The Deluge. Vol. 2

"I am," said she, after a while, "the granddaughter and the daughter of a soldier. My grandfather and father also valued honor above life; but, precisely for that reason, they would not let themselves be used blindly for every service."

Kettling drew, with trembling hand, from his coat a letter, gave it to Olenka, and said, —

"Judge, my lady, if this command does not concern service."

Olenka cast her eyes over the letter, and read as follows: —

"Since it has come to our knowledge that Billevich, the sword-bearer of Rossyeni, intends to leave our residence in secret, with plans hostile to us, – namely, to excite his acquaintances, connections, relatives, and clients to rebellion against his Swedish Majesty and us, – we recommend to the officers remaining in garrison at Taurogi to guard Billevich and his niece as hostages and prisoners of war, and not to permit their flight under pain of loss of honor and court-martial," etc.

"The order came from the first stopping-place after the departure of the prince," said Kettling; "therefore it is in writing."

"The will of God be done!" said Olenka, after a while. "It is accomplished!"

Kettling felt that he ought to go; still he did not stir. His pale lips moved from moment to moment, as if he wished to say something and could not get the voice.

He was oppressed by the desire to fall at her feet and implore forgiveness; but on the other hand he felt that she had enough of her own misfortune, and he found a certain wild delight in this, – that he was suffering and would suffer without complaint.

At last he bowed and went out in silence; but in the corridor he tore the bandages from his fresh wound, and fell fainting to the floor. When an hour later the palace guard found him lying near the staircase and took him to the barracks, he became seriously ill and did not leave his bed for a fortnight.

Olenka, after the departure of Kettling, remained some time as if dazed. Death had seemed to her more likely to come than that refusal; and therefore, at first, in spite of all her firm temper of spirit, strength, energy failed her; she felt weak, like an ordinary woman, and though she repeated unconsciously, "Let the will of God be done!" sorrow for the disappointment rose above her resignation, copious and bitter tears flowed from her eyes.

At that moment her uncle entered, and looking at his niece, divined at once that she had evil news to impart; hence he asked quickly, —

"For God's sake, what is it?"

"Kettling refuses!"

"All here are ruffians, scoundrels, arch-curs! How is this? And he will not help?"

"Not only will he not help," answered she, complaining like a little child, "but he says that he will prevent, even should it come to him to die."

"Why? by the Lord's wounds, why?"

"For such is our fate! Kettling is not a traitor; but such is our fate, for we are the most unhappy of all people."

"May the thunderbolts crush all those heretics!" cried Billevich. "They attack virtue, plunder, steal, imprison. Would that all might perish! It is not for honest people to live in such times!"

Here he began to walk with hurried step through the chamber, threatening with his fists; at last he said, gritting his teeth, —

"The voevoda of Vilna was better; I prefer a thousand times even Kmita to these perfumed ruffians without honor and conscience."

When Olenka said nothing, but began to cry still more, Billevich grew mild, and after a while said, —

"Do not weep. Kmita came to my mind only because that he at least would have been able to wrest us out of this Babylonian captivity. He would have given it to all the Brauns, Kettlings, Pattersons, to Boguslav himself! But they are all the same type of traitors. Weep not! You can do nothing with weeping; here it is necessary to counsel. Kettling will not help, – may he be twisted! We will do without him. You have as it were a man's courage in you, but in difficulty you are only able to sob. What does Kettling say?"

"He says that the prince has given orders to guard us as prisoners of war, fearing, Uncle, that you would collect a party and go to the confederates."

Billevich put his hands on his hips: "Ha, ha, ha! he is afraid, the scoundrel! And he is right, for I will do so, as God is in heaven."

"Having a command relating to service, Kettling must carry it out on his honor."

"Well! we shall get on without the assistance of heretics."

Olenka wiped her eyes. "And does my uncle think it is possible?"

"I think it is necessary; and if it is necessary it is possible, though we had to let ourselves down by ropes from these windows."

"It was wrong for me to shed tears; let us make plans as quickly as we can."

Her tears were dry, her brows contracted again from thought and her former endurance and energy.

It appeared, in fact, that Billevich could find no help, and that the imagination of the lady was much richer in means. But it was difficult for her, since it was clear that they were guarded carefully.

They determined, therefore, not to try before the first news came from Boguslav. In this they placed all their hope, trusting that the punishment of God would come on the traitor and the dishonorable man. Besides, he might fall, he might be confined to his bed, he might be killed by Sapyeha, and then without fail there would rise in all Taurogi a panic, and the gate would not be guarded so carefully.

"I know Sapyeha," said Billevich, comforting himself and Olenka; "he is a slow warrior, but accurate and wonderfully stubborn. An example of this, his loyalty to the king and country. He pledged and sold everything, and thus has gained a power before which Boguslav is as nothing. One is a dignified senator, the other a fop; one a true Catholic, the other a heretic; one is cleverness itself, the other a water-burner. With whom may victory and the blessing of God be? This Radzivill might well yield to Sapyeha's day. Just as if there are not punishment and justice in this world! We will wait for news, and pray for Sapyeha's success."

Then they began to wait; but a month passed – long, wearisome for afflicted hearts – before the first courier came; and he was sent not to Taurogi, but to Steinbock in Royal Prussia.

Kettling, who from the time of the last conversation dared not appear before Olenka's eyes, sent her at once a card with the following announcement: —

"Prince Boguslav has defeated Pan Kryshtof Sapyeha near Bransk; some squadrons of cavalry and infantry are cut to pieces. He is marching on Tykotsin, where Horotkyevich is stationed."

For Olenka this was simply a thunderbolt. The greatness of a leader and the bravery of a knight meant for her the same thing. Since she had seen Boguslav, at Taurogi, overcoming the most valiant knights with ease, she imagined him to herself, especially after that news, as an evil but invincible power, against which no one could stand.

The hope that Boguslav might be defeated died in her completely. In vain did her uncle quiet her and comfort her with this, – that the prince had not yet met Sapyeha; in vain did he guarantee to her that the very dignity of hetman with which the king had invested him recently, must give positive preponderance over Boguslav; she did not believe this, she dared not.

"Who can conquer Boguslav; who can meet him?" asked she, continually.

Further news seemed to confirm her fears.

A few days later Kettling sent another card with information touching the defeat of Horotkyevich and the capture of Tykotsin. "All Podlyasye," writes he, "is in the hands of the prince, who, without waiting for Sapyeha, is moving against him with forced marches."

"And Sapyeha will be routed!" thought the maiden.

Meanwhile news from other directions flew to them, like a swallow heralding spring-time. To that seashore of the Commonwealth this news came late; but because of its lateness it was decked in all the rainbow gleams of wonderful legend from the first ages of Christianity, when saints proclaiming truth and justice still travelled over the earth.

"Chenstohova! Chenstohova!" was repeated by every mouth.

Ice thawed from hearts which bloomed like flowers in the earth warmed by the sun of spring. "Chenstohova has defended itself. Men had seen the Queen of Poland Herself (the Virgin Mary) shielding the walls with Her heavenly mantle; the bombs of the robbers at Her holy feet, crouching like house-dogs; the hands of the Swedes were withered, their muskets grew fast to their faces, till they retreated in terror and shame."

Men, strangers to one another, when they heard these tidings fell the one into the embraces of the other, weeping from delight. Others complained that the tidings came too late.

"But we were here in weeping," said they, "we were in pain, we lived in torment so long, when we should have been rejoicing."

Then it began to roar through the whole Commonwealth, and terrible thunders were heard from the Euxine to the Baltic, so that the waves of both seas were trembling; then faithful people, pious people rose up like a storm in defence of their queen. Consolation entered all hearts, all eyes were flashing with fire; what hitherto had seemed terrible and invincible grew small in their eyes.

"Who will finish him?" said Billevich. "Who will be his equal? Now do you know who? The Most Holy Lady."