The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 2 (of 2)

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER XLV.

  The despair of the sword-bearer was so great that Olenka had to comforthim, and give assurance that the money was not to be looked on as lost,for the letter itself would serve as a note; and Radzivill, the masterof so many estates in Lithuania and Russia, had something from which torecover.

  But since it was difficult to foresee what might still meet them,especially if Boguslav returned to Taurogi victorious, they began tothink of flight the more eagerly.

  Olenka advised to defer everything till Kettling's recovery; for Braunwas a gloomy and surly old soldier, carrying out commands blindly, andit was impossible to influence him.

  As to Kettling, the lady knew well that he had wounded himself toremain in Taurogi; hence her deep faith that he would do everything toaid her. It is true that conscience disturbed her incessantly with thequestion whether for self-safety she had the right to sacrifice thecareer, and perhaps the life, of another; but the terrors hanging overher in Taurogi were so dreadful that they surpassed a hundredfold thedangers to which Kettling could be exposed.

  Kettling, as an excellent officer, might find service, and a more nobleservice, elsewhere, and with it powerful protectors, such as the king.Pan Sapyeha, or Pan Charnyetski; and he would, besides, serve a justcause, and would find a career grateful to that country which hadreceived him as an exile. Death threatened him only in case he fellinto Boguslav's hands; but Boguslav did not command yet the wholeCommonwealth.

  Olenka ceased to hesitate; and when the health of the young officer hadimproved, she sent for him.

  Kettling stood before her, pale, emaciated, without a drop of blood inhis face, but always full of respect, homage, and submission. At sightof him tears came to Olenka's eyes; for he was the only friendly soulin Taurogi, and at the same time so thin and suffering that when Olenkaasked how his health was, he answered,--

  "Alas, my lady, health is returning, and it would be so pleasant todie."

  "You should leave this service," said she, looking at him withsympathy; "for such an honorable man needs assurance that he is servinga just cause and a worthy master."

  "Alas!" repeated the officer.

  "When will your service end?"

  "In half a year."

  Olenka was silent awhile; then she raised her wonderful eyes, which atthat moment had ceased to be stern, and said,--

  "Listen to me. I will speak to you as to a brother, as to a sincereconfidant. You can, and you should resign."

  When she had said this, she confessed to him everything,--both theirplans of escape, and that she relied on his assistance. She representedto him that he could find service everywhere, and a service as good aswas his spirit, and honorable as knightly honor could obtain. At lastshe finished with the following words:--

  "I shall be grateful to you till death. I wish to take refuge under theguardianship of God, and to make a vow to the Lord in a cloister. Butwherever you may be, far or near, in war or in peace, I shall pray foryou. I will implore God to give peace and happiness to my brother andbenefactor; for I can give him nothing save gratitude and prayer."

  Here her voice trembled; and the officer listened to her words, growingpale as a kerchief. At last he knelt, put both hands to his forehead,and said, in a voice like a groan,--

  "I cannot, my lady; I cannot!"

  "Do you refuse me?" asked Olenka, with amazement.

  "O great, merciful God!" said he. "From childhood no lie has risen onmy lips, no unjust deed has ever stained me. While still a youth, Idefended with this weak hand my king and country. Why, Lord, dost Thoupunish me so grievously, and send on me suffering for which, as Thouseest, strength fails me?" Here he turned to Olenka: "My lady, you donot know what an order is for a soldier. In obedience is not only hisduty, but his honor and reputation. An oath binds me, my lady,--andmore than an oath, the word of a knight,--that I shall not throw up myservice before the time, and that I will fulfil what belongs to itblindly. I am a soldier and a noble; and, so help me God, never in mylife will I follow the example of those who betray honor and service.And I will not break my word, even at your command, at your prayer,though I say this in suffering and pain. If, having an order not to letany one out of Taurogi, I were on guard at the gate, and if youyourself wished to pass against the order, you would pass only over mycorpse. You did not know me, my lady; and you were mistaken in me. Buthave pity on me; understand that I cannot aid you to escape. I oughtnot to hear of such a thing. The order is express, for Braun and thefive remaining officers of us here have received it. My God, my God! ifI had foreseen such an order, I should have preferred to go on thecampaign. I shall not convince you; you will not believe me. And stillGod sees--let God judge me after death whether it is true--that I wouldgive my life without hesitation. But my honor--I cannot, I cannot!"

  Then Kettling wrung his hands, was silent from exhaustion, and began tobreathe quickly.

  Olenka had not recovered yet from her amazement. She had not time topause, or estimate properly that spirit, exceptional in its nobleness.She felt only that the last plank of salvation was slipping from herhands, the only means of escape from hated captivity was failing her.But still she tried to resist.

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

  Kettling drew, with trembling hand, from his coat a letter, gave it toOlenka, 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 ofRossyeni, intends to leave our residence in secret, with plans hostileto us,--namely, to excite his acquaintances, connections, relatives,and clients to rebellion against his Swedish Majesty and us,--werecommend to the officers remaining in garrison at Taurogi to guardBillevich and his niece as hostages and prisoners of war, and not topermit their flight under pain of loss of honor and court-martial,"etc.

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

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

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

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

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

  Olenka, after the departure of Kettling, remained some time as ifdazed. 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, andthough she repeated unconsciously, "Let the will of God be done!"sorrow for the disappointment rose above her resignation, copious andbitter tears flowed from her eyes.

  At that moment her uncle entered, and looking at his niece, divined atonce 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 willnot help?"

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

  "Why? by the Lord's wounds, why?"

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

  "May the thunderbolts crush all those heretics!" cried Billevich. "Theyattack 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 Kmitato these perfumed ruffians without honor and conscience."

  When Olenka said nothing, but began to cry still more, Billevich grewmild, and after a while said,--

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

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

  Billevich put his hands on his hips: "Ha, ha, ha! he is afraid, thescoundrel! 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 onhis 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, thoughwe 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 wecan."

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

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

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

  "I know Sapyeha," said Billevich, comforting himself and Olenka; "he isa slow warrior, but accurate and wonderfully stubborn. An example ofthis, his loyalty to the king and country. He pledged and soldeverything, and thus has gained a power before which Boguslav is asnothing. One is a dignified senator, the other a fop; one a trueCatholic, the other a heretic; one is cleverness itself, the other awater-burner. With whom may victory and the blessing of God be? ThisRadzivill might well yield to Sapyeha's day. Just as if there are notpunishment and justice in this world! We will wait for news, and prayfor Sapyeha's success."

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

  Kettling, who from the time of the last conversation dared not appearbefore Olenka's eyes, sent her at once a card with the followingannouncement:--

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

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

  The hope that Boguslav might be defeated died in her completely. Invain did her uncle quiet her and comfort her with this,--that theprince had not yet met Sapyeha; in vain did he guarantee to her thatthe very dignity of hetman with which the king had invested himrecently, must give positive preponderance over Boguslav; she did notbelieve 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 touchingthe defeat of Horotkyevich and the capture of Tykotsin. "AllPodlyasye," writes he, "is in the hands of the prince, who, withoutwaiting 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 swallowheralding spring-time. To that seashore of the Commonwealth this newscame late; but because of its lateness it was decked in all the rainbowgleams of wonderful legend from the first ages of Christianity, whensaints 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 warmedby the sun of spring. "Chenstohova has defended itself. Men had seenthe Queen of Poland Herself (the Virgin Mary) shielding the walls withHer heavenly mantle; the bombs of the robbers at Her holy feet,crouching like house-dogs; the hands of the Swedes were withered, theirmuskets grew fast to their faces, till they retreated in terror andshame."

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

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

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

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

  The old man and his niece lay for whole days in the form of a cross,thanking God for his mercy on the Commonwealth, and doubting their ownrescue no longer.

  But for a long period there was silence concerning Boguslav, as if hewith all his forces had fallen into water. The officers remaining inTaurogi began to be disquieted and to think of their uncertain future.They would have preferred defeat to that deep silence. But no newscould come, for just then the terrible Babinich was rushing with hisTartars in front of the prince and stopping all couriers.