At this we all three laughed again, which was rather odd, for there was nothing at all to laugh at.

The long and the short of it all was that after discharging her lover's debts, and depositing the caution-money, my ward Bessy still had twenty-five thousand florins left.

"All right," said she, "that's just why I asked you to be my guardian, for if the money remains in my hands, every bit of it will vanish by the end of the year."

"I wonder you've kept it so long."

"The wonder is owing to the fact that my mother inhibited the payment of the amount to me, and this embargo can only be removed when I am married to a man of rank and honour."

"You'll have to be very economical in your housekeeping," I said, "not to exceed your income."

"There's Kvatopil's pay, too, and as a cavalry officer he is ent.i.tled to free unfurnished quarters."

"And you'll be able to put up with an officer's free quarters?" I said.

"You know very well that to such things" ... (I saw that she meant to say, "I am used to such things," and I pulled a wry face. She rightly understood from my pantomime that it would be scarcely _proper_ to mention the events of "Anno Rengetegi" in the presence of her Royal and Imperial[97] bridegroom, so, with theatrical _savoir-faire_, she pa.s.sed in an instant from the impudent nonchalance of a _vivandiere_ to the tender cooing of a turtle-dove) ... "true love is always ready to sacrifice itself." And with an enchanting smile she extended her hand to her bridegroom, who raised it with tender enthusiasm to his lips. They were just like turtle-doves.

[Footnote 97: Royal as belonging to the service of the King of Hungary, Imperial as serving the Emperor of Austria.]

"Eh, Wenzy?"

"Yes, Eliza!"

I felt no particular pleasure in this version of Romeo and Juliet, indeed I was half-inclined to hiss the performers.

"Before giving you my paternal blessing, my dear children," said I, "I have one question to ask you. Most honoured Mr. Lieutenant, as I understand that you were originally intended for a priest, I presume that you are a Catholic?"

"A Roman Catholic, yes."

"During the time you spent in the Seminary, then, have you not so much as learnt that a Catholic is not free to marry a Calvinist woman whom the civil tribunals have divorced from her husband; for, according to Catholic dogma, marriage is a sacrament which the secular power cannot dissolve?"

At this the bridegroom looked very much amazed.

"Neither of us thought of this certainly."

Bessy suddenly cast a basilisk look at me. Huh! what lightnings flashed in those sea-like eyes!

"Then how are we to get over that?" inquired the bridegroom of me, with childlike helplessness.

"Why, by your becoming a Calvinist, I suppose."

"A _Calvi_ ..." he was already outside the door when he said the ...

"_nist_!" He caught up his helmet and bolted without saying good-bye to any one. Clerk Coloman told me afterwards he had never seen a dragoon in such a hurry.

Bessy he left behind on my hands.

The young lady was in a terrible rage.

"It was pure malice on your part," cried she, "to do me out of my bridegroom like that! What do you mean by it? To serve me such a nasty trick as that!"

I justified myself as best I could.

"He would have had to know it sooner or later. The priest would have refused to unite you."

"You should have left that to me. If once I had paid his debts, his honour as a gentleman would have bound him to make this sacrifice for me; he could not have got out of it then."

I was forced to admit that I had acted very clumsily. I humbly begged her pardon. I would never do it again. Her next bridegroom might be a Mohammedan, for all that I cared.

"You never could speak sensibly to me. No matter! I'll bring Wenceslaus Kvatopil back here one of these days."

And off she went in a huff.

This interruption had annoyed me. I had lots to do. I had to write the addresses of our subscribers on the covers of the neatly folded newspapers. This was not an ideal occupation, especially when one had to paste on the wrappers as well, which it was also _my_ business to do.

Some proof-sheets were also awaiting me with a lot of printers' errors.

It was a realization of the proverb, "When the church is poor, the parson tolls the bell himself." In my leisure hours, however--my time of repose--I went on with my romance, "A Hungarian Nabob"; the idea of the princ.i.p.al character I had borrowed from a story of my wife's.

A couple of weeks elapsed. One evening, when I was hesitating whether I should go and see about my oil-lamp myself, or wait till clerk Coloman returned home from the post, or the chamber-maid from the theatre, whither she had gone to carry my consort her costume in a basket, a violent ringing began outside. I had to go and open the door myself.

To my great surprise, I saw Bessy before me with her lieutenant on her arm.

Wenceslaus Kvatopil was bubbling over with affability.

"Here I am again, sir. They have arrested me, and put me in chains. I must surrender."

Yes, I thought, when the starving garrison is reduced to horse-flesh.

"The siege was vigorous. Such batteries. Look! Those eyes! Congreve rockets are nothing in comparison. The star battery is already taken."

"The firing must have been terrible indeed."

"And now I must ask you once more to be my witness."

"You mean your bride's witness?"

"No, mine. First you must come with me to the priest to inform him that I have renounced the Catholic faith."

"What, already?"

"Yes, and from conviction."

"Would you take a chair, please?"

"From absolute conviction."

"Bessy is a more clever arguer than any missionary; an energetic propagandist."

"And if I were to be d.a.m.ned on the spot, if I were to lose my hope of eternal salvation, I should be ready to sacrifice that also for those dear, lovely eyes."