Szilard charged Juon not to say a word to anybody about what he had told him and promised him a reward if what he had said really came to pass.
That night nothing happened, and till the afternoon of the next day he lingered idly at the mill. Towards midday they heard in the forest a loud barking of dogs; the miller said it was no doubt the lord of the manor hunting bears.
"He chooses a very inopportune time," growled Vamhidy, "he will scare my game away."
The hunters were not long in issuing from the forest, they seemed to have lost the track of the bear.
Vamhidy sent word to the gentlemen that he would be much obliged to them if they would postpone their amusement to some more convenient season as business of a graver sort was going on here. Word was at once brought back that the company was quite ready to do as he said. The dogs were quickly leashed again, the beaters recalled by signals and the whole hunt came straight towards the mill. A few moments later Vamhidy recognized in the leader of the hunt—Leonard Hátszegi.
It was an unwelcome surprise on both sides, but Hátszegi was the first to recover himself, and he greeted him with as radiant a countenance as if he had never had any cause of quarrel with him.
"We both of us seem to be on a hunting expedition your honour!" said he.
"Mine is an official pursuit."
"And mine pure pastime. Had I known you would have taken this road, I should certainly not have engaged in such a mal-apropos diversion. But it is over now, we are all going back. My bear may run—how about yours?"
"No sign of him yet."