Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/172

148 Then he sat down, covered his brows with his hand, and was silent, not wishing to lose a word. Yagenka sang the second verse, but when she had finished it she saw a great tear passing over Zbyshko's fingers; then she pushed up to him quickly, and touching him with her elbow inquired,—

"Well, what is the matter? I do not wish you to weep. Tell what the matter is."

"Nothing! nothing!" replied Zbyshko, with a sigh. "It would take long to tell. What happened has passed. I am more cheerful now."

"Perhaps you might drink some sweet wine."

"Honest girl!" cried Zyh. "Why say 'you' to each other? Say 'Zbyshko' to him, and say thou 'Yagenka' to her. Ye knew each other from childhood." Then he turned to his daughter. "That he beat thee in the old time is nothing! He will not do so now."

"I will not," said Zbyshko, joyously. "Let her beat me if she chooses."

At this Yagenka, wishing to amuse him perfectly, closed her hand, and while laughing pretended to beat him.

"Here is for my broken nose! and here! and here!"

"Wine!" cried the jollified Zyh.

Yagenka ran to the cellar and soon brought out a stone jug full of wine, two beautiful tankards ornamented with silver flowers, wrought by silversmiths of Vrotslav, and two cakes of cheese, odorous from afar.

This sight made Zyh, who had something in his head, altogether tender; so gathering the stone jug to himself he pressed it to his bosom, feigning to think it Yagenka, and repeated,—

"Oi, my dear daughter! Oi, poor orphan! What shall I, lone unfortunate, do here when thou art taken from me? What shall I do?"

"You will have to give her away before long! " cried out Zbyshko.

In the twinkle of an eye Zyh passed from tenderness to laughter.

"Hi! hi! The girl is fifteen years of age, but she is drawn toward those two boys already! When she sees one from afar her knees smite each other."

"Papa, I will go away!" said Yagenka.

"Go not! It is pleasant in thy company."

Then he blinked mysteriously at Zbyshko.