THE COURT OF JUSTICE IN THE BANQUET HALL
A blast of hunting horns echoed from the mountains of Batrina and the
din of the chase drew nearer. A group of distinguished-looking riders
was seen in the cavalcade and at their head rode Ladislaus Csaki.
"After him! After him!" rang out from all sides. Evidently the beast
had been started when the group of riders, coming out of a thicket
into a clearing, met a group from the other direction in which all
recognized Dionysius Banfy as leader, and astounded they cut short
their chase.
Banfy rode toward the group with a scornful smile. "Welcome, my lords,
to my estate! I am very glad that this good fortune is mine. Probably
you have lost your way, otherwise you are my guests and so welcome.
But why do you stare at me so wildly? you call to mind the Hindoo
proverb; 'He who hunts a deer in the forest often comes upon lions.'"
"We consider you neither deer nor lion," replied Csaki, blushing in
his confusion to his very ears;--"but we expected to find ourselves on
lawful ground."
"Quite right," replied Banfy, with an offended laugh. "You are on my
territory and that is comparatively lawful. I really do not know how I
can express my pleasure at this honor. Doubtless you are weary; I
invite you to my house at Bonczida to a friendly meal."
"Thank you," replied Csaki, angrily, "but at present we cannot
accept."
"That is my affair. I am not accustomed to allow those to go away
hungry and thirsty who have come to me as guests. I cannot treat you
as poachers so I must look upon you as my guests, I suppose."
"There is still a third condition possible."
"I recognize none."
"Your Excellency shall learn it at once from me."
"Very good, but there will be time for that over the midday meal. Let
us turn our horses toward Bonczida, my lords."
"I have already said that we would not accept the invitation."
"What do you say? have you then so poor an opinion of my hospitality
as to think that I will not myself drag you away by force? You must
not overlook Bonczida: since you already know my game, you must now
make acquaintance with my domestic animals. At all events, I shall
take you with me, even by force."
"Have done with jesting, Banfy; it is not in place here."
"I think that it is you who are jesting, for I am perfectly serious
when I say that I intend to take you with me even against your will."
"We will see."
"You may be assured that you will," said Banfy; he blew his horn and
from all sides appeared armed men out of the forest. Csaki's men were
surrounded.
"This is certainly treason!" cried Csaki, infuriated.
"Oh no, only a little Carnival fun," replied Banfy, laughing. "This
once the game catches the hunter. Forward, my men, take the horses of
these gentlemen by the bridle and follow me with them to Bonczida. If
any one of them does not go willingly, fasten his legs firmly to the
stirrups."
"I protest against this violence," said Csaki, raging. "I call upon
you to bear witness that I have entered a protest against this law of
violence."
"And I, on my part, call on everybody to witness," said Banfy,
laughing as he imitated him; "that I have invited these gentlemen in
the most friendly fashion to a banquet."
"I protest it is violence!"
"It is diversion--Hungarian hospitality."
Some of the gentlemen laughed and the rest cursed. Finally, since
Banfy had the power, Csaki's men sullenly yielded to the act of
violence and allowed themselves to be led away to Bonczida.
Along the road Csaki called out to all who met them. He called on them
to bear witness that Banfy was doing them an act of violence, while
Banfy in turn laughingly strove to make it clear to them that the
noble gentleman was a little befogged and that they were playing him a
joke befitting nobility.
"You will be sorry for this yet," snarled Csaki, beside himself with
rage.
As they were passing through a village one of Csaki's suite, a young
nobleman called Szantho by his comrades, made his way out of the
throng and before they could pursue him, was out of sight.
"The Devil take him!" said Banfy. "However we can sport merrily
without him can we not, my Lord Ladislaus Csaki?"
Gradually Csaki regained his composure and laid aside his anger. As
they came to Bonczida he wore a smiling countenance for he saw that it
would be unbecoming and ridiculous in the presence of ladies to wear
an angry expression, so without annoyance he allowed himself to be
presented to Madame Banfy and Madame Apafi as a guest picked up by the
way.
Banfy crowned his insult by pointing Csaki to the seat of honor at the
upper end of the table near his wife, placed himself opposite and
bestowed on him constantly the highest expressions of honor, at the
same time allowing the most biting scorn to show through. Csaki did
not dare have it seen to what extent he felt this. The merrier their
spirits grew toward the close of the meal, the more exasperated Csaki
became. He sat on burning coals and had to smile. At last Banfy
thought of one more vexation for him. Taking up his glass he drank to
his health. Csaki had to accept the civility and empty his glass and
so face Banfy's laugh. Every drop of the liquor turned to poison under
this scornful laughter; and the torture was so subtly veiled that the
two ladies did not notice any of it. As the guests were at their
merriest, the middle door flew open and without any announcement there
entered Michael Apafi, the Prince, to whom the escaped Szantho had
carried the news of Csaki's capture.
The two ladies hurried toward the unexpected guest with cries of joy
and surprise, while the gentlemen at once discerned the threatening
storm on the countenance of the Prince and became serious. Banfy alone
knew how to maintain his customary distinguished serenity, which was
wont to express even anger with smiles. He sprang hastily from his
seat and met the Prince with a joyful face.
"Your Highness has come in the very moment that we had emptied our
glasses to your health. I call that an unexpected but most opportune
appearance."
Apafi received his greeting with a slight nod and leading the ladies
back to their places took Banfy's chair at the table.
Several of the guests hastened to offer their seats to Banfy, but the
Prince motioned to him:
"You may remain standing, Banfy. We wish to make a friendly trial of
your case."
"If we may be permitted to be the judges, your
Excellency,"--interrupted the learned Csehfalusi, "the necessary
inquiries have already been made."
"I alone will pass judgment," said Apafi, "although I do not know
whether the master in Bonczida is Dionysius Banfy or I."
"The law of the land is master of us both, your Highness," replied
Banfy.
"Well answered. Then you certainly mean to remind us that a Hungarian
nobleman in his own house does not allow any one to sit in judgment on
him. It is only a little 'Carnival fun' that is under discussion. You
began it, you gave it this name, and we continue it."
Tense expectancy was on the faces of those present for they did not
know whether all this was to end as a joke or as something serious.
"You seized by violence our messenger Ladislaus Csaki and brought him
to your house."
"Indeed!" said Banfy, with feigned astonishment. "Is that his office?
why did not the Count say at once that your Highness had sent him to
hunt on my estate? And then when your Highness has a desire to hunt
within my preserves, why do you not inform me instead? I could have
far better deer shot for your Highness than Ladislaus Csaki can."
"This is not a question of deer, my lord baron. You know perfectly
well what the affair turns on. Do not oblige me to speak more plainly
in the presence of the ladies."
At these words Madame Banfy would have risen but the Princess held her
back.
"You must stay," she whispered in her ear.
"Thus far I do not understand a word of all that has been said," Banfy
remarked in an aggrieved tone.
"You do not? then we will recall to your memory a few circumstances.
In your forests a panther has been seen by the peasants."
"That is possible," replied Banfy, with a laugh. (For a Hungarian
noble may be permitted to jest with his guests but never to be rude,
no matter how much he may be annoyed.) "It is quite possible that the
panther is a descendant of the one which came into the country with
Arpad, and so might be called an ancestral panther."
"It is no joke, my lord. That beast of prey has torn to pieces in the
sight of several persons a Wallachian, on whose account I sent out
the lord, Ladislaus Csaki, to hunt down the beast and kill him. And
Csaki had seen the creature and given chase when you met him in the
forest."
"My lord, Ladislaus Csaki has merely mistaken his own tiger skin for a
panther."
"Do not sneer. The lair of that monster has been discovered. Do you
understand now?"
"I understand, your Highness. For that reason it was a pity to put my
lord Csaki to so much trouble. So it was he who discovered the
building which I had hewn in the rocks in my love for a hot spring.
This will hardly earn him the title of a Christopher Columbus."
"We still mock, do we? So you do not wish to bend your proud head to
the dust? What if I knew the secret which caused you to have that lair
made so quietly?"
Banfy began to change color. He answered in a low tone of voice like a
man who found it hard not to speak the truth.
"The cause of this, my lord, is quite simple. Borvölgy too I had
discovered, and hardly had the news of it spread abroad when the
public took possession of this spring: again near Gregyina-Drakuluj I
found a spring of mineral waters, and to prevent everybody from going
there I had a little pleasure house made in secret among the rocks."
By these last words, Banfy intended to signify to the Prince that he
would like to spare his wife, but he accomplished quite the opposite
effect.
"Ah, my lord, that is base hypocrisy!" cried out the Prince,
passionately, and struck his clenched fist on the table. "You wish to
use your wife as a cloak and yet you are keeping in that place a
Turkish girl, on whose account the Sultan is now preparing war against
our country."
Madame Banfy uttered a piercing cry. Her sister whispered in her ear,
"Be strong. Show your resolution now."
Banfy bit his lips in anger but he knew how to control his feelings
and answered quietly:
"That is not true. I dispute it."
"What! Is it not true? there are people who have seen her."
"Who has seen her?"
"Clement, the Lieutenant of the Circuit."
"Clement, the poet? lying is the poet's trade."
"Good, my lord baron! Since you deny everything I shall convince
myself personally of all these matters. I shall myself go to the place
in question and if I find proof of the accusation brought against you,
be assured that a threefold punishment awaits you; for the abduction
of the Turkish girl, for the violence done a messenger of the Prince
and for your infidelity. But one of these charges is alone sufficient
to bring you down from your fancied height. Csaki, conduct us to the
place mentioned. My lord, Dionysius Banfy, will remain here in the
meantime."
Banfy stood colorless and as if rooted to the ground. His wife had
risen, and summoning all her strength with a mighty effort, advanced
to the Prince and said:
"My lord,--pardon my husband,--he knows of nothing--the guilt is mine;
that woman whom you are looking for found herself pursued and turned
to me for protection and I hid her in that place without the knowledge
of my husband."
Each word that she spoke seemed to cost the pale, weak woman more than
human strength.
Banfy blushed and dropped his eyes before her. Madame Apafi looked at
her sister triumphantly and pressed her hand.
"Good! that is noble. You were strong."
Apafi saw through the generous deceit and turned angrily toward Banfy,
determined that he should not escape him in this way.
"And you permit your wife to take risks which might easily plunge your
family--yes, your country--into peril! for this you deserve
punishment. It is my wish that here in the presence of your guests, to
my satisfaction, you set her right." Madame Banfy sank down on her
knees before the guests, with an air of resignation, and dropped her
head like a criminal who awaits her punishment.
"That is not my custom," replied Banfy, hoarsely.
"Then I will do it," said Apafi, and stepped up to the lady.
"This deed of yours deserves to be punished by imprisonment."
"That I will not permit, my lord," muttered Banfy, between his teeth.
He was already white as a corpse. All the blood seemed to have settled
in his eyes as at a focal point. All his muscles quivered with rage
and shame.
"My lords,"--rang out a bell-like voice, the sound of which was
grateful in this rude contest of men. It was Madame Apafi who had
stepped between the prostrate lady and the men.--"Formerly noble men
were wont to honor noble women."
"You are on hand again, to defend those whom I bring to justice," said
the Prince, with annoyance.
"I am on hand to save your Highness from an injustice; to defend my
sister is always my right; when everybody fails her then it certainly
is my duty."
With these words the Princess put her arms around Margaret who,
feeling herself supported by the stronger nature suddenly sank down in
a faint in her sister's arms, her overtaxed physical and mental
strength failing her. Banfy would have hastened to his wife's aid but
Madame Apafi held him back.
"Go," she said, "I will assume the care of her."
"So you intend to remain here?" said the Prince to his wife, in a tone
wavering between anger and sympathy.
"My sister needs me--and you, I see, do not."
Since Apafi had heard his wife speak his voice had become noticeably
dejected, and fearing that she would utterly rout him he left the
battlefield in great haste with only half a triumph.
The Prince was naturally very much dissatisfied with this result. He
felt that Banfy had been struck in a weak spot and at the same time
that the blow was not deadly. The great lord had been affronted but
not humbled. So much the worse for him!
What will not bend must break!