"'All right,' he said.
"'It's business I want to have a good talk to you about privately, and at once.'
"He looked confused, and plainly guessed what it was, for he said:
"'Let's go into the backyard.'
"'Certainly not into the backyard,' I said; 'there are people about there, looking. Let's go into the field.'
"When I said this to him he looked askance at me, and I'm sure he thought something bad was up, for he said:
"'All right, but sit down and wait a moment. I'm going into my neighbour's, and shall be back before long.'
"He really came back at once, and we went behind the stackyard into the field. There was a wood at the edge of the field. As we went through the stackyard, we found Walek standing behind the barn—he was a great friend of my brother's—a disagreeable fellow. When my brother saw him, he smiled to himself in a nasty way. A shudder went through me: 'It's plain that what people say is true,' I thought, and went along depressed, and didn't speak because Walek was with us.
"'Well, Maciej, say what you have to say,' Mateus said, and looked at me as if he were making fun of me and were quite sure of himself.
"That made me feel worse, and I went along with them sadder still. We came like that to the wood, and there my brother began to talk very fast. I remember every word.