Pan Michael

"I have heard of the ambitious designs of Prince Boguslav Radzivill," muttered the prelate, as if to himself.

"While there is breath in my nostrils, while the last drop of blood is in my breast," cried Zagloba, with the force of deep conviction, "nothing will come of that! I should not wish to live in a nation so disgraced as to make a traitor and a Judas its king."

"That is the voice not only of reason, but of civic virtue," muttered the vice-chancellor, again.

"Ha!" thought Zagloba, "if you wish to draw me, I will draw you."

Then the vice-chancellor began anew: "When wilt thou sail in, O battered ship of my country? What storms, what rocks are in wait for thee? In truth, it will be evil if a foreigner becomes thy steersman; but it must be so evidently, if among thy sons there is no one better." Here he stretched out his white hands, ornamented with glittering rings, and inclining his head, said with resignation, "Then Condé, or he of Lorraine, or the Prince of Neuberg? There is no other outcome!"

"That is impossible! A Pole!" answered Zagloba.

"Who?" inquired the prelate.

Silence followed. Then the prelate began to speak again: "If there were even one on whom all could agree! Where is there a man who would touch the heart of the knighthood at once, so that no one would dare to murmur against his election? There was one such, the greatest, who had rendered most service, – your worthy friend, O knight, who walked in glory as in sunlight. There was such a – "

"Prince Yeremi Vishnyevetski!" interrupted Zagloba.

"That is true. But he is in the grave."

"His son lives," replied Zagloba.

The vice-chancellor half closed his eyes, and sat some time in silence; all at once he raised his head, looked at Zagloba, and began to speak slowly: "I thank God for having inspired me with the idea of knowing your grace. That is it! the son of the great Yeremi is alive, – a prince young and full of hope, to whom the Commonwealth has a debt to pay. Of his gigantic fortune nothing remains but glory, – that is his only inheritance. Therefore in the present times of corruption, when every man turns his eyes only to where gold is attracting, who will mention his name, who will have the courage to make him a candidate? You? True! But will there be many like you? It is not wonderful that he whose life has been passed in heroic struggles on all fields will not fear to give homage to merit with his vote on the field of election; but will others follow his example?" Here the vice-chancellor fell to thinking, then raised his eyes and spoke on: "God is mightier than all. Who knows His decisions, who knows? When I think how all the knighthood believe and trust you, I see indeed with wonderment that a certain hope enters my heart. Tell me sincerely, has the impossible ever existed for you?"

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1

"With Fire and Sword," page 4.

2

The bishop who visited Zagloba at Ketling's house, see pages 121-126.

3

A celebrated bishop of Cracow, famous for ambition and success.

4

A diminutive of endearment for Anna. Anusia is another form.

5

One of the chiefs of a confederacy formed against the king, Yan Kazimir, by soldiers who had not received their pay.

6

The story in Poland is that storks bring all the infants to the country.

7

This refers to the axelike form of the numeral 7.

8

Diminutive of Barbara.

9

Diminutive of Krystina, or Christiana.

10

Drohoyovski is Parma Krysia's family name.

11

A diminutive of Anna, expressing endearment.

12

To place a water-melon in the carriage of a suitor was one way of refusing him.

13

"Kot" means "cat," hence Basia's exclamations are, "Scot, Scot! cat, cat!"

14

In Polish, "I love" is one word, "Kocham."