Pagina 354 van 788

Were these horsemen and these arms an omen of wars? The Steward

ran to tell all to the Judge, hoping likewise to learn something

himself.

At Soplicowo the inmates of the house and the guests, after the

brawl of the day before, had arisen gloomy and discontented with

themselves. In vain the Seneschal's daughter invited the ladies

to tell fortunes with cards; in vain they suggested a game of

marriage to the gentlemen. They would not amuse themselves or

play, but sat silently in the corners; the men smoked pipes, the

women knitted; even the flies were asleep. The Seneschal, who had

thrown aside his flapper, was bored by the silence and went to

join the servants; he preferred to listen in the kitchen to the

cries of the housekeeper, the threats and blows of the cook, the

noise of the serving boys; at last the monotonous motion of the

spits that turned the roast gradually caused him to fall into

pleasant musings.