Part 23 (1/2)
”Mariska, have you any money?”
”Yes, dear!” Mariska hastened to answer, ”just ten thousand thalers. Do you want them?”
”No, no. But have them all ready to hand, and if you collected your jewels together at the same time you would do well.”
”What for, my husband?”
”Because,” stammered Ghyka, ”because--we may--and very speedily, too--have to set out on our travels.”
”Have to travel--in my condition?” asked Mariska, raising a pathetic face up to her husband.
That look transfixed the very soul of Ghyka. His wife was in a condition nearer to death than to life.
”No, I won't stir a stump,” he suddenly cried, beside himself with agitation, striking his sword so violently on the table that it flew from its sheath, ”if heaven itself fall on me, I won't go.”
”For G.o.d's sake, my husband, what is the matter?” cried Mariska in her astonishment; whereupon the Prince proudly raised his eyebrows, approached her with a smile, and pressing his wife to his bosom, said rea.s.suringly:
”Fear nothing. I had an idea in my head; but I have dismissed it, and will think of it no more. Take it that I have asked you nothing.”
”But your anxiety?”
”It has gone already. Ask not the reason, for you would laugh at me for it. Sleep in peace. I also will sleep upon it.”
The husband caressed and kissed his wife, and his hand trembled no longer, his face was no longer pale, and his lips were no longer so cold as before.
But the wife's were now. When her husband tenderly kissed her eyes and bade her sleep, she pretended that she was satisfied; but as soon as he had withdrawn from her room, she arose, put on a dressing-gown, and calling one of her maids, descended with her into the hall, and sent for a faithful old servant of her husband's, who was wont to accompany him everywhere, an old Moldavian courier.
”Jova!” she said, ”speak the truth! What's the matter with your master?
What have you seen and heard?”
”It is a great trouble, my lady. G.o.d deliver us from it! We only escaped destruction at the battle of St. Gothard by not standing up against the Magyars. But what were we to do? Christian cannot fight against Christian, for then should we be fighting against G.o.d. The Turkish army was badly beaten there. And now the Vizier of Buda, that he may wash himself clean, for the Sultan is very wroth, wants to cast the whole blame of the affair on the head of the Prince.”
”Great Heaven! And what will be the result?”
”Well, it would not be a bad thing if your Highnesses were to withdraw somewhere or other for a time to give the Sultan's wrath time to cool.”
”To my father's, eh? in Wallachia?”
”Well, a little farther than that, I should say.”
”True, we might go to Transylvania; we have lots of good friends there.”
”Even there it might not be as well to stay. You would do well to make a journey to Poland.”
”Do you suppose the danger to be so great then?”
”G.o.d grant it be not so bad as I think it.”
”Thank you for your advice, Jova. I will tell my husband quite early in the morning.”