With a gesture of annoyance he turned round. The men still pointed their arms; but they did not shoot. Ian, expecting that every leaden-footed second would bring the fatal word, whose nerves were strained almost beyond endurance, thanked God for Prussian discipline. He heard footsteps, and hope arose in his heart. Perhaps the Russians were back again. Father Constantine, through his tears, saw another Prussian officer hurrying towards them.
"I've captured a sotnia of Cossacks ... and a ton of copper," he cried, his voice full of life and triumph. Then he saw Ian.
"What are you doing?"
Von Senborn told him.
"I know your voice," cried Ian. "You talked to me in the fields this morning ... for God's sake tell him I'm innocent."
The two Prussians looked at one another. Ian felt sick with emotion. Those minutes were the longest he ever lived, whilst the new-comer had his eyes uncovered and looked at him earnestly.
"Yes," he said at last. "I talked to you in the field. You told me your name. It was seven o'clock. The Cossacks did not leave this till eleven. They own it themselves. Let's have their captain up."
They did. The officer who had offered the shelter of his Cossack farm to the Countess came up. He said, in an undertone, to the priest:
"I told you to leave. I knew the men were here, hiding." Then to the Prussians, in very bad German:
"I'm your prisoner. I've nothing to lose or gain by seeing this Polish Count shot. He knew naught about my men hiding. He was in the fields with a reaping machine I happened to want. He left here hours before I hid the men."