Then he extended his hand; and Billevich, in whose soul the first outburst had passed, did not dare to refuse his own, though he gave it with hesitation.
“Your highness, return to us our freedom; that will be the best satisfaction.”
“You are free, and may go, even today.”
“I thank your highness,” said the astonished Billevich.
“I interpose only one condition, which you, God grant, will not reject.”
“What is that?” asked Billevich, with fear.
“That you listen patiently to what I am going to say.”
“If that is all, I will listen even till evening.”
“Do not give me your answer at once, but think an hour or two.”
“God sees that if I receive my freedom I wish peace.”
“You will receive your freedom; but I do not know whether you will use it, or whether you will be urgent to leave my threshold. I should be glad were you to consider my house and all Taurogi as your own; but listen to me now. Do you know, my benefactor, why I was opposed to the departure of Panna Billevich? This is why—because I divined that you wished to flee simply; and I have fallen in love with your niece, so that to see her I should be ready to swim a Hellespont each day, like Leander.”
Billevich grew red again in a moment. “Does your highness dare to say that to me?”
“To you especially, my benefactor.”
“Worthy prince, seek your fortune with court ladies, but touch not noble maidens. You may imprison her, you may confine her in a vault, but you may not disgrace her.”
“I may not disgrace her,” said the prince; “but I may bow down to the old man Billevich, and say to him, ‘Listen, father, give me your niece as wife, for I cannot live without her.’ ”
The sword-bearer was so amazed that he could not utter a word; for a time he merely moved his mustaches, and his eyes were staring; then he began to rub his hands and look, now on the prince, now around the room; at last he said—
“Is this in a dream, or is it real?”
“Do not hasten! To convince you still better, I will repeat with all the titles: I, Boguslav, Prince Radzivill, Marshal of the Grand Principality of Lithuania, ask you, Tomash Billevich, sword-bearer of Rossyeni, for the hand of your niece, Panna Aleksandra, chief-hunter’s daughter.”
“Is this true? In God’s name! have you considered the matter?”
“I have considered; now do you consider, my benefactor, whether the cavalier is worthy of the lady.”
“My breath is stopped from wonder.”
“Now see if I had any evil intentions.”
“And would your highness not consider our small station?”
“Are the Billeviches so cheap? Do you value your shield of nobility and the antiquity of your family thus? Does a Billevich say this?”
“I know, gracious prince, that the origin of our family is to be sought in ancient Rome; but—”
“But,” interrupted the prince, “you have neither hetmans nor chancellors. That is nothing! You are soldiers, like my uncle in Brandenburg. Since a noble in our Commonwealth may be elected king, there are no thresholds too lofty for his feet. My sword-bearer and, God grant, my uncle, I was born of a Brandenburg princess; my father’s mother was an Ostrogski; but my grandfather of mighty memory, Kryshtof I, he whom they called Thunder, grand hetman, chancellor, and voevoda of Vilna, was married the first time to Panna Sobek; but for this reason the coronet did not fall from his head, for Panna Sobek was a noble woman, as honorably born as others. When my late father married the daughter of the elector, they wondered why he did not remember his own dignity, though he allied himself with a reigning house. Such is the devilish pride of you nobles! But acknowledge, my benefactor, you do not think a Sobek better than a Billevich, do you?”
Speaking thus, the prince began to tap the old man on the shoulder with great familiarity. The noble melted like wax, and answered—
“God reward your highness for honorable intentions! A weight has fallen from my heart! But now, if it were not for difference of faith!”
“A Catholic priest will perform the ceremony. I do not want another myself.”
“I shall be thankful for this all my life, since here it is a question of the blessing of God, which certainly the Lord Jesus would withdraw if some vile—”
Here the old man bit his tongue, for he saw that he was saying something disagreeable to the prince. But Boguslav did not notice it; he smiled graciously and said—
“And as to posterity, I shall not be stubborn; for there is nothing that I would not do for that beauty of yours.”
Billevich’s face grew bright as if a ray of the sun had fallen on it; “Indeed, God has not been sparing of beauty to her, it is true. Oh! there will be a shout all over Jmud. And what will the Sitsinskis say when the Billeviches increase so? They would not leave the old colonel at rest, though he was a man of Roman mould, respected by the whole Commonwealth.”
“We will drive them out of Jmud, worthy Sword-bearer.”
“O great God, merciful God! undiscoverable are Thy judgments; but if in them it lies that the Sitsinskis are to burst from envy, then let Thy will be done!”
“Amen!” added Boguslav.
“Your highness, do not take it ill that I do not clothe myself in dignity, as befits a person of whom a man asks a maiden, and that I show too evident rejoicing.
