"Then perhaps one may go to the church?" inquired Pani Vinnitski. "We will not, first because the church is sure to be closed, for the priest has gone to Prityk, and second, because he has offended me greatly, and I will hide my hand if he approaches." Then he added: "I ask you, and thee also, Anulka, not to converse with him in any way." A moment of silence succeeded. Suddenly the tramping of horses was heard behind the carriage, and the sounds made as the beasts pulled their feet out of the mud; these resembled the firing of muskets,--then piercing words were heard on both sides of the carriage. "With the forehead! with the forehead!" That was from the Bukoyemskis. "With the forehead!" answered Pan Gideon. "Is your grace for Prityk?" "I go every year. I suppose your lordships are going also to the festival?" "You may lay a wager on that," replied Marek. "One must be purified from sin before war comes." "But is it not early yet?" "Why should it be too early?" asked Lukash. "All that has been sinned up to the moment will fall from one's shoulders, since that is the use of absolution; and as to sins incurred later, the priest absolves from those in presence of the enemy, _in partikulo mortis_." "You wish to say _in articulo_" corrected Pan Gideon. "All the same, if only repentance is real." "How do you understand repentance?" inquired the amused Pan Gideon. "How do I understand repentance? Father Vior, the last time, commanded that we give ourselves thirty stripes in discipline, and we gave fifty; for we thought: Well, since this pleases the Heavenly Powers, let them have all they want of it." At this even the serious Pani Vinnitski laughed and Panna Anulka hid her face in her sleeve as if warming her nose there. Lukash noticed, as did his brothers, that their answer had roused laughter, hence they were somewhat offended and silent; so for a time were heard only the rattling of chains on the carriage, the snorting of horses, the sound of mud under hoofs, and the croaking of crows. Immense flocks of these birds were sailing away in the sunlight from small places and villages to the pine woods. "Ah! they feel this very minute that there will be food even to wade in," said the youngest Bukoyemski, turning his eyes toward the crows. "Yes, war is their harvest," said Mateush. "They do not feel it yet, for war is far off," said Pan Gideon. "Far or near, it is certain!" "And how do you know?" "We all know what the talk was at the district diets, and what instructions will be given to the general Diet." "True, but it is not known if they were the same everywhere." "Pan Prylubski, who has travelled through a great part of the Commonwealth, says they were the same everywhere." "Who is Pan Prylubski?" "He comes from Olkuts, and makes levies for the bishop of Cracow." "But has the bishop commanded to make levies before the assembling of the Diet?"