Part 26 (2/2)

Then Annie recognized Michal, and laughed with all her might.

Witches always rejoice when they see an innocent soul rus.h.i.+ng to perdition.

With that the pair of them led her into the kitchen, and made a great fire, on which they put sundry pots. But Pirka filled a smaller pan with water, and after performing all sorts of mystic hocus-pocus over it, put it also on the fire, first of all throwing into it a sc.r.a.p of paper, on which the word Valentine was written.

”What does that pot do on the fire?” asked Annie.

”As soon as all the water in it has boiled away, so that nothing remains in it but the sc.r.a.p of paper, my buck-goat will bring this pretty little lady her stately lover. Make ready the supper, I say, there will be five of us.”

”I don't like odd numbers,” said Annie; but she forthwith fell to killing and plucking fowls, and baking little cakes.

Michal sat at the window and s.h.i.+vered.

During the cooking, Annie sang obscene flower songs, and Pirka kept on drawing her pan away from the fire and putting it on again.

Annie asked her why she did that.

”When the water boils fiercely, my buck with the stately lover is running so fast that the poor young man can hardly draw his breath; but when I remove the pan from the fire, he goes along more quietly, and the poor fellow can take breath again.”

In ordinary circ.u.mstances Michal would have laughed aloud at such superst.i.tion. But to-day she had gone through so many dreadful things, and she was so staggered by the actual fulfillment of two of the events predicted by Pirka's cards, that she dared not deny the possibility of a third. Half of the witch's prophecy had already come to pa.s.s. She had escaped from her husband's house, and was now awaiting her lover in a strange place. Everything was possible after that.

”He is coming now. He is quite near!” cried Pirka, looking into the pan. ”I already hear the galloping of my buck-goat, I already hear his four feet on the roofs of the houses. Now he is springing over the Krivan, now he is running along the Polish Saddle.[3] Hi! Hi!

How he is galloping! Quick, my little buck, quick! quick!”

[Footnote 3: Two of the Karpathian Alps.]

Michal's common sense was quite dazed by all these insane proceedings. She was no longer mistress of herself.

”And now it's time to dress,” continued Pirka, and with that she took off Michal's peasant garb, and arrayed her in a rosy colored robe. She laced tightly her bodice to show off her waist, and combed out and plaited her long tresses to make them crisp and wavy. Her sweetheart was coming, so she must look nice to please him. The young lady was quite bewildered. She let them do what they liked with her.

Outside the moon had gone down. It had grown quite dark. A silent, starless night, dank with heavy falling dew.

”Now he'll be here almost directly,” cried the witch, as the water bubbled away at the bottom of the pan.

And now the blare of a farogato began to resound through the silent night. Nearer and nearer came the music. Michal's heart beat quickly. She recognized her favorite song. She scarcely knew whether she was awake or dreaming, whether she was in the world or out of it. There was a buzzing in her ears. The air around her was full of dancing specters. Her body seemed too narrow for her soul. Nearer and nearer came the song. At the bottom of the pan, the last drop of water had long since evaporated.

”My buck-goat has arrived,” cried the witch, in triumph.

At that moment, Valentine Kalondai entered and advanced toward Michal.

It was no longer joy, it was frenzy which took possession of the young woman. Up she sprang with a shriek, and then threw herself on her beloved's breast, wound her arms round his neck, pressed her lips to his mouth as if she would have inhaled his very soul, and wetted his cheeks with her tears.

How long did they hold each other thus embraced? An eternity perhaps, like that which Mirza Shah experienced when, at the Persian Magian's command, he crept under a tub, and dreamed away a whole lifetime in a single moment. At least, Michal fancied that it must have been a very long time, for on coming to herself again she said, with a sigh: ”What a pity that the morning is breaking! Look! there is the dawn already?”

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