by Mór Jókai
THE UNLUCKY WEATHERCOCK.
It seems as if fortune delighted in extending her hand favourablytowards some individuals, while to others she only puts it forth todeceive and buffet them through life. Her caprices have furnished uswith a lively example in both manners of dealing. We relate the simplefacts as we heard them, without adding a word.
Towards the close of 1848, war was the only theme in vogue. In Pesthespecially, the word _peace_ was quite out of fashion. The hotels werefilled with guests who met for the purpose of discussing the favouritetopic; martial music was heard from morning till night: the Europeanwar was preparing.
Two personages were sitting together before a small table at the hotel"Nagy Pipa,"[57] to whom the German saying might have beenapplied--"_Der eine schweigt, der andere hoert zu_,"[58] for one ofthese two personages seemed attentively considering the probable orpossible cause of his companion's silence, casting, from time to time,a scrutinizing glance on his countenance, intended to penetratewhatever dark project might be passing within.
[Footnote 57: Great Pipe.]
[Footnote 58: "One keeps silence, the other listens to him."]
This observant individual was no other than the humane Master Janos,Police-corporal, and vice-jailer of the noble city of Pesth; and whenwe inform our readers that he occupied this post during Metternich'stime, and that, notwithstanding that minister's overthrow, he stillretained his position, unlike the usual fate of the adherents of afallen ministry, they will surely admit that the favourite of fortunecould not be better personified than by the same Master Janos; nor canit be denied that the individual opposite was no less persecuted bythe fickle goddess, not only because he was the object of honestMaster Janos's suspicious glances; but more especially because anailsmith's apprentice from Vienna could think of coming to Hungary ofall places on earth--a country where the craft is carried on wholesaleat the corner of every village, by the Wallachian gipsies.
Master Janos had not studied Lavater, but long experience had led himto conclude, after minute examination of the man's countenance, thatsome counter-revolutionary scheme was turning in his head.
Consequently he drew his chair nearer, and determined to break thesilence.
"Where do you come from, sir? if I may presume to ask," he inquired,with a wily glance at his companion.
"Hyay! from Vienna," sighed the stranger, looking into the bottom ofhis glass.
"And what news from that city?"
"Hyaee! nothing good."
"Eh, what? nothing good!--what bad, then?"
"Hyay! war is much feared."
"Feared! what audacity!--how dare they fear?"
"Hyay! sir, I do not fear either at thirty leagues' distance; but onceI heard from the cellar how they were bombarding the streets, and Ifound nothing agreeable in it."
Master Janos found still greater reason for suspicion. He resolved tomake him drink, and he would probably come on the traces of somedangerous plot.
How much does a nailsmith's stomach require? At the second pitcher hishead sank slowly back, and his tongue moved with difficulty.
"Now for it!" thought Master Janos, filling his glass. "Eljen!liberty!" he exclaimed, waiting for the nailsmith to strike glasses.
The latter was not long in responding to the invitation, and echoedthe "Eljen!" as far as his thickening tongue permitted.
"Now it is your turn to give a toast," said the vice-jailer, slilyeyeing his victim.
"Indeed, I am not used to give toasts, sir; I only drink them."
"Come, don't play the egotist, but drink to whoever you consider thegreatest man in the world!"
"In the whole world?" replied the nailsmith, reflecting that the worldwas very large, and that he knew very little about it.
"Yes, in the whole world!--the whole round earth!" pursued MasterJanos, confidently.
The nailsmith hesitated, scratched his nose, scratched his ear,scratched his whole head, and, finally, cried out, "Success to MasterSlimak!"
The vice-jailer shuddered at this public demonstration. It was quiteclear that this Master Slimak was some gunpowder-sworncommander-in-chief--there was no doubt of it, and, without any furtherado, he seized the nailsmith by the collar, and, _brevi manu_,escorted him to the town-hall, where he dragged him into a narrow,ominous-looking chamber, before a stout, red-faced gentleman.
"This man is a suspicious character," he exclaimed. "In the firstplace, he has the audacity to fear war; in the next place, he sat fromseven o'clock until half-past nine, two whole hours and a half,without opening his lips; and, finally, he was impious enough to givea public toast to a certain Master Slimak, who is probably quite assuspicious a character as himself."
"Who is this Master Slimak?" asked the stout, red-faced gentleman,sternly.
"Nobody, indeed," replied the trembling Viennese, "but my formermaster, an honest nailsmith, whom I served four years, and would beserving still, had his wife not beaten me."
"Impossible!" ejaculated the fat, red-faced gentleman. "It is notcustomary to give public toasts to such personages."
"But I don't know what the custom is here."
"If you wished to give a toast, why did you not drink toconstitutional liberty, to the upper and lower Danube armies, or tofreedom of the press, and such toasts?"
"Hyay, sir! I could not learn all that in a month!"
"But in three months I daresay you will be able to learn it wellenough. Master Janos, take that man into custody."
The humane Master Janos again seized the delinquent by the collar, _utsupra_, and escorted him to the place appropriated to suchmalefactors, where he had time to consider why he was put there.
* * * * *
The three months passed slowly enough to the nailsmith. It was now themiddle of March.
Master Janos punctually released his prisoner, and the honest man, inorder to prove the reform in his sentiments, and thereby rise inMaster Janos's opinion, greeted him with, "Success to liberty, and theHungarian arms!"
Master Janos stumbled against the wall in speechless horror, and assoon as he had regained his equilibrium, he seized the astonishednailsmith, who, when he had recovered his terrified senses, foundhimself again in the narrow, ominous chamber; but now, instead of thestout, red-faced gentleman, he stood before a lean, black gentleman,who, when he understood the charge against the prisoner, withoutpermitting any explanation, condemned him to three months'imprisonment, informing him that henceforth, unless he wished to fareworse, he would exclaim, "Success to the imperial armies, the greatconstitution, and the one and powerful Austria!"
And the nailsmith, having made three steps beyond his prison door, wasbrought back to renew his captivity, and ponder over his strange fate.
* * * * *
The three months had again passed over. It was some time in June.
The humane Master Janos did not fail to release his captive. The poorman began at his prison door to declaim the redeeming words of "Longlive Prince Windischgraetz! success to glorious Austria!"
Master Janos laid his hand upon his sword, as if to protect himselffrom this incorrigible man.
"What! was it not enough to imprison you twice? Have you not yetlearned what you should say? Have the kindness to step in here."
And for the third time they entered the narrow chamber.
Instead of the meagre, black gentleman, it was again the fat,red-faced gentleman before whom our victim was called in question forhis repeated crime.
"Obstinate traitor!" he exclaimed; "are you aware of the extent ofyour offence, and that if I did not condemn you to an imprisonment ofthree months on my own responsibility, instead of giving you up tojustice, you would be cut into four quarters, as you deserve?"
The unhappy nailsmith must needs rejoice, in his extreme terror, atthe mildness of the punishment.
"But what should I have said?" he asked his lenient judge, in a voiceof despair.
"What should you have said? why, S
uccess to the republic! Success todemocracy! Success to revolution!"
The poor man repeated the three injunctions, and promising faithfullyto attend to them, he resigned himself patiently to a new lease of hisdark abode.
* * * * *
During the ensuing three months, everything had changed except thegood fortune of Master Janos. Neither time nor chance could succeed indisplacing him, as they had so many others. He was still vice-jailerof the noble city of Pesth, as he had formerly been.
It was now September. The nailsmith's penalty was out, and MasterJanos called him forth.
The prisoner's countenance expressed something unusually important,and no sooner did the vice-jailer approach, than, seizing his hand, heexclaimed, between his sobs, "Oh, Master Janos, tell the blackgentleman that I humbly kiss his hand, and wish him from the bottom ofmy heart, 'Success to the Republic!'"
As the hungry wolf pounces on the lamb, Master Janos once more seizedthe nailsmith by his ill-used collar; and indeed, so shocked was theworthy jailer, that, having brought his prisoner into the narrowchamber, it was some time before he could recover himself sufficientlyto explain the circumstance to the lean, black gentleman, who oncemore occupied the place of the fat, red-faced one; and great was hisvexation when this individual, instead of sentencing the delinquent tobe broken on the wheel, merely awarded him three months moreimprisonment!
On the third of November 1849, all who had been imprisoned for slightpolitical offences were released from their confinement, and amongothers the nailsmith.
As Master Janos opened the door, the unfortunate man stopped his mouthwith his pocket-handkerchief, giving the humane jailer by thispantomime to understand, that he would henceforth keep hisdemonstrations to himself.
It might have been some consolation to him to know that he was not theonly one who cried out at the wrong time!