Part 31 (1/2)

”What are you doing?”

Von Senborn told him.

”I know your voice,” cried Ian. ”You talked to me in the fields this morning ... for G.o.d's sake tell him I'm innocent.”

The two Prussians looked at one another. Ian felt sick with emotion.

Those minutes were the longest he ever lived, whilst the new-comer had his eyes uncovered and looked at him earnestly.

”Yes,” he said at last. ”I talked to you in the field. You told me your name. It was seven o'clock. The Cossacks did not leave this till eleven. They own it themselves. Let's have their captain up.”

They did. The officer who had offered the shelter of his Cossack farm to the Countess came up. He said, in an undertone, to the priest:

”I told you to leave. I knew the men were here, hiding.” Then to the Prussians, in very bad German:

”I'm your prisoner. I've nothing to lose or gain by seeing this Polish Count shot. He knew naught about my men hiding. He was in the fields with a reaping machine I happened to want. He left here hours before I hid the men.”

”That's it,” said the other Prussian officer. ”Don't be an a.s.s, von Senborn.”

Von Senborn turned to Ian.

”You can go.”

Ian burst into a shout of joy. Father Constantine fell upon his knees and thanked G.o.d for this miraculous escape.

XV

Towards dawn a sh.e.l.l fell near the house. It was followed by another, and yet another, but these were nearer the village. Ian went out, to try and see if he ought to send his household into the cellars. At the front door he found von Senborn, struggling with complicated locks and bolts. He said he was going out to reconnoiter. Ian let him go alone, having no wish for his company. He knew that the Russians were in telephone communication with Lipniki at any rate, if not with the more distant centers they had occupied during the last few days.

As the sun rose and the household began to stir, Martin, the faithful old butler, being first on the scene, a couple of maids following, von Senborn came back. He took no notice of Ian except to ask where the baron's window was. It happened to be over the spot where they stood.

Von Senborn aroused his friend with a shout. In the fullness of time a shock-head appeared at the window.

”Come down,” von Senborn cried in his native tongue. ”The Russians have made a stand.”

”Where?” asked the baron sleepily.

”G.o.d knows. They are sh.e.l.ling Lipniki like the devil. Our losses are already heavy. I'm going back to the telephone.”

He strode off. The shock-head disappeared. Ian went to his bath; and the whole village soon knew that the Germans in Lipniki were having a very bad time of it, whilst their friends in Ruvno were breaking their heads to know what to make out of the Russian awakening. Where had those fools found ammunition? Where were they firing from? Who was spying for them? There were no Russian aeroplanes about, yet the news from Lipniki grew worse and worse.

This development made the Prussians very sullen, but the household could barely hide their joy. Later on, news came in that the Russians, retreating beyond Kosczielna, had found more ammunition and were using it with good effect. Firing seemed pretty near all that day. Ian and the others hoped it would send these men off to help their friends; but not a bit of it. More Prussians came up and settled themselves just outside the village. The house was full of officers, and it was worth something to see their disappointment when they found out that all the wine had been drunk, all the lace looted and all the plate sent to Moscow.

As a matter of fact, this new phase was Ruvno's undoing. If the Russians had not been firing on Lipniki it would probably have escaped the worst of its troubles. As it was, von Senborn worked his vengeance upon the innocent household.

On the second day von Senborn sent for Ian just as he was going out to the fields. The squire found him and a couple more standing on that hillock where the pine copse used to be and where Ian had spent many nights at the beginning of the war, watching the sh.e.l.ls. .h.i.t his property. The trees went months ago, opening up a very good view of the neighborhood country, denuded of timber. Indeed, the war had now taken every good tree Ruvno ever possessed. They were using their field-gla.s.ses as he joined them; he could see they were upset.

”Count,” von Senborn began, ”there must be a Russian observatory in the neighborhood, between this and Kosczielna, or even here, within reach of the Russian retreating army. It is either a tower or other elevated building, or else an underground one. It might be hidden in such a place as this.” He stamped his foot on the ground. ”Where is it?”

”There are no towers left in the neighborhood, except that belonging to the village church. As to an underground observatory, I never heard of one in the neighborhood, which is fiat as a pancake,” he returned.