When Raby was left alone he began to see that what had been done was
really a foolish proceeding.
To attack a peaceful town with armed force, beat thirty or forty of its
citizens, to say nothing of its magistracy, black and blue--this was
beyond a joke in any civilised city.
Besides, those who had their heads broken in the fray, would not be
silent about their grievances. For that matter, Boske had already seen
several vehicles full of people with bandaged heads, proceeding in the
direction of Buda.
Mathias Raby therefore determined to go himself to Pesth without waiting
to be sent for, and then to testify to what had occurred.
Of course he could not think of leaving Boske behind alone in the empty
house, where there was nothing now left to take care of. The cows had
long since been turned into butcher's meat for the benefit of the
invaders, who had likewise drunk up every drop of wine in the cellar.
And it was lucky Raby took Boske with him, as we shall see later.
Again he alighted at his old inn, and, donning his official dress, he
caused himself to be taken in a sedan-chair to the palace of the
governor.
When he entered the ante-chamber the first people he saw were the
Szent-Endre officials waiting likewise to see his Excellency, just as
they had come from the fight. One had his arm in a sling, another showed
a black eye, and a third a bandaged hand.
But even these grievances were for the moment, it seemed, thrust aside
directly Raby entered, for on seeing him they all began to talk and
gesticulate noisily. He could not follow what they said, for most of
them spoke Rascian, then the language of the Hungarian middle classes,
whereof he only knew a few words, but from their tone and gestures, he
gathered that the conversation concerned him, and that they were
preparing to make things hot for him.
So he did not feel exactly comfortable as he turned his back on them and
withdrew to the window.
All at once the noise ceased suddenly as the usher announced "His
Excellency is coming," while the audience began at once to cringe and
whine, and put on a woful air all round.
The door of the ante-chamber was thrown open, and his Excellency came
in.
He nodded grimly at the waiting crowd, for whose woes his face betrayed
no particular sympathy, but when he saw Raby he went up to him, slapped
him on the shoulder, and his face relaxed into a smile.
This was indeed a rare event, for it took a lot to make his Excellency
smile! Moreover, he greeted his guest with a dignified cordiality.
"Well met, my friend! I'm glad you've come. You are on the right road.
Walk in here, and don't let anyone disturb us," he added, turning to the
usher, "as long as his Imperial Majesty's representative is with me. But
you," and he turned to the expectant crowd of suppliants, "you can just
go to where you came from; you have only got what you deserved."
But those left behind in the ante-room looked at one another, and did
not exactly know what to make of it, till his Excellency's secretary
told them that the hurts they had received were fully recognised by the
law, and that they would have redress later if they now went home
quietly.
His Excellency, meanwhile, plunged into the matter straight away.
"Now see here, my worthy sir, you can only obtain satisfaction in
Hungary from the Magyar laws themselves. The thing is to know how to
profit by them, for we have excellent statutes; there is no need to
supplement them. I should like to know if the collective tribunals of
Austria itself would settle your affair so thoroughly and effectually,
nay and cheaply, as the captain of the Velencze company has done. But
you have been to the Emperor again with your denunciations, and even
now, I daresay, have your pockets full of imperial instructions. Don't
take them out if your case is brought before me, for I warn you, I shall
not open them. I wonder if his Majesty knows, by the way, that I never
read the instructions he sends me."
"But I now bring other orders from his Majesty," said Raby, who did not
think it worth while to say all he knew. "His Majesty has thought a
great deal about his Hungarian subjects, and has great projects for
bettering this city."
"What may such projects be, pray?"
"First of all, he is giving permission to the Jewish community in Pesth
to build a synagogue."
"A synagogue for the Jews!" cried his Excellency, springing up in horror
from his seat. "Impossible! Pesth will not be bettered by that, it will
be completely ruined. Why in a hundred years' time, if that is allowed,
the Jews will be having all the rights of citizens. Heaven forbid they
should be permitted a place in the Assembly, for they will want to get
in there. Well, that is enough for a beginning; is there anything else?"
"Of course," pursued Raby, and since his interlocutor was standing at
the window, he too went there and looked out at the view over the Danube
and Pesth. "Does your Excellency see the great square plain on the edge
of the Pesth woods, that is bordered on one side with willows?"
"I see, and what of that?"
"His Majesty has ordered that a large building two stories high, with
nine courts, and two thousand windows, shall be erected there. He has,
himself, shown me the plans of the edifice which is to be built at his
own expense."
"Good heavens! What's that for? is his Majesty going to shut up there
all those who do not respect his edicts?"
"No, it is for a hospital for the city of Pesth."
"A hospital, indeed! As if the ordinary lazaretto was not enough."
"It will also serve as a foundling asylum."
"What, for the children who are deserted by their mothers? Why, there
are none such in Pesth. The citizens won't tolerate such worthless women
in their midst. Such folks must do penance as the Church directs, or
else be driven from the city."
"It may be so now, but in course of time, when Pesth is raised to the
rank of great world-cities, the magistracy will have something else to
do than to control the private lives of its citizens."
"Now, how in the world can Pesth become a great city, I should like to
know? Will the Emperor come and live here himself?"
"Perhaps not now, but he means to make it a great place for trade."
"Pesth a place for trade? Why! what are you thinking about? You will
never see any trade done in Pesth but by rag-merchants and swine-herds."
Raby smiled.
"The Emperor means to raise Pesth to the level of a great commercial
centre by certain big schemes he has in view. He proposes, for instance,
to have a canal cut which shall connect Pesth with Trieste, and so
bring it into direct connection with the coast."
"Connect Pesth with Trieste! Why my good young friend" (the speaker had
dropped his previous formalities in his astonishment), "don't take me
for a fool, I pray! Remember it is not the first of April. What is the
Emperor thinking of? What about the Carpathians, pray?"
"The mountains will be tunnelled, and the canal is to run under them."
"Now just listen to me, my good sir! If you do not respect my official
capacity, otherwise the Imperial Hungarian Presidency of the County
Assembly, which I represent, you should at least have regard to my grey
hairs, and find some other fool to impose on with your scheme. Why, this
would take millions of money."
"The actual estimate amounts to sixty millions."
"Sixty millions! What are you dreaming of? Why, the Emperor has not got
as much as that out of the whole Hungarian revenue in twenty years."
"The financial provision for this undertaking lies ready to hand. A
syndicate has been formed which will answer for the needful funds, and
directly Pesth is brought into connection with the sea its commercial
possibilities can be developed. Imagine a water-way from Pesth to
Trieste, one of the great emporiums of the world's trade in the centre
of Hungary!"
But his Excellency could not imagine it.
"Tut, tut," he cried, and his eyes flashed angrily. "What do you mean
by taking such a chimera seriously? A canal from the centre of Hungary
to the coast, what does it mean but foreign traders sucking the life and
strength out of this country to glut their markets with our wealth. We
won't have anything of the kind! The ruling classes of this country will
have something to say to that. We will not let the people of this nation
be plunged into misery thus. Why, foreign traders would just exploit our
mineral wealth to their hearts' content, and leave the poor folk of this
country starving. No, no, my friend, don't you think we will ever have
anything of the kind."
Raby would not give in; he was by this time quite at home on these
questions. He could, moreover, give excellent reasons why every land
that has a seaport is prosperous, for trade does not impoverish people,
it enriches them. To which his Excellency retorted that of course trade
was a good thing for nations who knew how to get the best of their
neighbours, but for a simple unsophisticated folk, like the Hungarians,
it meant ruin.
In the midst of this heated controversy, the two did not perceive that
the district commissioner had entered without being announced, and was
listening with much amusement to the debate.
The district commissioner could not abide wrangling, so he promptly
turned the conversation on to neutral topics.
"Eh, what is all this about? We, at any rate, have nothing to do with
the nation's economics. Tell us rather what is going on in Vienna. For
remarkably funny events have happened surely since we met." And the
speaker laughed slily, as if struck by some comical reminiscence.
Raby knew well enough what caused his companion's mirth. He was
thinking, doubtless, of Fruzsinka and the two other "wives." And the
thought pierced him with a sudden stab of pain.
The good-natured official suppressed his ill-timed laughter, however, as
he diverted the subject.
"Now tell us something about the capital, my dear fellow? Have you been
to the National Theatre and seen the latest comedy there?"
"I had no leisure," said Raby drily, "to go to the theatre, and see what
the comedies were like. You will have more time for that probably than I
shall."
Which retort surprised the worthy district commissioner not a little.
Then Mathias Raby turned to the governor with a deeply respectful bow,
only waved a careless "adieu" to the district commissioner, and
withdrew.
"He is put out with you about something or other," remarked the governor
to his companion.
"Yes, he snapped, didn't he, like a puppy when you tread on his tail."
But just then, in came the secretary with despatches that had just
arrived by the last post.
"One for you as well, worshipful sir," said the secretary to the
district commissioner. "Shall I send it into your office, or will you
have it here, seeing it is marked 'personal.'"
"All right. Give it me here, please," was the careless answer.
And the light-hearted official broke the seal and began to read the
missive, stretched at ease in his chair.
But he did not remain so, for hardly had he perused its contents than he
got up, and his face grew suddenly pale under its cosmetic.
"Be kind enough to read that," he stammered, embarrassed, "the Emperor
writes an autograph letter to summon me to Vienna, and I am dismissed
from my post as district commissioner."
"And in my despatch your successor is already nominated."
"I do not understand it."
"But I do. Now, my friend, you will have time to judge for yourself what
the comedy at the National Theatre is like."
The ex-official pressed his hand to his brow.
But as his Excellency took a pinch of snuff he said drily: "It is not a
puppy who snaps, but a big dog who can bite when he wants to. And he has
flown at you, my friend, that's clear."