“God give him at the earliest,” answered Pan Tomash, “for among his men we have many relatives, acquaintances, and friends. Among them, too, are former officers of the great Yeremi,—Volodyovski, Skshetuski, Zagloba,—I know them.”
“But they are not with Sapyeha. Oh, if they were, especially Volodyovski, for Shshetuski is married, I should not be here, for Pan Volodyovski would not let himself be picked up as Pan Kotchyts did.”
“He is a great cavalier,” said Billevich.
“The glory of the whole Commonwealth,” added Olenka.
“Have they not fallen, since you did not see them?”
“Oh, no!” answered Anusia, “for the loss of such knights would be spoken of; but nothing was said. You do not know them, they will never yield; only a bullet will kill them, for no man can stand before Skshetuski, Zagloba, or Pan Michael. Though Pan Michael is small, I remember what Prince Yeremi said of him,—that if the fate of the whole Commonwealth depended on a battle between one man and another, he would choose Pan Michael for the battle. He was the man who conquered Bogun. Oh, no, Pan Michael will help himself always.”
Billevich, satisfied that he had some one with whom to talk, began to walk with long strides through the room, asking,—
“Well, well! Then do you know Pan Volodyovski so intimately?”
“Yes; for we lived in the same place so many years.”
“Indeed! Then certainly not without love!”