Children of the Soil

islav received two days later,

nder-clap. It seemed to him that a misfortune had happened, as sudden as it was incurable,-a misfortune for which the whole responsibility fell on him. Pani Emilia, knowing better than any one else

o the first usurer I met, Plavitski would have wriggled out, paid something, promised more; and the ruin of Kremen would have been deferred for whole years, in the course of which some

You have caused this sale, and that immediately after seeing Marynia. If some one else had done so, the affair would no

nergetic, muscular man could never yield passively to the course of events. His nature simply could not endure this. The sight of difficulty roused him to action particularly. Finally, his self-love also was opposed to letting Marynia go. The thought which he must acknowledge to himself sometimes,-that he was only a springe in the hand of that Mashko and one of the means to his objects; that he had let himself be abused, or at least used by the advocate,-filled him with rage. Though Mashko should not receive Marynia's hand, though the affair should end with Kremen, even that was more than Pan Stanislav could suffer. Now an irrestrainable desire seized him to go and take the field against Mashko, to throw a stone under his feet, to cross his further plans, at least, and show him that his keenness of an advocate was not enough in a meeting with real manly ener

or Mashko. Marynia wrote only about the sale of Kremen, without complaint, and without explanation of

g Mashko might show directly the opposite. Finally, if she valued that Kremen so much, she might return to it by giving her hand to its present owner; perhaps she had become reconciled by that thought. Old Plavitski

hand to Panna Plavitski, became for Pan Stanislav simply impossible. Litka, too, from time to time begged her mother to return to Warsaw

tka heard the news of his departure without surprise. They knew that he had come only for a few weeks, and they hoped to see him soon in Warsaw. Pani Emilia was to go in the middle of August. For the rest of the month she decided to

e was surrounded by persons who were the sincerest well-wishers that he had in the world. Looking out through the window, he beheld the sad eyes of Litka raised toward him, and the friendly face of Pani Emilia, with the same feelin

rite to us from Warsaw; we shall see

Stanislav. "I will write certai

in! Bow from me t

ll do

ut his hand throug

meeting! Rememb

Do you wish me to repeat a novena for you

oo. Do so. Till we me

ols till the more frequent puffing of the engine hid, with rolls of

it really necessary to s

nd to us, we must pray t

s he u

u, every one has trou

id the little girl. And after a

say a

he could not hold his tongue, said after a tim

has assured us that there is not the least fear, I can tell everything. Pan Stanisl

tears of gratitude came to her eyes. After a while she sa

failed and for that reason falls into trouble, feels the friendship of people more keenly than others. Sitt

know for whom I am working, I should know whose I am, I should know that my existence has some meaning. She says, it is true,

hich is at once both bitter and agreeable. I am drawn by something toward that other. I have just pressed Pani Emilia's hand, and that pressu

s thoughts began to take the form, if not of resolves, at least of questions

have wronged her. I have acted legally; but for a conscience made up of something more than paragraphs, that is not sufficient. I have offended her, I confess, and I must correct my fault in some way. But how? Buy Kremen from Mashko? I am not rich enough. I might perhaps do so by dissolving partnership with Bigie

, of whom Pan Stanislav made ment

sale of Kremen, and taken from her everything which thou hast taken, and still it would not have come to thy head to ask for her hand. Tell thyself

nal man firmly, and treated him sometimes with very s

present I wish to make it good by proposing for the lady is natural. Men always ask to marry women who

downstairs; that in the best case he might not permit him to cross the threshold. But somehow Pan Stanislav was not afraid of

a little tact they would receive him. He kne

by which he was to go to Vienna; hence he decided to walk about the town. That moment he saw in the restaurant

r his spiri

tski, phlegmatically, greeting him as if the

thou doi

g a cu

eiche

thou art

es

roposed to P

N

ive thee. Th

a fitter season. Litka

id, raising his brows,-"Ai, a

inion of the doctor. Bukatski lis

or child and poor mother! In the event of misfortune

us; but it is terrib

own a little," said Bukats

wen

exclaimed Bukatski. "What is Litka? Simply a dove! Eve

islav wa

ld out. Once a month I propose to her, once a month I receive a refusal; and thus I live from the first of one month to the first of t

r; but perhaps a couple of

to any of us. Tell me, dos

ust lose the case; therefore I do not break

w it is a dull tragedy as well. As to me, I have three things at present to choose from: to hang myself, go to Reichenhall, or go to Monachium to see Boecklin's pictur

Stanislav, who had had that question on his lips from

ng all his power not to seem too great. He is polite, sensible, flattering, accessible; h

g to marry Pan

ng of this, also that Mashko bought Kremen on conditions mo

he Plavitski

. The young woman is not at all ugly. I calle

hosen a more agreeab

ng it certainly, but thou hadst done it. I asked the young lady how it was that she saw thee in Kremen f

siness of the firm to Berlin, a

of the young lady's love of country life, that she must, I admit, be a little angry

he opportunity will not be lacking, for I s

marry the lady, for of two evils I prefe

eplied Pan Sta