That year saw the appearance of a strange and new phenomenon in Vienna, namely the first Hungarian newspaper. Then for the first time did the Magyar feel he had a purpose in life, and see that by providing the world with a certain quantity of news (whether true or otherwise it mattered not to him), he could get for that same news a certain amount of money.
Such was the début of the Magyar Hiradó; it was edited in Vienna, and then circulated in Hungary forthwith. Little it mattered to its readers what were the news it contained; as long as there was something to read was the main concern of its eager public.
And so it was that a copy of the Magyar Hiradó found its way to the Assembly House in Pesth, for the head-notary, Tárhalmy, had been extravagant enough to invest in one. His neighbours borrowed it freely, and many were the messages that Mariska received to ask her to procure for the senders the loan of the coveted news-sheet. And even the girl herself was not without curiosity to see what this famous journal contained, though she was too ignorant of Hungarian to be able to understand its contents. She fondly imagined that everything that happened in the world would be written down there as news, and she often tried to spell out the strange Magyar sentences.
One day, however, after more futile efforts than usual, she summoned up courage to ask her father the question she had at heart!
"Father, is poor Mathias Ráby released?"
Tárhalmy looked at her sadly, he guessed well enough the reason of her study of the Magyar Hiradó.
"This time he is free, child," he answered; "but if he runs into danger again, he won't get off so easily."
"Is he really a bad man, father?"
"He is the best man alive, and both just and honourable."
Mariska shook her head with a puzzled air, yet she would find out still more now that the ice was broken.