Part 47 (1/2)
”What was the name of the man he murdered?” demanded Lorand with renewed disquietude.
”As I have told you, you shall know soon: the story will not run away from me! only listen further.
”One day--it might have been twelve years since the day we shook off the dust of the Heidelberg school from our boots--I received a parcel from Heidelberg, from the Local Council, which informed me that a certain Dr.
Stoppelfeld had left me this packet in his will.
”Stoppelfeld? I racked my brains to discover who it might be that from beyond the border had left me something in his testament. Finally it occurred to me that a long light-haired medical student, who was famous in his days among the drinking clubs, had attended the same lectures as we had. If I was not deceived, we had drunk together and fought a duel.
”I undid the packet, and found within it a letter addressed to me.
”I have that letter still, but I know every word by heart so often have I read it. Its contents were as follows:
”'MY DEAR COMRADE:
”'You may remember that, on the day before your departure from Heidelberg, one of our young colleagues, Lorincz aronffy, looked among his acquaintances for seconds in some affair of honor. As it happened I was the first he addressed. I naturally accepted the invitation, and asked his reason and business. As you too know them--he told me so--I shall not write them here. He informed me, too, why he did not choose you as his second, and at the same time bound me to promise, if he should fall in the duel, to tell you that you might follow the matter up. I accepted, and went with him to the challenged. I explained that in such a case a duel was customary, and in fact necessary; if he wished to avoid it, he would be forced to leave the academy. The challenged did not refuse the challenge, but said that as he was of weak const.i.tution, shortsighted and without practice with any kind of weapons, he chose the American duel of drawing lots!'”
... Topandy glanced by chance at Lorand's face, and thought that the change of color he saw on his countenance was the reflection of the flickering flame in the fire-place.
”The letter continued:
”'At our academy at that time there was a great rage for that stupid kind of duel, where two men draw lots and the one whose name comes out, must blow his brains out after a fixed time. a.s.ses! At that time I had already enough common sense, when summoned to act as second in such cases, to try to persuade the princ.i.p.als to fix a longer period, calculating quite rightly that within ten or twelve years the bitterest enemies would become reconciled, and might even become good friends: the successful princ.i.p.al might be magnanimous, and give his opponent his life, or the unsuccessful adversary might forget in his well-being, such a ridiculous obligation.
”'In this case I arranged a period of sixteen years between the parties.
I knew my men: sixteen years were necessary for the education of the traitorous schoolfox[58] into a man of honor, or for his proud, upright young adversary to reach the necessary pitch of _sang froid_ that would make a settlement of their difference feasible.
[Footnote 58: _i. e._, Schoolfox, a term of contempt.]
”'aronffy objected at first: ”At once or never!” but he had finally to accept the decision of the seconds: and we drew lots.
”'aronffy's name came out.'”
... Lorand was staring at the narrator with fixed eyes, and had no feeling for the world outside, as he listened in rapt awe to this story of the past.
”'The name that was drawn out we gave to the successful party, who had the right to send this card, after sixteen years were pa.s.sed, to his adversary, in order if the latter deferred the fulfilment of his obligation, to remind him thereof.
”'Then we parted company, you went home and I thought we should forget the matter as many others have done.
”'But I was deceived. To this, the hour of my death, it has always remained in my memory, has always agonized and persecuted me. I inquired of my acquaintances in Hungary about the two adversaries, and all I learned only increased my anguish. aronffy was a proud and earnest man.
It is surely stupidity for a man to kill himself, when he is happy and faring well: yet a proud man would far rather the worms gnawed his body than his soul, and could not endure the idea of giving up to a man, whom yesterday he had the right to despise, of his own accord, that right of contempt. He can die, but he cannot be disgraced. He is a fool for his pains: but it is consistent.'”
Lorand was shuddering all over.
”'I am in my death-struggles,' continued Stoppelfeld's letter: 'I know the day, the hour in which I shall end all; but that thought does not calm me so much, seeing that I cannot go myself and seek that man, who holds aronffy in his hands, to tell him: ”Sir, twelve years have pa.s.sed.
Your opponent has suffered twelve years already because of a terrible obligation: for him every pleasure of life has been embittered, before him the future eternity has been overclouded; be contented with that sacrifice, and do not ask for the greatest too. Give back one man to his family, to his country, and to G.o.d--” But I cannot go. I must sit here motionless and count the beats of my pulse, and reckon how many remain till the last.
”'And that is why I came to you: you know both, and were a good friend to one: go, speak, and act. Perhaps I am a ridiculous fool: I am afraid of my own shadow; but it agonizes and horrifies me; it will not let me die. Take this inheritance from me. Let me rest peacefully in my ashes.
So may G.o.d bless you! The man who has aronffy's word, as far as I know, is a very gracious man, it will be easy for you to persuade him--his name is Sarvolgyi.'”