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Brother Aaron partook freely of a dish of garlic that had been provided especially for him.He offered some to Blanka

I can eat this all my life,said he, with a roguish twinkle in his eyes,but you only 11 weeks longer

In Szeklerland a lover & his sweetheart bear themselves with much decorum and mutual respect throughout the entire period of their engagement. Only after the wedding do they exchange the first kiss

“What, then, was it that saved you?"

"A mere chance—no, it was Providence, rather. It was a heart that beat with warm human feeling and a will that was prompt to act. In the midst of their discussion a messenger came from Ciprianu and confirmed the truth of my words."

"From Ciprianu? Then the messenger must have ridden all night."

"Yes, through a trackless wilderness and over rugged mountains."

Now, then, said the leader, we have time to talk.Why are you here—to persuade us to release your two brothers and leave Toroczko in peace?

A man of your discernment can fathom my motives without asking any questions,replied Manasseh, with a courteous bow

Well,let us see how you are going to work to bring this about. Your brother David, like the simple rustic he is, thought to talk me over with Bible quotations.

He reported that it would be easy to wade their horses through the gateway, after which they could go & view the wonders of Balyika Cave.

But aren't there any snakes in the cave? was Blanka's first & most natural inquiry.
Every woman in her place would have put the same question. Ever since Mother Eve's misadventure with the serpent in Paradise, women have cherished a deadly enmity toward the whole reptile family

“With whom are you wrestling, brother?" he cried in the sleeper's ear.

"With God," returned Manasseh.

"Like Jacob at Peniel?"

"Yes, and I will not let him go until he blesses me—like Jacob at Peniel."

"Take care, or he will put your thigh out of joint, as he did Jacob's."

"Let him, if it is his will.”

Do you hear Ciprianu's roosters? Aaron asked his brother.

So you are acquainted with Ciprianu and his poultry? returned Manasseh.

Yes, I know them well. Ciprianu is a Wallach, but a nobleman of Hungary for all that, and his poultry unique of its sort. The cocks are white, but in head and neck they bear a strong resemblance to turkeys, and they gobble like turkeys, too.

“The man himself was a gold watch encased in a rough exterior, a noble heart in a rude setting. His horny hands were hardened by toil, but he had a clever head on his shoulders; he was well endowed with mother-wit, quick at repartee, merciless in his satire toward the haughty and overbearing, cool and good-humoured in the presence of danger,—in short, a genuine Szekler, heart and soul.”

“È il papa!"

It was the Pope, and he was fleeing! The spiritual ruler of the world, the king of kings, Heaven's viceroy upon earth, was flying for his life. The judge fled and left the prisoner to her fate. Blanka felt herself absolved from all her vows. She plucked from her bosom the consecrated palm-leaf, tore it to pieces, and threw the fragments scornfully after the retreating carriage.

“And how is it," asked Blanka, "that you have come to me at the very moment that I was seeking you?"

"I wished, first, to bid you farewell. I am going home, to Transylvania, for my people are in trouble and I must go and help them. As long as they are happy I avoid them, but when misfortune comes I cannot stay away. War threatens to invade our peaceful valley, and I hasten thither."

Blanka complied,& the other began to dance "La Gitana" to her playing.The spirit and feeling,the coquettish grace & seductive charm,which the dancer put into the movements of her lithe form, challenge description.If only a man could have seen her then! From sheer amazement Blanka found herself unable to control her fingers,which struck more than one false note

Faster! Put more fire into it! cried the dancer

You were not christened Cyrene

I use it for my name,& no one but my father confessor calls me by my real name,so that now I never hear it without thinking that I must fall on my knees & repeat a dozen paternosters in penance. Besides,my name doesn't suit me at all.It is Rozina,& I am as pale as moonshine.You might far better be called Rozina,for you have such beautiful rosy cheeks,& I should have been named Blanka

Every evening she sat before her open fire with her eyes fixed on the glowing phœnix with which the back of the fireplace was adorned. [...] Especially resplendent was the bird's head, with its gleaming red circle around the brightly shining eye. This eye glowed and sparkled in the flickering light of the crackling wood fire until it seemed fairly endowed with life and vision.

Meanwhile there was more than one momentous change in the political world (*1848), but Blanka heeded them not. What signified to her the watchword of the period,—"Liberty?"
What liberty had she? Even were all the world beside free, she was not free to love.

[...] She received no one but her father confessor, who came to her once a week. The sins which she had to confess to him were,—the doubting of providence, rebellion against human justice, forbidden dreams in waking hours, envy of others' happiness, aversion to prayer, and hatred of life—all sins for which she had to do penance

You are thoroughly familiar with the marriage laws of the Romish Church,aren't you?

I know them as I do the Lord's Prayer

Do you remember the fourteenth paragraph?

The 14th paragraph? Thank God we have nothing to do with that

Why 'thank God'?

Because the 14th paragraph has to do with state's prison offences; it declares null & void any marriage,if either of the contracting parties has committed such an offence

Art it is, moreover, that makes woman the equal of man. The woman artist is something more than man's other half; she is complete in herself. She does not ask the world for a living, she does not beg any man to give her his name, she kneels before no marriage-altar for the priest's blessing; she goes forth and wins for herself all that she desires.

How happy was Princess Blanka at that moment! and hers were the fairest gems in all that costly array,—two tears that glistened in her large dark eyes as she gazed intently on the scene before her.

[...]

Blanka and Manasseh exchanged glances, and the young man felt a tear-drop fall upon his cheek. From that moment an indissoluble bond united the two.

The Pope & the cardinals, gowned with no pretence to magnificence or pomp, knelt before the relic as it lay on the altar. It was but a fragment of the original cross,broken in the strife that attended its rescue. This piece is said to have been saved & carried off by an emperor, making his way barefoot from Jerusalem to Alexandria,where another emperor concealed the precious relic in a statue,& finally the Templars

Have you heard the Miserere many times before? asked Blanka

Twice only,—once in the Sistine Chapel, and again in St. Stephen's at Vienna

But I thought its production was forbidden elsewhere than in Rome

Formerly that was the case, replied Manasseh, the publication of Allegri's work being strictly prohibited; but after Mozart had heard it once & written it down from memory,its reproduction could not be prevented

“And you refrain from using this evidence against him?"

"To use it would be revenge," replied the young man, calmly.

"Is revenge forbidden where you live?"

"Yes."

"Has your sister never found a balm for her wounded affections?"

"Never. My people are of the kind that loves but once."

"Pray tell me where it is that your people have their home," urged the princess. "Is it on an island in the moon?”

Tell me, how can the princess make sure of outwitting her foes,& so escape the horrible fate of being buried alive?

She can turn Protestant,& then the Church of Rome will have no claim whatever on her.

Very good, but how about the million florins left her as a good Catholic by the bishop?

If the princess has a woman's heart in her bosom, she will throw her million away in return for the love of a true man.

Is he a Jew or an atheist?

Neither; he is a Unitarian.

And what is a Unitarian, pray tell me?

The Unitarians form one of the recognised religious sects of Hungary, explained the man. They are Christians who believe in the unity of God.

It is strange I never heard of them before, said the lady.

"They live chiefly in Transylvania," added the other;

[...] Even when the sun shone in her face and annoyed her, she seemed determined to adjust the window-shade without any help from the stranger, until he courteously prevailed on her to accept his aid.

"Oh, what helpless creatures we women are!" she exclaimed as she sank back into her seat.

"You have yourselves to blame for it," was the other's rejoinder.”

Tot odihna e si-atunci cand omul se asaza pe balcon lasand usa larg deschisa si incepe sa priveasca tacut lumina palida a noptii de iarna. [...] Omul priveste spre stele si nu se mai gandeste la nimic. Vede, dar nu simte. Nici frigul, nici bataile inimii, nici ce se petrece in juru-i sau in sufletul sau. Priveste si atat. Si-n felul acesta se odihneste.

Nu stia de ce si pentru ce, dar iubea.
Nu stia daca era voie, daca zeii sau oamenii ii ingaduiau sa iubeasca, daca pornind pe calea aleasa o astepta tristetea sau bucuria, dar iubea.
Nu se pregatise sa-si apere dragostea in fata lumii sau a judecatorilor, nu se gandise sa ceara indurare cu capul plecat, nu cerea ocrotire barbatului, nici iertare oamenilor, nici mila lui Dumnezeu. Iubea.

Oare sentimentele in evolutia lor transforma chipul in curs de maturizare la tinerele fete, sau pornirile bune si rele, tristetea si bucuria sunt cele care modeleaza liniile fetei asa cum isi modeleaza melcul de mare casuta?

Pe vremea aceea — poate ca azi nu mai e asa — principiul ce sta la baza intregii economii a statului suna cam asa: Stehlen und stehlen lassen.
Un principiu strasnic, nu?
Dar acest sistem bun avea drept dusman un alt principiu, francez. Orice s-ar zice, francezul e dusmanul neamtului in toate celea. Acest principiu era:
Ote-toi, que je m’y mette.
Traducerea libera ar fi: “Cara-te sa ciordesc si eu!”

N-o auzise insa niciodata plangand. Cine stie? Poate ca greaua pierdere ii inghetase inima.
Oare cat de mare ar trebui sa fie caldura care s-o poata incalzi din nou?

In umbra care se intindea incerca sa socoteasca cat timp traise cu adevarat: creierul nu mai reusea sa faca un calcul simplu... Am saptezeci si trei de ani, am trait aproximativ, trait cu adevarat, vreo doi... trei cel mult.
Dar durerile, plictiseala cat insemnasera? Era inutil sa se forteze sa socoteasca: tot restul, saptezeci de ani.

Toate astea n-ar trebui sa dureze, dar o sa dureze vesnic; o vesnicie umana, bineinteles, un secol, doua secole...si dupa aceea va fi altfel, dar mai rau. Noi am fost Gheparzii, Leii, cei care ne vor inlocui vor fi sacalii, hienele; si cu totii, gheparzi, sacali si oi, vom continua sa ne credem buricul pamantului.