"She does a very bad thing; but I know from some source that she follows the example of her teacher," said my father, who was fond of teasing Pani d'Yves when he was in good humor.
"I beg your pardon greatly; I am forty-five years of age," answered the French woman.
"Why, just think, I never should have said that," answered my father.
"You are malicious."
"I do not know that; but I know this, that if Hania gets novels from any place, it is not from the library, for Father Ludvik has the key to it. The blame therefore falls on the teacher."
In truth, Pani d'Yves had read novels all her life, and, having a passion to relate them to every one, she must surely have related some to Hania; hence, in the words of my father, which were half in jest, a certain truth lay concealed, which he wished to emphasize purposely.
"Oh, see! Some one is coming!" cried Kazio, suddenly.
We all looked into the shady alley between the linden-trees, and at the other end of it, perhaps a verst away, we saw a cloud of dust, which approached us with uncommon rapidity.
"Who can that be? What speed!" said my father, rising up. "Such a dust one can distinguish nothing."
In fact, the heat was great; no rain had fallen for more than two weeks, so that along the roads clouds of white dust rose at every step. We looked for a while, yet in vain, at the approaching cloud, which was not farther than a few tens of steps from the front yard, when out of the cloud emerged a horse's head with distended, red nostrils, fiery eyes, and flowing mane. The white horse was going at the swiftest gallop; his feet barely touched the earth; and on his back, bent to the horse's neck, in Tartar fashion, was no other than my friend Selim.
"Selim is coming, Selim!" cried Kazio.
"What is that lunatic doing? The gate is closed!" cried I, springing from my place.
There was no time to open the gate, for no one could reach it in season; meanwhile, Selim urged on like a madman, at random, and it was almost certain that he would fall on the gate, more than two ells high, with sharp peaks at the top.
"O God, have mercy on him!" cried the priest.
"The gate! Selim, the gate!" screamed I, as if possessed, waving my handkerchief and running with all my might across the yard.
Something like five yards from the gate, Selim straightened himself in the saddle, and measured the gate with a glance quick as lightning. Next, the scream of women sitting on the porch came to me, the swift trampling of hoofs; the horse rose, suspended his forelegs in the air, and went over the gate at the highest speed without stopping one instant.
When before the porch, Selim reined in his steed so that the beast's hoofs dug into the earth, then snatching the hat from his own head, he waved it like a standard and cried,
"How are ye, dear beloved lords? How are ye? My respects to the lord benefactor!" cried he, bowing to my father; "my respects to the beloved priest, Pani d'Yves, Panna Hania! We are all together again. Vivat! Vivat!"
Then he sprang from the horse, and throwing the reins to Franek, who had run out of the hall the moment before, he embraced my father, then the priest, and fell to kissing the hands of the ladies.
Pani d'Yves and Hania were pale from terror, and just because of that they greeted Selim as if he had been rescued from death.
"Oh, thou art playing the madman, the madman! What terror thou didst bring on us!" said Father Ludvik. "We thought that it was all over with thee."
"But why so?"
"That gate. How is it possible to race so at random?"
"At random? I saw very well that the gate was closed. Oho! I have my perfect Tartar eyes."
"And thou dost not fear to race so?"
Selim laughed. "Not in the least, Father Ludvik. But for that matter, the merit is my horse's, not mine."
"There is a bold boy for you!" said Pani d'Yves.
"Oh, that is true! Not every man would dare that," added Hania.
"It is thy wish to say," added I, "that not every horse could clear the gate, for more such men could be found."
Hania gazed long at me.
"I would not advise you to try," said she; then she turned toward Selim and her look expressed admiration, for really this daring deed of the Tartar was one of those risks which always please women. One should have seen him at that moment, his fine, dark hair falling on his forehead, his cheeks flushed from the swift movement, his gleaming eyes, from which shone delight and gladness. As he stood there near Hania, looking her in the eyes with curiosity, no artist could have imagined a more beautiful couple.
But I was touched in the highest degree by her words. It seemed to me that that, "I would not advise thee to try," had been spoken in a voice in which a tone of irony was trembling. I looked with an inquiring glance at my father, who had examined Selim's horse a moment before. I knew his parental ambition; I knew that he was jealous the moment that any one surpassed me in anything, and this had angered him toward Selim for a long time. I concluded, therefore, that he would not oppose in case I wished to show that I was not a worse horseman than Selim.
"That horse gallops well, father," said I.
"Yes, and that Satan sits well," muttered he. "Couldst thou do the same?"
"Hania doubts," answered I, with a certain bitterness. "May I try?"
My father hesitated, looked at the gate, at the horse, at me, and said,
"Give peace."
"Naturally!" exclaimed I, in sorrow; "it is better for me to be counted an old woman in comparison with Selim."
"Henryk! what art thou saying?" cried Selim, encircling my neck with his arms.
"Gallop! gallop, boy! and do your best," said my father, whose pride was touched.
"Bring the horse here!" called I to Franek, who was leading the tired steed slowly around the yard.
"Pan Henryk!" cried Hania, springing up from her seat, "then I am the cause of this trial. I do not wish it; I do not wish it. Do not do it; do not, for my sake!"
And while speaking, she looked me in the eyes, as if she wished to finish with her eyes that which she could not express in words.
Ah! for that look I would have given the last drop of my blood at that moment; but I could not and would not draw back. My offended pride was stronger just then than aught else; so I mastered myself and answered dryly,
"Thou art mistaken, Hania, in thinking that thou art the cause. I shall clear the gate to amuse myself."
Thus speaking, in spite of the protests of all save my father, I mounted and moved forward at a walk into the alley of lindens. Franek opened the gate and closed it after me. I had bitterness in my soul, and would have gone over the gate had it been twice as high. When I had ridden about three hundred yards, I turned the horse and began at a trot, which I changed to a gallop immediately.
All at once I noticed that the saddle was moving. One of two things had happened, either the girth had stretched during the former leap, or Franek had loosened it to let the horse breathe, and through stupidity, or perhaps forgetfulness, had not informed me.
Now it was too late. The horse was approaching the gate at the highest speed, and I did not wish to stop him. "If I kill myself, I shall kill myself," thought I. I pressed the sides of the horse convulsively. The air whistled in my ears. Suddenly the points of the gate gleamed before my eyes. I waved my whip, felt myself borne through air, a scream from the porch struck my ears, it grew dark in my eyes and after a while I recovered from a faint.
I sprang to my feet.
"What has happened?" cried I. "Was I thrown? I fainted."
Near me were my father, the priest, Pani d'Yves, Selim, Kazio, and Hania white as linen, with tears in her eyes.