Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/306

282 propped him, thus arrayed, against red pillows, and, pleased with his own work, he added,—

"If your Grace were able to dance now, you might go to a wedding."

"They would have to do without our dancing," answered Zbyshko, with a smile.

Meanwhile, the princess in her chamber was thinking how to array Danusia, since for her womanly nature it was a question of great importance, and she was unwilling that the dear maiden reared by her should stand up to be married in an every-day garment. The maidens to whom information was given that Danusia had arrayed herself in the color of innocence for confession, found white robes easily in the boxes. For the dressing of her head there was trouble. At the thought of this wonderful sadness possessed the princess, so that she fell to complaining,—

"O thou my orphan, where shall I find a garland of rue for thee? In this forest there is no little flower of any sort, nor a leaf, unless mosses flourish under the snow."

Danusia, standing there with flowing hair, was troubled also, for she, too, wished a garland; but after a while she pointed to strings of immortelles hanging on the walls of the chamber, and said,—

"Use those, for I shall find nothing else, and Zbyshko will take me even in such a garland."

The princess would not consent at first, fearing a bad omen, but since there were no flowers in that house, to which they came only for hunting, they settled on what they had. Father Vyshonek, who had heard Zbyshko's confession, came, and took Danusia now to confess; after that dark night appeared. When supper was over, the servants went to bed at command of the princess. Yurand's messengers lay down, some in the servants' rooms, others with the horses in the stables. Fires in the servants' rooms were covered with ashes and went down, till at last it was perfectly silent in the hunting-lodge, save that from time to time dogs barked toward the forest at wolves.

But in the chambers of the princess, of Father Vyshonek, and of Zbyshko the windows did not cease to give light; they cast ruddy gleams on the snow which covered the courtyard. In these chambers they were watching in silence, listening to the beating of their own hearts, disquieted and filled with the solemnity of that moment which was to come very soon. After midnight the princess took Danusia's