The Knights of the Cross/Volume 2/Chapter 73
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CHAPTER LXXIII. Zbyshko did not carry out his threat, it is true, and did not leave Bogdanets, but after the course of another week his health had returned to him completely and he could not remain longer in bed. Matsko declared that it was their duty to visit Zgorzelitse and thank Yagenka for the care bestowed on him. So on a certain day, after he had steamed himself well in the bath, Zbyshko resolved to go straightway. With this object he commanded to take from the chest his beautiful garments so as to use them instead of the every-day clothes he was wearing, and then he occupied himself with curling his hair; but that was no small, easy task, and the difficulty lay not alone in the wealth of that hair which dropped down behind like a mane below his shoulders. Knights in every-day life wore their hair in a net shaped like a mushroom, which in time of expeditions had this good side, that the helmet chafed them perhaps less, but on various ceremonial occasions, such as a wedding, or visits to houses in which there were young ladies, they arranged it in beautifully twisted rolls, which frequently were rubbed with the white of an egg to give them consistency and gloss. Precisely in this way did Zbyshko wish to dress his hair. But the two women summoned from the servants' house were unused to such work and were unable to do it. His hair, all dry, standing out after the bath, could not be made to lie down, and was like a badly thatched roof of straw on a cottage. The combs, cut out of buffalo horn artistically and won from the Frisians, did not help, nor did a curry-comb for which one of the women went to the stable. Zbyshko began at last to be impatient and angry—when Matsko walked into the room with Yagenka, who had come unexpectedly. "Praised be Jesus Christ!" said she. "For the ages of ages!" answered Zbyshko, with a radiant face. "Well, this is wonderful! We were just making ready to go to thy house, and thou art here!" His eyes gleamed with delight, for it was thus with him always; whenever he saw her it was as bright in his soul as if he were looking at the sunrise. But when Yagenka saw the women, comb in hand, and troubled, when she saw the curry-comb lying on the bench at Zbyshko's side and his hair standing out in all directions, she fell to laughing. "By my word, it is a bundle of straw, a bundle of straw!" cried she, showing the wonderful white teeth between her coral lips. "We might put thee in a hemp field or a cherry garden, to frighten the birds away!" Zbyshko frowned. "We were making ready to visit Zgorzelitse," said he; "in Zgorzelitse thou wouldst not attack a guest, but here thou hast the privilege of making sport of me as much as may please thee, and upon my faith thou art always glad to make sport of me." "I glad to make sport of thee!" exclaimed Yagenka. "Oh, mighty God! Why, I have come to invite you both to supper; and I am laughing not at thee, but at these women. If I were in their place I could arrange matters quickly." "Thou couldst not." "But who dresses Yasko's hair?" "Yasko is thy brother," answered Zbyshko. "Of course he is!" Here the old and experienced Matsko resolved to assist them. "In families," said he, "when a knightly youth's hair grows, after cutting, his sister dresses it; in mature age a man's wife dresses his hair for him; but it is the custom also that if a knight has no sister or wife, a noble maiden serves him, even though she be entirely unrelated." "Is there really such a custom?" inquired Yagenka, dropping her eyes. "Not only in mansions, but in castles. Yes! even at the king's court," answered Matsko. Then he turned to the women. "Since ye can do nothing, go to your own place!" "Let them bring me warm water," added Yagenka. Matsko went out with the women, as if to see that there was no delay in serving, and after a moment he had warm water brought in, and when it had been placed in the room the young people were left with each other. Yagenka having wet a towel moistened Zbyshko's hair well with it; when the hair had stopped flying up and had lain down with the weight of dampness, she took a comb and sat on the bench at the side of the young man to proceed with the work. And they sat there side by side, both comely beyond measure, both immensely in love with each other, but ill at ease and silent. Yagenka began at last to arrange his golden hair, and he felt the vicinity of her upraised arms, of her hands, and he shivered from head to foot, restraining himself with all his force of will lest he might seize her by the waist and press her with all his might to his bosom. In the silence the hurried breath of both was audible. "Perhaps thou art ill?" inquired the girl after a while. "What troubles thee?" "Nothing," answered the young knight. "But somehow thou art panting." "Thou art panting too—" Again there was silence. Yagenka's cheeks were as red as roses, for she felt that Zbyshko did not take his eyes from her face for an instant; so, to talk away embarrassment, she asked,— "Why dost thou look at me in that way?" "Does it annoy thee?" "It does not annoy, but I ask." "Yagenka?" "What—" Zbyshko drew in a long breath, sighed, moved his lips as if for further conversation, but it was clear that he had not sufficient courage yet, since he merely repeated again,— "Yagenka." "What?"
"If I am afraid to tell something—" "Be not afraid. I am a simple girl, not a dragon." "Of course not a dragon! But Uncle Matsko says that he wants to take thee!" "Yes he does, but not for himself." And she stopped as if frightened at her own words. "By the dear God! My Yagus!—but what answer hast thou to give, Yagus?" cried Zbyshko. But unexpectedly Yagenka's eyes filled with tears, her beautiful lips began to quiver, and her voice became so low that Zbyshko could hardly hear it when she said,— "Papa and the abbot wished—while I—as thou knowest!—" At these words delight burst forth in Zbyshko's heart like a sudden flame; so he caught the girl in his arms, lifted her up as he might a feather, and shouted wildly,— "Yagus! Yagus! thou my gold! my sun—hei! hei!" And he shouted so that old Matsko, thinking that some strange thing had happened, rushed into the room. When he saw Yagenka raised aloft by his nephew, he was astonished that everything had passed with such unlooked-for rapidity, and he exclaimed,— "In the name of the Father and the Son, restrain thyself, boy!" Zbyshko rushed toward him, placed Yagenka on the floor, and both wished to kneel down, but before they could do so Matsko seized them in his bony arms and pressed them with all his strength to his breast. "Praised be He!" said the old man. "I knew that it would come to this, but still my delight! God bless you! It will be easier for me to die now. The girl is like the purest of pure gold. Before God and the world! In truth! Let come now what may, since I have lived to this delight. God has visited, but He has comforted us. We must go right away and tell Yasko. Ei, if Zyh were alive now!—and the abbot— But I will take the place of both, for in truth, I so love you that I am ashamed to tell it." And though he had in his bosom a heart that was steeled, he was so filled with emotion that something pressed his throat; so he kissed Zbyshko again, and after that Yagenka on both cheeks, and coughing out, half in tears, "Honey, not a woman!" he went to the stables to have the horses saddled. When he had gone from the room he stumbled with delight against sunflowers growing in front of the house, and began to look at their dark disks surrounded with yellow leaves; he was just like a drunken man. "Well! There is many a seed there," said he, "but God grant that there will be a greater number of Grady in Bogdanets." Then going toward the stables he began again to mutter and to count,— "Bogdanets, the abbot's property, Spyhov, Mochydoly—God always knows whither He is taking things. Old Vilk's day will come, and it is worth while to buy Brozova—fine meadows!" Meanwhile Yagenka and Zbyshko came out to the front of the house, joyous, happy, radiant as the sun. "Uncle!" called Zbyshko from afar. The old man turned toward them, stretched out his arms, and cried out, as he might in the woods,— "Hop! hop! Come to me!"
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