"We defended Wilno; God gave us honest booty; to whom shall I leave it? If the Krzyzak requires punishment, let punishment come; but permit me to suffer it. What do I care for life without Zbyszko! He is young; let him redeem the land and beget children, as God ordered man to do. The Krzyzak will not ask whose head was cut off, if there is one cut. There will be no shame on the family. It is difficult for a man to die; but it is better that one man perish than that a family should be destroyed." Speaking thus he clasped the king's legs; the king began to wink his eyes, which was a sign of emotion with him; finally he said: "It can not be! I cannot condemn to death a belted knight! It cannot be! It cannot be!" "And there would be no justice in it," added the castellan. "The law will crush the guilty one; but it is not a monster, which does not look to see whose blood is being shed. And you must consider what shame would fall on your family, if your nephew agreed to your proposal. It would be considered a disgrace, not only to him, but to his children also." To this Macko replied: "He would not agree. But if it were done without his knowledge, he would avenge me, even as I also will avenge him." "Ha!" said Tenczynski, "persuade the Krzyzak to withdraw the complaint." "I have asked him." "And what?" asked the king, stretching his neck; "what did he say?" "He answered me thus: 'You ought to have asked me for pardon on the road to Tyniec; you would not then; now I will not.'" "And why didn't you do it?" "Because he required us to dismount and apologize on foot." The king having put his hair behind his ears, commenced to say something when a courtier entered to announce that the Knight of Lichtenstein was asking for an audience. Having heard this, Jagiello looked at Jasko of Tenczyn, then at Macko. He ordered them to remain, perhaps with the hope that he would be able to take advantage of this opportunity and using his kingly authority, bring the affair to an end. Meanwhile the Krzyzak entered, bowed to the king, and said: "Gracious lord! Here is the written complaint about the insult which I suffered in your kingdom." "Complain to him," answered the king, pointing to Jasko of Tenczyn. The Krzyzak, looking directly into the king's face, said: "I know neither your laws nor your courts; I only know, that an envoy of the Order can complain only to the king." Jagiello's small eyes flashed with impatience; he stretched out his hand however, and accepted the complaint which he handed to Tenczynski. The castellan unfolded it and began to read; but the further he read, the more sorrowful and sad his face became. "Sir," said he, finally, "you are seeking the life of that lad, as though he were dangerous to the whole Order. Is it possible that the Knights of the Cross are afraid even of the children?" "The Knights of the Cross are not afraid of anyone," answered the _comthur_, proudly. And the old castellan added: