The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance
eye. But the next moment he rejected that plan. "The Wilks might care for
her, true, but Cztan will persist in his attempts, and God knows who will
prevail. But it is a sure thing that there will be a succession of fights
and outrages from which Zgorzelice, Zych's orphans, and even the girl
might suffer. It will be an easy matter for Wilk to guard Bogdaniec. But
by all means it will be better for the girl to be as far away from the
two murderers as possible, and at the same time to be as near the rich
abbot as possible. Macko firmly believed that Danusia would never be
rescued from the Knights of the Cross, alive. And the hope that Zbyszko
would return home as a widower and most likely take to Jagienka, never
left him."
"Ah! Mighty God!" he said to himself. "In such a case he will be the
owner of Spychow, then he will get Jagienka and Moczydoly, and in
addition to it he will acquire that which the abbot will bequeath. I
would not even spare him wax for candles."
Occupied with such thoughts, the road from Brzozowa seemed to be
shortened, yet he arrived at Bogdaniec after nightfall, and was surprised
to see his windows brightly illuminated. The servants, too, were awake,
for he had scarcely entered the courtyard when the stable boy came
rushing to him.
"Are there some guests?" asked Macko, dismounting.
"There is the young gentleman of Zgorzelice with the Bohemian," replied
the stable boy.
This information astonished Macko, for Jagienka had promised to arrive
next day, very early, when they were to start immediately. Then, why had
Jasko come and that so late? It struck the old knight that something must
have occurred at Zgorzelice, and he entered his house with a certain
amount of anxiety. But within he found a bright fire burning in the large
clay oven in the centre of the room. And upon the table were two iron
cradles and two torches in them, by which light Macko observed Jasko, the
Bohemian, Hlawa, and another young servant with a face as red as an
apple.
"How are you, Jasko? and what is the matter with Jagienka?" asked the old
nobleman.
"Jagienka ordered me to tell you," he said, whilst kissing Macko's hand,
"that she has reconsidered the matter and she prefers to stay at home."
"For God's sake! What do you say? How? What has happened to her?"
But the boy looked at him with his beautiful blue eyes and smiled.
"What are you prating about?"
But at this moment, the Bohemian and the other boy also burst out
laughing.
"You see!" exclaimed the disguised boy. "Who could recognize me. You even
have failed to recognize me!"
Then Macko looked at the lovely figure carefully and exclaimed:
"In the name of the Father and Son! It is a true carnival! You also here,
croaking thing. Why?"
"Yes! Why? Those who are on the road have no time to lose."
"Is it not to-morrow at dawn, that you were to leave?"
"Certainly! to-morrow at dawn, so that all may know. To-morrow they will
think at Zgorzelice that I am your guest, and they will not notice it
till the day after to-morrow. Sieciechowa and Jasiek know it. But Jasko
promised, upon knightly honor, that he will tell only then, when the
people begin to be restless. How is it you did not recognize me?"
Now it was Macko's turn to laugh.
"Let me have a good look at you; you are an excessively fine boy!... and
singularly so. From such one might expect to raise a good breed.... I
justly declare, if this fellow were, (pointing at himself) were not
old,--well! But, even thus I tell you, keep off, girl, from creeping
under my eyes, stand back!..."
And he began to threaten her with his finger, but looked at her with much
pleasure. Because such a girl he never saw before. Upon her head she had
a silken red net, and a yellow jacket upon her body and the breeches
ample round her hips and tighter above them, of which one little leg was
of the same color as the cap (net) upon her head, the other had longwise
stripes, with a richly covered little sword at her side, smiling and
bright like the dawn. Her face was so exquisite that he could not take
his eyes off her.
"My God!" said the overjoyed Macko. "She looks like some marvelous young
lady or like a flower, or something else!"
"And this one here--I am sure it must also be somebody in disguise?"
"This is Sieciechowa," answered Jagienka. "It would be improper for me to
be alone among you. How could I? Therefore I have taken Anulka[111] with
me so that two courageous women will be of help and service. Her also,
nobody can recognize."
"There, old woman, you have a marriage feast. One is bad enough, now
there will be two."
"Don't tease."
"I am not teasing, but everybody will recognize you and her, in the
daytime."
"Pray, and why?"
"In order to go on their knees to you and to her also."
"O, give us peace!..."
"You shall have it, I am not in a hurry. But will Cztan or Wilk let you
have peace? God knows. Do you know, birdie, where I have just been? Why,
at Brzozowa."
"For God's sake! What are you saying?"
"It is true as truth itself that the Wilks protect Bogdaniec and
Zgorzelice against Cztan. Well, it is an easy matter to challenge an
enemy and fight him. But to make your enemy into a protector of your own
property is a very difficult task."
Then Macko related his adventures with the Wilks, how they had become
reconciled to each other. How he had got advantage over them; to this she
listened with the greatest wonder, and when he concluded she said:
"The Lord Jesus did not stint you in craftiness, and I observe that you
will always be successful in your undertakings."
But Macko shook his head, as though he felt sorry.
"Ay, daughter! If that were so, you would have long ago become the lady
of Bogdaniec!"
Upon hearing that, Jagienka looked at him with her lovely blue eyes for a
moment, then she approached him, and kissed his hand.
"Why do you kiss me?" inquired the old knight.
"Nothing.... I only wish to bid you goodnight, because it is getting late
and to-morrow we must get up early for our journey."
She then embraced Sieciechowa and left, and Macko led the Bohemian to his
room, where they stretched themselves upon aurochs' skins and both fell
sound asleep.
CHAPTER III.
After the destruction, conflagration and slaughter which the Knights of
the Cross had committed in 1331, at Sieradz, Casimir the Great rebuilt
the razed town. The place, however, was not exceedingly splendid and
could not keep pace with the other towns of the realm. But Jagienka, who
hitherto had spent her time among the people of Zgorzelice and Krzesnia,
was beside herself with admiration and astonishment at the sight of the
houses, towers, town hall, and especially the churches; the wooden
structure at Krzesnia could not be compared with them. At first she lost
her wonted resolution, so much so that she dared not talk aloud, and only
inquired of Macko in a whisper about those wonderful things which dazzled
her eyes. But when the old knight assured her that there was as much
difference between Sieradz and Krakow as there is between a firebrand and
the sun, she would not believe her own ears, because it appeared to her
an impossibility that another city could be found in the world which
could be equal to Sieradz.
They were received in the cloister by the same shriveled old prior, who
still remembered in his childhood the butchery by the Knights of the
Cross, and who had previously received Zbyszko. The news of the abbot
occasioned them sorrow and trouble; he lived in the cloister for a long
while, but he left a fortnight before their arrival to visit his friend,
the bishop of Plock. He was constantly ill. He was generally conscious in
the morning; but toward the evening he lost his head, he stormed and he
asked to put on a coat of mail, and challenged Prince John of Racibor.
The clergy were obliged to apply force to keep him in bed; that was not
accomplished without considerable trouble and even much risk. About a
fortnight ago he had entirely lost his reason, and in spite of his
serious illness, he had given orders to be taken to Plock immediately.
"He said that he confided in nobody so much as in the bishop of Plock,
and that he wished to receive the sacrament from him alone and leave his
testament with him. We opposed his journey as much as we could, for he
was very faint, and we feared that he would not survive even one mile's
journey. But to oppose him was not an easy task. So the attendants
prepared a wagon and carried him away. May God direct it to a happy
issue."
"If he had died somewhere near Sieradz you would have heard of it," said
Macko.
"We would have surely heard of it," replied the little old prior. "We
therefore are of opinion that he did not die, and we think that he had
not yet when he reached Lenczyca. What may have happened beyond that
place, we are unable to tell. You will get information on the road if you
go after him."
Macko felt uneasy when he received the tidings, and he went to take
counsel with Jagienka, who had already got information from the Bohemian
whither the abbot had gone.
"What is to be done?" he asked her; "and what are you going to do with
yourself?"
"Come to Plock, and I will go with you."
"To Plock!" repeated Sieciechowa, in a piping voice.
"Look how things go! Is it as easy for you to go to Flock as to handle
the sickle?"
"How can I and Sieciechowa return by ourselves? If I cannot continue my
journey with you, it would have been preferable to have remained at home.
Do you not think that Wilk and Cztan will be more obstinate in their
intrigues against me?"
"Wilk will protect you against Cztan."
"I fear Wilk's protection as much as Cztan's open violence. I see that
you too are opposing me; if it were only simple opposition I should not
mind it, but not when it is in earnest."
Indeed Macko's opposition was not in earnest; on the contrary he
preferred that Jagienka should accompany him, than return, so when he
heard her words, he smiled and said:
"She has got rid of her petticoats, and now she wants reason too."
"Reason is only to be found in the head."
"But Plock is out of the way."
"The Bohemian said that it is not out of the way, but it is nearer to
Malborg."
"Then you have already consulted the Bohemian?"
"Surely; moreover, he said: 'If the young lord got into trouble at
Malborg, then we could get much help from Princess Alexandra, for she is
a relative of the king; besides that, being a personal friend of the
Knights of the Cross, she has great influence among them.'"
"It is true, as God is dear to me!" exclaimed Macko. "It is a fact well
known to all, that if she wished to give us a letter to the master we
could travel with perfect safety in all lands of the Knights of the
Cross. They love her because she loves them. That Bohemian boy is not a
fool, his advice is good."
"And how much so!" Sieciechowa exclaimed with warmth, lifting up her
little eyes.
Macko suddenly turned toward her and said:
"What do you want here?"
The girl became much confused, lowered her eyelashes and blushed like a
rose.
However, Macko saw that there was no other remedy but to continue his
journey and take both girls with him. This he much desired. The following
morning he took leave of the little old prior and then they continued
their journey. Owing to the thawing of the snow and inundations they
progressed with greater difficulty than before. On the road they inquired
after the abbot, and they found many courts, and parsonages, where there
were none of the former, even inns, where he had remained for a night's
lodging. It was quite easy to follow in his track, because he had
lavishly distributed alms, bought missals, contributed to church bells