"He will not die!" answered Zbyszko.
But at once, evidently some new thought came to his mind, because he arose, sat on the bed and said in a changed voice:
"Gracious lady——"
At that moment Danusia interrupted him; she came crying and said from the threshold:
"Zbyszku! Do you know about it already! I pity tatus, but I pity you also, poor boy!"
When she approached, Zbyszko encircled his love with his well arm, and began to speak:
"How can I live without you, my dearest? I did not travel through rivers and forest, I did not make the vow to serve you, that I might lose you. Hej! sorrow will not help, crying will not help, bah! even death itself, because even if the grass grow over me, my soul will not forget you, even if I am in the presence of the Lord Jesus or of God the Father—I say, there must be a remedy! I feel a terrible pain in my bones, but you must fall at the lady's feet, I cannot—and ask her to have mercy upon us."
Danusia hearing this, ran quickly to the princess' feet, and having seized them in her arms, she hid her face in the folds of the heavy dress; the lady turned her compassionate but also astonished eyes to Zbyszko, and said:
"How can I show you mercy? If I do not let the child go to her sick father, I will draw God's anger on myself."
Zbyszko who had been sitting on the bed, slipped down on the pillows and did not answer for a time because he was exhausted. Slowly, however, he began to move one hand toward the other on his breast until he joined them as in prayer.