Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/198

174 Zbyshko inclined, and kissed his hand.

"I saw him when he was little; I should not have known him now. But show thyself!"

He examined Zbyshko from head to foot, with quick eyes.

"Too good-looking! A maiden, not a knight!" said he, at last.

"The Germans took that maiden to dance," said Matsko; "but whoever took her fell, not to rise again,"

"And he bent a bow without a crank!" cried Yagenka, suddenly.

"But what art thou doing here?" asked the abbot, turning to her.

She blushed till her neck and ears were rosy, and said in great confusion,—

"I saw him."

"Have a care that he should not shoot thee perchance; thou wouldst need three-quarters to recover."

At this the choristers, the pilgrim, and the "wandering clerics" burst into one immense laugh, from which Yagenka lost herself completely, so that the abbot took compassion on her, and, raising his arm, showed her the enormous sleeve of his robe.

"Hide here, girl," said he, "for the blood will spurt from thy cheeks."

Meanwhile Zyh seated Matsko on the bench, and commanded to bring wine, for which Yagenka hurried. The abbot turned his eyes to Zbyshko. "Enough of joking! " said he, "I compared thee to a girl, not to blame thee, but from pleasure at thy good looks, which more than one maiden might envy. I know that thou art a splendid fellow! I have heard of thy deeds at Vilno; I have heard of the Frisians, and of Cracow. Zyh has told me everything—dost understand!"

Here he looked sharply into Zbyshko's eyes, and after a while said again,—

"If thou hast vowed three peacock-plumes, find them, it is praiseworthy and pleasing to God to hunt down the enemies of our race; but if thou hast vowed something else in addition, know that while thou art waiting here I can absolve thee from those vows, for I have the power."

"When a man has promised something in his soul to the Lord Jesus, what power can absolve him?" said Zbyshko.

On hearing this, Matsko looked with a certain dread at the abbot; but evidently the abbot was in excellent humor, for,