Part 46 (2/2)
”The woman replied that she wanted her husband, Mr. Wenceslaus Kvatopil.
”'The lieutenant?'
”'When he left me he was only a lieutenant.'
”I quickly caught her by the hand and led her out of the kitchen into the saloon. My servant, fortunately, did not understand German.
”I led them right into my bedroom. I invited them both to be seated.
”'Ah, that will do us good,' said the woman, 'for we have come a long way. We have come here from Cracow.'
”'Surely not on foot?'
”'On foot all the way. We couldn't afford to come by rail.'
”Just fancy! The very thought is terrible! To come on foot all those hundred miles. .h.i.ther from Cracow with a growing girl! Can one's imagination realize such a thing?
”'Are you the wife of Lieutenant Wenceslaus Kvatopil?' I inquired of the woman.
”'I am, and this is his daughter, Marianna.'
”And by way of proving her a.s.sertion she drew from her travelling-bag her marriage lines, extracted from the registers of the cathedral of Cracow, to wit:--'Bridegroom: Wenceslaus Kvatopil, Sub-Lieutenant in the *** Dragoons. Bride: Anna Dunkircher. Witnesses: Babolescky, Colonel, and Kolmarscky, shopkeeper. Officiating clergyman: Stanislaus Lubousky.
Dated, Feb. 16th, 1846.'
”Then she showed me the baptismal certificate of the daughter.
'Marianna, born in lawful wedlock, June 19th, 1846. Father: Sub-Lieutenant Wenceslaus Kvatopil. Mother: Anna Dunkircher. Officiating clergyman: Stanislaus Lubousky. G.o.dparents: the above-mentioned marriage-witnesses.'
”A marriage contract, duly attested, was also among the doc.u.ments.”
All at once Bessy burst out laughing.
The cook came in and brought the soup.
”Ha! ha! ha! Do you know why, according to Ollendorf, the Captain weeps?”
”Because the Englishman has no bread.”
”Look, Susy, you've forgotten to give my guardian some bread! Give him a crusty bit, he likes that!”
The servant apologised, but said that she didn't think the soup required bread.
It was excellent soup, made of cream and eggs and rice and finely-chopped chicken. Bessy filled my plate with it.
”Thank you, that will be enough.”
When the servant went out we resumed our conversation. And here, I may remark, by the way, that there is no more pleasant _tete-a-tete_ in the world than that which is interrupted every ten minutes or so by the incursions of the servants.
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