Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/328

304 The correctness of this remark struck Zbyshko, so he answered:

"God grant it to be as thou sayest."

The Cheh went deeper still into his own head for wisdom.

"If she had been in a sleigh the old lord would not have left it, or if he left the sleigh he would have taken her on the horse in front of him, and we should have found them together."

"Let us go there once more," said Zbyshko, in a voice of alarm, for it occurred to him that it might be as Hlava had said. In that case they had not searched with sufficient diligence. Yurand, then, had taken Danusia before him on the horse, and when the beast fell Danusia went away from her father to find some assistance. In that event she might be near by somewhere under the snow.

But Hlava, as if divining these thoughts, said,—

"In that case we should have found her things in the sleigh, for she would not go to the court with only the dress that she was wearing."

In spite of this just conclusion they went again to the willow, but neither under it nor for a furlong around the tree did they find anything. The prince's men had taken Yurand to Nedzborz, and round about all was deserted. Hlava made the remark, still, that the dog which had run with the guide and which had found Yurand, would have found the young lady also. Thereupon Zbyshko was relieved, for he became almost certain that Danusia had remained at Spyhov. He was able even to explain how it had happened. Evidently Danusia had confessed all to her father; he, not agreeing to the marriage, had left her at home purposely, and was coming himself to lay the affair before the prince and ask his intervention with the bishop. At this thought Zbyshko could not resist the feeling of a certain solace, and even delight, for he understood that with the death of Yurand all obstacles had vanished.

"Yurand did not wish, but the Lord Jesus has wished," said the young knight to himself, " and the will of God is always the stronger."

Now he needed only to go to Spyhov, take Danusia as his own, and then accomplish his vow, which was easier on the boundary than in distant Bogdanets. "God's will! God's will!" repeated he in his soul. But he was ashamed of his hurried delight the next moment, and said, turning to Hlava,—

"I am sorry for him, and I will say so to every one."