"But they may have been Martsian's company."
Then he said aloud to the man,--
"What did they tell you to do?"
"This: 'Do what ye like with the people,' said they; 'the wagons and plunder are yours; but in the company there is a young lady whom ye are to take and bring by roundabout ways between Radom and Zvolenie to Polichna. Beyond Polichna a party will attack you and take the lady. Ye will pretend to defend her, but not so as to harm our men. Ye will get a thaler apiece for this, besides what ye find in the wagons.'"
"That is as if on one's palm," said the priest.
"Then did only those two talk with Kos and thee?"
"Later, a third person came in the night with them; he gave us a ducat apiece to bind the agreement. Though the place was as dark as in a cellar, one of our men who had been a serf of his recognized that third person as Pan Krepetski."
"Ha! that is he!" cried Pan Serafin.
"And is that man here, or has he fallen?" inquired Father Voynovski.
"I am here!" called out a voice from some distance.