Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/685

 Rh "A young man is needed here, a man who fears no one, for the boundary of the Order is close by; a man who not only would not hide from the Germans, but would hunt them; so, without hesitation, I think that Hlava is the man for this place."

"See how she will fix it!" cried Matsko, who, in spite of his love for Yagenka, was unwilling that a woman should have a voice in such matters, and moreover a woman who was unmarried.

But Hlava rose from the seat where he had been sitting, and said,—

"God sees that I should go to the war gladly with Pan Zbyshko, for he and I have shelled out German souls somewhat, and we might shell out more of them in the future. But if I am to stay, I will stay. Tolima is a friend of mine; he knows me. The boundary of the Order is near by. Well! that is just as is proper. We shall see which neighbor will be first to grow sick of the other. I fear them! No; let them fear me. May the Lord Jesus not permit me either to wrong your Graces and grasp everything. In this matter the lady can speak for me; she knows that I would rather die a hundred times than show dishonest eyes to her. Of land management I know what I have learned in Zgorzelitse; but I see that the axe and sword are more needed here than the plough in land management. And this all is greatly to my liking; but still, to stay here—"

"Well, what?" inquired Zbyshko. "Why dost thou hesitate?"

Hlava was confused greatly, and stammered as he said,—

"It is this, when the young lady goes away all will go with her; to make war is well, and to manage land is well also, but to do it here all alone—without assistance. It will be awfully dreary without the young lady—and without this—just as I wanted to say—and as the young lady is going away not without attendants—then as no one would help here—I do not know—"

"What is the man talking about?" inquired Matsko.

"You have a quick mind, but have not noticed anything," answered Yagenka.

"What is it?"

Instead of answering, she turned to Hlava,—

"But if Anulka were to stay with thee, couldst thou hold out?"