Chapter 19 Chapter Seventeen

As soon as Jagienka arrived home, she sent a servant to Kirsisnya to inquire whether there had been any fights or challenges in the inn.But the servant had a drink with the priest's servants because he had got a sgoyetre, and was not busy with business.Another servant came back, who had been sent to Bogdaniec to inform Macko that the abbot was going to visit him; play dice.This comforted Jagienka somewhat, for she knew from experience how dexterous Zbyszko was, and she was not so worried about a normal duel as she was about accidents at the inn.She wanted to accompany the abbot to Bogdaniec, but he would not let her go.He wanted to speak to Macko about the mortgaged estate and other important matters; and he would not be there until evening.He was very happy to hear that Zbyszko had arrived home safely, and ordered his wandering theologians to sing and shout.They obeyed his orders, and the forest was filled with an uproar, and the peasants of Bogdaniec ran from their homes to see whether there was a fire or an invasion of the enemy.The pilgrim rode ahead and made them calm down, telling them that a prelate of the church had come, so that when they saw the abbot they all bowed to him and some even made the sign of the sign of the cross ; he saw how much they respected him, and he rode on with joy and pride, satisfied with the world, and treated them with kindness.

Macko and Zbyszko, hearing the singing and shouting, went to meet him at the gate.Some of the theological students had been to Bogdaniec with the abbot before; but others had recently joined the retinue and had never been there before.They were disappointed when they saw the house, which was so poor that it could not be compared with the mansion in Zgotrine.But they were relieved again at the sight of the smoke rising from the thatched roof, and rejoiced when they entered the room.They smelled the scent of saffron and all kinds of meat, and saw that the two tables were covered with tin plates, large though empty.On the smaller table for the Abbess, a silver platter gleamed, and a beautifully carved silver cup, both of which, along with other valuables, came from two Frisians. owned.

Matsko and Zbyszko immediately invited them to sit down; but the abbot declined, as he had already had a good meal at Zgotslytz and he had other concerns.Once here, he looked at Zbyszko intently and rather uneasyly, as if he wanted to see some signs of a fight in him; but when he saw the young man's quiet face, he grew impatient; Finally, he couldn't restrain his curiosity. "Let's go in there," said he, "and talk about that mortgage. Don't refuse me, or I'll be angry!" He turned to the divinity students and called: "Be quiet, don't come to the door to eavesdrop!"

Having said this, he opened the inner door and went in, followed by Zbyszko and Macko.As soon as they sat down on the chest, the abbot said to the young knight: "Have you ever been to Kirsisnia?" he asked. "Yes, I have been." "How about it?" "Well, I paid for Mass for my uncle's health, that's all." The abbot moved impatiently on the box. "Hey!" he thought, "he didn't meet Chidden and Wilk; maybe they weren't there, maybe he didn't go to them. I was wrong." But just because he was wrong, and because his plan had not been carried out, he became angry; he blushed and gasped loudly.

"Let's talk about that mortgaged estate!" he said. "Do you have any money? If not, then this property is mine!" Macko knew how to deal with it. He stood up silently, opened the box on which he was sitting, and took out a bag of "Grivin", which was obviously intended for such an occasion. He said: "We are poor, but we still have this money; we must pay what is written on the 'paperwork', because I have drawn the Holy Cross and the monogram on the 'paperwork'. If you want to pay for the building , we have no objection; we will pay as much as you say, and we will pay you, our benefactor."

Having said this, he knelt at the abbot's knee, and Zbyszko did the same.The abbot, who had expected a quarrel, was not very pleased at the surprise of this behavior; he would have made some conditions, but now he saw no chance of doing so. Therefore, when returning Macko's crossed "paperwork" or rather mortgage, he said: "Why are you talking to me about an extra sum of money?" "Because we don't want to accept any presents," Macko replied slyly, knowing that the more he argued about the matter the more he would make. The abbot blushed with anger when he heard this:

"Have you ever seen such a man? Will not take anything from a kinsman! You have too much bread! I have not taken waste land, nor have I returned waste land; if I were to give you this bag of money, Then I must send it." "You would never do that!" Macko cried. "I'll never do it! Here's your mortgage! Here's your money! I'm giving it to you voluntarily, and it's none of your business if I throw it on the road. See if I'm Just do it!" As he spoke, he grabbed the bag and threw it hard on the floor, where it burst open and the money scattered all over the floor.

"May God repay you! May God repay you, priest and benefactor!" cried Macko, who had been waiting for this scene for a long time: "I will not accept from others; it is from a relative and a priest." , I'll accept it." The abbot looked at them both severely, and finally said: "Though I'm angry, I know what I'm doing; take it, it's your money, but you know, there won't be another 'Skoyetri' for you." "We didn't even think about the money." "You must also know that Jagienka will inherit all my property."

"Even the land?" Macko asked bluntly. "Let her inherit too!" cried the abbot. Macko straightened his face when he heard this, but he collected himself and said: "Why, why do you think of death! May the Lord Jesus grant you a long life, and a great bishop soon." "Of course! Am I inferior to others?" said the abbot. "Not bad, only good!" These words calmed the abbot's anger, for his anger never lasted long. "Well," he said, "you are my relatives, she is only my goddaughter; but I love her, and I love Zikh. There is no one better than Zikh in the world, and no one like Jaeger." Jinka is a better girl! Who can say a bad word about them?"

He began to scowle again, but Macko did not object, and hastened to affirm that there was no nobler neighbor in the whole kingdom. "As for that girl," said he, "I love my own daughter only so much. With her help I was restored to health, and I shall never forget it when I die." "If you forget this, you will both be punished," said the Abbess, "and I must curse you. But I would not do you any wrong, so I devised a way so that after my death, I The inheritance can belong to you and Jagienka; do you understand?" "May God help us to make this happen!" Macko replied. "Dear Jesus! I must walk to the tomb of the queen of Krakow or to worship the Holy Cross at Risa Gora."

① Note to the English translation: "Bold Mountain" is a place in Poland and one of the earliest three Benadict monasteries.It was built here in 1125 by Boleslav Hrobli (the Brave).In this monastery there is part of the cross of the Savior - so pilgrims go there to worship.The Russian translation is translated as "Bald Mountain". The abbot was very happy to hear such sincere words, and smiled and said: "This girl is picky about her choice, which is quite right, because she is beautiful, rich, and well-born! Even a son of 'Fu Ye Fu Da' may not be worthy of her, then Chedang or Wilk What does it matter! But if someone, like myself, particularly approves of a certain person, she will marry that person, because she loves me, and she knows that I always advise her well." "The man you persuaded her to marry is very lucky," Macko said. But the abbot said to Zbyszko: "What do you say about this?" "Well, I think the same as my uncle." The abbot's face grew calmer; he thumped Zbyszko's shoulder so loudly that it could be heard outside the room, and asked: "Why didn't you keep Chitan or Wilk close to Jagienka in church?" "Because I'm willing to let them think that I'm afraid of them, and I don't want you to think that way either." "But you gave her holy water." "Yes, I gave it to her." The abbot gave him another thump. "Then marry her!" "Marry her!" cried Macko like an echo. Zbyszko put his hair back in a net after hearing this, and replied quietly: "How can I marry Miss Danusia Jurand, since I have sworn an oath at the altar in Tenets?" "You swore about those peacock feathers, so you must get them, but you must marry Jagienka at once." "No," replied Zbyszko: "I swore to marry Danusia later when she wrapped my head with her kerchief." The blood came back to the abbot's face; his ears were blue, his eyes were bulging, and he went up to Zbyszko, speechless with rage: "Your vows are but chaff, I am the wind; understand! Hey!" He blew on Zbyszko's head so hard that the hairnet fell off and the hair fell over his shoulders.Ten, Zbyszko frowned, looked the abbot straight into the eyes, and said: "My oath contains my honor, and only I can defend my own honor." The abbot, who was not accustomed to being contradicted by others, was so out of breath that he could not speak for a moment.There was an ominous silence, which was finally broken by Macko: "Zbysigu!" he cried, "be more conscious! What's the matter with you?" At this moment the abbot raised his hand, pointed at the young man, and exclaimed: "What's the matter with him? I know what it is; his heart isn't a nobleman's, a knight's, but a rabbit's! That's all about him; he's afraid of Chedden and Wilk!" But Zbyszko remained calm and calm, shrugged his shoulders indifferently, and replied: "Oh! I opened their heads at Kirsisnia." "My God!" Macko exclaimed. The abbot stared at Zbyszko for a moment.Anger and admiration wrestled in his heart, and his reason told him that the fight might have benefited his plans. So calmer, he called to Zbyszko: "Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?" "Because I am ashamed. I thought they would challenge me to a duel on horseback or on foot, as it is the custom of knights; but they are robbers, not knights. Wilker first took a board from the table, Chedang grabbed another piece, and the two of them rushed towards me! What can I do? I grabbed a bench; well—you'll see for yourself later on!" "Are they still alive?" Macko asked. "Alive, they are alive, but they are all seriously injured. When I left, they were still alive." The abbot listened, rubbing his forehead; after a while he jumped up suddenly from the box on which he had been sitting in order to be more comfortable, and to allow him to think over things; shouted: "Wait! I'm going to tell you something!" "What?" Zbyszko asked. "If you fought for Jagienka and wounded them for her sake, then you were her real knight, not Danusia's; then you must marry Jagienka." As he spoke, he put his hands on his side and looked at Zbyszko triumphantly; but Zbyszko only smiled and said: "Hey! I see why you want me to fight them; but your plan didn't work out." "What? Tell me!" "I challenged them with Miss Danusia Jurand as the most beautiful and virtuous girl in the world; they sided with Jagienka, and that's what the fight was about." Hearing this, the abbot was stupefied, and only his rolling eyes showed that he was still alive.At last he turned, kicked open the door, and rushed into the other room; there he snatched the carved staff from the pilgrims, and beat the clowns like a wounded buffalo roared. "Get on your horses, you rascals! Get on your horses, you bastards! I will never go into this house again! Get on your horses, you believers of God, get on your horses!" He opened the outer door and went out into the courtyard, followed by the terrified divinity students.They rushed to the stables and saddled the horses.Macko followed the abbot in vain, begged him to stay, and swore it was not his fault; the abbot cursed the house, the people, and the property; when they brought him a horse, he would not step on it. Stepping on the stirrups, he jumped onto the saddle and galloped away. His big sleeves were filled with wind, and he looked like a big red bird.The divinity students galloped behind him on horseback, like a herd of wild beasts stalking behind the king of beasts. Macko stood watching their disappearing figures; and when they had disappeared into the forest, he came slowly back into the room, shook his head despondently, and said to Zbyszko: "Look what you've done?" "If I had gone earlier, this would not have happened; and it is your fault that I have not gone." "why?" "Because I don't want to leave you when you're sick." "Then what are you going to do now?" "I'll go." "Where are you going?" "First go to Masovia to see Danusia, and then to the Germans to find peacock feathers." Macko was silent for a moment, then said: "He returned the 'paper', but the mortgage was recorded in the court's mortgage book. Now the abbot won't even give us a 'skoyetri.'" "I don't care. You have money, and I don't need anything on the road. People will receive me everywhere, and my horses don't have to worry about food; as long as I have a suit of armor and a sword in my hand, I need nothing. " Macko began to remember everything that had just happened.All his plans and desires came to naught.He had hoped with all his heart that Zbyszko would marry Jagienka; but he saw now that his wish would never come true; thinking of the abbot's anger, Zbyszko's behavior In the fight with Wilk, he decided it would be better to let Zbyszko go. "Alas!" he said at last, "if you must find peacock feathers on the heads of crusader knights, so be. May the will of the Lord Jesus be done. But I must go to Zgotrilici at once; if I went to beg the abbot and Zikh to forgive me, and I might be able to assuage their anger; I was particularly concerned about Zikh's friendship." Then he looked into Zbyszko's eyes and asked: "Don't you feel sorry for Jagienka?" "May God bless her with health and happiness!" Zbyszko replied.