Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/477

Rh, for unexpected bad news might stop her breath and make the girl barren.

When Matsko reached the house he found both maidens dressed, even ornamented, and joyous as thrushes; so sitting down on a bench he called the weaver's servant to bring a mug of heated beer, and then put frowns on a face which was stern enough without them.

"Dost hear," asked he, "how the bells of the town are ringing? Guess why they are ringing, for it is not Sunday, and thou hast slept over early mass. Wouldst thou like to see the abbot?"

"Of course I should like to see him," answered Yagenka

"Well, thou wilt see him, as King Nail."

"Has he gone farther?"

"He has gone farther indeed! But dost thou not hear that they are ringing bells?"

"Has he died?"

"Say eternal rest."

So all three knelt down and repeated eternal rest with voices resonant as a bell. Then tears flowed in streams along Yagenka's face, for she loved the abbot greatly. Though quick-tempered with people, he had wronged no one, and had done good with both hands, and her, his godchild, he loved as if she had been his own daughter. Matsko, remembering that the abbot was his kinsman and Zbyshko's, was moved also, and cried some; only when a part of his sorrow had vanished in tears did he take Hlava and the two girls to the church for the funeral.

The funeral was splendid. Bishop Yakob of Kurdvanov led the procession himself. All the priests and monks of Plotsk were there, all the bells were rung; discourses were delivered which no one understood save the clergy, for they were in Latin. Then clergy and laity returned to a feast at the bishop's. Matsko went there taking the two youths, for he had every right as a relative of the dead man. The bishop too received him, as a kinsman of the abbot, with good-will and honor, but immediately after greeting he said,—

"There are some forests left you, the Grady of Bogdanets; but whatever remains and does not go to cloisters and abbeys is to belong to his goddaughter, a certain Yagenka of Zgorzelitse."

Matsko, who had not expected much, was glad of the forests, but the bishop did not see that one attendant of the