Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/120

96 It was pleasant to feel that even for twelve weeks he would have a horse under him, ride through the broad world, fight, and not die unavenged. And then, let happen what might. Besides, that was an immense stretch of time; the king might return from Rus and pardon his offence; perhaps the war would break out which all had been predicting a long time; perhaps the castellan himself, when after three mouths he would see him victorious over the haughty Lichtenstein, would say, "Go now to the forests!" Zbyshko felt clearly that no one cherished hatred against him save the Knight of the Cross, and that only through constraint had the stern castellan condemned him.

So hope entered his breast more and more, because he doubted not that those three months would be granted. Nay, he thought that they would give him even more; for that a noble who had sworn on the honor of a knight should not keep his word would not even come to the head of the old castellan. Therefore, when Matsko came to the prison next day about nightfall, Zbyshko, who could hardly remain sitting, sprang to him at the threshold and asked,—

"Has he permitted?"

Matsko sat on the plank bed; he could not stand because of weakness; he breathed awhile heavily, and said at last:

"The castellan answered in this way: 'If you need to divide land or property, I will let out your nephew, on the word of a knight, for one or two weeks, but not longer.'"

Zbyshka was so astonished that for some time he could not utter a word.

"For two weeks?" asked he, at length. "But in one week I could not even go to the boundary! What is that? Did you tell the castellan my reason for going to Malborg?"

"Not only did I beg for thee, but Princess Anna begged also—"

"Well, and what?"

"The old man told her that he did not want your head, and that he himself grieves for you. 'If I could find some law on his side,' said the castellan, 'nay, some pretext, I would let him out altogether; but as I cannot find it, I cannot free the man. It will not be well,' said he, 'in this kingdom, when people close their eyes to law and show favor through friendship; this I will not do, even were it a question of my relative, Toporchyk, or even of my brother.' So stern is the man! And he added besides: 'We need not consider the Knights of the Cross too much,