"Father Voynovski," added Marek, "gave Tachevski a letter to Pan Zbierhovski, who is his friend, and in Zbierhova the land is such that you can sow onions in any place,--and he has an only daughter, just fifteen years of age. So don't you bother about Tachevski; he will make his way without you, and without these sands around Radom!" "I do not bother myself about him," said Pan Gideon, dryly. "But perhaps you gentlemen are in a hurry to ride on? My carriage moves in this mud like a tortoise." "Well, here is to you with the forehead!" "With the forehead! with the forehead! I am the servant of your lordships!" "We are yours in the same way!" Having said this the brothers moved forward more speedily, but when they had ridden an arrow-shot from the carriage they reined in again and talked with animation. "Did ye see?" asked Lukash, "I said 'Of course!' twice, and twice I thrust a sword into his heart as it were; he almost burst out." "I did better," said Marek, "for I struck both the girl and the old man." "How? Tell us, do not hide!" called the brothers. "Did ye not hear?" "We heard, but do thou repeat." "I struck with what I said of Panna Zbierhovski. Ye saw how the girl became pale? I looked at her; she had her hand on her knee and she opened and closed it, opened and closed it, just like a cat before scratching. A man could see that anger was diving down into her." But Mateush reined in his horse, and he added,-- "I was sorry for her--such a dear little flower--and do ye remember what old Pan Serafin said?" "What did he say?" inquired, with great curiosity, Lukash, Marek, and Yan, reining in their horses. Mateush looked at them a while through his protruding eyes, then said as if in sorrow,-- "But if I have forgotten?" Meanwhile not only Pan Gideon, but Pani Vinnitski, who generally knew very little of what was happening around her, turned attention to the changed face of the young lady. "But what is the matter, Anulka? Art thou cold?" "No," answered the girl, with a sort of sleepy voice which seemed not her own. "Nothing is the matter, only the air affects me strangely--so strangely." Though her voice broke from moment to moment she had no tears in her eyes; on the contrary, in her dry pupils there glittered sparks peculiar, uncommon, and her face had grown older. Seeing this Pan Gideon said to himself,-- "Would it not be better to strike while the iron is hot?" CHAPTER X