Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/600

 162 last long, for steps were heard on the stairway, and Father Kaleb burst into the chamber.

They sprang away from each other, and the priest overwhelmed the Cheh with questions, which were hard for him to answer since he could not catch breath. The priest thought the man's trouble caused by toils of the journey, and when he had heard confirmation of the news that Danusia was found and recovered, and her torturer brought to Spyhov, he fell on his knees to thank God. Meanwhile the blood quieted in Hlava's veins somewhat, and when the priest rose the Cheh told calmly how they had found and rescued Danusia.

"God did not restore her," said the priest on hearing everything, "to leave her mind and soul in darkness and in control of unclean powers. Yurand will place his holy hands on her, and bring back health and reason with one prayer."

"The knight Yurand?" asked Hlava, with astonishment. "Has he power like that? Can he become a saint during earthly life?"

"Before God he is a saint while alive, and when he dies people will have in heaven one more patron, a martyr."

"But you have said, reverend father, that he will place his hands on his daughter's head. Has his right hand grown out again?—for I know that you begged the Lord Jesus to make it grow."

"I have said 'hands,' as is said usually," answered the priest; "but with divine grace even one hand suffices."

"Surely," answered Hlava.

But there was in his voice a certain disappointment, for he had hoped to witness an evident miracle. Further conversation was interrupted by the coming of Yagenka.

"I have told him the news carefully," said she, "so that sudden joy might not kill him. He dropped down at once in cross form and is praying."

"He lies whole nights thus, but now he will be sure not to rise till to-morrow," answered Father Kaleb.

That was in fact what happened. They looked in a number of times at him, and each time they found him lying, not asleep, but in prayer so earnest that it equalled mental oblivion. The guard, who from the tower of the castle overlooked the land and watched over Spyhov according to custom, declared later on that he saw during that night a certain unusual brightness in the chamber of the "old master."