"Aunt won't mind the beard. Let's go to her."
He whistled to his horse, which was browsing near by, and walked towards the house. He asked about Vanda, whether she was anxious for Joseph, how she looked, what she was doing. The priest answered truthfully, though it made him sorry to see the shadow come into Roman's face when he realized that she thought still of Joseph with great love.
"And yet, she hates the Prussians, and he is fighting with them, I suppose," he remarked, hotly.
The Father, almost as hotly, explained that, as he knew, several thousands more Poles were with the Prussian armies, through no fault of their own but because they had the bad fortune to be German and Austrian subjects. Roman agreed that many could not cut away from Germany, but Joseph had gone back when ordered.
"Like one of the herd all Germans are," he added.
As they passed the windmill, that stood just before you turn into the high road on the way to Ruvno from the forest, Szmul, a Jewish factor, stopped them. His cunning eyes shone with excitement.
"Oh, have you heard that great things are happening in Ruvno?" he cried, spreading out his hands in the way Jews have and twisting his mouth about.
"What things?" asked the priest. "Have they driven the Prussians out of Kalisz?"
"No, the Prussians are still at Kalisz. But the great General Rennenkampf has deigned to come to Ruvno."
"We know that."