Part 67 (1/2)

The surprising horror had reduced everyone to soberness: all tipsiness, all winy drowsiness, had pa.s.sed away.

”Lorand, Lorand,” sobbed mother, pressing him frantically to her breast, while grandmother, unable to speak or to weep, clutched his hand.

”Oh Lorand, dear....”

But Lorand grasped the two ladies' hands and led them towards me.

”It is him you must embrace, not me: his is the triumph.”

Then he caught sight of that sweet angel bowed upon my shoulder, who was still holding my hand in hers: he recollected those words with which f.a.n.n.y a moment before had betrayed our secret. ”This hand is mine”--and he smiled at me.

”Is that the way matters stand? Then you have your reward in your hands, ... and you can leave these two weeping women to me.”

Therewith he threw himself on his face upon the floor before them, and embracing their feet kissed the dust beneath them.

”Oh, my darlings! My loved ones.”

CHAPTER XXI

THAT LETTER

What those who had so long waited, spoke and thought during that night cannot be written down. These are sacred matters, not to be exposed to the public gaze.

Lorand confessed all, and was pardoned for all.

And he was as happy in that pardon as a child who had been again received into favor.

Lorand indeed felt as if he were beginning his life now at the point where ten years before it had been interrupted, and as if all that happened during ten years had been merely a dream, of which only the heavy beard of manhood remained.

It was very late in the morning when he and Desiderius woke. Sleep had proved very pleasant for once.

Sleep--and in place of death too.

”Well old fellow,” said Lorand to his brother, ”I owe you one more adventurous joke, with which I wish to surprise you.”

The threat was uttered so good-humoredly that Desiderius had no cause to be frightened, but he said quietly: ”Tell me what it is.”

Lorand laughed.

”I shall not go home with you now.”

”Well, and what shall you do?” inquired Desiderius quite as astonished as Lorand had expected.

”I shall escape from you,” he said, shaking his head good-humoredly.

”Ah, that is an audacious enterprise! But tell me, where are you going to escape to?”

”Ha, ha! I shall not merely tell you where I am going, but I shall take you with me to look after me henceforward as you have done hitherto.”