Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty-Five

Three days later, a woman arrived with Hechinsky ointment.With her came the captain of the archers in Schitno.He sent a letter signed by the mages and sealed by Dunwirt.In that letter, these crusading knights shouted and swore that they had been humiliated in Masovia, and threatened the vengeance of God to punish the "darling" who murdered them. comrades and guests" criminals.Dunwiert appended his personal complaint to the letter, humbly but threateningly demanding compensation for his crippled hand and the execution of the Czech.The duke tore up the letter in front of the captain, threw it at his feet and said:

"The Grand Master sent these scoundrels of the Knights of the Crusader Order to win my sympathy, and it only irritated me. Tell them they killed their guest themselves, and are trying to murder the Czech. I want Write to the Grand Master about this, and I will ask him to send another emissary if he wants me to remain neutral in the war between the Knights and the King of Cracow." "My merciful lord," replied the captain, "must I bring such an answer to those powerful and pious mages?" "And if that's not enough, tell them I think they're dogs rather than honest knights."

This is the end of the audience.The captain left, because the prince left for Ciechanov that same day.Only the "nun" stayed with the ointment, but the suspicious Father Vishoniak was reluctant to use it, especially since the patient had slept well the night before and awoke without fever, though still weak. .Immediately after the Duke's departure, the "nun" sent a servant to fetch a new medicine--to fetch the "basilisk's eggs"--which she affirmed had the power of bringing the dead back to life; Prowling the mansion; she is modest, and wears a worldly dress, but very like that worn by a mage of the order, with a rosary and a pilgrim's little gourd at her belt.She cannot move one hand.Because she spoke Polish very well, she asked the servant about Zbyszko and Danusia, and she gave Danusia a rose of Jereko as a present; When Shiko fell asleep, Danusia was sitting in the dining room, and she walked up to her and said:

① Jereko is an ancient capital of Palestine. "God bless you, madam. Last night, after my prayers, I dreamed of two knights walking through the snow; one of them came first and wrapped you in a white cloak, and the other said: 'I only see snow, she's not here,' so he went back." Danusia was about to doze off, when she heard this, she opened her blue eyes in amazement and asked: "What does it mean?" "That means that the one who loves you the most will have you." "That's Zbyszko!" said the girl. "I don't know, because I don't see his face; I just see the white cloak, and then I wake up; the Lord Jesus makes my feet ache every night, and I can't move my hands."

"That's strange, that ointment doesn't work for you at all!" "It is useless to me, madam, for this pain is the punishment for a crime I have committed; and if you want to know what it is, I will tell you." Danusia nodded her little head to show that she would like to know; and the "nun" went on: "There are also female servants in the knight order. Although they do not take oaths and can marry, they must perform certain obligations for the knight order according to the orders of the mages. Women who receive such favors and honors will get the pious respect of a mage knight. Kiss, which means that from that moment on she will serve the Order with all her words and deeds. Ah! Mademoiselle!—I was about to receive that great favor, but because of stubborn sin, not only To accept it without gratitude is to commit a great sin and to be punished for it."

"What did you do?" "Mage Dunwiert came to me and gave me the kiss of the Order; but I thought he kissed me out of sheer indulgence, and I raised my wicked hand and struck him—" At this point, she beat her chest and said over and over again: "God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" "What happened next?" asked Danusia. "I couldn't move my hands at once, and I've been crippled ever since. I was young and ignorant—I didn't know! But I was punished. If a woman is afraid of something evil that a knight mage is about to do, she must Leave it to God to judge, but she herself must not resist, because no matter who resists the Knights or a mage of the Knights, it will definitely arouse the anger of God!"

Danusia listened to these words with fear and anxiety; the "nun" went on sighing and complaining: "I'm not old," she said. "I'm only thirty years old, but apart from this hand, God has taken away my youth and beauty." "If it weren't for the hand," said Danusia, "you would have no need to complain." Then there was silence.Suddenly the "nun" seemed to remember something and said: "I dreamed a knight wrapped you in a white cloak in the snow. Perhaps he was a Crusader knight! They wear white cloaks." "I want neither the crusaders nor their cloaks," answered the girl.

But the subsequent conversation was interrupted by the Abbe Vishoniak, who entered the room, nodded to Danusia and said: "Praise God, come to Zbyszko! He's awake and wants to eat. He's much better." It is true.Zbyszko was faring better, and Father Wischenek was almost certain of his complete recovery, when an unexpected event dashed his hopes.Several couriers were sent from Jurand with a letter to the prince with the news of the murder.In Spiehof, Jurand's town was half destroyed by fire, and he himself was hit by a beam while fighting the fire.It is true, said Father Kaleb, who wrote this letter, that Jurand will recover, but Mars has burned his only eye so badly that he can hardly see anymore, and he will probably be blind.

Jurand therefore told his daughter to hurry to Spychow, because he wanted to see her one more time before he lost his sight completely.He also said that she must live with him, because even a blind beggar in the street needs someone to lead him and show him the way; why should he lose even this consolation and die alone?The letter also expressed humbly thanks to the princess for taking care of the girl like a mother; finally, Jurand promised that even though he was blind, he would come to Warsaw once more, in order to fall at her feet. , begging her to continue to show her favor to Danusia.

When the Abbe Vishoniak finished reading the letter, the Duchess was speechless for a long time.She had hoped, taking advantage of Jurand's recent visit to his daughter, to use the prince's and her own influence to persuade him to agree to the marriage of the young couple.But this letter not only spoiled her plan, but also took away from her Danusia whom she loved as her own daughter.She was afraid that Jurand would marry the girl to one of his neighbors so that he might spend his old age with his relatives.It was useless to think of Zbyszko going to Spychov—he had no way of going to Spychow, and who knew how he would be treated there.The lady knew that Jurand had long since refused to marry Danusia; he had told the princess himself that for some secret reason he would never consent to their marriage.Therefore, in great sorrow, she ordered the chief messenger to be brought to her, because she wanted to ask him about Spychoff's misfortune, and also to find out about Jurand's plans.

She was very surprised that it was a stranger who came to see her, and not the old Tolima who had followed Jurand with his shield and carried his messages; but the stranger told her that Tolima Recently he was badly wounded in the battle with the Germans, and now he is dying in Spyhof; Jurand, himself very ill, begged his wife to send his daughter immediately, because his eyesight was getting worse every day, and he might be in a few days. You will be blind within days.The messenger also begged the Duchess to allow him to let the horses rest for a while, and then take the girl away at once.But the Madame disagreed, since it was already evening, and especially because she did not want to torment Zbyszko and Danusia with such a sudden separation. Zbyszko was already fully aware of this, and he was lying there like a stricken man, when the princess, rubbing her hands, stepped over the threshold and said: "We can't help it; he's her father!" He said after her like an echo: "We can't help it—" And he closed his eyes like a man waiting to die. But the god of death did not come, but his heart became more and more sad, and all kinds of sad thoughts raced through his mind, like a strong wind driving away dark clouds, covering the sun, and destroying all the joys in the world.Zbyszko understood as well as the princess that as soon as Danusia went to Spykhov he lost her forever.Here everyone is his friend; there Jurand will not even receive him, nor listen to his demands, especially if Jurand is really bound by some kind of oath or something like religion. If you are bound by a reason that is as inescapable as an oath, then you can't even think about it.Besides, he was ill, and couldn't even turn over in bed, so how could he go to Spykhov?A few days before, when the Duke had given him golden spurs, he had thought that his happiness would overcome his sickness, and he had prayed fervently that God would allow him to rise before long to fight the crusaders; but now All hope was lost, for he felt that if Danusia left his bedside, his will to live, his strength to fight death, would go with her.Since the injury, he asked her several times a day: "Do you love me?" He always saw her covering her smiling face and shy eyes with her hands, or leaning down and answering: "Yes, Zbyscigu." What a joy, what a joy. However, all that remains now is sickness, loneliness and sadness, and happiness is gone forever. Tears glistened in Zbyszko's eyes and slowly ran down his face; he turned to the princess and said: "Good lady, I fear I shall never see Danusia again." Since she was also very sad, the lady replied: "I wouldn't be surprised if you died of grief; but the Lord Jesus is merciful." After a while, to comfort him, she added: "If Jurand dies before you, the duke and I shall be her protectors, and we shall marry the girl to you at once." "He won't die!" replied Zbyszko. But in an instant, he obviously thought of some new idea, straightened up, sat on the bed, and said in a voice with a changed pitch: "My good lady—" At this moment Danusia interrupted him; she came weeping all the way, and said before she entered the door: "Zpiscigu! You already know that! I pity Dadus, but I pity you too, poor boy!" When she came up, Zbyszko put his good arm around her and began to say: "How shall I live without you, my dearest? I have gone through all hardships, and sworn to serve you, not to lose you. Hey! Sorrow won't do it, crying won't do it, bah! Even in death It can't help, because even if grass grows on my bones, my soul will not forget you, even if I am in the presence of the Lord Jesus or God the Father-I will say, there must be a remedy Solution! I have a terrible headache all over my body, but you must kneel at the lady's feet. I can't kneel, so please beg her to show mercy to us." Upon hearing this, Danusia ran up to the princess's feet, embraced the lady's legs, and buried her face in the folds of her heavy dress; the lady's kind but surprised eyes But turning to Zbyszko, he said: "How can I be merciful to you? If I do not let this child go to her sick father, I will surely incur the wrath of God against me." Zbyszko, who had been sitting on the bed, collapsed on the pillow without knowing it, and did not answer for a long time, because he was exhausted.Slowly, however, he began to move one hand to the other on his chest, bringing them together as if in prayer. "Have a rest," said the Duchess, "and then tell me what you want; rise up, Danusia, and let go of my knees." "Let go, but don't get up; beg with me," said Zbyszko. Then he said in a weak and broken voice: "Good lady - Jurand rejected me in Krakow - he will do the same here, but if Father Vishoniak lets me marry Danusia first, and then she goes to Sri Lanka Bihov, and that's it—for no power on earth can separate her from me—" These words came quite by surprise to the Duchess, who jumped up from the bench, sat down again, and, as if not quite understanding what he said, said: "My God! Father Vishoniak?" "Good lady! Good lady!" implored Zbyszko. "Good lady!" repeated Danusia, again embracing the duchess' knees. "How can this be done without her father's permission?" "God's law is stronger!" replied Zbyszko. "My God!" "Who is a benevolent father but the duke? Who is a benevolent mother but your kind lady?" Danusia also said: "Dearest 'Madu Hena'①!" ① Mother's pet name. "Yes, I have always been and still am like her mother," said the princess, "and Jurand got his wife from me. Yes! If you marry—everything is settled Jurand may be angry, but he obeys the orders of his lord, the duke. And no one has to tell him at once, unless he wants to marry the girl, or make her a nun; if he ever It's not his fault that you can't fulfill your oath in this way. No one can oppose the will of God—perhaps it is the will of God!" "There is no other way!" cried Zbyszko. However, the Duchess was still very excited and said: "Wait a minute, I must make up my mind. If the prince had been here, I would have asked him at once: 'May I marry Danusia to Zbyszko?' But he was not there, I was afraid, and there was no How much time, because the girl has to go to-morrow! Oh, dear Jesus, let her marry and go--that'll be all right. But my head is messed up again--and besides, I always have a little Afraid. And you, Danusia, are you not afraid?—Say it!" "I'd rather die than that!" broke in Zbyszko. Danusia arose from the princess's knees; she was not only intimate with the good lady, but was spoiled by her; so she threw her arms around her neck, and embraced her tightly. But the Duchess said: "I can promise you nothing without the consent of the Abbe Vishoniak. Go and find him!" Danusia went to see Father Vishoniak; Zbyszko turned his pale face to the princess and said: "What the Lord Jesus has destined for me is about to happen; but for this consolation may God reward you, good lady." "Don't bless me just now," replied the Duchess, "for we don't know yet. You must swear to me on your honor that if you were married you would never prevent the girl from going to her father, Otherwise you and she will be cursed by him." "On my honor!" said Zbyszko. "Then you must remember! Tell Danusia not to tell Jurand for the time being. We will send for him from Chokhanov and tell him to come with Danusia, and then I will tell him myself , or ask the duke to tell him. When he sees that things are irreparable, he will agree. He doesn't dislike you, does he?" "That's not true," said Zbyszko, "it's not that he doesn't like me; perhaps he will be happy when Danusia is my wife. If he has made a vow, he cannot keep his vow." , and it wasn't his fault." Their conversation was interrupted by the entry of Danusia and the Abbe Vishoniak.The princess asked his advice at once, and told him Zbyszko's plan with great enthusiasm; but when he heard this, he crossed himself in astonishment, and said: "By the Father, Heaven, and the Holy Spirit! How can I do this? It's Advent!" ① Advent refers to the four weeks before Christmas, which is the period of Lent.During this period, without the bishop's dispensation, it is generally not possible to marry. "My God! What a fast!" cried the Duchess. Then everyone was silent; only their melancholy faces showed how much the words of the Abbe Vishoniak had struck these few. After a while he said: "If you have a charter, then I have no objection to it, because I have pity on you. I need not ask Jurand's permission, for our good lady has given it, and she has assured the duke,— What else is there to say! They are the parents of all Masovia. But I can't do it without the bishop's charter. Bah! If the Ya-terrible Bishop of Kortvarov is with us, he will be too. Would not have refused a charter, though he was a stern priest who did not always reply, like his predecessor, the Bishop of Mamfiores: Bene! Bene!'' ①Latin, meaning "Okay! Okay!" "The elegant Bishop of Kurt Warnov is very friendly with the prince and me," said the princess. "That's why I say he won't refuse the licence, especially for reasons such as: the girl has to go to her father, and the young man is ill, and may die—oh! in articulomortis! But without a license, I couldn't do it." ①Latin, meaning "in case of death!" "I shall be able to replace it later from Bishop Jacob; however stern he may be, he will not refuse me the favor. I guarantee he will not," said the Duchess. The abbe Vishoniak, a kind and charitable man, answered: "Great are the words of the blessed sovereign of God. If it were not for your great words, I would be afraid of the bishop! And the young couple can go to the cathedral in Plotsk and make a wish. Well , as long as the license does not come, it is a sin - not someone else's sin, but mine. Ah! The Lord Jesus is merciful, if anyone sins not for his own benefit, but for the mercy of mankind Unfortunately, that's easier to forgive! But sins are sins, and if this bishop refuses, who will give me the absolution?" "The Bishop will not refuse!" cried Princess Anna. Zbyszko also said: "The one who came with me was called Sanders, and he carried with him a talisman that forgives all sins." Father Vishoniak might not be entirely convinced of the efficacy of Sandrus' amulet; but he would be glad to find even an excuse, and he would be able to help Danusia and Zbyszko, for he loved the Girl, he has known her since she was a child.And he remembered that he would be punished by a church confession, so he turned to the Duchess and said: "Yes, I am a priest, but I am also a servant of the duke. What do you order me to do, my good lady?" "I would not command you, but beseech you," replied Madame. "If that Sandrus had the amulet—" "Sandros has. But the problem is with the Bishop. He is very strict with the Priests in Plotsk." "Don't be afraid of the bishop. I have heard that he forbids priests to carry swords and crossbows, and to issue licenses of all kinds, but he does not forbid them to do good deeds." Father Vishoniak raised his eyes, raised his hands, and said: "Then do as you wish!" This sentence made them all very happy.Zbyszko sat down on the bed again, princess.Sitting around the bed, Danusia and Father Vishoniak began to plan what to do. They decided to keep it a secret from anyone in the house; they also decided to keep it from Jurand for the time being, until the princess would tell him all about it later in Ciechanov. At the same time Father Vishoniak wrote a letter to Jurand in the name of the princess, asking him to come to Ciechanov, where he would be better treated and not bored.In the end it was decided that Zbyszko and Danusia should go to the confessional and that the wedding should be held at night, when everyone was asleep. Zbyszko had thought of calling his squire, a Czech, as a witness; but the thought of Jagienka's gift to him repelled the idea.In an instant, Jagienka appeared in his memory, as if right in front of his eyes, and he seemed to see her blushing, tearful, and begging him, "Don't do that! Don't repay me with a grudge, don't repay me with a grievance." Pain repays love!" Then he was suddenly filled with ardent sympathy, because he felt that he had done too much for her, and whether she stayed in Zgotriliti's own house, or in the depths of the forest, or in the fields, she would not care. She was not comforted by how many gifts the abbot gave her, how much Chiddan and Wilk proposed to her in marriage.So he said in his heart: "Girl, may God give you everything you want; although I would like to pluck you the stars from the sky, but I can't." Indeed, as long as he thought that he was helpless, he immediately felt at ease, Calm was restored, and all thoughts were on Danusia and the wedding. But he had to go and get the Czech to help him; so although he decided not to say a word about it to the man, he called him and said to him: "I am going to confession and communion today; therefore you must dress me in your best clothes, as if I were going to a palace." The Czech looked into his face with some fear; Zbyszko noticed it and said: "Don't panic, people don't go to confession only when they expect death; the holy day is coming, and Father Vishoniak and the princess are going to Ciechanov, and then they have to go to Poole. Zasnich can't find a priest." ① refers to Christmas. "Then you don't intend to go?" asked the attendant. "If I'm healthy again, I'll go; but that's up to God." The Czech was therefore relieved; he hastened to open the case, and brought out the white yaka, embroidered with gold, which the knight wore on festive occasions.He also brought a beautiful coarse felt blanket and spread it over the bed; then, with the help of two Turks, he raised Zbyszko, washed him, combed his long hair, and bound it up. a crimson ribbon; at last he seated him on the red cushion, and, satisfied with his achievement, said: "If your lord has the strength to dance, then you too can hold a wedding!" "A wedding must be done without dancing," replied Zbyszko, smiling. Meanwhile the Duchess was also considering how to dress Danusia, for this was an event of the utmost importance to a woman's nature, and in any case she could not consent to her beloved adopted daughter going to her wedding in her ordinary clothes.The servants also only knew that the girl had to wear plain clothes to perform the confession ceremony, so they found a white dress at once, but the flower crown on her head was quite troublesome.Thinking of this, Madam felt very sad, and complained: "My poor orphan, where shall I find you a wreath of rue in this wilderness? There is none here, not a single flower, not a single leaf; only some green moss under the snow " Danusia stood there with tousled hair, also very sad, for she wanted a wreath; but after a while, pointing to some garlands of chrysanthemum hanging on the interior wall, she said: ①Mountain sagegrass is a flowering plant that is not easy to wither. It is generally used to weave wreaths and place them on graves. "We can only weave a wreath out of these flowers, because we can't find anything else, and even if I wear such a wreath, Zbyszko will want me." The Duchess at first disapproved, for she was afraid it was a bad omen; but there were no flowers at the mansion, where they had only come to hunt, and these mountain sage-sages had to be used.At this moment Father Vishoniak came, and he heard Zbyszko's confession, and then the girl's confession, and so dark night fell.The servants all went to bed after supper, as the Duchess had ordered.Some of Jurand's men slept in the servants' quarters, while the rest took care of the horses in the stables.Soon the fire in the servants' room was covered with ashes and died out; at last all was still in the house in the forest, save for the dogs who barked now and then at the wolves on the other side of the moor. But in the rooms of the princess, the abbe Vishoniak, and Zbyszko, lights were shining from the windows, casting red light on the snow in the courtyard.They all waited silently, listening to the beating of their own hearts—uneasy and unnatural about the solemn moment that was approaching.After midnight the princess took Danusia by the hand and led her to Zbyszko's room, where the Abbe Vishoniak was also waiting for them.The fire was burning brightly in the room, and Zbyszko saw Danusia by the bright and flickering light; she was pale from sleepless nights; Wearing a wreath of mountain sagebrush.She closed her eyes in agitation of emotion; her little hands were hanging close to her dress, and she looked like a portrait in a church window; she had a radiance of the Holy Spirit; Surprised, I almost thought I was marrying not a mortal, but an angel.It was with this feeling that he watched her kneeling with folded hands to receive communion, her head bowed and her eyes closed.At this moment, he even felt as if she was dead, and he was terrified.But this fear did not last long, for he heard the priest repeating: "Ecce Agnus Dei," and his thoughts turned to God.The only sound heard in the room was the solemn voice of the Abbe Vishoniak: "Domine, non sum dignus," which was accompanied by the crackling of wood in the stove and the obstinate and mournful cricket in the chimney chink.A wind rose outside, rustling the snow-covered forest, but it died down soon. ① Latin, meaning "here is the Lamb of God". ②Latin, meaning "God, I fail..." Zbyszko and Danusia remained silent; Father Vishoniak took the chalice and took it to the chapel of the mansion.After a while M. de Lauches returned with him, and seeing the astonishment on the faces of all present, the priest put a finger to his mouth, as if to silence the exclamation, and then said: "I know all. It is better to have two witnesses at the wedding; I warned the knight, who swore to me by the knight's honor and by the relic of Argus Granum, that one day it would be necessary, You have to keep it a secret for a day." Then Monsieur de Lauches knelt first to the Duchess, then to Danusia; then he arose, and stood silent, with the red flames shining on his armor.He stood there motionless, as if suddenly fascinated, because he also felt as if the girl in the white dress with the wreath of mountain sagebrush was the picture of the angel in the window of a Gothic cathedral. . The priest placed her beside Zbyszko's bed, and having put the surplice around their hands, the usual ceremony began.Tears fell one by one on the Duchess's kind face; but she was not disturbed, for she believed she had done right in uniting these two lovely and innocent children.M. de Rausch knelt down again, and put his hands on the hilt of his sword, like a knight who has seen a miracle.The young couple repeated the priest's words: "I marry you...I marry you," and the chimney cricket and the fire crackling accompanied these sweet and quiet words.When the ceremony was over, Danusia knelt at the princess's feet, blessed them both, and at last entrusted them to the protection of the divine powers; she said to Zbyszko: "Be happy, because she is yours and you are hers." Then Zbyszko stretched out his good arm to Danusia, and she threw her two little arms about Zbyszko's neck; repeatedly said: "Danuska, you are mine!" "Zpiscigu, you are mine!" But Zbyszko immediately felt weak from the excitement, and he slipped on the pillow and gasped heavily.But he didn't faint, and he didn't stop smiling at Danusia. She kept wiping the cold sweat off his face, and he kept repeating: "Danuska, you are mine!" she listened, nodding her blond head each time in agreement. This sight deeply moved M. de Lauches, who said that he had never seen such a loving and gentle couple in any other country; and therefore he solemnly swears that he is ready to fight against anyone who tries to hinder them. Happy knights, magicians or dragons fight on foot or on horseback.The Duchess and the Abbe Versonniac were witnesses to his oath. But the lady felt that marriage must be joyful, so she went and got some wine for them all to drink.The hours of night are passing.When Zbyszko had overcome his fatigue, he drew Danusia to him and said: "Since the Lord Jesus has given you to me, no one can take you from me; but I am sorry that you are going, my dearest darling." "I will certainly come to Ciechanov with Dadus," replied Danusia. "May you not be sick--God save you from all evil--you must go to Spychof--I know! Hey! We must thank God and our good lady, for you are already mine-- —Now that we are married, no power on earth can break our marriage." Because the wedding had been held in secret at night, and the separation had to take place immediately after the marriage, not only Zbyszko was grieved, but everyone was grieved.The conversation broke off.The fire was going out every now and then, and everyone was immersed in darkness.The abbe Vishoniak threw the wood on the charcoal again, and whenever the wet wood groaned (as is often the case with freshly cut wood), he said: "What do you want, penitent soul?" The chirping of the crickets answered him, and the flames, growing hotter, revealed the sleepy faces of the people out of the gloom, and illuminated the armor of M. sage. The dogs outside barked again in the direction of the forest as they usually do when they smell wolves. As the night wore on, the silences increased; at last the Duchess said: "Dear Jesus! If we sit down like this after the wedding, we might as well go to sleep, but as the rule is to keep watch till dawn, play us a tune, my little flower, before you leave Before, play and sing on this little lute one last time—for me, and for Zbyszko." "What do you want me to play?" she asked. "Play what?" said the Duchess. "Just play that song you sang when Zbyszko first saw you in Tiniec." "Hi! I remember—I'll never forget," said Zbyszko. "When I heard that song somewhere else—I cried." "Then I will sing!" said Danusia. Immediately she played the lute; then raised her little head again, and sang: if I have The tiny wings of the gosling, I will fly to Yasik of Silesia. i'm going to sit Singing over the fence: "Look, my dear, Here comes Liuba, poor orphan! " But her singing broke off immediately, her lips quivered, and tears trickled down her face from under her closed eyelids.She tried to hold back the tears, but could not, and at last burst into tears, exactly as she had when she sang this song to Zbyszko in the Cracow prison. "Danuska! What's the matter, Danuska?" asked Zbyszko. "Why are you crying? At a wedding like this!" cried the Duchess. "What's the matter?" "I don't know," Danusia answered, sobbing. "I am very sad! I cannot part with Zbyszko and you." Everyone was very sad; they comforted her and explained to her that she would not stay long in Spykhov, and they believed that she would go to Ciechanov with Jurand to celebrate the holy day.兹皮希科又用一只手臂抱住她，把她拉到胸前，吻她的眼睛上的泪水；但是大家心里都感到十分忧郁，晚上的时间就这样消度过去了。 终于院子里突然发出一阵可怕的声音，使大家都打了一阵寒战。公爵夫人猛地从凳上站了起来，喊道： “天主哪。井上的吊杆声！他们在给马饮水了！” 维雄涅克神甫就从那露出朦胧微光的玻璃窗户上望出去，说道： “黑夜过去，白天来了。Ave Maria，gratia plena①——” ①拉丁文，意谓“圣母马利亚，高兴吧”。 于是他离开了房间，但过了一忽儿，他又回来说道： “天亮了，但人色将会是阴暗的。尤仑德的人正在给他们的马匹饮水。可怜的姑娘，你必须准备了！” 公爵夫人和达奴莎都大哭起来，她们两人阿兹皮希科一起一边痛哭一边悲叹，这本是一般人离别时少不了的。这声音既像号哭，又像歌唱，正如泪水是从眼中涌出来的，这声音是从感情充溢的心灵里自然流露出来的。 Hi!哀哭也是枉然， 我们必须分离，我的心肝， 再见——嗨！ 兹皮希科最后一次把达奴莎拥抱在胸口，久久地抱住她，直到他自己也透不过气来，公爵夫人这才把达奴莎拉开，好让她去换衣服。 这当儿天已大亮。 邸宅里大家都起来在四处活动了。那捷克人来到兹皮希科房里，问候他的健康，探听一下他有什么吩咐。 “把床拉到窗前，”这骑士向他说。 这捷克人毫不费力地把床拖到窗前；但是当兹皮希科叫他打开窗子的时候，他吃了一惊。可是他服从了，只不过把他自己的皮外衣盖在他主人身上，因为外面很冷，天阴暗，在下雪。 兹皮希科开始向窗外张望；在院于里，透过大片大片的雪花，可以看见几辆雪橇，尤仑德的人正骑着冒出汗气的马匹，站在火堆周围。他们都是全副武装。森林完全被雪盖没了；四周的墙垣和大门几乎都看不出了。 达奴莎全身紧裹着皮衣，再一次冲进了兹皮希科的房间；再一次抱住他的脖子向他告别： “我虽然走了，可我还是你的。” 他吻了她的双手。脸和眼睛，说： “愿天主保护你！愿天主引导你！你是我的，到死都是我的！” 当人们再把他们分开的时候，他尽可能抬起身来，把头靠在窗户上，望着外面；可是透过雪花，好像透过了面纱望出去一样，他看见达奴莎坐在雪橇里，公爵夫人抱了她好久，宫女们都在吻她，维雄涅克神甫画着十字，祝她一路平安。离别之前，她再一次转过身来向着他，伸出双臂喊道： “兹皮希古，天主保佑你！” “愿天主允许我在崔亨诺夫见到你！” 但是雪越下越大了，仿佛要掩住一切的声音，盖没一切；因此最后这两句话只是含含糊糊地传到他们耳中的，他们都觉得，他们彼此已经是在遥远的地方打招呼了。