightway challenge Lichtenstein. It cannot be otherwise. His death, or mine!"

Matsko fell to rubbing his forehead.

"As to going, I will go; but will the castellan grant permission?"

"I will give the word of a knight. Twelve weeks—I need no more."

"It is easy to say twelve weeks. But if thou art wounded and cannot return, what will they say of thee?"

"I will return even on my hands and feet. Have no fear! Besides, the king may come back from Rus by that time; it will be possible then to bow down to him for pardon."

"True!" answered Matsko; but after a while he added: "The castellan told me this also: 'We forgot your nephew because the queen died, but now let the affair be finished.'"

"Ei! he will permit," said Zbyshko, with consolation. "He knows well that a noble will keep his word, and whether they cut off my head now or after Saint Michael's, it is all one to the castellan."

"I will go this day."