Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/352

328 Spyhov eyes as round as if petrified from fear, and sat motionless, but his chin began to quiver.

Yurand turned to the sister of the Order.

"Have you a letter?"

"I have no letter. What we have to convey, we must, by command, convey through word of mouth."

"Then speak!"

She repeated once more, as if wishing that Yurand should beat it well into his memory,—

"Brothers Schaumberg and Markwart are guarding the young lady; therefore restrain your anger; for, though you have wronged the Order during many years, the brothers wish to pay you with good for evil, if you will satisfy their just wishes."

"What do they wish?"

"That you free Pan de Bergov."

Yurand drew a deep breath of relief.

"I will give them De Bergov."

"And other prisoners which you have in Spyhov?"

"There are two attendants of Meinegger and De Bergov, besides their servants."

"You must free them, and reward them for their captivity."

"May God not permit me to haggle over the freedom of my daughter."

"The pious Knights of the Cross expected this," said the woman; "but this is not all that they commanded me to say to you. People of some sort, undoubtedly bandits, stole away your daughter. They did so of course to receive a rich ransom. God permitted the brothers to rescue her for you, and now they ask nothing but that you render up their guest and comrade. But the brothers know, and you know, what a hatred there is toward them in this country, and how unjustly all suspect their most pious acts even. For this cause they are sure that if people here should learn that your daughter is among them, they would suspect that it was they who stole her, and in this way, in return for their virtue, they would receive nothing but complaints and slander. Oh, what I say is true! evil and malicious people of this country have paid them often in that way, by which the fame of the pious Order has suffered greatly, fame which the brothers must protect; and, therefore, they lay down one more condition, that you inform the prince of this country and all the stern knighthood how the truth is; that not the