Chapter 71 Chapter Thirty-Seven

A few days later Jurand died.Father Kaleb prayed a whole week over his body, during which time the body had not decomposed.Everyone thought it was a divine miracle.For a whole week, Spiehof gathered a large number of visitors.After the funeral, the town was deserted as usual. Zbyszko often went into the cellar, and sometimes into the woods with his crossbow; he went not to hunt in the woods, but to relax.One evening, coming back from outside, he went into the room, found Jagienka sitting with Macko and Hlava, and said to them unexpectedly: "Listen to me. Sorrow does no one any good, and you'd better go back to Bogdaniec and Zgorzritri than to stay here and grieve."

There was a sudden silence, for it was agreed that a serious and important conversation was about to be had. After a while Macko replied: "Of course it's better for us to go back, but it's better for you to go back too." Zbyszko shook his head, "No!" he said. "God, I will go back to Bogdaniec, but now I'm going the other way." "Hey!" Macko cried. "As I said, it's a foregone conclusion, but it's not a foregone conclusion either. Fear God, Zbyszko!" "You know, I swore it." "Isn't that the reason? Danuska is no longer alive, and the oath is over. Death annulls your oath."

"Unless I die, I can only release it. Her death does not cancel my oath. I swore to the lord on the honor of my knight. What else do you want from me? On the honor of my knight!" Every word of chivalry's honor affected Macko like magic.All his life he had paid little attention to anything but the holiness of God and the precepts of the church—but now he seemed unmoved by Zbyszko's words. "I'm not asking you to break your own oath," he said. "Then what are you talking about?" "Let me tell you, you are still young, and you will have a long time to come. Now go and rest with us and talk about it."

"Then, I sincerely tell you, as I said in my confession," replied Zbyszko, "I can go where I should be, talk with you, eat and drink like all men. But say To tell you the truth, I can't get my spirits up. There is only sadness in my heart, only pain, and there are only endless sad tears in my eyes." "But it's even worse when you live among strangers." "No," said Zbyszko. "God knows that I'm going to languish in Bogdaniec. If I tell you it can't be done, I can't! I need war, and it's easy to forget everything on the battlefield. I think that when I have carried out my Oath, until I can tell the departed soul, 'I have fulfilled all that I promised you, now let me go!' Then, first of all - no! Even if I go back, you in Bogdani Even Ci can't keep me."

After hearing these words, everyone was silent, so quiet that even the buzzing of flies under the ceiling could be heard. "If in Bogdaniec he's just going to fade away, it's better to let him go," Jagienka concluded. Macko put his head in his hands, as he always did when he was upset.He sighed heavily and said: "O great God! Jagienka continued: "Zbyszko, but you swear, if the Almighty God bless you, don't stay here, come back to us." "Why don't I come back? I can't leave Spychoff, but I don't want to be here." "Because," Jagienka went on in a low voice, "if it's only for Danusia's body, then we'll take it to Lekhisnya."

"Oh, Yagus!" exclaimed the deeply moved Zbyszko; and in the utmost joy and gratitude he fell at her feet. ①A nickname for Yagienka.