To Thaddeus, if, being yet a lad,
You make of him a buckwheat sower? You
Debar him from the world. Believe me, he
Some time will curse you for it. Such a talent
In rooms to bury, and in garden ground.
Believe me, in so far as I have seen,
He is a boy of some intelligence;
It is worth while for him to get some polish
In the great world. You would do well, my brother,
To send him to some capital, for instance
To Warsaw. Or, do you know what I think?—
If ’twere to Petersburg? This winter I
Shall probably be going there on business.
Let us together settle what to do
With Thaddeus. I know many people there;
I have influence; it is the surest way.
By my assistance he will find an entrance
In the best families, and being known
To persons of importance, he will get
An office, or an order; let him then
Leave, if he will, the service, and come home,
Having already some importance, and
Some knowledge of the world. What think you, brother?”
“Ay, in one’s early years,” the Judge replied,
“It is not wrong a boy should air himself
A little, and look round him in the world,
And rub a little among folk. Myself,
When young, o’er not a little of the world
I travelled, went to Piotrkow and to Dubno;
Now as a pleader with the tribunal,
Promoting now my own affairs, I went
As far as Warsaw. As a man, not little
I profited thereby. I should desire
To send my nephew also among people,
But simply as a traveller, like to
A journeyman, who ends his term of years,
To get a little knowledge of the world,
And not for rank or order. With respect,
This Russian rank or order—how should that
Confer importance? Of our ancient lords,
Why, even of the new ones, who among
The somewhat higher nobles of the district,
Cares for such trifles? Yet, however, they
Are in esteem with mankind, for in them
They honour family and a good name,
Or office, but a native one, conferred
By citizen’s election, not by any
Favour whatever.” Telimena here
Broke in: “If thus you think, so much the better,
My brother; send him out then as a traveller.”
“Thou seest, sister,” sadly spoke the Judge,
Scratching his head; “I should desire it much.
But what avails this, with new hindrances?
Pan Jacek will not from his own control
Release his son, and has just sent to me
The Bernardine, this Robak, who is come
From that side Vistula; my brother’s friend
Is he, and cognisant of all his thoughts;
And they between them have already settled
The destiny of Thaddeus, and desire
That he shall marry—that he wed Sophia,
Your ward. The two will have, besides my fortune,
A capital as dowry by the favour
Of Jacek; for you know the capital
Is his, and by his favour I enjoy
Its interest nearly all. He therefore has
The right of disposition. You consider
How this result, with the least trouble, may
Be brought about. They must become acquainted.
’Tis true, they are very young, especially
Sophia; but this need be no obstacle.
And it is time to bring Sophia out
From her seclusion, for indeed she now
Is growing out of childhood.” Telimena,
Astonished and half-frightened, half arose,
And knelt upon the shawl; at first she heard
Attentive; then with motion of her hand
Protested; with impatient movement shaking
Her hand above her ear, as though to chase
Like insects the displeasing words away,
Back to the speaker’s lips. “Ah! ah! this is
A new thing! Let it injure Thaddeus,
Or injure not, yourself can judge the best.
Thaddeus to me is nothing; you yourselves
Dispose of him; make him an overseer,
Or put him in a tavern; let him sell
Liquor, or carry game home from the forest.
With him do what shall please you. But Sophia,
What is Sophia to you? I shall dispose
Of her in marriage, I alone! Because
Pan Jacek gave some money to bring up
Sophia, and a little yearly pension
Assigns to her, and deigns to promise more,
Still for all that he has not purchased her!
And for the rest, you gentlemen both know,
And all the world knows well, your liberal gifts
To us are not bestowed without a reason.
For something the Soplicas owe unto
The race of the Horeszkos.” To this portion
Of her discourse, with scarcely understood
Trouble, and grief, and horror visible,
The Judge attended, and as though he feared
The rest of the discourse, he bowed his head,
And, with his hand assenting, deeply blushed.
But Telimena finished speaking thus:
“I have been her guardian, am a relative,
Sophia’s one protector. I alone
Shall think about her happiness.”—“But if
She find her happiness in this same marriage?”
The Judge said, raising up his glance; “suppose
That she likes Thaddeus?”—“Like him, that’s a pear
Upon a willow;96 like or not like; ’tis
A weighty thing to me; Sophia will not
Be richly dowered, in truth; but then she is
Not of a petty village, or a mean
Nobility. She comes of the Illustrious
Most Powerful, she is a Wojewode’s daughter,
Born from a Horeszkowna; she will get
A husband—we have taken so much pains
About her education—only if
She have not here run wild.” The Judge with heed
Listened, and looked into her eyes; he seemed
Appeased, for pretty cheerfully he answered:
“Well then, what must we do? Heaven knows that I
Sincerely wished to get the business done;
But only without anger. If you do not
Agree, you are right; ’tis sad, but ’tis unfitting
Angry to be. I counselled this, because
My brother ordered it; there’s no compulsion.
If you refuse still Master Thaddeus,
I will write back to Jacek, that ’tis not
My fault his son’s betrothal to Sophia
Does not take place. Now will I counsel take
With myself only. Possibly I shall
Begin arrangements97 with the Chamberlain;
And all the rest we will decide upon.”
Meanwhile had Telimena cooler grown:
“I refuse nothing, brother dear,” she said;
“But gently! you yourself have said it is
As yet too early; they are both too young.
Let us look round, and wait; nought hinders that.
Make the young people known to one another.
We will consider well, we cannot risk
The happiness of others thus on chance.
I only warn betimes; do not, my brother,
Over-persuade now Thaddeus, nor compel him
To love Sophia; for the heart is not
A servant, neither owns a master’s reign,
Nor can be bound by violence in a chain!98
Thereon the Judge,
