Part 5 (1/2)
Banfy's wife clung with blanched face to her husband's arm, while he, leaning his elbows on the table said, not without annoyance; ”I am a distant connection of the poor wretch. In fact, he married a relative of my wife. He was a long time in slavery to the Tartars, and the Turks, who are now angry with us, have undoubtedly set him free on condition that he should allow himself to be made prince. He must have lost his wits entirely.”
Again the men laughed loudly.
”We will crown him at once,” said Kemeny, sarcastically, throwing back his head.
”That has been done already,” said Haller.
”Where? By whom?” questioned the good-natured Prince, with contracted brow.
”In Klein-Selyk, by the State Convention.”
Kemeny indicated by a motion of the hand and uplifted eyebrow that he did not fully understand this reply.
”Who was present? Surely all the men of importance in the country are here with us.”
”There were present Stephen Apafi, Nalaczy, Daczo and others, a couple of hundred Szekler n.o.bility.”
”Well, we will count them up as soon as we are through with other affairs,” said the Prince, contemptuously. ”Give Gabriel Haller a chair.”
”They are not waiting for us, but are already coming against us; they are in Scha.s.sburg now.”
”I suppose they will drive us out,--Michael Apafi with his two hundred Szeklers,” said Kemeny, laughing.
Wenzinger now arose and said in soldierly fas.h.i.+on; ”Does your Highness wish me to have the army called together? we have eight thousand armed men. If it pleases your Highness, we will scatter these people so completely that there will be no two men left standing together.”
”Keep quiet,” replied Kemeny, who looked down with contempt upon the whole business. ”Sit down and drink. Let them come nearer, why should we take the trouble to go to them? we can certainly take them, bag and baggage.--I am sorry, Dionysius Banfy, that this man is a connection of yours, but out of consideration for you I will see to it that he is not broken on the wheel; I'll have him--stuffed.”
This. .h.i.t of Kemeny's was received with roars of laughter.
”Bring a gla.s.s for Gabriel Haller, we will go on with our wager. Play the rest of that interrupted music.”
Again the music rang out. The gypsy band played a Czardas. The men clinked their gla.s.ses and sang to the music. The servants outside joined in. The emptied gla.s.ses flew against the wall; there was not one among them who could not have dashed his gla.s.s in a thousand pieces except Gabriel Haller, who had come last and was still sober, ashamed to smash the costly Venetian gla.s.s.
”Break it against the table so the pieces will fly,” thundered the Prince at him, and Haller, in obedience to his Prince, struck the gla.s.s lightly against the table and snapped the stem, and then bowed with respectful humility before his master.
Madame Banfy sighed as she thought of her kinsfolk. Her husband, to prevent any one's thinking that he was in the least concerned in the affair, jumped from his seat and amid the sounds of the Czardas invited the beautiful Madame Beldi to dance. The little lady was ready. Banfy grasped the beauty about her waist, held her firmly and whirled her around. The excited woman flew with the lightness of a fairy on the arm of her partner. With that, the rest of the men jumped from their places, seized other women for a dance, and soon the entire company was swept away in fantastic revelry, every one clapping, dancing and shouting. Banfy was hot-blooded and light-headed; he loved beautiful women, and now in addition there was the glow of the wine.
When his beautiful partner once more hung on his arm, her glowing cheeks came so near him that he suddenly so far forgot himself as to press the bewitching woman pa.s.sionately to his heart and imprint a hot kiss on her cheek. Madame Beldi cried out and pushed the bold man from her. Banfy, also startled at what he had done, cast a glance about him but everybody was so taken up with his own pleasure that, to all appearances, neither kiss nor cry had been noticed. However, Madame Beldi angrily left her partner, and when Banfy stammered out an apology, indicated to him that he should stay at a distance.
This kiss was to cost Banfy dear one of these days. n.o.body had noticed it except the man whom it most concerned,--the husband. Beldi's eye had seen it. Let not anybody think that a husband who loves is not jealous. Even if he acts as if he had not seen, had not heard, he sees and hears and notices everything. He had indeed seen Banfy kiss his wife, although he acted as if he did not notice the confusion of his wife who, all excited, sought her husband. He took her hand and led her from the hall. Once outside he bade her make ready for a journey.
”Where are we going?” asked his wife, quivering with excitement.
”Home to Bodola.”
Of all the guests Dionysius Banfy alone noticed that two had vanished from the hall.
CHAPTER V
CASTLE BODOLA