Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/62

38 "I am terribly curious to know what bones are inside," said she at last; "but I will not open it myself, through fear of offending the saint. Let the bishop open it in Cracow."

"Oh, better not let it out of your hands," said the cautious Pan Mikolai; "it is too desirable."

"Mayhap you speak justly," said the princess, after a moment's hesitation; then she added: "No one has given me such consolation for a long time as that worthy abbot,—first with this gift, and second because he allayed my fear of the Knights of the Cross."

"He speaks wisely and justly," said Matsko. "The Germans had at Vilno various relics, especially because they wished to convince their guests that the war was against pagans. Well, and what came of this? Our people saw that if they spat on their hands and struck out with the axe straight from the ear, a helmet and a head fell. The saints give aid; it would be a sin to say otherwise; but they aid only the honest who go in a right cause to do battle in God's name. So I think, gracious lady, that when it comes to a great war, though all other Germans were to help the Knights, we shall beat them to the earth, since our people are more numerous; and the Lord Jesus has put greater strength in our bones. And as to relics, have we not in the monastery of the Holy Cross the wood of the Holy Cross?"

"True, as God is dear to me!" answered the princess.

"But it will remain in the monastery, and they will take theirs to the field with them."

"It is all one! Nothing is far from God's power."

"Is that true? Will you tell how it is?" asked the princess, turning to the wise Mikolai.

"Every bishop will bear witness to this," answered he. "It is far to Rome, but the pope governs the world,—what must it be in the case of God!"

These words calmed the princess completely; so she turned the conversation to Tynets and its magnificence. In genera! the Mazovians were astonished, not only by the wealth of the cloister, but by the wealth and also the beauty of the whole country through which they were passing. Round about were large and wealthy villages; at the sides of these, gardens full of fruit trees, linden groves, with storks' nests on the lindens, and on the ground beehives with straw covers. Along the road on one side and the other extended grain fields of all sorts. At moments the wind bent a sea of wheat ears still partly green; among these, thick as stars in the sky, twinkled heads