They finally arrived yesterday afternoon, and do not in the least
correspond to the idea I had formed of them, the starost less than his
brother. I thought I should see a young, lively, and agreeable man, in
short, a young man like Prince Cherry, in Madame de Beaumont's tales,
who would speak French all the time; but I was quite mistaken. The
starost is no longer young; he is thirty years old, and quite stout; he
is not fond of dancing, and never speaks a single word of French. Every
now and then he puts in a word or two of Latin, like my father. I am
much better pleased with the colonel; he wears a uniform, is young, and
says at least a few words in French.
To-day is Twelfth day, and Michael Chronowski will be emancipated before
nightfall. They are baking a great cake in the kitchen, with a bean in
it. Who will be king? Heavens, if I were to be queen! I should wear a
crown on my head during the whole evening, and should bear absolute sway
in the castle.... There would be plenty of dancing then, I'll answer for
it!... But whether I command it or not, there must be dancing, I am
sure, for a crowd of visitors has been pouring in ever since morning;
the servants are grumbling, and the keeper of the table service is quite
provoked. When he sees all the carriages standing on the square facing
the church of Piotrkowice, he says there is no end to work for him. As
for me, I jump with joy; and so it is in this world, where some are
happy from the very cause which makes the torment of others.
Sunday, _January 7th_.
How many people! The castle is so gay and lively! We amused ourselves
finely. I was not queen, for Barbara got the bean, and when she saw it
in her portion of the cake, she blushed to her very eyes. Madame, who
was seated near her, announced the fact, and all the guests and
attendants testified their satisfaction by loud shouts. Our little
Matthias laughed and said: She who has the bean will marry Mr. Michael
(kto dostal migdala dostanie Michala) a Polish proverb always repeated
upon such occasions. It is also a common saying that when a young girl
has it, she will be married before the end of the carnival. God grant
that this prophecy may be verified, for then we shall have a wedding,
and abundance of dancing!
I cannot become accustomed to the starost; his gravity does not please
me; he would dance nothing yesterday but Polish dances. He never
mentions Paris or Luneville, and takes no notice of young people; he
never addresses to us any of those little gallantries which are the
small change of good society; he talks only to our parents, plays cards,
and reads the newspapers. I still continue to think that his brother is
worth more than he; at least he is more sociable, he talks about Paris
and Luneville, and is not so old.
But I am forgetting to relate the ceremonies accompanying Michael
Chronowski's emancipation; I was quite diverted with them. When all the
company had assembled in the great hall, my father took his place upon
the highest seat; the folding doors were thrown open, and the steward,
accompanied by several young courtiers, introduced the candidate for
emancipation, very richly dressed in a full suit of new clothes. He
knelt before my father, who touched his cheek lightly in sign of good
will; he then fastened a sword at the young man's side, drank off a cup
of wine, and presented him with a fine horse, accompanied by a groom,
also well mounted and equipped. The two horses were in the castle court.
My father asked Chronowski if he preferred trying his fortune in the
world or remaining in his service. Michael replied, timidly, that he was
very happy in the castle, but would like to see more of his country, and
ventured to ask a recommendation to Prince Lubomirski, Palatine of
Lublin, my father's brother-in-law. His request was granted, my father
slipped a roll of twenty gold ducats into his hand, and invited him to
remain with us during the carnival. Chronowski seemed delighted with
this proposition, and after paying his homage to my father and mother,
he kissed the hands of all the ladies present; from that moment he was
admitted into our society, and danced his best in Mazurkas and
Cracroviennes with Barbara. He certainly dances very well, and my sister
is equally graceful; it was charming to see them!