“The devils were taking me in Podlyasye,” answered the prince—“I had to stay there so long in idleness. But what was I to do? An agreement was made between me and the prince voevoda, that until affairs were cleared up in Prussia, I was not to take the Swedish side publicly. And that was right, for thus a gate remains open. I sent even secret couriers to Yan Kazimir, announcing that I was ready to summon the general militia in Podlyasye if a manifesto were sent me. The king, as king, might have let himself be tricked; but the queen it is clear does not trust me, and must have advised against it. If it were not for that woman, I should be today at the head of all the nobles of Podlyasye; and what is more, those confederates who are now ravaging the property of Prince Yanush would have no choice but to come under my orders. I should have declared myself a partisan of Yan Kazimir, but, in fact, having power in my hand, would treat with the Swedes. But that woman knows how grass grows, and guesses the most secret thought. She is the real king, not queen! She has more wit in one finger than Yan Kazimir in his whole body.”
“The prince voevoda—” began Kmita.
“The prince voevoda,” interrupted Boguslav, with impatience, “is eternally late with his counsel; he writes to me in every letter, ‘Do this and do that,’ while I have in fact done it long before. Besides, the prince voevoda loses his head. For listen what he asks of me.”
Here the prince took up the letter and began to read aloud—
“Be cautious yourself on the road; and those rascals, the confederates, who have mutinied against me and are ravaging Podlyasye, for God’s sake think how to disperse them, lest they go to the king. They are preparing to visit Zabludovo, and beer in that place is strong; when they get drunk, let them be cut off—each host may finish his guest. Nothing better is needed; for when the heads are removed, the rest will scatter—”
Boguslav threw the letter with vexation on the table.
“Listen, Pan Kmita,” said he, “you see I have to go to Prussia and at the same time arrange a slaughter in Zabludovo. I must feign myself a partisan of Yan Kazimir and a patriot, and at the same time cut off those people who are unwilling to betray the king and the country. Is that sense? Does one hang to the other? Ma foi, the prince is losing his head. I have met now, while coming to Pilvishki, a whole insurgent squadron travelling along through Podlyasye. I should have galloped over their stomachs with gladness, even to gain some amusement; but before I am an open partisan of the Swedes, while my uncle the elector holds formally with the Prussian towns, and with Yan Kazimir too, I cannot permit myself such pleasure, God knows I cannot. What could I do more than to be polite to those insurgents, as they are polite to me, suspecting me of an understanding with the hetman, but not having black on white?”
Here the prince lay back comfortably in the armchair, stretched out his legs, and putting his hands behind his head carelessly, began to repeat—
“Ah, there is nonsense in this Commonwealth, nonsense! In the world there is nothing like it!”
Then he was silent for a moment; evidently some idea came to his head, for he struck his wig and inquired—
“But will you not be in Podlyasye?”
“Yes,” said Kmita, “I must be there, for I have a letter with instructions to Harasimovich, the under-starosta in Zabludovo.”
“In God’s name!” exclaimed the prince, “Harasimovich is here with me. He is going with the hetman’s effects to Prussia, for we were afraid that they might fall into the hands of the confederates. Wait, I will have him summoned.”
Here the prince summoned a servant and ordered him to call the under-starosta.
“This has happened well,” said the prince, “You will save yourself a journey—though it may be too bad that you will not visit Podlyasye, for among the heads of the confederacy there is a namesake of yours whom you might secure.”
“I have no time for that,” said Kmita, “since I am in a hurry to go to the king and Pan Lyubomirski.”
“Ah, you have a letter to the marshal of the kingdom? Well, I can divine the reason of it. Once the marshal thought of marrying his son to Yanush’s daughter. Did not the hetman wish this time to renew negotiations delicately?”
“That is just the mission.”
“Both are quite children. H’m! that’s a delicate mission, for it does not become the hetman to speak first. Besides—”
Here the prince frowned.
“Nothing will come of it. The daughter of the hetman is not for Heraclius, I tell you that! The prince hetman must understand that his fortune is to remain in possession of the Radzivills.”
Kmita looked with astonishment on the prince, who was walking with quicker and quicker pace through the room.
All at once he stopped before Pan Andrei, and said, “Give me the word of a cavalier that you will answer truly my question.”
“Gracious prince,” said Kmita, “only those lie who are afraid, and I fear no man.”
“Did the prince voevoda give orders to keep secret from me the negotiations with Lyubomirski?”
“Had I such a command, I should not have mentioned Lyubomirski.”
“It might have slipped you. Give me your word.”
“I give it,” said Kmita, frowning.
“You have taken a weight from my heart, for I thought that the voevoda was playing a double game with me.”
“I do not understand, your highness.”
“I would not marry, in France, Rohan, not counting half threescore other princesses whom they were giving me. Do you know why?”
“I do not.”
“There is an agreement between me and the prince voevoda that his daughter and his fortune are growing up for me. As
