themselves, sitting on plum trees, while I can’t screw up courage enough to ask him to lend me one of them. The day is on the wane. I must be thinking of going home; and I can’t go back to Záluz̓í with an empty pocket, whatever I do. As soon as we get into the room, I’ll ask him on the spot.”
But spinster Regina was in no hurry to leave the room. The word “five” had not escaped her sharp ears either, a while ago. Luckily , Ledecký was in good humour to-day; in great glee at having shot the merops, for which he had already for a long time been on the watch. He said to his housekeeper, “Regina, bring us another jug of beer to celebrate the lucky shot.”
As Regina was on her way to the kitchen for the beer, a lad all out of breath, with eyes ready to start out of his head, rushed into the room from the passage.
Cvok started when he saw him. The lad was from Záluz̓í.
“Have you come for me, Kozman?” he asked the messenger.
The boy tried first to recover his breath, and then said, “Yes, I have. Miss Naninka sends word the reverend father is to run home as fast as he can, because something dreadfully particular has happened.”
“In my house?”
“Yes, in your house.”
“Heavens! I hope it’s not on fire!”
“No, it isn’t; but she said that something dreadfully particular had happened.”
Cvok snatched up his hat and stick, and took leave hurriedly of Ledecký. Only when he had shut the door behind him, he remembered that he was going without the five florins he had come for. He stepped back to Ledecký, and said humbly—
