“Thou wilt never know what thou art for me, and how I love thee.”
But, nestling up to him, she asked, with a face bright as the sun in heaven,—
“Indeed, Stas, shall I never know? Try to tell me.”
CHAPTER LXVI.
The christening came. Immediately after his arrival in the world, the young man had been baptized with water by Pani Bigiel, to whom, impressed by the sickness of the mother, it seemed that the little one might die any moment. But he had not even thought of that, and had waited, in the best of health and appetite, for the time of the solemnity, in which he was to play the leading part. Pan Stanislav had invited all his acquaintances. Besides people of the house, and grandfather Plavitski, there were Pani Emilia, who, for that day, had rallied the remnant of her strength, the Bigiels, with the little Bigiels, Professor Vaskovski, Svirski, Pan Ignas, and Panna Ratkovski. Pani Polanyetski, now in health, and happy, looked so enchanting that Svirski, gazing at her, caught his hair with both hands, and said, with his usual outspokenness,—
“This just passes every understanding! As God lives! a man might lose his eyes.”
“Well,” said Pan Stanislav, puffing with satisfaction, and with that conceit evident in him that he had always seen that which others saw only now for the first time.
But Svirski answered,—
“Kneel down, nations! I will say nothing further.”