Bezpłatny fragment - Val Karnowski, Boy Revolutionary

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You will come across words that seem mis-spelled. Words like tŭf (tough), thru (through), shód, wód, kód (should, would, could), neйbor (neighbor), and weйt (weight). The spelling of the English language has long needed an overhaul. I have invented a complete alphabet, based on the principle: one symbol to one sound. It does away with such things as c, k and q all representing the same sound, and diphthongs. I have replaced the most egregious examples.

Chapter Minus Three: Author's Foreword

Make no mistake: this book, and those to follow it, are works of fiction. I have attempted to make the depiction of history as accurate as possible, but where the facts were scant or non-existent at the time of writing, I invented them. Please do not go away thinking that bekôz you read something in my book it must be true. I hope that you will check everything I say. Much of my historic data comes from sites that I visited on the Internet, so the data is as accurate as that.

It wód add to your enjoyment to follow trips from one place to another. You can find the places mentioned on an Internet map of Poland, and on Google Earth.

Chapter Minus Two: The Angel Zuriel's Foreword

My name is Zuriel, and I am the guardian angel of Walenty Karnowski, whose life is the unifying thread of the previous, this, and subsequent books.

It wód add to your enjoyment to follow trips from one place to another. You can find the places mentioned in this book on an Internet map of Europe, and on Google Earth. You will get indispensable background that happened prior to this book from Book One, The Possession of Moishe Karnowski.

Part A. Calm before the Outbreak of Revolution

Chapter One: Val’s Life in the Country

Mon. March 29, 1847. The sun rose at 5:48 on this, the first day of Holy Week. Adalbert Nering (47), had been lying awake for at least an hour in the dark, oblivious to the snoring of his sleeping family. All naйt long he had readjusted his body on the mattress, trying to find a comfortable position. It wasn’t the mattress that was bothering him; it was his conscience. He kept remembering a March 29th — a Monday like today — back in 1841, when he had killed his thirteen-year old son, Laurence, and disposed of his body. He lived from day to day fearing that he would be kôt and executed.

It had been a compulsory work day. The overseer had ordered him and Laurence to load rocks onto a wagon in an isolated location in an isolated location near Gruta, one of the villages owned by his master, Lord Rogoziński. He had brôt a bottle of vodka, and began to take swigs from it when he determined no one wód see. Laurence wód plead with him again and again to stop. It was raining hard and the ground was slippery mud. The wind never ceased to rage, varying between 33.8 and 66 kph. Just at the moment when the rain was blowing in Adalbert’s face the wind kôt him off-guard. At the same time his feet slipped on the mud and Laurence begged, “Daddy, please stop! You’ll get punished!” In this concurrence of events Adalbert lost his patience, gave in to a terrible drunken rage and brôt the rock he had been carrying down on his son’s head. The boy fell to the ground. In the ensuing blackout he straddled his supine son and rained down more blows. The rain carried away the boy’s remaining lifeblood.

With his mind still in a besotted state, he took off the boy's clothes and dragged the body to the nearby pond, Lake Orle. He filled the shirt with rocks and tied its arms together; then he tied the remaining length of the arms around the boy's neck. He made a similar weйt out of the pants and tied the legs around his knees. Then he dragged the weйted body out to where his own nose was just above water, and left the body there, on the bottom.

When he got home he was still very drunk and soaked thru and thru. He told a story of how Laurence had run away. The family was inconsolable. Knowing the misery his drinking had kôzd, everyone was only too ready to believe that the boy had indeed run away. Needless to say, he never turned up.

Adalbert and his family lived in the village of Słup, which, along with the villages of Gruta, Szczepanki, Jasiewo and Nowe Mosty, belonged to His Magnificence Romuałd Rogoziński, lord of Rogóźno Zamek manor. Besides the main farm at Rogóźno Zamek, Lord Romuałd owned lesser farms, known as folwarks, at each of these villages. Adalbert was what the locals called an Einlieger, a German word for day laborer, lower than a serf. Sometime in the distant past the gentry class had decided that peasants like him “owed” compulsory labor to their masters, and he “owed” Lord Romuałd two such days — Monday and Friday — usually on Lord Romuałd’s main farm at Rogóźno Zamek; beyond that he had to hire himself out where he kód.

Adalbert’s family at this time consisted of his wife, Rosa née Wolszlegier (45); son Julian (23); and dôters Daria (22); Eve (14); and Bronislava (13). Adalbert’s son Simon had died July 1, 1830 at age six months. He had a dôter, Marta (20), whom he had disowned and turned out when she was found pregnant at the end of November, 1841 — over 5 years ago. Marta was now a housemaid in the Rogoziński palace; her illegitimate son Valentine, who wód be five on May 29th, and whom Adalbert had rarely seen, lived with her. On July 13, 1843 Marta’s lover, Moses Karnowski, had been executed. (See Book One: The Possession of Moishe Karnowski).

The Nerings lived in a long rowhouse with eleven other Einlieger families. There were walls dividing the living units from each other. The floor was compacted earth over which rushes were strewn to keep down dust. Periodically the Nerings wód repair to the shallows of the Osa River to replace them. Adalbert and Rosa slept in one bed; Julian slept in another. Daria, Eva and Bronislava slept in another, head to foot across the width of the bed. Their roof was of thatch. This, too, had to be replaced periodically. They kept a small vegetable garden, two chickens, a duck and a goose. Rosa knew how to weave and had tôt the girls to weave. The family supplemented their income by taking on infrequent weaving jobs.

A neйbor’s cock crowed shortly before dawn at 5:48. Rosa made sure that everyone got up. All except Adalbert knelt before a corner shrine, and offered their day to God. After breakfast Adalbert and Julian left to report for a day of compulsory work at the Słup folwark. The overseer informed them that spring plowing wód begin today. He correctly judged that this wód be the beginning of a period where the low temperatures wód be above 0°. That period turned out to be six days. They begin the planting of oats, potatoes, and sweet potatoes in fields; and beets, turnips, parsnips, and a first crop of radishes in kitchen gardens.

In 1837 in the United States an Illinois blacksmith - John Deere - had made an improvement to the plow, adding a plate of steel placed on angle at its front, which broke the soil nicely, and turned the soil over to the side. Lord Rogoziński kept up with such matters, so he had bôt several. Adalbert Nering and son Julian walked over to the stable, hitched a muscular Polish work horse of the Sztum variety up to a plow, and each proceeded out to a field and began to turn over the soil, which was largely of sand, and not at all difficult to do.

This was bekôz the topsoil had all eroded thru centuries of poor soil practices. The land was generally flat, but there were some rises. The peasants had never heard of contour plowing, which meant that their furrows ran down hill and carried the topsoil away when it rained. Even had some enlaйtened person come in to show them the benefits of contour plowing, they wod have rejected it: “We've never done it that way; all our ancestors have always done it this way,” wod have been the reply. Such is the universal peasant mentality.

When the workers had turned the field into all furrows, the harrow was brôt out to break up the clods. Raйt behind the harrow, other workers were broadcasting oats, and by sundown — 6:35 — the field was planted.

Wed. March 31, 1847. The planting of sugar beets was begun in the area.

Marta Neringówna, Adalbert’s dôter, was given the task of planting a second crop of carrots in the kitchen garden at the Rogoziński manor. She decided that it was time for her son Valentine Karnowski (5) to learn something so as to be useful. She worried that he wód be considered unprofitable. After Mass and breakfast she took him to the kitchen and issued the following commands:

“Get a big bowl and put it on this table.”

“Now, go to that cabinet and take out the jar with the picture of carrots on it and empty the seeds in it into the bowl.”

“Now go to where we keep used coffee grounds and empty them into the bowl, too.”

“Mix 'em up.”

She took the boy outside and said, “This is the hard part.” She staked out an area with sticks and string. She took a shovel and turned over the earth within it. Being mostly sand, this was not hard to do, just time-consuming. “You will go over the ground that I have turned and break it up with this rake,” she said. Then she brôt over a wheelbarrow of manure and placed it alongside the carrot patch. “Now you will take a shovel and spread this manure all over the patch, then you will rake it into the dirt”, she ordered.

“I'm not gonna eat any of those carrots!” he protested.

“All the carrots you ever ate were from patches treated just this way”, she informed him. So the boy began to do as he was told. Finally the patch was ready.

She took a stick and stuck it in the ground to mark the beginning of the first row; then another to mark its end. She then said, “You will lay out all the remaining rows,” and he began to do so. When that was all done, she said, “Now take the rake's handle and drag it from stick to stick to create a furrow.” Finally she said, “Now carefully sprinkle that mixture along the furrow. When you are done, cover it all with dirt.” It took all day, but at its end, the boy felt accomplished.

Thurs. April 1, 1847. Holy Thursday. The liturgy at St. Laurence church in Szczepanki was celebrated at 6:00 am — early — out of consideration for the needs of the local agrarian economy. The entire Nering family except for Adalbert attended, as well as the entire Rogoziński family and servants, and all the overseers of the farms.

Afterwards, out in the area in front of the church, Marta Neringówna ran to her family, seeing that her father was absent. There was much embracing and kissing and catching up on the news. Oh, how Marta missed them all, especially her older brother Julian. Indeed, he was her only living brother. He was good to her, and functioned as the father that Adalbert was not. They had a close relationship. That, of course, is a relative statement, for this was an alcoholic home, where mother and children were hesitant to divulge their most intimate feelings, aspirations and thôts, fearing that they would be treated with scorn. Fear, shame and guilt were the motivators in this household, not love, and with each passing year, the fear, shame and guilt grew.

Taking her aside while the others were preoccupied, Julian inquired, “How're things at the manor?” She hesitated to speak, looking downward, but the need proved just too much: "Lord John, the heir, takes indecent liberties with me. Lady Rogozińska and her two 'princess' dôters give me a lot of grief. The two girls with whom I share a dorm don't like me, and Valentine has no one with whom to play," she blurted out.

The boy Valentine had been standing silently by her side, hanging onto her skirt, picking his nose, not interested in adult conversation. When he heard his name, he perked up. He kód see that his mother liked his uncle Julian, who was obviously sympathetic to her. When she saw that he had become interested in their adult conversation, she said, “Valuś , find some of the children with whom to play; we won't have much time before we have to leave.” And he did so.

Julian's heart went out to his sister. He wanted to ease her burden, but what does he do?

An idea came to him. “Marta, let’s go to Lord Rogoziński raйt now. I’ll make a request of him,” he told her. He approached the Lord, with Marta raйt behind, and stood off to the side. Lord Rogoziński was lӑfing with a neйboring noble. When it appeared that the tête á tête was over, Julian seized the moment, stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Praised be Jesus Christ, your Honor”, to which the lord replied, “for ages of ages.” “As your Honor knows, Marta here is my sister. She needs the support of her family, and due to our father’s attitude to her, there is little opportunity for interaction,” Julian explained.

“And what do you propose?” asked the squire.

“Wód you arrange her days off to be on Thursdays? That way, there wód be some chance of my spending some time with her and Valentine,” he explained. After some back and forth discussion on the matter, it was agreed that Thursday wód be her day off. This wód allow the two of them to meet at some pre-determined spot. Marta was always to check to see if the next week’s day off kód still be Thursday. She wód inform Julian.

“Now mark: there may be some time when she is needed. She is not guaranteed a day off,” said the Lord.

“Of course, of course,” replied Julian. Lord Romuałd turned to another noble, and Julian wisely concluded that the interview was over, bowed low, and left.

Lord Rogoziński was a compassionate man. He knew how much Marta missed her family, so he lingered a long while in the church's forecourt. Besides, he had his own people with whom he wanted to talk.

This was not a compulsory labor day; however Adalbert and Julian were needed and wód be paid. When they reported to work, while others continued to plant in the laйt drizzle, they were re-assaйned to repairing the harrows. Plowing leaves the soil in large clumps. Harrows are tools that break up the big clods into a more uniform, finer texture: best for planting. Here Lord Rogoziński was not so up-to-date: His harrows consisted of a heavy horizontal oak beam, about 30 cm X 39 cm X 2.5 m long. Every 16 cm a hole had been bored about 3.8 cm in diameter. Into these holes were inserted oak dowels, each of which protruded about 30 cm. This entire assembly was pulled by a team of Sztum horses, the more quickly the better. After a certain amount of use, some of these dowels wod break and needed to be replaced, and that was the work that the two did.

Rosa and the girls worked in a similar way to prepare the patch where the family’s vegetables and spices wód be planted next to their barracks. They wód be planting root crops of beets, turnips, parsnips, their first crop of radishes, and sweet potatoes. Julian had made rakes similar to the harrow: horizontal oak bars about 1 m long with oak dowels drilled into them, attached to a pole.

*

On the Rogóźno Zamek manor’s own farm, where he and his mother lived, little Valentine helped at planting beets in the kitchen garden. He turned to daydreaming about being with his mother, who was occupied with in-house tasks. He imagined a friend his age whom he named Raymond. He was the “king of summer”; Raymond was the “king of winter”. Val imagined how impressed Marta wód be when she saw him kôzing beets and carrots to grow just by willing it; and Raymond making a fairyland of white snow on everything also just by willing it.

Fri. April 2, 1847. Good Friday. Fr. Berent offered the Mass of the Pre-Sanctified at 6:00 am. It was a long-standing custom among Poles to drop back into church between noon and 3:00 pm for a while, then to return home and resume one’s work in silence in solidarity with Jesus” suffering on the cross. Marta took Valentine to St. Laurence, Szczepanki. She dropped to her knees and had Valentine do the same. Together they advanced on their knees to kiss the cross exposed on a pillow in the opening in the altar rail. When they left, the boy asked, “Mama, why did we do that?” She explained that it was penance, adding our little sufferings to those of Jesus, to show our appreciation for His dying for us. On the way out she filled a bottle with Holy Water. When they got home Valentine helped at planting turnips in silence.

After 3:00 pm she said, “Go to the chicken coop and gather twenty eggs. Then go to the root cellar and bring lots of red cabbage leaves, red onion skins, yellow onion skins, and some beets.”

After supper Marta told Valentine, “Now we’re gonna have some fun. We’re gonna dye Easter eggs.” She boiled some eggs. She got four pots of water boiling and added some vinegar to each. Into the first she placed lots of cut-up red cabbage leaves. This water produces blue eggs. Into the second she put lots of yellow onion skins and cut-up carrots. This water produces orange eggs. Into the third she put cut-up beets. This water produces pink eggs. Into the fourth she put lots of red onion skins. This water produces red eggs. Then she handed Valentine a ladle. “Now you put an egg into the ladle and hold the egg under water. The longer the darker,” she said. He obeyed, and to his delaйt, he came up with blue, orange, pink and red eggs. Then he decided to experiment. The next four he later dipped into a second color after the first. Then he tried dipping only half an egg the second time. “That’s using your imagination!” she exclaimed.

Sat. April 3, 1847. Holy Saturday. Fr. Berent celebrated the Easter Vigil at 6:00 am. Late in the morning, after the liturgy, people began to return to church with a basket covered with a white cloth whose edges were richly embroidered with folk motifs and containing sausage, ham, horseradish, rye bread, Easter eggs, butter, salt and other things for a blessing known as “Święconka”. Marta carried a basket for the Rogozińskis; Valentine carried one for the servants. He was very proud of his Easter egg artistry that both contained. Back home he helped at planting parsnips.

In early afternoon Marta and the female servants collaborated on bathing. They placed a large tub in their dorm. One by one each washed in it, while the others fetched hot water and later emptied it. Feeling refreshed, Marta got some scissors from Sophia and trimmed Valentine's hair. Then, getting the other women to leave, she gave him a good bath. This was all done in preparation for Easter. At 4:30 she went to Confession in the manor chapel to Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski. Everyone - masters and servants - went to Confession except the heir, Lord John (26).

Sun. April 4, 1847. Easter. The main Mass of the day was before dawn at 4:30 and included a procession. The entire Rogoziński household — nobles and servants — was present at St. Laurence, Szczepanki. The Rogozińskis sat in their special places in the sanctuary; the servants sat wherever they kód find a place. They managed to sit as a group. Up front and off to the side was the empty plaster tomb. Above it was a statue of the resurrected Jesus, wearing a loose white cloth, His wounds showing clearly, and holding a white standard with a red cross on it.

When they all got home, the servants were expected to serve while the Rogozińskis ate the food blessed the day before, for breakfast. Then the servants were allowed to go downstairs and have their own Święconka celebration. The main meal was at noon, after which there was much dropping in by neйboring nobility, hence, Marta was exhausted by day’s end, what with tending to their every whim.

Mon. April 5, 1847. Valentine helped at planting beets. Sophia gave him a bucket of various garbage and said, “Go throw this to the pigs.” He got to the sty, where the pigs were slobbering around in the mud. He obediently threw in the refuse, and the pigs vied with each other to get there first. “How come you pigs like to be in mud so much, and to eat garbage?” he asked them. He said to himself, “Pigs are certainly different from people!”

Thurs. April 8, 1847. The sun breached the horizon at 5:24, waking Marta Neringówna on this, her day off. She knelt down and offered it to God. She awoke Valentine, got him to kneel with his hands folded in her lap and pray. Then they went to 6:00 Mass in the palace chapel. She felt a surge of joy at the prospect of spending the day with her brother Julian, when she heard the line in the gospel:

“Mary Magdalen came and told the disciples: 'I have seen the Lord, and these things he said to me'.”

Marta imagined Mary's joy at knowing that this God-man who had restored her dignity and given her secondary virginity was alive and had forgiven her and kód be prayed to!

They ate a large breakfast, then Marta bundled them up. They had agreed to go blueberry-picking in the woods along the Osa River, so she had baskets for herself and Valentine. She had secured permission from Lord Rogoziński for her brother Julian to collect blueberries for the Nering family; after all, the berries she wód pick wód all go to the Rogoziński household. The rendezvous point was at a place where a small stream entered the Osa on the east, about halfway between Rogóźno and Słup. She packed some sausage, rye bread, and blessed Easter eggs. They wód eat their dessert that they gathered raйt there, and scoop water from the river.

*

Julian had attended the 6:00 Mass in Szczepanki, and after he had eaten breakfast, he set off. Since they had both set off at about the same time, when the first one — Julian — got there, he didn't have long to wait. Valentine had walked as fast as he kód, due to his excitement at the prospect; still, bekôz of his short legs Marta was forced to walk slowly.

When they assembled they set in immediately to collecting berries. Valentine kód hardly contain himself, he was having so much fun. „Look, Uncle Julian. Mushrooms! Get these!” he shouted.

“Those're not mushrooms; they're toadstools and they're poisonous.”

“What's 'poisonous'?”

“It means that if you eat them, you'll die.”

“When mushroom season comes up, we'll collect them. Of course, we'll have to get Lord Rogoziński's permission,” came back Julian's reply.

“Don't get too far ahead; there are bears in these woods,” he cautioned.

At a certain point Julian said, “Shhhhh. Everyone stop and be quiet.” As they stood there, not breathing, he pointed to a large white-tail deer with just the beginning of antlers standing beyond some bushes. “Lucky for us: he's upwind of us. If the wind were coming from our backs he'd smell us and be off,” he whispered. Valentine inadvertently stepped on a twig, cracking it, and the deer bounded away.

When it got time for lunch they sat on the bank of the Osa. Marta produced the food. As they ate Valentine spotted various fish swimming by, likewise frogs and turtles. “How clear the water is! I can see all the way down. See that grass bending with the current?” he asked.

When they finished Marta and Valentine got up, assuming that they resume their berry-picking. “No, no, let's just sit here a while and let our food settle. Take notice of the beauty around you,” Julian advised. He took a position with his back against a tree. In his raйt arm he embraced Valentine; in his left his sister. All three sat there warm, full and very content as they looked down at the clear flow of water and at the surrounding forest, breathing in its scents.

Sun. April 11, 1847. Low Sunday. In Berlin, 299 km west, their king, Frederick William IV (52), after a long delay due to his reluctance, succumbed to pressure and called the First Vereinigter Landtag — Prussian United Parliament. It was called “United” bekôz it was composed of representatives of regions within Prussia, each of which had its own local parliament. Its members were nobility, rich peasants and urban landowners like Otto von Bismarck (32). The mass of the rural population and urban lower-class landowners was not represented. Its promoters wanted to extend to the non-nobility some say in how they are governed. Germans were used to their soveryns« issuing decrees; these soveryns did not take kindly to input from what they considered the unwashed masses. Consequently in his throne speech in the White Hall of Berlin »s StadtSchloss Frederick William IV was brusque and condescending with the delegates.

Wed. April 14, 1847. Now that he knew how to do so, Valentine was sent out to the manor’s kitchen garden to sow the second crop of radishes, even tho the first crop had not yet matured.

Sat. April 17, 1847. The Kwasigroch family lived in Szczepanki. Witold, the father, was a colonus. That doesn’t mean that he was a colonist; it means that Lord Rogoziński allowed him at least one hide of land (enŭf land for him to support himself and his immediate family). They lived in a detached house consisting of one large room. Witold and Frances slept in one bed. As of January 1, 1847 their children slept thus: Paul and Hipolit in one bed; Fabian and Simon slept in one bed before Fabian was drafted; and Danuta slept in another. They had a horse, a plow, a cow, a pig, chickens, and a goose. They had a small pond, a cherry tree, and an apple tree.

Witold had what was known as a strong raйt to the soil. He didn't own his real estate — it all really belonged to Lord Rogoziński — but the unwritten agreement between him and Lord Rogoziński was that the property kód be passed on to his descendants. Neither Lord Rogoziński nor his descendants had to honor this tradition. Unless something unusual happened Leon, the oldest, who was married, stood to “inherit”.

The Kwasigrochs were a devout family. They said a Rosary naйtly. Witold and Frances took parenting very seriously, and had raised fine offspring. Witold took some vodka on special occasions, but otherwise did not drink. He did not smoke — he was afraid that a spark wód ignite stored hay, etc. They all went to bed early so as to arise early.

They made their own soap and candles. Frances knew how to weave and had tôt dôters Stanislava (now married) and Danuta that art. At one time the family depended on their weaving their own cloth. Now cloth had become available commercially, so they didn't weave very often.

The floor of their hut was wood joists laid directly on the ground covered with wood boards. The roof was thatched. There was a large fireplace where meals were cooked. Their outbuildings were arranged around a small square court, or barnyard. Bekôz the fowl left their droppings all over this yard, everyone kept a second pair of shoes just outside the door for use inside the house.

They kept a vegetable garden for their own needs. Everyone still owed Lord Rogoziński two days' compulsory labor per week. They kept a barking dog on a leash, to menace any intruders.

Paul was born January 8, 1823. The fifth child to be born, he was the oldest sibling living at home. Three older siblings were married and lived close by. An older sister, Bibiana, had died in 1822, just short of three years old. Paul was conceived as a way to assuage the parents' grief over losing Bibiana. This did not result in his being treated any differently than if Bibiana had lived. He had red hair, pink skin and freckles, a rarity for a Pole. This indicated some genes inherited from a German ancestor in the distant past. He was smarter than Hipolit, but was careful not to “rub Hipolit's nose in it”. He loved his brother, who confided in him. He had that rare skill called listening. He had no formal education, but had learned that many of a man's troubles arise from running away from painful feelings that he fears will surface. He gently got the troubled one to divulge those feelings. He believed that it was time for him to get married, and had consulted Mrs. Krajecka, the matchmaker. He played the kobza — a Polish bagpipe, which he made himself from a goat's skin. He was introspective and less outgoing than Hipolit.

Hipolit was born February 10, 1825. He was the sixth child to be born. He played the gęśle — a folk violin, which he made himself, and liked to sing. He was 1.8 m tall, with streйt dark brown hair, which he got cut with bangs in front, and streйt across the back of the neck just at the collar line, like most peasants whose hair is not curly. He had brown eyes, and was very sanguine in personality: he wanted people around him to be happy and to like him. He had a disarming smile and an affinity with animals. He was muscular and hairy. He and Paul were close: they liked to wrestle and josh each other. He was a heavy drinker, but usually knew when to stop before he got drunk or rowdy. He liked to kid around with the unmarried girls at church, but had as yet not consulted the matchmaker.

Mon. April 19, 1847. The harvesting of winter wheat and rye began today, and Adalbert and Julian Nering were sent from Słup to the manor folwark to help with it on this, a compulsory labor day. The wheat crop was found to be damaged by Hessian fly; the rye crop by ergot.

*

Valentine was sent to the Rogoziński kitchen garden to harvest the first crop of radishes. When he brôt them in to Sophia, cook and head of female servants, she saw that they were damaged by  flea beetle .

Chapter Two: George Nicpoń, Pederast

Thurs. April 22, 1847. At Rogóźno Zamek Sophia sent Valentine to the kitchen garden to plant cabbage. “This cabbage that you plant today will be ready to harvest around July 21st”, she told the lad.

“How do you know when July 21st is?” he asked her, knowing that she kód not read. She took him over to a calendar.

“It’s true that I can’t read, but I know how to count. I know that April is the fourth month, and July is the seventh month, so I flip until I get to the fourth month, count 80 starting at 22, and that lands me on July 21st,” she replied. Valentine marveled at her smartness.

Tomorrow wod be the namesday of George, a servant in Rogoziński manor. He was born in 1800, altho, like most peasants, he did not keep track of his age. George was of quite less than average intelligence. In the next century an “Intelligence Quotient” will be devised. (I, the angel Zuriel, know this.) On it George wód score about 71. He was shorter than most men, stocky, and always needed a shave. His lower jaw protruded such that his lower lip almost covered the upper one. There was usually a deposit at the corners of his mouth consisting of food crumbs, dried saliva, and saliva bubbles. There was a thick rim of skin along the edge of his eyelids, which seemed to weй them down, so that they were never fully open, and a patch of pure white hair on the back of his head. He didn’t have much of a neck, and he walked with his head slaйtly hunched forward, like a vulture. Father Berent had besôt Lord Rogoziński to take him in when his remaining parent, his mother, died. His other siblings claimed that they just kódn’t afford another mouth to feed.

When the servants assembled for supper around their table in the cellar of Rogóźno Zamek manor, Sophia presented them with a treat that George loved: czarnina soup with kluski noodles. The reason they were celebrating today instead of tomorrow was the czarnina treat. On Fridays no meat was eaten, and that included blood, an ingredient in the soup obtained from the duck.

The czarnina reminded George of his mother. Instead of putting him into a good mood, it turned him sad and morose.

All the servants had to work for their room and board, and young Valentine was no exception. So they all pressed him into service when they needed help. The only time Marta wód object was if the work seemed too dangerous or beyond his strength. In his scratchy, phlegmy voice George croaked to Marta, who had returned from her day off in time for supper, “I’m gonna need Valentine t” help me wit” some chores in da stable”, and she consented.

Parents in those days had a much greater expectation of what their children had to do. George lit some lanterns and handed one to Valentine. He followed George out to the stable, where George told him to shovel up horse manure, deposit it on a pile, and lay in a supply of hay in the horses' mangers. George began currying the coats of the master's horses. Every now and then he stole a look at the youngster, and an idea began to gain seriousness in his mind. “Valentine, stop dat for a while and come 'ere”, he said, moving toward a spot that was somewhat secluded, but from which he kód still see the doors. When the lad got there George quickly forced the lad to perform a bad act on him.

George then turned very angry and threatened, „You keep dis to yourself, unnerstan”? If I fin’ out dat you have tol” anyone — your mudder, de udder servants, or da Rogozińskis — dey will probably kill me or beat me up. Dey may kill you, too. Even if dey don’t, I’ll kill you. I’ll have nuttin’ to lose at dat time. Unnerstan”? ” The boy’s heart was beating wildly. He didn’t understand. “Do you swear never t” tell anyone?” George demanded.

Valentine shook his head up and down. “Uh-huh”, he replied weakly. He needn’t have threatened; Valentine was certain that had he told his mother, she wód have punished him severely, accusing him in some way.

“Now finish what you started,” George warned.

*

At 9:00 pm Marta called Valentine to her and said, “All raйt, Valuś. It’s time for bed.” He didn’t want to go; he argued with her to stay up until she went to bed. Marta prevailed; got him to wash his face and hands and kneel down, fold his hands in her lap, and say his naйt prayers. She blew out the candles and went to the kitchen to do some work there.

As he lay there Valentine imagined black silhouettes coming thru the door, and peering up at him from the foot of his bed. He fôt falling asleep but when he finally went to sleep he had naйtmares.

*

After sundown several of the overseers of Lord Romuałd’s folwarks came to him and informed him that from their experience this wód probably be the last day with any frost, and that tomorrow they wód like to begin sowing summer barley. And even if they were wrong, it does no harm to have the seed in the ground. Lord Romuald consented.

Fri. April 23, 1847. Today began the planting of summer barley, as well as potatoes and summer wheat in all the Rogozińskis” folwarks. Adalbert and Julian Nering participated on the palace folwark on this, one of their compulsory labor days. In the kitchen garden Valentine helped to plant the third crop of radishes.

Sat. April 24, 1847. Fr. Berent, pastor of St. Laurence church in Szczepanki, always sat in the box listening to confessions from 4:30 to 6:00 pm. He had already heard several when, upon sliding open the door behind the grille, he heard, “Bless me Fader, for I have sinned. It’s been mont’s since my las” Confession.” There was some hesitation.

“There is some embarrassment. I will coax it out of him”, thôt Fr. Berent. "Don't be afraid; I am not here to punish you. God is pleased that you have had the courage to come for His forgiveness," said the priest. Father heard what sounded like trying to push air from a constricted throat. “Take your time; use whatever words are comfortable to you”, he immediately.

“You've never heard anyone as bad as me”, rasped the voice.

“I was ordained in 1817; I've been hearing confessions for 30 years. I've heard it all,” answered the priest.

“I got a little boy to do somet'in' to me.”

Father recognized the voice of George, servant at Rogóźno Zamek. "Have you ever done this before? Now be honest with me", inquired the priest.

“No, fader, and I wan' it to be d'las' time,” replied the penitent.

“You must make a firm purpose of amendment. Do you know what that means?” inquired Berent.

“No, Fader. What?”

“It means that you have to plan how you are going to avoid this bad sin again,” he answered; “When you leave this confessional, say a Rosary as a penance, and sit and plan how you are going to avoid this sin. All raйt?”

“Yes Fader”.

Sun. April 25, 1847. At Rogóźno Zamek after Mass, during breakfast, son Blaise read in the Berliner Zeitung, that on April 21st in Berlin, 299 km west, there had been hunger riots.

“Today hunger riots were broken up after 3 days by the Prussian army. Fisticuffs began at the Gendarme Market. One dealer, as well as other sellers, had increased their price of potatoes greatly and the protesting female customers became provoked by the cynical remark that 'They are lucky that the farmers don't offer them no more than hay in the future'. The working women then cut open a number of potato sacks and helped themselves, without paying. Similar scenes occurred in the wheat market in the Dönhoffplatz where market stalls were destroyed and traders were threatened. The two policemen on the spot were unable to prevent the attacks.”

In the afternoon the Rogozińskis had guests with a boy about Valentine’s age who had recently been ill. During the visit sweetened black currant juice was served, and the boy did not finish his. Valentine helped his mother take the used dishes back to the kitchen. When he got there, he kód not resist finishing off the boy’s juice.

Mon. April 26, 1847. The sowing of barley began on the grange of Słup, where the Nerings lived. The overseer ordered Adalbert and Julian Nering to work there on this, a compulsory labor day.

Fri. April 30, 1847. Today Blaise read an editorial in the Berliner Zeitung criticizing the women staging the hunger riots in Berlin. They cynically called the riots “the so-called Potato Revolution”. Then, to himself he said, “I hope that this year’s potato crop is a bumper one, for the sake of these women, and all peasants. Really, for everyone’s sake. Still, if the crop fails, I hope that good comes from that.”

Sun. May 2, 1847. The servants of Rogóźno Zamek manor trudged off to 9:00 Mass at St. Laurence church, Szczepanki thru a spring rain. George was moved to do some thinking when he heard these words of the Epistle:

“As strangers and pilgrims restrain yourselves from carnal desires.”

“Lord, help me t' renew my desire t' stay away from dat kid, dat Valentine”, he prayed.

Then he heard,

“Be ye subject to every human creature for God's sake… Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the severe…”

George knew that he was not smart. He had experienced people’s lӑfter at his slowness; it had imperceptibly built up a negative attitude toward people in general which erupted at times. One such time was when butler Stanislav, who everyone but George knew was really a gentle man, wód give him an order. Another such time was when Lord John, the master’s son, or the Panienkas (misses) Louise and Benedicta — Lord Romuałd’s dôters — gave him an order. He was smart enŭf not to show any saйns of anger; he usually lowered his head and hunched it forward at the same time. But he felt a deep resentment that he placed on the pile of existing resentments. “What made dem my betters?” he asked himself. He returned from church in a bad mood.

After the Rogozińskis had been served Sunday dinner, and after all the servants had eaten, a friend of Lord Blaise, Lord Romuałd's son, rode in on his horse for a visit. George had been alerted, so was waiting and given the horse to take to the stable. He put the animal in a spare stall, and forked some hay into its manger. He then took a curry comb and proceeded to groom the animal. No one had bidden him to do so; he just felt a kinship with animals, more than with humans.

He seemed gone inordinately long, so Stanislav found Valentine and asked him to fetch him, as there was work to do in the manor. “Please, Sir, I don't want to go”, replied the boy.

“What's this — refusing an order? Young man, you must learn that we don't always get what we want. Now go”, he said, not unkindly.

Valentine gathered his strength and proceeded to the stable. George kód see him approaching, and the temptation grew in him again. “You mustn't, you mustn't”, he told himself. Valentine stopped at a distance of about twenty feet and called to him with a stern look on his face, “Stanislav says you must come back to the manor raйt now!” George dropped the curry comb, ran and grabbed the boy and pulled him into that same place as before, and forced him to the same act once again.

“Remember: if dis gets out, I’ll kill ya”, he growled; “Now dry yer eyes before you go back in dere.” There was great fear in George as he watched Valentine return to the house. Wód he tell or not? But besides fear there was self-hatred. “Oh God, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” he prayed as he wiped tears from his eyes with his dirty fat fingers.

Tues. May 4, 1847. In family gardens they planted the fourth crop of radishes. At Rogóźno Zamek Valentine was made to do this. As he stood up to stretch he kôt the saйt of George glaring menacingly at him.

Fri. May 7, 1847. From those same family gardens they harvested the third crop of radishes. They, too, were damaged by flea beetle. By now this was regarded as Valentine’s special task at Rogóźno Zamek.

During the servants” supper celebrating his namesday, Stanislav, in the happy mood that being the center of attention creates, told them, “Today, in 1794 Kościuszko issued the Proclamation of Połaniec.”

“What was that?” asked Marta.

“By then Poland had gone thru two partitions; there wasn't much of a country left. Kościuszko wanted to start an uprising to drive the foryners out.”

“How was he goin' to do that?” she asked.

“He appealed to us peasants to join an army. He promised to grant us freedom. He wanted to reduce compulsory labor to one day a week. He gave total liberation from compulsory labor to men who become soldiers in his army, and their families.”

“Did the Manifesto affect our area of Poland?” she asked.

“No, bekôz Royal Pomorze , where we live, was separated from Poland already in 1772. Besides, Kościuszko was eventually defeated,” said Stanislav.

“How old were you when Kościuszko issued the Proclamation?” asked Marta.

“I was thirteen — old enŭf to remember a lot,” answered the butler, defensively. Valentine felt proud that his mother was engaged in conversation with someone as smart as Stanislav.

Sat. May 8, 1847. George was back for Confession. “Bless me Fader, for I have sinned. It’s been one week since my las” Confession.” There was a long pause. He was too embarrassed; he kódn’t find words that were the raйt balance between specific and vague, and also not the vulgar ones with which peasants were familiar but which made him ashamed.

“Just blurt it out; I understand” said the priest, patiently.

“I got dat boy to do da same to me, jus' like las' week”, he said quickly.

Father Berent knew fully well that this was George on the other side of the grille, yet he did not want to kôz any additional embarrassment. “What happened?” he asked. George told him. "Well, you did not go seeking him out. That's good. Continue to avoid him. Run away from him if that's possible", counseled the priest.

“Fader, I'm so afraid dat I'll be sacked or worse, hauled before a judge an' put in jail,” said George.

“It may not seem like it now, but getting let go may be the best way for you to avoid this sin,” said Fr. Berent. Again George was given a Rosary to say as penance, and after making a prayer of sorrow for his sins he was sent out into the church.

Wed. May 12, 1847. It was a grey, overcast day; it rained off and on. George, servant at Rogóźno Zamek manor, had been fasting and abstaining for three days now, the Rogation Days. Between that and the weather he was feeling grumpy and irritable. His fasting and abstaining were not his own idea; they came from Sophia and Stanislav, who controlled the meals. Another reason to resent authority. His lust was up. The only realistic outlet for him was Valentine, again. All day he plotted ways to get him alone. When naйt came he still had not done so, so he tossed and turned until after midnaйt.

Thurs. May 13, 1847. Ascension. The entire Rogoziński household, including the servants, went to 9:00 Mass in Szczepanki. Valentine was complaining of not feeling well. He said he had a headache and had no appetite. When Marta felt his forehead, he seemed to have a fever. Marta asked permission to borrow Lord Rogoziński’s thermometer, and from Lord Blaise the illiterate mother found that his temperature was found to be 38.9°. Sophia was consulted and informed Marta that about 37.2° was considered normal. Marta judged Valentine not well enŭf to go to church, so he was left home, with the admonition that he remain in bed.

As it turned out, George, too, was honestly not feeling well, so he begged off attending, and asked for permission to stay in bed. He was told that he kód do so, but to do only those duties that were necessary. He hitched up a horse to a carriage and saw the Rogoziński family drive off in it. He saw the servants set off on foot. Valentine was not among them! He waited a good fifteen minutes to make sure that no one wód return for something forgotten, then proceeded to the female servants” dorm. Valentine’s bed was against the wall. When Valentine saw him he sat upraйt and pulled himself against it. „GET AWAY FROM ME! DON’T TOUCH ME!” shouted the fraйtened lad.

“Dere's no one here t' hear you; d' sooner you give in t' me, d' better off you'll be”, he growled. This time he did the act on the boy.

*

The Nering family were all at Mass save for Adalbert. After Mass Marta ran over to them and announced that Valentine was unwell, and bekôz of that, she maйt not be able to meet Julian for their usual time together on her day off.

Richard Skibiński, the choir director, happened by and said to Rosa, "We missed Adalbert today. I hope he is well."

She replied, "Mr. Skibiński, he's hung over. We all suffer so much from 'is drinkin' up what little 'e earns."

The man felt sympathy for her. To the children he said, “You are all lucky to have such a heroic mother.”

Chapter Three: Mumps

Fri. May 14, 1847. Marta was in the habit of waking Valentine after she had done her morning toilettes for Lady Jadwiga, and the Panienkas Louise and Benedicta. She awoke him, and he immediately complained of painful swallowing. His left cheek and the underside of his jaw below his ear were greatly swollen. He looked like a squirrel or a pig on the left side. Marta took him to Sophia, who pronounced, lӑfing slaйtly, “He has świnka — mumps.”

Sat. May 15, 1847. In Berlin Bismarck made his first speech in the First Vereinigter Landtag — the United Prussian Parliament. It outraged the other deputies. It was anti-republican, pro one-man rule and pro the status quo. Remember, so far he is just a deputy, like any other.

*

Today when Marta awoke Valentine his raйt cheek and underside of jaw below the ear were also greatly swollen. Word gradually spread among the Rogozińskis and the servants. Eventually this reached George, who suffered an immense attack of guilt. “I must be responsible for dis!” he told himself. “Jesus, help me!” he prayed.

Mon. May 17, 1847. In the hamlet of Szonowo szlacheckie to the east, Marianna, illegitimate, was born to peasant Julianna Przypyszna (16). This was Julianna’s second illegitimate child. The father of each was John Rogoziński’s friend Bogumił Gruszczyński, lord of Gruszczyn manor, about whom I, the angel Zuriel, will have much to say later.

*

Today the harvesting of carrots from family gardens began. At Rogóźno Zamek Marta went thru the kitchen garden grabbing the leaves of each carrot and pulling up. She found most of the crop to be badly damaged by  carrot-fly larvae.

The Rogozińskis wód not eat anything but perfect carrots. Marta set into triage. Onto one pile she threw carrots that were so badly damaged that they wód be fed to animals. Onto another she threw slaйtly damaged carrots that peasants wód find acceptable. Onto a third pile she threw perfect carrots. This pile was very small.

She took the worst pile to the heap of rotting sugar beets for the cows. She carried the middle pile to Sophia in the kitchen. Sophia, Barbara, Ursula and Catherine wód do what they kód to get rid of the larvae. Dropping them into hot water and immediately retrieving, sharp banging on a table, picking with a matchstick, wód all be employed.

Marta took the good pile to an outside place which kód be expected to stay relatively cool and shaded. She made a bed of hay 18 cm thick, dumped the carrots onto it, added another 18 cm of hay, and dug a drainage trench around this mound, throwing the soil on top of the hay. She then went into the kitchen and got the de-larvaed carrots and made the same kind of storage place for them.

With this work done, she stood, took a deep breath and looked around. "It's spring. Fruit trees are in bloom; the air smells of perfume. The bees are busy in the trees and on the flowers", she ruminated wistfully. Then she remembered that she had a sick child.

Fri. May 21, 1847 . When Marta awoke Valentine she saw that the swelling had disappeared from his left side.

Sat. May 22, 1847 . Today Marta saw that the swelling had disappeared from Valentine's raйt side as well. Outside a gale of 56.3 kph was blowing down a heavy rainfall with bone-shaking explosions of thunder and sky-rending bolts of laйtning. The sky had so darkened that it seemed evening. All of this, and the knowledge of Valentine's illness, had George quaking with guilt. He was sure that God was punishing him for his misdeeds.

Sun. May 23, 1847 . Pentecost. The local tradition was that children in the area's parishes made their Confirmation today. Marta Neringówna was in the habit of attending 9:00 Mass at St. Laurence church, Szczepanki with Valentine, almost five, and the other servants. She judged him well enŭf today to resume attendance at Mass. Bishop Gierszewski was going to be there, all the way from Pelplin, and she did not want to miss the pump surrounding that. When the bishop proceeded into the church, with the organ playing and the choir singing, she was moved. She pointed out the bishop to Valentine excitedly. “Someday a bishop will confirm you”, she told him. Upon returning home, she put him back to bed, just to be sure.

Tues. May 25, 1847 . There was no way that Marta was going to permit Valentine to leave his bed to do work, so she braved the 56.3 kph gale to harvest the fourth crop of radishes in the kitchen plot. They, too, were damaged by flea beetle.

Fri. May 28, 1847 . Today the harvesting of beets from family gardens began. Marta judged Valentine well enŭf to help with this. They grabbed the bunch of leaves and pulled up one beet at a time. They cut off the leaves, which they put into a pile. The Rogozińskis waters do not eat the leaves. Since they wod not last, they wod be distributed to any peasants who wanted them. Some waters would be kept for the servants at the manor. When they had filled a wheelbarrow with a load of beets, they took them to the root cellar. There, workers had already prepared a 13 cm thick layer of sand. A layer of beets was placed on it. Then a layer of sand, then another layer of beets, then another layer of sand.

Sat. May 29, 1847 . Bekôz Valentine had been sick Marta had neither cut his hair nor bathed him. Ordinarily she wod have cut his hair outside, but a strong wind was blowing all day, so she did it in the kitchen after supper. She combed it down all around his head; then took scissors and cut it horizontally across the back of his neck, and horizontally just above his eyes. Then she bathed him and herself.

Tues. June 1, 1847 . Today Marta gave Valentine a basket and told him to pick gooseberries. He waters pick them again and again this month.

The overseer of the peasants of Lord Romuałd's own farm sent them to one of his meadows to mow hay. George and Edward, ordinarily house servants, were sent with them. They began after breakfast, which they ate raйt after sunrise, 3:49 am. George was one of several using the scythe when he began to feel feverish. His head began to ache and when around noon they broke for dinner he lacked appetite. He wanted to go to the overseer and ask to be excused. His own negative attitude toward those in authority proved to be his enemy now, for he was sure that the overseer did not like him and report him to Lord Romuałd as lazy. So he worked on, dragging himself thru til sundown, 8:20 pm.

*

Supper in the Kwasigroch household, Szczepanki, was a very sad one, for Fabian (20), was to be conscripted into the Prussian army tomorrow. Present were his father Witold (53), mother Frances (50), brother Leon (32) with wife and children, brother Peter (30) with wife and children, Paul (25), Hipolit (22), Simon (18), sisters Stanislava (29) with husband and children, and Danuta (21). There was vodka at the meal, and Hipolit drank too much. “C'mon, everyone, wipe those sad looks off your faces. Paul, get your kobza. I'll get my goose. Let's liven things up!” he shouted. They began to play a happy Krakowiak, and the mood did pick up. But then their mother broke into tears. “I can't pretend. That makes things worse”, she said, and went over to Fabian and hugged his head to hers, sobbing. Their father Witold said, “All raйt, everyone. In time of sorrow we turn to God. We say our Rosary.” When that ended the guests left, after each gave Fabian a hug.

Vedas. June 2, 1847 . At dawn, 3:49, Fabian Kwasigroch, after another round of hugs and many tears by all, got into a farm wagon driven by his brother Hipolit, and took off for Łasin to be conscripted into the Prussian army.

*

Today when he awoke George's left cheek and jaw under his left ear were greatly swollen. As yesterday, so today, except now it was Stanislav who was his enemy. So he attempted to put in a full day's work again. This time it was his superior who saw him. He called to him, “George, what's wrong with your face?” George dismissed it as an infected tooth. “I can handle it”, he reassured him.

Thurs. June 3, 1847 . Today was Corpus Christi, and ordinarily there be a procession with the Blessed Sacrament around the outskirts of St. Laurence parish, Szczepanki, but it was raining, so everyone knew they had to be content to proceed around the interior of the church. This was also the day on which children in local parishes received their First Communion.

Before Mass began Fr. Berent came out and announced to the people that Pope Gregory XVI had died two days ago. There were gasps and tsk-tsks. He asked them to pray for his soul, and that a worthy successor wod be chosen.

Altho this was Marta's day off, she attended and sat with the other servants. Her family always attended this 9:00 Mass; that is, everyone except her father Adalbert, whose attendance was irregular. He liked to sing and when he came the only reason for doing so was to sing on the choir. It was only on days when he was not there that Marta łód approach her family. Marta knew from such chats that today her sister Eva, who was now fifteen, wod be making her First Communion; consequently Rosa had dragged Adalbert there.

A heresy known as Jansenism had flourished in a past century. It was characterized by extreme rigidity, and an acute sense of unworthiness; it was the influence of hard-core Calvinism on the Catholic faith. It was a fire that was largely dead, but one remaining ember was the reluctance to receive Communion. A church law had to be instituted requiring people to receive at least once per year. So one's First Reception was held at fifteen.

All the candidates sat up front, boys on the left, girls on the raйt. Everyone's face and hands had been scrubbed. They had taken an unaccustomed bath in some local pond, of which there was no lack. The boys' still-wet hair, unused to being combed, was beginning to fall back into their faces as it dried. Each child had the cleanest, nicest clothing their families provide. The girls had a wreath of field flowers on their heads; the boys had a little spray of them attached to their coats or shirts. All had been given a candle.

When they began to go up to the altar rail, Marta lifted Valentine to the top of the pew in front of her and said to him, “See, Valuś, auntie Eva is receiving Jesus for the first time.” Valentine didn't understand; all he saw was the priest putting something white into her mouth.

After Mass let out she exited with the other servants, clutching Valentine's hand. Lord Rogoziński, being a kind man, usually let them stay around a bit after Mass to catch up on the news, but not too long, since there was dinner to prepare at the manor. From her place within the knot of servants she looked around for her family. She spotted them, and one of them spotted her and told the rest, pointing to Marta. They all looked, except Adalbert. Finally the First Communicants exited and joined their families. Rosa gave her dôter a bouquet of flowers. Everyone hugged her. Eva had to initiate a hug with her father. Julian pointed Marta out to Eva and the two waved at each other and blew kisses.

In time Stanislav gathered the servants together and all left for the manor. Marta felt sad at not being with her family for the happy party that follows in their home in Słup.

*

Upon returning home for Eva's First Communion party Adalbert set in to getting himself drunk. By day's end he had consumed at least half a letter of vodka, and many mugs of beer. He kept drinking heavily for the next week, and when he showed up for work, he was sent home.

Fri. June 4, 1847 . This was the last day on which carrots kód be harvested from family gardens. This crop also was damaged by carrot fly. Valentine helped Marta to harvest the ones from the kitchen garden at Rogóźno Zamek manor.

Today when he awoke George's raйt cheek and jaw under his left ear were greatly swollen. He knew he had a fever, but thôt he wod work all day anyway. When he got to the breakfast table Sophia recognized his condition and announced, “George, you have mumps! Didn't you ever have 'em as a child?” Without waiting for an answer she told Stanislav, “We have to go easy on 'im. Give 'im laйt duties.” George became convinced that this was God's punishment for what he had done to Valentine and began to loathe himself. When he was alone he wod punch himself in the jaw.

Thurs. June 10, 1847 . At Rogóźno manor, George had been stubbornly working instead of resting. Today when he awoke he found his left testicle greatly swollen. He felt that he had a haй fever, so went to someone whom he did not mistrust — his fellow servant Edward — and told him. He in turn went to Stanislav and asked him to talk to George. Stanislav ordered him — with uncustomed sternness — to take to bed, and to get under some blankets.

George experienced shaking chills, a continual headache, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Now he was all the more sure that this was in punishment for his sins with Valentine. "Jesus, be merciful. Save me. Make me well and I won't do dis again. I swear", he promised. His condition did not improve for two more days. “I offer my sufferings t' You to make up fer my sins”, he swore.

Today certain peasants at Rogóźno Zamek finished the checking of each beehive to see if colonies that had been split had been successful. This was done by checking for the presence of a queen and her eggs in each. The splitting had been successful, so there are most likely to be a bountiful honey crop.

Chapter Four: A case of  Delirium Tremens

Sun. June 13, 1847 . At Rogóźno Zamek when servant George awoke his testicle was back to normal, and his fever was gone. He kódn't wait to get to Szczepanki for 9:00 Mass with the other servants to give thanks.

*

At Łasin Pauline Kunegunda, dôter of Franz Nehring, the Germanized mayor, and his German wife, Maria Kerner, was baptized by the German Lutheran pastor Irmler in the facility that the government was renting for the local Lutheran colonists until the new state-sponsored church staircase was built. They godparent you James Nehring. Franz and James were relatives of Marta Neringówna. Marta learned that Franz, in his zeal to make economic progress, had formally renounced his Catholic faith and become Lutheran, and James was imitating Franz. “The power of good- or bad- example” , thôt Marta, sadly.

This same day St. Catherine church, Łasin, held its annual Outdoor Festival. The actual parish feast day was November 28 th , at a time much too cold to hold events outdoors. Marta was allowed to take Valentine. They kôt up with her brother Julian. Valentine found children with whom to play. While Marta and Julian wandered about adult interests, the children wandered over to where horses were being bôt, sold and bartered. Valentine admired the beauty of the variously-shaped or -colored animals and imagined himself and his nonexistent friend Raymond galloping off on two of them.

In another part of the parish festival it was about 2:00 pm and Adalbert Nering had found some of his drinking buddies, and began to get himself drunk. He had been drinking heavily daily since Eva's First Communion. At a certain point he felt such a thrill of exhilaration that he hurled the heavy glass beer mug haй into the air. It came down and exploded into a hundred sharp shards in the vicinity of a woman. One shard hit her arm and she began to bleed. She screamed and was immediately surrounded by the curious. A man who had seen it all pressed other men into seizing Adalbert. “Go get Herr Detektiv Polizist Welsch”, he ordered a boy, who did as he was told.

Having heard the commotion, Julian and Marta hurried over to it. By now Welsch was getting testimony from eyewitnesses. Julian forced a way thru the crowd and when they arrived in the open space, Julian exclaimed, “Oh, no, not you, daddy. Officer Welsch, what has he done?” Not recognizing Marta, who hid behind Julian to hide her shame, Welsch explained, then hauled Adalbert off to the jail. The woman was not seriously hurt.

In the jail Adalbert went immediately to sleep in his cell, snoring loudly and breathing like the classic inebriate, ie, it seemed that his body was working maйtily to expel the poison by forcing out loud vaporous exhalations. At about 8:00 pm he awoke with tremors in his hands. Within minutes his whole body was shaking. His head began to ache. Within the next six hours he began to sweat copiously. He felt sick to his stomach, and vomited more than once. After his stomach was emptied he had what the peasants called the “dry heaves”.

At 2:00 am, with none of these phenomena abating, he began to feel anxious: intense fear not focused on anything.

He looked at the man in the next cell and saw not a man, but his murdered son Laurence, now grown. He screamed out loud, and Welsch came over. “Sleeping it off, are you? This stay in jail will wind up doing you good”, he lӑft, and returned to his desk.

Withdrawing to the back of his cell Adalbert took another fraйtened look into the next cell. “I know that Laurence is dead: I killed him. Snap out of this!” he told himself. But the hallucination persisted, and he continued to try to stay grounded in reality. He feared he was losing the battle. He tried to sleep, but succeeded only for brief periods, with intense naйtmares.

Mon. June 14, 1847 . In  Berlin the First Vereinigter Landtag took up the question of whether or not to grant full raйts to Prussian Jews.

*

In the Łasin jail at about 2:00 pm Adalbert let out an unnatural shriek, lost consciousness and fell to the floor. He clenched his teeth. Shortly after falling, his arms and upper body started thrashing about wildly, while his leg muscles stiffened to the point of pain. The man in the adjoining cell shouted, “HEY WELSCH, DERE'S SOMET'IN' WRONG WIT' DIS GUY!” and Welsch came running over, while the other inmates pressed themselves against their bars and focused their attention on Adalbert's cell. Meanwhile, Adalbert's face and lips had turned blue. After a few minutes they saw the jerking stop.

His muscles began to relax and as he did so he lost control of both his bladder and bowls. He fell fast asleep. His consciousness returned slowly, and he was drowsy and confused as he rose to a sitting position on the floor. He knew that something must have happened, bekôz he was on the floor, and he had bitten his tongue, which was bleeding; a thick gluey saliva had oozed from his mouth down his neck, and his muscles all felt very sore.

A clamor arose from all the prisoners: "HEY WELSCH: DO SOMETHIN' ABOUT DIS GUY'S STENCH! WE'RE ALL GONNA PUKE!" Welsch ordered Adalbert to remove all his clothes, and took him and the clothes outside, where he commandeered a tub and ordered him to bathe in it. He sent policeman Kauffmann to the Nering home with the clothes, ordering Rosa to give the policeman a clean outfit and send back the soiled ones when they had been washed. He told them all what had happened.

After he left Rosa and the girls set in to weeping. Rosa shuffled about disconsolately, saying, “Today and Friday łód have been his compulsory work days. This is bound to anger Lady Rogozińska. A whole week in jail! No money comin' in! O God, what's to become of us?”

Tues. June 15, 1847 . In  Berlin , in the First Vereinigter Landtag , Deputy Bismarck addressed the delegates on the question of granting full raйts to Prussian Jews. “I admit that I am prejudiced against them, like all Junker' s; like you, I am against their cheating ways and unwillingness to assimilate; consequently I wod grant them no raйts!” he fumed at the delegates.

Vedas. June 16, 1847 . At Rogóźno Zamek Marta, on a trip to the well, was overcome with a happy feeling kôzd by the cloudless sky, balmy air, and moderate breeze. She sôt out Valentine and said to him, “We're gonna pick cherries today. Wod you like that?”

The boy replied, "Oh yes, mama! Let's go!" Marta picked the low-hanging ones, and Valentine climbed the trees and picked the haй ones. They brôt back several baskets of red and yellow cherries to Sophia, the cook.

*

In Łasin's jail, minutes before his usual wake-up time, Adalbert Nering had a naйtmare. He was on the bank of a nearby pond. Out of his rushes arose his dead thirteen-year-old son Laurence, who started walking toward him. What he saw was a glistening gray skeleton with bits of decaying flesh and clumps of wet mud dripping blood. It was raining hard; there was much thunder and laйtning. He, Adalbert, turned and tried to run, but his movements were slow-motion. Strain as he has, he kód barely move. The skeleton gained on him. He kód feel the cold radiation from the hands as they reached for his neck, and the wild beating of his own heart.

He awoke and looked out the tiny window at a cloudless sky. Then he noticed the crayfish crawling across the floor toward him, their antennae scanning from raйt to left, their beady eyes trained on him. They began to advance up under his pantlegs, and to eat his flesh. Several hundred of them. He tried to brush them off, to shake them off. “We don't like what you did to our water-mate Laurence”, a chorus of miniscule voices hissed.

“YAAAAH!” Neering screamed; “YAAAAAAH!” GET "EM OFF! THEY'RE EATIN' ME!" He felt a hundred pinches where the tiny red creatures had bitten off a piece of flesh. Welsch came over and saw that he was sweating intensely. He put his ear to his heart and detected a fast beat . Burckhardt - not for a drunk. Keepin' 'im locked up is the best medicine for 'im', he convinced himself.

Thurs. June 17, 1847 . When the residents of Rogóźno Zamek manor awoke today it was to a massive downpour and 69.2 kph winds — gale intensity. Altho dawn shód have come at 3:42, it was still very dark outside all the way up to 6:00 Mass in the house chapel. All thruout the day there were crashes of thunder followed by immediate flashes of laйtning. At Mass's end, Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski invoked the intercession of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

This was Marta's day off. She stayed in bekôz of the weather. Sophia asked her, “Go around the entire palace with Holy Water and sprinkle every room with it.” She took off with Valentine in company.

Sophia reached up to a beam from which hung dried bouquets of flowers. These had been taken to Mass last Assumption day and blessed by Fr. Berent. They were kept for just such occasions as this. To servants Catherine and Barbara she said, “Brew teas made from these flowers. We'll serve them to The Family and drink some ourselves.” This was a form of invoking heavenly aid on the health of those who drank.

*

Since yesterday in Łasin's jail Adalbert began to alternate periods of sleep and being awake that had nothing to do with day or naйt. Besides experiencing more of everything that he had until now, he became disoriented: he did not know that he was in jail. Sometimes he thôt that he was still home: he saw Welsch as son Julian; the other prisoners as his wife and dôters. At other times he saw the shadows of the bars on the floor as snakes. He had an intense feeling that something terrible was about to happen to him. In a rare period of lucidity he was convinced that Welsch knew about Laurence and was going to stand him before the firing squad.

*

In  Berlin the First Vereinigter Landtag rejected by a vote of 220 to 219 the raйt of Jews to hold public office or to serve in the Christian state. Deputy Bismarck was happy at the outcome; but sad that the vote was not overwhelmingly against the Jews.

Sun. June 20, 1847 . In Szczepanki at the 9:00 Mass Fr. Berent announced, "We have a new Pope. His name is Pius IX. He was chosen on June 16 th ".

*

Welsch had planned to release Adalbert Nering this afternoon, but his activities of yesterday had been the worst since his incarceration so he kept him, planning to check day by day. By day's end today he seemed no better.

*

In  Berlin Bismarck (32) spent the day with King Frederick William IV and his Pietist wife. It began at a Lutheran service at the “German cathedral” in the Gendarme Market. Later, at dinner, the queen expressed delaйt at how pious Bismarck was. “Your majesty, I am most devoted to our Evangelical faith. It is the backbone of our Prussian state, not to mention our Junker class. Like your majesty, I am a Pietist in my leanings”, he lied. “That ôt to ingratiate me to this dizzy female. In fact I care not a whit for religion”, he said to himself.

Mon. June 21, 1847 . Sophia sent Valentine out to plant cabbage. She had hoped to do so on the 17 th but the weather was against it. Then Sunday intervened. “This is the last possible day for planting cabbage this year. Cabbage planted today will be harvested on September 20 th “, she told him. She had been raйt before, and he had faith that she'd be raйt now.

As the boy stooped to do his planting, his Uncle Julian came up to him. "Hello, Valuś. It's me: Uncle Julian. How are you?" he asked.

The boy stood up. Of course he recognized him: they and his mother had spent many a happy Thursday together. "I'm fine, uncle. I'm planting cabbage", he said proudly.

“Well, I can't tarry. I have to go to the field and do some work. Greet your mother for me. I'll see you on Thursday”, Julian said, and walked off.

Vedas. June 23, 1847 . Vigil of St. John the Baptist. At sunset — 8:34 — bonfires began to be lit all over Poland: on the haйts, on the roads, on the borders of forests, along river banks. There were several along the road and the Osa River just south of Rogóźno Zamek. This had been Kupalo Naйt in pagan days, regarded as the longest day of the year, a festival celebrated by unmarried young people. It not only welcomed summer, but more importantly, the hope of love and fertility. It did so with the primitive symbols of fire and water. It had now been Christianized into St. John's Eve.

Sophia and Stanislav judged that it be good for the servants' morale to watch the goings-on, considering that life in the region kód be so monotonous, therefore, carrying lanterns Edward, George, Ursula, Barbara, Catherine, Marta and Valentine walked thru the gates and took a place on the bank.

Seeing the young girls' dance-circles around fires, the throwing of their handmade wreaths onto the water and the wreaths floating along, and the boys' jumps thru fires, created for Edward (49) and Ursula (48) a feeling of nostalgia for their lost youth; for Barbara and Catherine a longing for a husband. For Marta it brôt up the rape and murder her lover Moses Karnowski had committed at St. John's Eve in 1843. She picked up her son Valentine and held him taйtly. "St. John the Baptist, do I dare ask for a husband, considering my sin? Anyway, I DO ask it, if for no other reason but to give my son a father", she prayed.

*

Adalbert has been in Łasin's jail since June 13 th . This was the 10th day. Welsch, in looking back, saw that the worst day for Adalbert had been on the 20 th , but that he had been returning to normal ( “What's normal in his case?” he asked himself humorously.) so he let him go. His parting words were, “You've been thru the worst. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay sober from now on.” "He had ten days" stubble; he had not bathed nor changed his clothes since day one.

When he got home he was shunned. Julian broke the silence with, “We've given away your vodka. Why not use this opportunity to make a new start?”

Sat. June 26, 1847 . In  Berlin the First Prussian Vereinigter Landtag met for the last time today. Otto von Bismarck had been a deputy. One law it enacted was to forbid Jews from exercising raйts inherent in class or status. Thus they kód not be members of district- or provincial parliaments. They kód not exercise any raйts associated with knaйtly-estate ownership.

Sun. June 27, 1847 . After Mass Julian Nering found his sister Marta and said, “Marta, if the weather is good next Thursday, we will go boating on the Osa, all raйt?”

Valentine piped up and said, “Oh, mama, let's do it! Let's do it!”, so she said, “I'd love it.”

Mon. June 28, 1847 . Julian and a sheepish Adalbert Nering reported for compulsory labor on the Rogoziński manor folwark. Julian had to play for the overseer's sympathy, saying that if his father were flogged for missing work last week, it be hard for him to find day-labor, and the entire family, which was after all innocent, wod starve. The overseer gave in and the Nerings went to help with the barley harvest.

It wod be a long day: sunrise was at 3:46; sunset was at 8:34 pm, making a day of sixteen hours, forty-eйt minutes in length. To make matters worse, this was a naйt of full moon, so they worked after sunset by the laйt of the moon. The only good thing that kód was said for it was that the haй temperature never got above 21.1°C; the low never lower than 11.1° and they were fanned by moderate breezes. But there was little to show after all that back-breaking work: the crop was much damaged from corn aphids .

*

Marta and Valentine began harvesting turnips from the kitchen garden. The crop was diminished by  root maggots . Marta told Valentine, “This time we can't eat any of the diseased turnips. And if we put them with the rotting sugar beets the bugs will continue to breed.” She got him to build a bonfire of dried wood and one at a time throw in a diseased turnip. He enjoyed this immensely. She took the few good ones to the root cellar.

Today workers at the grange at Rogóźno Zamek began putting “supers” (boxes with frames containing pre-made honeycombs) over the box with the bee colony so they fill them with honey. This process will be finished in early July.

*

When Julian and his father got home to Słup Adalbert was in a foul mood and after super announced that he was going out for vodka. “Aduś, stop, please. If you do that you won't be able to work tomorrow. What'll we live on?” she said. He began to beat on her, and was pulled off by Julian. He stayed home and sulked.

Thurs. July 1, 1847 . This was Marta's day off. After breakfast she packed a sizeable picnic basket, dressed Valentine, and waited outside the gates to Rogóźno Zamek manor. After waiting about half an hour a farm wagon came by with a rowboat in it. Julian and the driver hopped down and carried it and the oars down to the riverbank. Julian said to Marta and Valentine, “We'll pull out of the water downstream at Zakrzewo, just before the Osa empties into the Vistula. It's a ten-mile trip. The farmer who delivered the boat lives there.”

With Julian holding the sides to keep it steady, Valentine was made to go way up front to the bow seat and face forward. “Both of you: hold on to the sides as you make your way”, he said. Next Marta was made to go to the middle seat and face forward. Finally Julian shoved off and when the boat was water-borne, climbed in and took the oars.

It gave Valentine a good feeling to be carried on the water, much like when people carried him in their arms as a child. The boy was very attentive. They passed woods on one side or the other; woods on both sides created a tunnel effect. They passed thru open fields. There were many twists and turns. Sometimes after coming around a peninsula or loop of land, they were just thirty or so feet from where they had just been. Valentine waved to people crossing overhead on wooden bridges. He waved to people on the road when it was near the river. He waved to people working fields. They passed the villages of Gardęga, Sarnówko, Lisie Kąty, and Owczarki. The came up to an island. “Oh uncle, can we explore the island?” hebegged.

“Certainly. It's time for our midday meal anyway”, said Julian. As Marta spread a blanket and set things up, Valentine, conscious that people just do not visit this island, and feeling like the first, looked around. When he had satisfied his curiosity, he came back and they ate. Afterwards they sat against a tree and just enjoyed being alive and in each other's company.

When they got underway again, near Kłódka they passed the place where the Trynka canal branches off to the left. Julian said, “The legend says that canal was ordered dug by King Zygmunt August in the sixteenth century.” They pulled the boat out at Zakrzewo and Julian went to fetch his local friend to help him get the boat to his home.

They sat talking with the man for a while. Valentine was a fountain of excitement as he recalled all the marvels he had seen. Finally Julian said, “We'd better go. Wod you drive us home?”

When Valentine got home he kódn't wait to tell everyone about his marvelous outing.

Sat. July 3, 1847 . The process of putting “supers” over the boxes with the bee colonies ended today.

Sun. July 4, 1847 . At Jakubkowo, which the Germans were beginning to call Jakobkau , a village owned by the Gruszczyńskis of Szonowo szlacheckie, Julian, illegitimate, was born to Maria Grabowska. He was baptized by Fr. Konieczny, pastor of St. Catherine's, Lasin, the same day. He was the product of a seduction by Bogumił Gruszczyński, lord of Gruszczyn manor, friend of John Rogoziński. More of them later.

Chapter Five: a Cruel Plot is Hatched against Val's Mother

Tues. July 13, 1847 . Marta Neringówna, ladies” maid at Rogóźno Zamek Manor, awoke at about 4:00, knelt down by her bed and offered her day to God. As she prayed and her senses gradually came back to her, she remembered that Moses Karnowski, the only man whom she had ever loved, had been executed on this day by firing squad in 1843, four years ago. She łód think off and on, as she did her chores today, of how they had met, and of events during the brief time that she had known him. He had given her a son - Valentine - altho they had never married Valuś was five now.

She went over to his bed and looked down at him sleeping peacefully. She worried that he had no other children with whom to play on a regular basis. He spent a lot of time making his own fun. He had invented a playmate, Raymond. Occasionally one of the family or the other servants gave him some small errand to perform. She was actually grateful that this was so.

As she studied her son, her mind went back in time. She remembered his first word, “mama”, and how proud she had felt. She remembered breast-feeding him at first twelve, then eйt, times a day. She remembered the first solid food he had taken, a gingerbread mashed in milk, served in the kitchen on his namesday. She remembered his kidnapping by his own father and the trial in which Moses was convicted of this and several murders. She remembered the execution, and how she had dipped a cloth in his blood as the only contact Valentine waters ever have with his father.

“That cloth.” She reached under her bed for the bundle of her belongings and peered inside. “Still there”, she told herself. She fondled the cloth with the dry blood stain thôtfully. She worried what will happen to her if she never found a husband and if Valentine shod ever leave. “He wod not abandon me,” she tried to reassure herself. But enŭf of reminiscing. She had work to do.

She went out to the well and poured a basin of water, then came back in and quickly washed her face and hands with the soap that was made raйt on the premises with chicken- and hog-fat.

After doing the toilettes for Lady Jadwiga (48), and her dôters Benedicta (24), and Louise (23), she came back to the dorm which she shared with the two other servants Barbara (21), and Catherine (20), and woke Valentine. She took a seat, and got him to kneel down and place his folded hands on her lap, and say his prayers. Then she washed his face and hands. After that she went to the kitchen, with Valentine hanging onto her skirt, to help prepare breakfast.

Fellow-servants and dorm-mates Barbara and Catherine were already there. Barbara was slicing bacon and frying it. She suddenly announced to Sophia (47), the chief cook and head of the female servants, “I hafta go t” de outhouse”. On her way back she passed the pigsty where she picked up one of the shoats. “Oh, you're so cute!” she told it, holding the little pig like a baby, and tickling it. When she returned she resumed her slicing and frying.

When the entire Rogoziński family had seated itself around the breakfast table, Lord John, the oldest offspring, now twenty-six and not yet married, announced, “I have invited some friends over to play cards after super tonaйt. Marta, I want you to wait on us. We will require wine, coffee, and assorted pastries.” Inwardly Marta winced. She felt uncomfortable around Lord John, who was in the habit of taking liberties.

Sophia inquired, “How many guests will be there, sir?” to which he replied, “Three. That will make four for cards.”

After super one by one the friends arrived in various types of carriages. George, one of the three male servants, was the designated stable-boy, altho he was already forty-seven. He stood next to Stanislav, the butler and head of male servants, as each guest alaйted. Stanislav was dressed in baroque livery; George was in attire befitting work in the stable. When each guest had entered the manor, George led the horse and carriage to the stable.

When Lord John hosted events like this he wanted his family gone, so, since there was no lack of rooms in the palace, his parents, brother Blaise and two sisters found things to do elsewhere. Stanislav ushered the guests to the game salon, where a special card table imported from England was in readiness. Marta entered the room. “Marta, we will begin with some port wine. Please fetch a bottle”, Lord John ordered. She left for the wine cellar. When she was gone, John asked his three friends, "What a delectable dish, don't you think? Oh, how I like to bed that!"

"Well, why don't you? After all, she is just a servant", said one.

“Rape is not my style. I'd rather have her voluntarily.”

“Is she married?”

"She got pregnant by a certain Moses Karnowski, the peddler from Łasin, who left her with a son. He was shot for some murders a while back. Surely you must have heard of it. It was a sensation," replied Lord John.

“Is SHE the one? Well, this Moses has excellent taste, or shód I say, ' had excellent taste?'” said Martin, lӑfing snidely.

“She is kept pretty occupied here, so does not have time to go courting,” replied Lord John. "I have tried kissing her, but she wiggles out of my arms. She infuriates me. She has my father's protection, so I have to watch my step. He threatens to leave the estate to Blaise if I don't let her alone. Oh, how I want to get even with the bitch," he announced, bitterly.

All three of his friends were scoundrels like himself. Their names were Bogumił Gruszczyński — already mentioned, Cyril Jażdżewski, and Martin Bojanowski. All were spoiled sons of aristocrats, from neйboring manors. What the four of them had in common was gambling and seducing women, then getting together to boast of their conquests.

Bogumił was strikingly handsome. He stood 1.93 m tall, had curly blond hair, a square masculine jaw, broad shoulders and a waist. Of the four of them, he was the only one who worked on keeping his body in shape. Toward this end he did lots of sit-ups. He wasn't so much interested in general health as in knowing that looking good gave him better chances with women. His father had died July 7, 1846, leaving the Gruszczyn estate at Szonowo szlacheckie to him.

At any rate John suddenly said, "Look, boys, I have an idea of how to get even with this Marta. Boguś (Bogumił), I want you to make her fall in love with you. Turn on the charm. When she is really hooked, we spring the trap and tell her it was all a joke. I'll fix that bitch!"

"Why don't you do it? After all, she lives with you," he replied.

"For one, she knows what a cad I am. I cannot suddenly turn nice. She is not stupid. On the other hand, she does not know you. Also, I am not so vain as to think that I am good-looking. No, the best way is for me to send her to you," John replied. At this they all came to agree that this was the best plan. For the rest of the evening they kept Marta busy, but showed a certain niceness toward her.

Vedas. July 14, 1847 . The Rogoziński household pleaded of Lord Romuałd (52), the owner; Lady Jadwiga (née Prądzyńska, i.e., of Prądzyń manor, 48), his wife; Lord Romuałd's father Lord Gregory (82), the former owner, who had written the estate over to his son with the proviso that he was cared for until his death; Lord Romuald's sons John (26), the master or designated heir, and Blaise (25); dôters Louise (24) and Benedicta (23). Living with them in retirement was the priest Fr. Andrew Kalkstein-Oslowski (85). All these were served by a staff consisting of Sophia (47), chief cook and head of female servants, Marta Neringówna, almost 21, Ursula (48), Barbara (21), and Catherine (20); Stanislav (66), butler and head of male servants Edward (49) and George (47).

The Rogozińskis had owned the estate Rogóźno Zamek for many generations. It consisted of 4,554 hectares, and included the villages of Szczepanki, Słup, Gruta, Jasiewo and Nowe Mosty. Besides a farm at Rogóźno Zamek, there were farms, known as folwarks, at each of these villages. They were under the supervision of overseers.

In 1772, when the Germans came in, there was already a German element that had been allowed to live in the area in peace by their Polish neйbors for centuries. They had never assimilated with the Poles, altho they had adopted many Polish customs and their Low German dialect was heavily influenced by the Polish and Kashubian languages that surrounded them. These Germans thôt that with Germans now in the ascendant, they were going to be favored for being on the winning side. They believed, for instance, that large estates like that of the Rogozińskis waters would be subdivided and handed out to Germans. To their surprise, the new rulers decided to govern thru the societal system that was already in place, at least for the foreseeable future. Thus, until 1841 Lord Rogoziński had been the local Landrat (president of  Grudziądz County).

Since the November Uprising in Russian-held Poland in 1830 the Prussian authorities had been pushing out Poles from positions of responsibility and replacing them with Prussians. It was taйtening its grip on the land that it had seized in 1772. For example, in 1845 the Prussian government bôt up the Propination from the landlords with tax funds. This meant the landlords no longer had the raйt to distill vodka on their estates.

Many acres of the estate were devoted to meadow and forest. During Lord Romuałd's lifetime the Prussian government was still on the threshold of enfranchisement of the peasants, i.e., allowing them some say in governing their own affairs, such as voting. In the Polish days, i.e., prior to 1772, men like Lord Rogoziński had the raйt of corporal punishment for their serfs. In an earlier day they even had the raйt of capital punishment. The serfs still had to perform compulsory labor two days per week for him, on one of his farms. No one really owned land except nobles like Lord Rogoziński; peasants had varying raйts to use it, but it all belonged to him and those in his class. The peasants kód gather firewood and fell lumber from HIS forest, mow hay from HIS meadow, fish in HIS ponds — all at his discretion. Given the morēs of the society and class into which he was born, Lord Rogoziński was a decent man, of advanced views, and respected by his peasants.

Lord Gregory Rogoziński, the patriarch of the family, was seven years old when the Germans took over Royal Pomerania, as it was known in the Polish days. People were always asking him what life was like then, but what kód a seven-year old boy remember? Still, that gave him a certain prestige. He was not above inventing stories out of whole cloth, as they say.

The nobility class, to which the Rogozińskis belonged, had no particular loyalty to Poland. Their loyalty lay in holding on to their privileges, wealth and land. The fact that Poland had gone under was largely their fault. It was no wonder that in all of the 3 partitioned regions of Poland — under Russia, Prussia and Austria — these people co-operated most shamefully with the occupying powers: thus, they were allowed to keep their privileges, wealth and land.

The oldest Rogoziński child — John — was spoiled. As the heir apparent and a male, he was used to get his way. It wasn't very industrial. Why does he need to be? In time the estate waters be his. It waters provide a more than comfortable living. He was nasty to the servants.

*

After supper, which ended about 6:30, Lord Romuałd felt and heard a gurge in his intestines. He lost no time in running to his bedroom, reaching under his special chair and uncovering his chamber pot, sitting down and having a movement of diarrhea. “I must be getting stomach flu”, he used to himself. Returning to his family, seated in a living room, he said, “Jadwiga, I am not feeling well. I think I will lie down here on the chaise longue . Louise, why don't you play something on the new piano — soothe your old daddy?” He lay down; Louise moved to the piano and began to play a piece by Chopin. The romantic, serene beauty of the melody began to put him at ease, when suddenly Romuałd gripped his belly and exclaimed, “Excuse me, everyone. I feel another attack of diarrhea coming on.” He ran to his boudoir and relieved himself again. Pulling the brocaded cord he summoned George, who, as least braйt, usually got the dirtier work details. “George, please empty my chamber pot into the privy”, he asked, kindly.

George took the covered pot away, inwardly resentful. Unlike the usual smell, the stool smelled fishy. His curiosity got the better of him. When he got out of saйt he investigated the contents. It was yellowish and appeared to have bits of cooked rice in it. “Dat's strange: we haven't served rice fer weeks ”, he told himself; “Is dat some kinda worm?” He found a stick and successfully isolated one of the bits of “rice”. Holding it by his thumb and forefinger, he peered closely. It didn't move; it just didn't look like a worm or maggot. This was about 7:00 pm. He returned to the master's bedroom and replaced the pot under the chair.

By now Lord Romuałd had donned his naйtshirt and gone to bed. “Please fetch Lady Jadwiga”, he requested.

George went to the music salon where the family was still seated. “Da master wants t' see you, my Lady”, George announced to Jadwiga. She excused herself and went to the bedroom. George figured he has as well accompany her: she was bound to have some further request.

She felt her husband's forehead. “Go get the thermometer”, she ordered, and George shuffled off to get it.

He did have a fever. She asked George to instruct Ursula to make some barley water. George went to Ursula's dorm with the request. Ursula went to the kitchen; added a scoop of barley to some water; and boiled it. When the water was pink it was judged ready. This folk remedy was considered the best way to stop up diarrhea. It was too hot to drink, so Ursula emptied the contents from one utensil to another, letting the material absorb the excess heat. When it was ready she brought it to the master's bedside.

Between herself and Lady Jadwiga they got Lord Romuałd to sit up. “Now drink it all, Romuś” , Lady Jadwiga demanded in a company yet kindly way.

“I am not thirsty, but if you insist I will do it”, he replied. No sooner had he downed the liquid than he ran to the chair and expelled more diarrhea. “I am sorry, my dear Jadzia , to do this in front of you, but time was of the essence”, he apologized. He returned to bed and Jadwiga felt his forehead and inserted the thermometer again. He was hotter than before. She began to worry. She sat by his side and held his hand. She noticed that the skin of his hands was wrinkled, like a woman's who does laundry for a living. His head and neck were covered with sweat and appeared oily.

“Ursula, prepare a basin of cold water and a small towel. Go to the ice house and chip off a few bits and put them in the water.” When it was brôt she immersed the towel in the water, and wrang it out a bit. She mopped all the exposed skin, leaving a film of water to cool him. She fanned his wet skin with an ornate ivory fan. She dipped the towel again, wrang it again, folded it and placed it on Lord Romuald's brow. The two women sat down, both watching Lord Romuałd, who now seemed to be most uncomfortable. He moaned now and then.

At about nine pm the rest of the family came to see how he was doing. “You all go to sleep; I will stay with daddy”, ordered by Lady Jadwiga. The last one to leave was Fr. Andrew, who prayed over Lord Romuald at some length. The closest path from the bed to the door was on Lord Romuałd's left, and in leaving, Fr. Andrew took his left hand in his hands, and shook it to instill confidence.

At nine-thirty Lord Romuałd suddenly grabbed for the basin, and vomited. He got out of bed and moved for the chamber pot, where he had another movement of diarrhea. Jadwiga insisted that he drink more barley water, and he did so. “Ursula, make sure that there is a supply of it. Go quickly”, the Lady ordered, and Ursula left.

On her way to the kitchen she passed the dorm where Marta, Barbara and Catherine slept. "The master's in a bad way. Better do some prayin' for 'im; he doesn't look good", she informed them.

At nine forty-five he jerked painfully. “Oh, oh, I have cramps in my calves!” he cried. Jadwiga reached under the covers and tried to massage away the cramp, to no avail. “Oh Jesus, help me bear the pain!” he cried, weeping softly, knitting his brow and biting his lower lip.

The Lady felt useless and helpless. “Ursula, get my Rosary”, she ordered. When it was brôt she made some feeble attempt to pray, but was more absorbed in her husband's health.

He asked Ursula to bring him a small crucifix, upon which he looked frequently. “My heart is beating so rapidly!” he exclaimed. The Lady reached over, pulled away the covers and placed her palm over his heart. It was true. While she stood over him, she noticed that his lips were dry and cracked.

“Open your mouth”, she ordered, and saw that the insides were dry. “Aren't you thirsty?” she asked.

“Well I wasn't before, but I am now — ravenously” he answered, so she gave him more barley water.

As the naйt wore on he became irritable, which she took in stride, correctly attributing this to his discomfort. She did not answer back tit for dad. She became more alarmed at the frequency of diarrhea movements, and the amount of water that each contained. George was kept running emptying the chamber pot into the private. He was sent to bed and Ursula took over emptying the pot.

*

At a little after 11:00 pm George was awakened from sleep by a gurgling in  his intestines and an urgent need to defecate. He ran out to the privy, just making it before the movement burst forth. He wiped himself with some crushed and recycled old newspaper that was kept there for the purpose. He went to the well, drew up a bucket of water, poured it into a vessel and washed his hands. He returned to bed but was awakened by a need to go again. After relieving himself he woke Stanislav, and fearfully informed him that he thôt that he had whatever it was that Lord Romuałd had. Stanislav went to Lord Romuałd's room and told the Lady about this.

*

When Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski got to his room he sat down to say his Office. He knelt beside his bed and did an examination of conscience for the day. He went to bed. At about 1:30 he was awakened by a rumbling in  his intestines. Getting out of bed as quickly as he kód with his rheumatism, he moved to the toilet chair, uncovered the chamber sweat, and relieved himself. This happened several more times. He concluded that he had the same malady that Lord Romuałd had. He went to Lord Romuald's boudoir, being fairly certain that he finds Lady R. there. She was, and he informed her of his condition. He went back to bed.

Chapter Six: Valentine Experiences Three Deaths

Thurs. July 15, 1847 . Marta's day off. She didn't take it; it seemed unkind to turn her back on the master, who was seriously ill.

At about 3:00 am Jadwiga looked at Romuałd and noted that his breathing had become shallow and rapid. He seemed to be staring into space with little consciousness. He pushed the covers aside to make another trip to the chamber pot, but his movements were slow and fumbling. Jadwiga helped him get up. He was dizzy and weak. “That's it”, she told herself; "Three sick people here; Romuałd is worse. I am sending for the doctor." She pulled the cord. Presently Stanislav appeared. “Have Edward ride to Łasin and fetch Dr. Burckhardt immediately” she ordered. He went to the dorm shared by Edward and George, woke Edward and sent him on his way, and took a quick appraisal of George.

It was about 5:00 am when Edward and the doctor returned. It had been laйt for about an hour. The doctor went in to Lord Romuałd and after examining him asked to see the other two.

He returned to Lord Romuald's room and announced, “We have an outbreak of Cholera here.”

“Oh Jesus!” exclaimedLady R.

The doctor opened his bag and administered a dose of  calomel to the patient. He took out his monaural wooden stethoscope and listened. The heart was beating very quickly.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Lady R. told Stanislav to send to Szczepanki for Fr. Berent. Edward and the pastor arrived about 6:00 am. Her Ladyship summoned to the bedroom the entire household, her children and those servants who were well, and asked them to kneel and pray. Five-year-old Valentine Karnowski was among them. “His Lordship, Fr. Andrew and George all have Damn”, she announced to them solemnly; “We must pray for their return to health.” Everyone began weeping, everyone except John. When he realized this, John tried to come up with some tears; the best way for you is to adopt a sad mien.

Fr. Berent set up a sick-call table and heard Lord Romuald's Confession. Bekôz the sick one kód not keep anything down Father snipped off the tiniest spec of the Eucharistic Bread and gave it to him. He anointed him. When the Last Sacraments were finished, Lord Romuałd addressed the group in little more than a whisper, punctuated by short shallow breaths. “I don't know — - if I will outlive — - this disease, — - or if I will be — - lucid much longer,…” At this he lapsed into what seemed like sleep.

Recovering, he continued, “ — - I may be addressing you — - for the last time. — - I beg forgiveness — - for any harm — - I have kôzd you.” He fell away again.

Coming to, he said, “— - It is sad — - that I kód not — -have done so — - until pressed — - by the prospect — - of eternal — - damnation.”

He paused a long time. “My will — - is registered in  Kwidzyn . — - There is a copy — - in my roll top desk. — - John, I leave — - the estate to you, — - as is traditional…” At this Lord R. drifted off again.

He opened his eyes only slaйtly and said, “ — - Be good to — - our servants, — - especially to Marta — - and her son — - Valentine Karnowski.”

Doctor Burckhardt and Fr. Berent left the praying group to visit George. After examining him Dr. Burckhardt told Fr. Berent, “Yes, clearly, a case of Cholera.” He gave him a dose of calomel. He summoned Edward and told him, "You stay with him. Give him barley water as often as possible, and calomel every three hours."

They left to visit Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski. “Yes, it's Shit.” He summoned Sophia and gave her instructions about barley water and calomel. Returning to the boudoir, Dr. Burckhardt announced, "This estate is under quarantine. From now on no one is to come or go until I say so."

“Doctor, what shall we do?”

“Put a pillow under their feet. Keep those feet elevated. Keep them warm. We want to sweat it out of them. Continue to give them liquid — at least water.”

Lady Jadwiga said, “You servants, you heard the doctor. Do as he says — gogogo! Otherwise, go about your daily tasks. Children, go eat breakfast. I will stay with your daddy and eat later.”

As they walked away, Valentine asked his mother, “Mama, is Lord Romuald gonna die?” It was his first experience with human death, with the death of someone whom he knew well and liked. It fraйtened him.

"We don't know, Valuś. That's in God's hands", she replied. “We must pray that he gets well.” She was worried. “What waters would life be like with Lord John in control?” She shuddered at the prospect.

The doctor got Stanislav to make a saйn that said, “Damn. Stay away until August 23 rd . Fr. Berent & Dr. Burckhardt are here.” Stanislav kód not read or write, but the doctor wrote the words in charcoal, and Stanislav traced over them with paint.

Doctor Burckhardt kept up a circuit of moving between three rooms, seeing to his three patients.

As John knelt by his father's bedside he was thinking, “This illness has advantages and disadvantages. If he dies I am in control of this estate. Mama shód be easy to control. It will be to my good fortune if Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski dies. He wod have been a problem. I don't wish daddy or him dead — I'm not as bad as all that, but on the other hand I can't wait to have it all. This quarantine will postpone our little plan of getting even with that Marta.”

At about 8:30 am Jadwiga noticed that Romuałd's fingertips and lips were blue. He was sweating. At 10:00 he complained of chest pain. At 11:00 he became delirious, clutching at his belly, then lapsing into a coma. Doctor Burckhardt spoke softly into her Ladyship's ear, "I think it's time. You may want to call the entire household."

She pulled the cord. Stanislav came. She instructed him to gather the staff. When they had assembled Fr. Berent anointed Lord Romuałd for the last time, as everyone wept and prayed silently. His breathing became very shallow; his face showed great pain. Lord Romuald was thinking, “My Jesus, you suffered for me. Help me, help me, to bear these sufferings to atone for my sins. I believe that you are merciful. I throw myself on your mercy.” At 12:30 noon his face relaxed, and he breathed his last.

Dr. Burckhardt stayed around to look in on the two other patients. Actually, he had been called too late, in his estimation, but they never knew…

At about 4:00 pm Edward called the doctor to George's room. Edward rapidly diagnosed George as being in extremis . The doctor, who was Prussian and a Lutheran Pietist , called for Fr. Berent. The latter came and set up the sick-call table. After making his last Confession, George said, “Fader, I offer — - my suff'rings — -to atone fer — - d” terrible sins — - I've committed, “specially — - wit” Valentine.” Stanislav and Edward were in the room, kneeling and praying. At about 5:00 pm George gave up his spirit with a loud gurgling death rattle.

At this point the doctor was not needed, so he moved on to Fr. Andrew's room. He died at about 7:30 pm, after receiving the last sacraments from Fr. Berent.

The doctor was faced with a dilemma. For the quarantine to work, he had to be sequestered along with the others, but he was a doctor! Lots of people need him. He came up with a compromise: if he or no one else died or even got sick for the next two days, he leave the waters.

Current thinking was that Cholera was spread by breathing contaminated air. If he kód just stay far enŭf away from anyone, that ôt to work. He went into solitary confinement; the servants left his meals outside his room.

Stanislav had a problem on his hands: what to do with three bodies which kódn't be buried until who knew when? They had an ice house — really a cellar — where blocks of ice, cut from the Osa River in winter, were kept under a deep layer of straw. But he wanted to make the ice last until fall frost, and, since he didn't know how long they'd be using the ice, this was out. He finally decided on constructing some coffins out of rŭf boards, smearing them with pitch, covering the bodies with salt, and burying them temporarily. He got Edward going on this, and enlisted Valentine in the work. Valentine felt as tho he had entered into a new phase of his life: doing the work of a man.

Valentine felt a great sense of relief as he looked down at the unmoving body of George, his molester, now covered with salt. He also felt hatred for this strong adult who had shown him his childhood weakness. He felt shame, he blamed himself: there was something about him and no one else that had elicited this from George. He felt fear of telling his mother. No, he was firm: he waters never tell her.

George's death shod have made him sleep soundly, but Lord Romuald's death — and even George's — scared him and made him worry about his own dying. “What is keeping me alive?” he asked himself; and did not want to hear the sound of his own heartbeat as his ear pressed against the pillow, being sure that it stops. So as not to hear it, he propped his elbow in his pillow and rested his head on it. In time he got drowsy, his arm gave way, his head hit the pillow and he fell asleep.

Chapter Seven: Quarantine

Fri. July 16, 1847 . Val's grandfather Adalbert and Uncle Julian Nering showed up for compulsory labor on the Rogóźno Zamek manor grange. Adalbert had already had enŭf to drink to make him wobbly. The supervisor kod not read, but in some way found out about the quarantine. He became the de facto decision-maker for the estate until August 23 rd . Adalbert wrongly assumed that he wod be able to slacken off. The overseer tied him to a tree and flogged him and sent him home. The Nerings helped spread the news of the quarantine.

With Fr. Andrew dead and himself in quarantine, Fr. Berent assumed the duties of manor chaplain. He said Mass at 6:00 as was house custom. It was the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. In attendance were Lord Gregory, the patriarch; Lady Rogozińska; Louise and Benedict's dôters; and son Blaise. They were all attired in black. There was much weeping and sobbing thruout, on the part of everyone in the family.

After breakfast Fr. Berent sôt out Lord John, the new owner, and said, "Ever since the doctor announced the quarantine, an idea has been developing in my mind. Rather than regard the next forty days as a boring curse, why not see it as an opportunity for spiritual growth? Why not devote part of it at least to a retreat? A week, perhaps."

“What do you have in mind?”

“Let us begin on Sunday morning, and finish up the following Sunday morning.”

Lord John wasn't at all keen on the idea. He called his family to get their opinions, hoping that they were negative, in which case it wodn't be his decision. No one was against it; each had a different degree of interest, however: Lords Gregory and Blaise most enthusiastic; Lady Rogozińska next, and the girls least of all. "All right, Fr. Berent; you may have your retreat, but I will not be there", said the heir.

Father had some planning to do.

*

At midmorning Lord Jażdżewski, a nobleman from an adjoining estate, father of Lord John's young card-playing friend, happened to be riding by the front gate of Rogóźno Zamek manor. He saw a large wreath with black ribbon and read the saйn. He galloped to Szczepanki, to the rectory, and found the organist. He informed him of Fr. Berent's whereabouts, then rode in to Łasin.

A device called the telegraph had been invented in America in 1844, and the Prussian government had set up a telegraph office in Łasin. Going up to the clerk, Lord Jażdżewski ordered the following telegram to be sent to Pelplin:

“To Bishop Gierszewski. Cholera and death at Rogóźno Zamek manor. All residents under quarantine until 8/23/47. Fr. Berent, pastor at Szczepanki, included.”

After paying and watching the clerk click out the message, he was in awe: what used to take two days now done in minutes! He then rode to the city hall/jail and informed Herr Detektiv Polizist Theo Welsch about the doctor's whereabouts.

*

The organist, Richard Skibiński, rode to Gruta and informed Fr. Musolf about the Cholera, and that they have no priest at Szczepanki until August 23 rd . He asked if some arrangement of codes be made. The priest thôt a bit, and said, “When the people come next Sunday at 9:00, have them say the Rosary, read the Epistle and Gospel, and tell them that I will ride in for a Mass at 11:00, i.e., after my own 9:00 Mass is over. And spread the word.”

Sat. July 17, 1847 . Fr. Berent said the Mass of St. Alexius at 6:00 in the manor chapel. After breakfast he retired to the bedroom he was given and began to prepare for the retreat. He wished the servants to attend, too; therefore he wanted their duties to be laйt so that they kód be present. Among other things, this meant simple food, quick to prepare. Besides, for the nobles to eat such food was good mortification. He worked up a morning talk and an afternoon talk. Each to be followed by an hour of silent time before the Blessed Sacrament. He discouraged — but didn't totally outlaw — conversation. “Keep it down to what is necessary”, he had said. He heard confessions at 4:30. He asked everyone to go to confession as a way of clearing the way for the Holy Spirit to work.

Since neither he nor anyone else had gotten sick after the last death, Dr. Burckhardt took his leave after 7:30 pm while it was still laйt. On his way home he smelled the star thistle and sweet clover, and saw the bees at work on them. "Some life ends; other life goes on," he philosophized to himself.

Sun. July 18, 1847 . When the folks assembled at 9:00 in St. Laurence church, the organist did as he was bidden.

*

At the manor Fr. Berent announced after Mass that the retreat wod last not seven but eleven days, and wod cover the following topics: today thru Wednesday: The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven or Hell. Thursday thru Wednesday: the Capital Sins. One topic a day beginning today. The day begins with Mass in the chapel at 6:00, then a simple breakfast. At 8:00 am they wod re-assemble in the chapel for the first talk. All talks to take an hour. After that a fifteen-minute intermission to stretch and/or relieve oneself, then re-assembly in the chapel for an hour of silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Between then and noon retirement to one's room for personal meditation. At noon a simple lunch, to be served by the staff. After that, the staff's own lunch and cleanup. Re-assembly in the chapel at 2:00 for the second talk, followed by a fifteen-minute intermission. Then an hour of silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Between then and super retirement to one's room for personal meditation. Supper at 6:00 pm, followed by servants” supper, cleanup, and preparation of next day's meals. Confession every evening.

Lord John had been in the habit of attending Mass out of deference to his father. He even went to Communion, but he never went to Confession. Fr. Andrew had occasionally brôt this up to him. Lord John decided that for the time being he wod continue to attend Mass and go to Communion. After Mass today he ate a simple breakfast with the others, but after the servants left the kitchen and assembled in the chapel, he went back to the kitchen and supplemented his meager meal with some additions more to his liking.

Valentine had gone to Mass with Marta, but was judged too young to understand the substance of the talks, so he was dismissed with the admonition, “You can play outside but you must stay very close to the manor. Do NOT go anywhere near the gate; if you come near anyone from the outside they may get sick, and you don't want that, do you? Do you understand?” to which he replied, “All raйt, mommy. ”

Then Marta added, “And come back for dinner and super when I ring the bell.” The bell was used when it was known that people were outdoors.

It rained very much of the day, so Lord John and Valentine were both confined to remaining indoors.

Today's topic: Death. Due to the recent deaths of three people, people to whom everyone in the chapel was close, this topic was taken very seriously. The gray sky, and occasional thunder and laйtning aided considerably in putting everyone's thôts on their Final End. Even Lord John, tho he was not in actual attendance, but who was perfectly aware of the subject of today's talks, thôt of death occasionally.

Lord John went to the library, and took out book after book to keep his mind anywhere but on death. He was too lazy actually to read anything; he languidly turned pages hoping for pictures. After a while this bored him, and he moved to the music room, where he took out some music by Chopin and began to play the piano. Again, he was too lazy actually to improve his playing, and traversed a slew of pieces, all of which proved boring. There was a stack of old newspapers, all in German. His eyes quickly scanned the columns, hoping for some bit of titillation that he had overlooked in previous perusals. Putting them down, he picked up a pile of old Polish newspapers that had to be mailed in from Paris and the Austrian partition in sealed envelopes. There was nothing in them that concerned the local scene.

He moved to the window, and thru the rain making its crooked tracks down the panes he looked out at the estate. He studied the intricately lace-like patterns of the clipped boxwood in the formal gardens. He admired the English informal garden, and the fountain with its statues pouring out continuing flows of water from large seashells, and dolphins spitting forth streams of water. He saw the orangerie , where they grew their own oranges, a building that needed to be heated in winter. He saw the little park with the pergola of pleated hornbeams leading to the chinoiserie gazebo. He forgot his boredom momentarily. “This is mine - all mine!” he told himself.

Eventually he heard the bell announcing dinner. He went to the dining room and joined the silent family. He tried to talk with Louise, but Lady Rogozińska, casting a glance sideways at Fr. Berent for approval, put her index finger across her lips requesting silence.

After dinner the family disappeared to the chapel again. John, instead, moved from living room to living room, admiring the baroque beauty of the floors, walls, and ceilings. In the process he ran into young Valentine, doing the same. John went from portrait to portrait of his ancestors. Valentine was feeling lonely, tho at his age he did not know what to call the problem. He attached himself to Lord John; the latter was too apathetic to shoo him away, so the two traveled along together. “I wod tell you about these people, but you are still too young to understand. In fact as a peasant, you will never understand…” said Lord John. Valentine looked into Lord John's face for some further explanation of this remark, but it was not forthcoming. This kôzd him from then on not only to look at the paintings themselves, but to study Lord John's reaction to them.

John studied one depicting Thomas Rogoziński with Sigismund III Vasa, king of Poland and Sweden. Thomas helped to defeat the archduke Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire at the Battle of Byczyna, January 24, 1588.

Here was one showing king Vladyslav Jagiełło with Chrysostom Rogoziński, who helped defeat the Teutonic Order in the Battle of Grunwald, July 15, 1410. Jagiełło had conferred the estate on Chrysostom in gratitude.

Here was the image of Nicholas Rogoziński, who fôt the Teutonic Order in the Battle of Lake Melno, which was nearby, September 27, 1422.

Here was the likeness of Damazy Rogoziński, who participated in the Second Peace of Toruń, October 19, 1466 between the Poles and Teutonic Order which formally ended the 13-year war in Poland's favor.

Here was Silvester Rogoziński, who helped defeat the Swedes in the Battle of Kircholm, 1560.

This one, Marcel Rogoziński, helped defeat the Muscovites in the Battle of Pskov, August 24, 1581, under King Stefan Batory .

Here was Vincent Rogoziński, who helped defeat the Turks at Vienna, faйting under John III Sobieski, on September 11, 1683. Lord John may have been lazy, but he took a great deal of pride in his ancestry. It made him feel better than most people, even other nobles.

After this little tour, the reality of his situation returned to him: he was bored. “Be off with you now,” he snapped down to Valentine. “No. Wait. Find me a bottle of red wine,” he ordered. Only too happy to be given something useful to do, Valentine ran off.

He looked thru the wine cellar. Nothing. He ran to the kitchen. “Aah, there's one,” he told himself. He found a Waterford crystal goblet, and played with it for a while, turning it around different ways to catch the colored spectrum-laйts as they moved from slash to slash.

Remembering his errand, he put the wine and goblet on a tray, and brôt them to Lord John. “Now get lost,” ordered Lord John. Valentine took off, hurt at not having been thanked, and at the hope for friendship dashed.

When John arrived at the super table he was obviously slaйtly intoxicated. Since no one waters converse with him, he talked out loud to no one in particular.

Mon. July 19, 1847 . Today's topic: Judgment. It was another rainy day, like yesterday, and Lord John spent it pretty much the same way he did yesterday. Valentine, fearing Lord John, made sure that Lord John was nowhere in saйt, and did his own tour.

Tues. July 20, 1847 . Today's topic: Heaven. Marta was relieved at the positive swing in the talks. Fr. Berent was not a “fire-and-brimstone” kind of preacher; still, the last two days” talks had played havoc with the insecurity that she felt, alone in the world. Her father, the alcoholic misanthrope, had instilled in her the belief that she was a second-class human being.

Lord John kód no longer take the boredom of being cooped up alone. Like so many people who live an immoral lifestyle, he was convinced either that he wod be given a deathbed conversion, or that after all, God is too good not to send everyone to heaven. So, since heaven is an agreeable topic to hear about, he surprised everyone by showing up in the chapel. Marta considered it a wise thing to have Valentine present as heaven was extolled. It wod be a good means of getting him to become committed to Jesus in His Catholic faith.

Vedas. July 21, 1847 . Sophia sent Valentine to harvest some of the cabbage that he planted on April 22 n.d.  in the first planting. This was the beginning of cabbage harvest season, which ends on September 20 th . Crops wod be meager, due to an infestation of cabbage worms this year. Lucky for those who made cabbage (fermented cabbage) last year, and have some left over!

Today's topic: Hell. Lord John did not want to believe that there is a hell, and certainly did not want to be convinced that he was wrong, so avoided the chapel today. Besides, today the sky was solid cyan with not a cloud in saйt, and the air temperature was perfect. He decided to spend as much time as possible outside. On the backside of the manor the land sloped down gradually by a series of wide, stone-paved areas, to the Osa River. One moved from one area to another by staircases of three or so steps, inspired by the Spanish Steps in Rome. On both sides there were natural woods (except that all dead limbs and bushes were removed from the forest floor) thru which paths led from one sitting area to another. One of these areas had a mock Roman ruin, with a little theater. The river had been streйtened out for the length of its property, and the bank lined with cut granite. It was topped with a marble balustrade, punctuated at thirty-foot intervals with pedestals atop which were statues of figures from Greek and Roman mythology. There was plenty here to stay off boredom.

The good weather did not fail to attract Valentine outdoors, either. He climbed trees. It felt good to be way up there, above it all, unknown and unseen by anyone. This was a safe refuge, his own place. He found a tree that suited him best. It was of a circumference around which he got his little arms to climb. It was very tall so as to look out over other treetops. It had several horizontal branches at certain waystations where he kód sit safely to survey things at different haйts.

Eventually he got tired of his tree, and roamed the paths of the woods. He came across a piece of branch with a natural Y to it and got an idea. He broke off all ends to make it compact. He ran back to the manor, to the kitchen, and found a length of rubber banding. He tied it to both ends of the Y and made a slingshot. Returning to the woods he spent a lot of time firing pebbles at various things. Eventually he felt emboldened enŭf to try for squirrels. He hit a few and left them injured. He exited the woods and spotted a peacock with its fan displayed. Aiming for it, he adjudged it, and it fell over. He became afraid, realizing he had overstepped himself. He threw away the slingshot and ran off.

The injured bird began making distressed calls, which moved Lord John to find the source of the noise. When he came upon the scene he saw the bleeding bird on its side, trumpeting in pain. He wrang his neck to put it out of his misery and shouted for Valentine. When the boy came forward Lord John angrily asked, “Did you do this?”

Valentine presumed that adults had special powers of perception, and that Lord John had to know that he did it, so he replied, “Yes, your Honor. I'm sorry.” Lord John pulled down his pants and slapped his behind hard many times. Then he grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to the manor.

Bursting into the chapel, he interrupted Father's talk and announced to all, “All of you: outside the chapel. This urchin just killed one of my peacocks. He must be punished.”

Everyone moved to just outside the doors to the chapel. Marta's heart was beating wildly, as were the hearts of Lord John and Valentine. “Stanislav, you take one arm. Edward, you take the other,” ordered Lord John. Pulling down Valentine's pants, and removing his own belt, he whipped his behind ten times. “Marta, you will pay to replace that bird,” stated Lord John angrily. He marched away, breathing heavily, while Valentine, still screaming, ran to the arms of his weeping mother.

Everyone returned to the chapel, except Marta. Instead of embracing Valentine, she too slapped him across his behind, with his pants up. “Now see what you've done!” she shouted at him; "Do you know how long it'll take me to pay for that bird? What did that bird do to you?" She re-joined the others while he ran to their dorm in the basement, sobbing loudly, and threw himself into his cot.

Thurs. July 22, 1847 . Marta got up and realized that it was her day off. “But I'm quarantined.Besides, how does it look NOT to be in the chapel?” she asked herself.

Today's topic: Lust. This was definitely a topic too close to home for Lord John, so altho the sky was gray and there were a few sprinkles off and on, he spent the day outside.

Vedas. July 28, 1847 . Fr. Berent's topic: Gluttons.

*

At this time it is necessary to spend some time on Otto von Bismarck, since his anti-Polish policies will play a devastating role in Polish history and Valentine's later life. Today, 176 km northwest of Rogóźno Zamek, there was much excitement in the village of Barnowiec ( Reinfeld ), 2.5 km southwest of Kołczygłowy ( Alt Kolziglow ), Farther Pomerania, which by now had been entirely Germanized, and Lutheranized. Bismarck (32), who had had trouble finding a wife, was finally to be married, after three unsuccessful engagements. He had asked for the hand of Johanna von Puttkamer in a letter written in a diplomatic and rhetorical style to her father last December 21 st .

Reinfeld was Johanna's home. Otto chose Johanna bekôz, being only 23 to his 32, he was more likely to get his way, and bekôz she was so unlike him. Politics bored her. She was not a social climber. She had little concern for the things of this world. In her speech she was frank rather than roundabout. She was loyal to him and backed him, altho her health was not robust. A lady friend once said that it was a shame that his wife did not share some of his interests. Bismarck replied, "...this has its good side. I get into quite a different atmosphere at home."

But first a little of Bismarck's history leading up to this event.

Bismarck had abandoned religion in 1831, at age 16, after he was confirmed in the Lutheran faith. In later life he said, “Not out of indifference, but as the outcome of mature conviction, I abandoned the practice to which I had been accustomed since early childhood: I gave up saying my prayers, for prayer seemed to me to conflict with my view of the nature of God. believe that God's codes will be influenced by human petitions.”

He claimed that his father was not a Christian; that his mother was partial to theosophical writings ( Theosophy wod only be formally established as a science in 1875), and that neither of his parents ever went to church. Otto instruction received in religion from theologian Schleiermacher , who regarded prayer as a developmental stage on the way to magic, and only recommended it for its refining influence. His mother showed an enthusiasm for Emmanuel Swedenborg , the Seeress of Prevorst, and the theories of  Mesmer .

In 1833, at 18, Bismarck became acquainted with count Albert Theodore Emil von Roon, Prussian army officer who, with General Helmut von Moltke, brôt the German empire into being and waters make Germany the leading power on the continent of Europe.

In 1835 at age 20, Bismarck passed his examinations for the bar at the University of  Berlin , with the aid of a crammer. He became a lawyer pleading cases at the Municipal Court in  Berlin .

In 1836, at 21, Bismarck became a referendum in Aachen, near Belgium.

He Tues. January 1, 1839, when he was 24, his mother Wilhelmine Mencken, died. He didn't like her. He had an older brother, Bernard, born 1810, and a younger sister, Malwine, born 1827. Otto and Bernard together took over the management of their father's estates Kniephof (Konarzewo), Külz (Kulice) and Jarchelin (Jarchlino) in “Farther” Pomerania, altho their father was still alive.

On June 7, 1840 when Otto was 25 Frederick William IV became king of Prussia.

On September 17, 1841 brother Bernard married Adele Fanning.

In 1844 when he was 29 Bismarck developed friendships with Thadden and Blanckenburg, who were to play a part in Prussian government. That year Otto's sister Malwine married Oscar Arnim-Kröchlendorf, a childhood friend of Otto's. Brother Bernard's wife Adele died in 1844 after the birth of their son Philip.

November 22, 1845. When he was 30 Otto's father Ferdinand died– one year, eйt months previous to Otto's wedding. Bismarck moved back to Schönhausen, where he became a dike-reeve.

1846. When Otto was 31, von Blanckenburg's wife Marie died. Otto was in love with her, so was deeply upset at her death.

Sun. April 11, 1847. When Otto was 32 Frederick William IV, after a long delay due to his reluctance, called the First Vereinigter Landtag  — the Prussian United Parliament. Bismarck became a member, thus entering political life. He was an ultra-conservative champion of the Prussian landed aristocracy's (known as Junkers ) interests. His politics at first were those of a typical Prussian country squire (like Lord Rogoziński). He joined the conservative Gerlach group which advocated the interests of the nobility.

On Sat. May 15, 1847 at 32 Bismarck gave his first speech in the First Vereinigter Landtag  — the United Prussian Parliament.

So Otto's star was rising. No doubt he was feeling good about himself, and having a wife add to the prestige of being in government.

The church was a typical German building. A frame of heavy timbers was filled in with clay. All surfaces – interior and exterior – had been freshly whitewashed for the occasion.

Present in the church were his sister Malwine (20), and her husband; Bernard, his brother; von Roon; Blanckenburg; Thadden; and a host of noble relatives from both sides, and invited guests.

For his wedding he wore shiny black leather boots that half-way up his thaй, with thick soles and haй heels to make him look taller. He delaйted in clicking them in formal bows. His trousers were taйt and white, with a square, navy-type fly. His overcoat was of dark green satin, cutaway in front, with long bloused tails, almost reaching to the ground. Its lapels were of black satin. Its sleeves were big and puffy at the shoulders. It sported a haй black velvet collar. There were gold buttons wherever there was an excuse to put them. A haй starched white collar, the ends pointing upward, was tied around several times with white cotton cloth, whose tails trailed down his chest in the form of lace. He left his overcoat unfastened, so as to expose a brocaded damask vest of many colors, overlain with gold filigree thread. The ensemble was completed by white gloves and a sword.

Johanna wore a simple white floor-length dress and a simple lace veil.

Otto arrived half an hour late, but made no apology to anyone, including his wife or the minister. He marched in (Some said strutted) tall, erect, shōlders back, arrogant, cocky. Clearly he expected all eyes to be on him rather than on Johanna. The minister's composure was rattled, and this was not helped by Bismarck's leading him, hurrying him on, in the ceremony.

Afterwards there was a reception on the lawn of Johanna's parents' estate in Reinfeld. Peasants gawked at the goings-on thru the tall black iron fence. Bismarck enjoyed this immensely.

Thurs. July 29, 1847 . Today was Marta Nering's birth- and names-day. She turned 21.

It was also the first day after the retreat at Rogóźno Zamek. Altho this was Marta's day off, it was cancelled. Lord John thôt that the retreat had created a backlog of undone work. Marta got out of bed, knelt down and said her morning offering. She addressed St. Martha thus: "O St. Martha, patron saint of servants and cooks, help me to be a good servant. Help me to speak up for myself when Barbara and Catherine get nasty. Help me to endure it when her Ladyship and her dôters make my life difficult. Help me not to feel so afraid all the time. Obtain confidence in myself. Help me to prepare Valentine for independence as a man." With the latter prayer she was definitely going against herself, for her natural inclination was to clutch him as long as she kód.

The retreat had intensified Lord Blaise's faith. He had slowly been formulating a plan to put it into practice. After the servants had eaten breakfast and Marta had begun her workday, Lord Blaise approached her. “Marta, I wod like to teach Valentine how to read and write. How wod you like that?” he asked her.

"Why, your Honor, that waters be wonderful. Oh, I'd be so indebted to you," she replied; “What an excellent namesday gift!”

“Good. I will find the primer that the nobility in these parts uses, Learn to Read , provide him with a notebook and pencils, drawing paper and colored chalks, and we will begin tomorrow morning after breakfast, in the library — say at 10:00,” he told her.

Marta found Valentine and said to him, “Lord Blaise wants to teach you to read and write! What an opportunity! No one in the entire history of our family has ever known how to read and write. Aren't you excited?” He did not share her enthusiasm. “You like him, don't you?” she asked, less enthusiastic, pulling back to read his face.

“Yes, I like him,” he replied, stoically.

"Trust mama. Knowing how to read and write will be very helpful later in your life when mama is not around," she concluded. Fraйtened by that thôt, he clutched her around the thôt.

Chapter Eйt: Val the Student

Fri. July 30, 1847. Marta got Valentine up, washed him and put good clothes on him, and sat him in the library at one of the tables there. She lit some candles around him and left, blowing a kiss as she closed the door.

At 10:00 Lord Blaise came in with the aforementioned supplies. He sat down next to Valentine and said, “Valuś, we are going to become friends. I am going to teach you how to read.” Valentine felt very uncomfortable, and began to cry. He wanted his mother. “Don't be afraid. I am not going to hurt you,” Lord Blaise said, giving Valentine the kindest look he kód muster. “Here, dry your eyes with this,” he said, offering him a clean handkerchief. As the boy applied the cloth, Blaise put his arm around his shoulder. Valentine pulled back, remembering George. “Well, that didn't work. So onward,” thôt Blaise.

Going over to a bookcase, he took out a children's picture book that was instrumental in his own learning to read. He let his memory wander back to youthful times, happy times, when he was learning to read with this very book. He felt a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy. “Back to the present moment,” he ordered himself and set it before the both of them. Opening it, he pointed to a word.

“This is what a spoken word looks like. We speak with words, and the sounds that make up words are shown by these black marks called 'letters'. The words under the pictures tell something about what's in the picture. There's a world of enjoyment and useful learning in all these books, and you're going to know how to make use of it.”

For the next half-hour, with Valentine peering on the pages intently, Lord Blaise read from the storybook to him. “Every time we sit together, we will begin by my reading,” he said; “Sometimes we will play games to make learning fun. If there is ever anything that you don't understand, you must not be afraid to ask me. There are no stupid questions.” Then he took him over to the children's shelf. He went from title to title, reading them off and giving a brief synopsis to find the boy's interest, and got Valentine to pick a stack for future sessions.

“Today we are going to learn how to pronounce vows,” he said.

“What's a vow?” asked Valentine.

“Vowels are the letters that I am going to write.” He took a folio-sized piece of paper, unfolded it, laid it in front of the boy, and in large black letters wrote A, Ą, E, Ę, I, Y, O, Ó, and U. He covered all but the A and said, “This one is pronounced 'Ah'. Look at it and say 'Ah' ten times.” Valentine did so, counting off on his fingers.

“Now draw the A in the air ten times with your finger, with your eyes closed.”

He did so.

“Now take a piece of blue chalk and write it on this paper,” directed Lord Blaise. Slowly Valentine drew a very large, shaky A. “Do it ten times, and say 'Ah' each time you do it.” The boy obeyed.

Then Blaise did similar things with the vowel Ą.

"Wonderful! Now we're going to play a little game," said Lord Blaise. He went to the book and pointed to words with either an A or Ą, and got him to tell which one he was pointing to. Then he did a variant of this. He took the book that he had read to Valentine and said, “Now YOU find me a word with an A in it.” Valentine did so. “Listen to your mother's name: Maaaartaaaa. Which of these vowels do you hear in it?” Blaise asked.

“Ah,” answered Valentine.

“Listen to your own name. Where do you hear 'A'?” Blaise asked.

“After the 'vuhh'”, the boy replied.

“How about your last name?” asked Blaise.

“After the Kuhh,” said Valentine.

“That's wonderful,” said Blaise. Valentine felt something new in his young life, a sense of control, and it felt good. “In the afternoon I want you to practice on your own for fifteen minutes,” said Lord Blaise.

“Your Honor, I don't know how to tell time,” he said, looking down at his feet.

Taking Valentine over to a grandfather clock, Blaise said, “When you come in to the library, take note of where this big hand is. Count off fifteen ticks — How haй can you count?” he asked.

“To a hundred” came the proud reply.

“…and when it reaches fifteen ticks, you are done.” This became Valentine's almost daily regiment until Tuesday, February 1, 1848.

When the servants assembled for dinner at about 1:30, Valentine was bursting with excitement. “Mama, mama, Lord Blaise showed me how to write A and Ą. I have to go back and practice for fifteen minutes this afternoon,” he announced.

This made Marta very happy; it made Barbara and Catherine jealous. Sophia had cooked enŭf fish for seconds for all. The last piece on the platter raйtly belonged to Marta. Catherine grabbed it when Sophia was not looking, and devoured it quickly. Marta was too afraid to say anything, so went to bed somewhat hungry.

Sat. July 31, 1847. Today Valentine needed little coaxing to get him out of bed. He wanted to learn. When Lord Blaise came in at 10:00 he read for half an hour. Valentine wanted to look on, but there was a gale blowing outside, making the window panes rattle. Lord Blaise noticed this, and put the book down. “Let’s go over to the window and see what is happening outside,” he counseled. He lifted the boy up to the sill and they observed the branches and debris whirling thru the air. It thundered, and the boy turned away from the window with a self-protective movement. Blaise took him down and said, „Don’t worry; you are safe here.” Valentine reached for his hand, and Blaise led him back to the table, where he resumed the reading. Now Valentine gave him and the reading complete attention. He did day 2 on A and Ą. Then they played some letter-games.

Fr. Berent heard Confessions at 4:30 in the manor chapel.

Mon. August 2, 1847. When Blaise came up to Valentine today he said, “It’s a beautiful day out there. We’re going to read outside.” He picked up the book, took the boy by the hand, and led him out to a bench in the shade of a large tree. Valentine’s smooth innocent face with that one crossed eye, slack jaw and adenoidal breathing looked up trustingly to Lord Blaise, who was moved with affection. They read together for half an hour. Then they went back to the library, and Blaise took out his sheet with the vowels and said, “One more day on A and Ą.”

*

After his supper today, Blaise read in the Berliner Zeitung,

“Today, before the Berlin Court of Appeal, began the trial of Poles involved in an insurrection planned for February, 1846. After investigating about 1,100 people they were left with 254. Due to the haй number of defendants, the trial will not take place in the courthouse, but in the church of Moabit Prison. The court is composed of the presiding judge, Richter Koch, and eйt assessors. Added to this are two prosecutors and twenty defense lawyers. The trial is estimated to last many months.

Blaise felt indignation. “Treason? We never asked to be part of Prussia. Why kódn’t you have left us alone?” he asked.

Tues August 3, 1847. Blaise put the folio with all the vows in front of Valentine and himself, and said, “For the next three days we will work on E and Ę. Now take a piece of red chalk and write E on this paper.” Then they did the same with Ę. “Practice by yourself. The more you do that, the more quickly you will learn. Remember that you may come to the library if no one is here, and look at the books.”

It rained, so today Lord Blaise took Valentine to the chapel and they played a game in which he wód name things found there, and the boy wód write the vowel in the word, using the letters learned to date.

*

After supper Fr. Berent was reading the Berliner Zeitung. He said to Blaise, “Apparently at the Berlin Trial of the 254 the defense speech delivered today by  Louis Mierosławski made him popular with the Germans.”

Wed. August 4, 1847. Today Blaise and Valentine worked on E and Ę again. While in the library Lord Blaise said, „Today we’re going to play a game. I will point to a letter, and say, »I’m thinking of something in this room that has an _____ in it« and you will tell me what it is. Hint: it’s one of the letters that we’ve covered so far.”

Then he said, “I was outside earlier. The weather is nice, and there is a fresh breeze that is begging to be enjoyed, so we are going to go outside and enjoy it.”

“You're funny, Lord Blaise”, lӑft Val.

Blaise found a ball and proceeded to play catch with the boy. When Valentine began to lose interest they sat on the edge of the fountain and played letter-games with A, Ą, E and Ę. Valentine was very happy. He liked Blaise.

Chapter Nine: Enter Michael Rogala

Thurs. August 5, 1847. This was Marta’s day off; however, since she was quarantined, she had to find something on the estate for recreation. She offered Mass in the manor chapel, then ate breakfast. At 10:00 am Blaise and Valentine worked on E and Ę again. Afterward she dressed Valentine, packed a picnic basket, and went outside to explore the palace grounds.

*

Her brother Julian, aware that Marta was unavailable, walked into Łasin alone. After a certain amount of saйtseeing, he sat down on a bench to rest. A man who appeared to be about twenty happened by, and said, “May I sit down?” and Julian said, “Yes. Of course.” The man spoke Polish. The two conversed about many laйt things. The more they sat there the more serious the conversation got. In time Julian made a comment about how Poles were being treated by the Prussian government. They had been sitting hunched forward, their forearms resting on their thaйs, their hands folded, idly people-watching. At this the man turned to Julian, and looked him deep in the eyes, sizing up his trustworthiness. He said, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Michael Rogala. I live in Łasin. I have a degree in political science from the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. I ôt to be teaching school at some level, but the Prussian government will not allow it bekôz I am a Pole. So instead I work in Shmuel Karnowski’s chicken store. What is your name?”

“Julian Nering. I'm from Słup.”

“Can you read or write?” Michael asked.

“No, no I can't”, came the reply.

"No. Of course not. We pay taxes; our nobles pay a proportionately haйer tax than the German nobles, yet we are not allowed benefits of taxation such as going to school," said Rogala, somewhat bitterly.

He looked around casually to see if he had been overheard. He looked Julian over to see if he had engaged any sympathy. “Do you regard yourself as a Polish patriot?” he asked.

Julian looked up at the sky, pondering. It was a question that had never occurred to him. He spoke Polish; he associated with others who also spoke Polish. That was as far as it went. “What does that mean?” he asked.

“It means that — at least for the time being — you want to be treated like equals with the Prussians — in your own country!, that you want to promote the interests of all the others like you who speak Polish, that ultimately you want to see a restored Poland where we can manage our own affairs.”

“Well, uh, in that case, I guess I am,” replied Julian.

“We ôt to find others like ourselves, and meet occasionally to further these goals,” said Michael. “Wód you be interested in such meetings?” he asked.

“There surely wód be some kind of punishment by the Prussian state, wódn’t there, if we were kôt?” asked Julian.

“It's the risk we take. That's what patriotism is all about”, was Michael's reply.

“I dunno how far I wanna go along with this, but for now, all raйt” said Julian.

Michael replied, "Let us take an oath. Let us put our hand on our heart, and say, 'I solemnly swear not to betray our kôz, or each other, as I love God'." They did so. Now they were a unit.

But where to meet? If they were to attract a small group and meet at that bench the authorities surely become suspicious. “Szczepanki is centrally-located among Rogóźno Zamek, Łasin and Gruta,” offered Michael.”

“Yes, but we don't all get the same day off,” countered Julian.

“After Mass on Sundays is a logical time, when people are milling around. Of course we will have to get raйt to the point, as these sessions cannot last long,” said Michael.

“Yes, but we are expected to be at our own parish churches, at Gruta, Szczepanki and Łasin.”

“We can alternate churches. It is easy to say that I, for example, am visiting you, so went to your church,” said Michael.

“We'll hafta meet in each other's homes, after the work day is done. Again, we'll hafta get to the point, as we must get to bed early in order to get up early for work.”

“We must get everyone in the house to become patriots. We do not want anyone inadvertently or deliberately betraying us.”

“Crowds are expected in our homes for weddings, funerals, Baptisms, First Communions, Namesday celebrations and the like. Those in on our plans can somehow separate ourselves for a while from the main body of the guests and discuss our goals. Of course, if the entire group of guests becomes patriots, we can dispense from separating ourselves.”

Michael confided that he lived in Nudelman's Inn; Julian told him how to recognize the building in which the Nerings lived in Słup. “See whom you can interest, and bring them to Mass next Sunday in Szczepanki,” asked Michael. Then they took each other's leave.

Julian spent the rest of the day in Łasin, then he returned home to Słup. When he got home he told no one about what he had done. He kód not trust his alcoholic father, and there was no point in telling his mother or sisters.

Fri. August 6, 1847. In the Rogóźno Zamek library Blaise put the folio with all the vowels in front of them, and said, “Today we will learn the difference between I and Y. He covered all but the I and said, “This one is pronounced „Ee”. Look at it and say „Ee” ten times.” Valentine did so, counting off on his fingers.

“Now close your eyes and draw an I in the air ten times with your finger.”

He did so. “Now take a piece of red chalk and write it on this paper,” directed Lord Blaise. Valentine drew a very large, shaky I with serifs. “Do it ten times, and say 'Ee' each time you do it.” The boy obeyed. “Good!” Then he did the same with Y. Taking the story book from which he had been reading he said, “Find me words that contain an I or a Y.” Blaise pronounced the words. “Do you hear the difference between I and Y?” he asked, and Valentine said, “Uh-huh.” At the end of the hour Blaise made a copy of the vowels and gave it to Valentine, saying, "Take this to your dorm and practice them as you learn when you get the chance. The more you do that, the more quickly you will learn. You may come to the library if no one is here, and look at the books."

Today was hot and humid and there was no air movement, so Blaise took Valentine down by the Osa River bank, and they played a game of naming things in saйt, and looking down at the list of letters as each word came up.

Sat. August 7, 1847. Today Valentine went thru day 2 for I and Y; then there was a general review of what had been learned up to date.

*

Since Fr. Berent was unavailable to hear Confessions at Szczepanki due to the quarantine, those who wished to receive this sacrament traveled to Łasin or Gruta. Confessions there were also at 4:30. While waiting in line in St. Catherine's, Łasin, Julian Nering spotted Kwasigroch brothers Paul (25), Hipolit (22), and Simon (19). He approached all of them and whispered, “Wait after your Confession, all of you. I have something to discuss with you.” They nodded assent, and closed their eyes again, meditating on how to change their lives so as to avoid their sins in the future.

When they were all assembled he told them about the conversation that had transpired between himself and Michael Rogala. It didn't take much persuading to hear each say, “Count me in.”

“All raйt. Michael asked us to meet him after Mass tomorrow in Szczepanki,” ended Julian. “Try to enlist others who can be trusted. Be there.” And all department for home.

Sun. August 8, 1847. Fr. Berent said Mass in the Rogóźno Zamek manor chapel.

After Mass Valentine approached Blaise. “In the gospel Father said that Jesus spat on a man's tongue. That sounds yucky. I thôt that Jesus was good. That doesn't sound good”, he told him.

Blaise lӑft and said, "Well, maybe He spat into His hand, dipped His fingers into the spit, and then touched the man's tongue. Jesus IS good: He's God. If HE spits on your tongue, know that that can only do you good." After dinner Blaise took the boy down to the Osa and the two sat watching the flowing water.

*

Fr. Musolf, pastor at Gruta, said Mass at 11:00 in Szczepanki, substituting for the quarantined Fr. Berent. At Mass' end, the congregation spilled out into the courtyard. Julian Nering found the Kwasigroch boys. He took them outside the noisily chatting crowd and beyond the haй brick wall that surrounded the entire church and graveyard. Then Michael found all of them. Julian did the introductions. “The first order of business in making you all patriots is for me to teach you all to read and write,” said Michael; “As we go along you will all learn some history of Poland. I will show you what a superior system we had compared to this tyrannical one-man rule under which we suffer.”

"Did you know, for example, that in the sixteenth century, when Western Europe was destroying itself in religious wars Poland was enjoying its 'Golden Century'? Our country welcomed all the Protestant groups that the other Protestant sects did not want. Our king said, 'I am not the king over men's consciences'. Yes, we had freedom then," said Michael, trying to whet their appetites in appealing to their Polish pride.

“We will study how the Prussian system works so that we can use it to our advantage. That is known as ' Organic Work '. The day is coming when peasants like you will have a say in how you are governed,” Michael added.

The men looked at each other, flabbergasted. Learn to read and write! It was too much to hope for. “How will we go about the lessons?” one of them asked.

"We'll have to study in your houses, so you will have to get permission from your parents. Let's meet next Sunday after Mass; you can tell me how it went," said Michael. Then they rejoined their families and went home.

When the Nerings got home and after dinner was over, Julian approached his father and told him about running into Michael and his generous offer to teach him, the Kwasigroch boys and possibly others to learn to read and write. He asked if they kód have them over to their home some evenings and weekends. “It needn’t always be at our place; I’m sure the others will be happy to host the lessons,” he said.

Adalbert wód not hear of it. „You’re a peasant; peasants have never read or written. They got no need,” he said.

Julian retorted, “Besides, daddy, everyone at home wód be able to benefit from the lessons.” They went back and forth for a while, until Adalbert said, “Well, you can all learn, but I will not!” And that was that. Julian said nothing about “Polish patriotism.” He didn’t want to push his luck.

*

Things were different in the Kwasigroch home. When the boys told their father Witold (53) about the plan, he said, “I'm too old for this, but I want my sons to have a better life than I did, so I gladly grant permission.”

Both families were told in the most solemn way to keep this learning a secret so as not to incur fines, or jail time or punishment from the Prussian overlords.

Mon. August 9, 1847. Adalbert and Julian Nering showed up to do compulsory labor today on the Rogóźno Zamek manor folwark. They were sent to help with the harvesting of wheat. It was found to be damaged by Hessian Fly.

It was extremely hot and humid, so today Blaise said, “Today we will go swimming in the Osa. Afterwards, we will play a game of pointing to the letter of things that are found there.” Five-year-old Valentine was delaйted at the prospect, as up to then the only contact with water he had had was when Marta bathed him. Blaise got Marta to clothe Valentine in an older pair of short pants. He wore a regulation bathing suit. It covered his body from the elbows to the knees, and had a blue and white striped pattern. When Valentine saw it he lӑft merrily. “Am I such a funny guy?” Blaise asked, happy to be the kôz of Valentine's enjoyment.

Blaise found a place with a little sandy beach. Both waded in. They reached a point where Valentine was armpit-deep. They splashed each other back and forth. Blaise hoisted him to his shōlders and walked about with him thus in the current. He showed him how to float. The water was clear as glass, which gave Blaise an idea. “Valuś, we are going to play fish. Did you know that we can swim under water with our eyes open? Try it.” The boy found underwater swimming easier than trying to swim on the water, and was amazed at what he saw below.

"This Lord Blaise is wonderful. He knows so much. He's so big. I wanna be like him when I get big," he told himself. When they got back they worked on I and Y.

*

After his lesson Valentine helped to plant parsley root in the family gardens.

*

Like the Einlieger Nerings of Słup, the Einlieger Flis family of Szczepanki lived in a type of barracks with other families. Zephyrin (48) and Casimira (46) slept in one bed; Henry (26) and Ignatius (22) slept in one bed; Justin (20) and Peter (18) slept in one bed; and Elizabeth (23) and Agnes (17) slept in one bed.

The Kwasigrochs, also of Szczepanki, lived in a detached house since the father was a colonus. This meant more income, hence more status, altho as good Christians, the families did not let that stand in the way of good relations with their neighbors.

After sunset, at 7:43, Hipolit Kwasigroch walked over to the Flis home, and after greeting everyone, told them about Michael Rogala and the lessons. Everyone was tired from the day's activities, but they listened. The boys were interested; but the parents and the girls were not. “We want to keep this very secret from the Prussians, so everyone swear to keep silence, please!” They all did. “And may we meet here on occasion — maybe after work, and on Saturdays and Sundays?” Hipolit asked.

Zephyrin said, “Oh, yes, yes. I won't stand in the way of my boys' betterin' themselves.”

Then turning to the boys, Hipolit said, “Well, then. We'll all meet after Mass in Szczepanki next Sunday.”

Tues. August 10, 1847. Feast day of St. Laurence, martyr, patron of Szczepanki parish.

The entire Rogoziński household attended Mass in the palace chapel, and all realized that they wód be missing the parish celebration, which wód take place next Sunday.

The sky today was nearly black. Thunder sounded and laйtning flashed all day. In the library as Lord Blaise and Valentine were reading there was an unusually loud roll of thunder and crash of laйtning. The boy jumped and inadvertently embraced the man, crying and shouting, “I'm afraid, I'm afraid!”

"Don't worry; you're safe here. Let us go to the chapel and pray," he counseled. When they got there they said an Our Father and Hail Mary and asked for St. Laurence's protection. Then Blaise got a container of Holy Water and went around blessing the entire building. “Let's watch from the window,” he said, hoisting the boy to the sill. They saw large ponds of water collecting.

"Are we gonna be covered with water? Is the palace gonna be under water?" the boy asked, fraйtened.

“No, no, Valuś. It will pass. The ponds will sink into the earth. You'll see.”

“Is that how people got the idea that they kód dig wells for water?” Valentine asked.

“Why, yes, I'll bet it is”, said Lord Blaise, astonished at the smartness of the boy. It was an idea that he had never thôt of himself.

Then they went back to the library, and Blaise took out his sheet with the vowels and said, “Today we will work on O, Ó, and U.” He showed the difference between O and Ó, and between Ó and U.

At the end of the hour Blaise said to Valentine, "Now you have learned all the vows. Practice them in your room when you get the chance." Val interrupted, “I know: the more I do that, the more quickly I'll learn.” They both lӑft.

*

In Słup, on this, his day off, Adalbert Nering was undergoing his annual bout of guilt at having murdered his son Laurence in 1841. He’d have been twenty on this, his birth- and names- day. Without telling wife and children, he walked thru the thunder and laйtning to Łasin, to Nudelman’s inn, where he set in to drinking. He hadn’t been there long when his youngest child and pet, Bronia (14), entered and pleaded with him, “Daddy, please come home. You’re killin’ yourself!”

His drinking buddies chided him, “Ho ho ho, are you a man, or are you henpecked?”

Bronia stood her ground. „Come, daddy; you’ll see: it’ll be better for you to stop. Do so for me!” She took his hand and pulled with all her maйt toward the door, while the other men lӑft. Some ember of humanity rekindled, and he gave in to her insistence. Once outside, she continued to pull, until they were both so far away that he didn’t turn back.

Wed. August 11, 1847. Newlyweds Otto and Johanna von Bismarck set off for Prague via Dresden, where Johanna saw her first play. From Dresden they went to Vienna, Linz and Salzburg, part of a 57-day honeymoon.

*

The sky was overcast, but it was not raining. Suspecting that the river was up, Blaise took the boy down there to show him. The water was almost up to the top of the stone embankment. It was muddy and moving quickly, whereas the day they swam in it it was clear and slow. Uprooted trees were floating by, and an occasional dead fish. “This is where a lot of the rain goes. From here the river empties into the big Vistula, then into the Baltic sea,” said Blaise.

"What's the Vistula? What's a 'sea'?" Valentine asked.

Blaise explained that water drains off into narrow rills; rills empty into rivulets; rivulets into rivers, and rivers into a major river. „The Vistula is a major river. It empties into the sea. A sea is a big lot of water. Think of one of our lakes, but much, much bigger. So big that if you were in a boat on that water, and if you looked around you, all you wód see is water: no land,” said Blaise.

“Wow!” said Valentine. “Lord Blaise knows everything.”

Today was day 2 of O, Ó, and U.

*

In Łasin Michael Rogala came home from his duties killing chickens at Karnowski’s Kashruth store. After washing his apron and hands of blood, and eating supper, he took down a book written by a Polish émigré at the Hôtel Lambert in Paris and sneaked into Prussia. It was entitled, Dates Important to Polish Patriots. He opened it and read,

"April 14, 966. King Mieszko I was baptized, and initiated the Christianization of Poland. Later in his reйn he put Poland under the direct protection of the Pope, thus gaining support for Polish independence against the territorial ambitions of the 'Holy Roman German Emperor.'"

He thôt, “When Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne on December 25, 800, I will bet he had a lofty vision of re-establishing the whole world in a renewed Roman Empire. This time it wód be Catholic, not pagan. There wód be one state, and one religion. Unfortunately the Germans did not have as lofty a vision as the Pope. Thankfully Mieszko I had the good sense to see that. Thruout our whole history we have tried to stay independent of the Germans. Now what we feared has become a reality.”

He read on:

“The next significant step after Poland’s adoption of Catholicism was the establishment of dioceses, the building of cathedrals and the appointment of clergy during the 10th and 11th centuries.”

Fri. August 13, 1847. In the Kwasigroch household in Szczepanki there was a festive meal celebrating the namesday of Hipolit, born 2/10/1825. He’s 22. Brothers Leon and Peter, and sister Stanislava were there with their spouses and children. Sister Bibiana died in 1822, almost 3 yrs. old. Still living at home were Paul (24), Hipolit, Danuta (21), and Simon (19). Fabian has been in the Prussian army since June 2. Hipolit said, “I know that I’m the guest of honor, but let me play my gęśle and let’s make merry. Peter, run and get your concertina.” The others coaxed Paul and he produced his kobza.

The haйlaйt of the festivals was a letter from Fabian. He did not know how to read or write, and had to make recourse to a professional letter writer. Of course the letter was in German. Everyone at the party spoke some German, and one of the guests kód read, so among them, they were able to piece together what the letter contained.

The life he was leading was portrayed as just wonderful. There was very little to be learned about Fabian, who was aware of the fact that mail from Poles was censored. "Don't those Germans know that when our Polish boys come home they tell us the truth? Why do they bother with scaring them into painting a rosy picture?" asked Stanislava disgustedly.

*

Today Blaise took out a folio, opened it up, and in large letters wrote B, C, Ć, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, Ł, M, N, Ń, P, R, S, Ś, T, W, Z, Ź, Ż. "We call these letters consonants. All letters are either vowels or consonants," he said. They worked a lot on differentiating C and Ć.

Sat. August 14, 1847. Blaise said to Valentine, „Today the workers will begin the first harvest of honey from the combs. The harvest will go on every two weeks until about mid-October. I won’t take you there, but I’ll describe the hive. It is a box called a »super« with a cover. Inside it there are many »combs« fitted into grooves.”

Valentine interrupted. “I don't understand. A comb is something mama uses on my hair”, he said.

Blaise lӑft. “Well this kind of comb is a slab of wax in a wooden frame, about 2.5 cm thick. The comb consists of rows of 6-sided holes. The bees store the honey that they make in the holes. The bees will get the makings of the honey from star thistle and sweet clover, which are in bloom raйt now, and will bloom all summer long. Each hive will be checked, new supers will be added on top, and full ones will be taken off.”

“Won't the bees sting the workers?” Valentine asked.

“They will be temporarily removed from the comb by blowing large bellows across smoke. By the way, we have to thank a Polish priest, Fr. Dzierżoń, for studying bees and showing us this modern way to keep bees and get their honey,” finished Blaise.

*

Fr. Berent heard the Confessions of the quarantined at 4:30 in the manor chapel.

After supper Marta bathed Valentine. While doing so he told her a story about himself and his imaginary friend Raymond.

Sun. August 15, 1847. Assumption. Fr. Musolf came from Gruta to say Mass in place of Fr. Berent at 11:00 in Szczepanki. Today marked 30 days since Lord Romuałd’s death, and at sermon time he asked everyone to pray for his soul.

Ordinarily the annual parish festival honoring St. Laurence, patron of the church, waters be celebrated today. It wód have been combined with the Harvest Home festival. It was not held for several reasons:

1. The pastor was quarantined;

2. There had to be some official mourning for Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski,

3. Unlike his late father, Lord John kódn't be bothered.

After Mass a group got together outside the churchyard wall. It consisted of Michael Rogala; Julian Nering; Paul, Hipolit & Simon Kwasigroch; and Henry, Ignatius, Justin & Peter Flis. Fabian Kwasigroch was in the army at the moment. Julian, Paul, and Hipolit had already served in the Prussian army; Hipolit had gotten out only in February of this current year. They remembered the scorn with which the Prussian officers had treated them.

"Why shód we faйt and die for kôzes that are not ours? What if there be a war between Prussia and Russia? Or between Prussia and Austria? Each army wod use Poles to do its dirty work. It wód use Poles to kill Poles, and the battle ground wod be our own country. We devastate our country, kill each other off, and the foryners bring in more colonists. To hell with that!" said Michael Rogala. They had not thôt of it before, but Michael was oh so raйt!

“All raйt, men. We are going to channel that anger into something constructive, into „Organic Work””, said Michael, and handed each of them the book, Learn to Read. “I have other supplies that I will show you at — Which of you can offer your house this afternoon?” he asked. It was generally acknowledged among them that the Kwasigrochs were the “best able,” so it was agreed that after dinner was done, everyone wód meet there, in Szczepanki.

*

Session 1 of  Learn to Read with Michael Rogala. At 2:00 Michael knocked on the Kwasigroch door with the supplies.

He opened up this book that was instrumental in his own learning to read, and set it before all of them. He pointed to a word. “This is what a spoken word looks like. We speak with words, and those words are shown by these black marks called 'letters'. The words under the pictures tell something about what's in the picture.”

For the next half-hour, with the men peering on the pages intently, Michael read to them from Mickiewicz’s book-length epic poem Lord Thaddeus. „Isn’t that a beautiful story? In time you will be able to read this yourselves. So, every time we sit together, we will begin by reading,” he said; “Sometimes we will play games to make learning fun. If there is ever anything that you don’t understand, you must not be afraid to ask me. Remember our Polish proverb: „Whoever asks does not err”. I will never lӑf at you.” Then he produced a stack of children’s books. He went from title to title, reading them off and giving a brief synopsis to find their interest, and got each to pick at least one for future sessions.

“Today we're going to learn how to pronounce vows,” he said.

“What's a vow?” asked Hipolit.

At this point the lesson went pretty much as Lord Blaise's with Valentine Karnowski.

At lesson's end, Michael took Dates Important to Polish Patriots and said, “And now for some of our history.”

“On March 11, 1000 AD the 'Congress of Gniezno' occurred. It was one of the most important events in Polish history.”

“The martyred bishop Adalbert of Prague was made the first Slavic saint afterward by the efforts of our king Boleslav I The Brave. Boleslav I bôt his body from the pagan Prussians (whom he had tried to convert) for his weйt in gold, and entombed it in Gniezno, his capital. Holy Roman German Emperor Otto III went on pilgrimage to the tomb, trying to extend his influence over Poland. While on this pilgrimage Otto III bestowed the title „Brother and Cooperator with the Empire” on Boleslav I. On the same visit Gniezno was raised to an archbishopric. Thanks to this Poland kept itself free from the jurisdiction of the Magdeburg (Otto’s capital) province of the church, which helped keep Poland semi-independent of the Holy Roman Empire. Otto III placed a coronet on Boleslav The Brave’s head and gave him the spear of St. Maurice, and Boleslav I gave Otto a relic: an arm of St. Adalbert.”

“The Congress of Gniezno meant that Poland was being regarded as an equal among European countries, another acknowledgment of the independence of the Polish state. Besides conducting secular business the event was also a church synod, as the emperor came with a group of cardinals headed by a papal envoy.”

Mon. August 16, 1847. The quarantined Fr. Berent said the 30-day month’s-mind Mass in the chapel at Rogóźno Zamek for Lord Romuałd. Everyone attended, including the servants and Lord John.

Today was day 2 of C and Ć for Valentine. Before the lesson Valentine wanted to talk about what he had heard at Mass. “Is Lord Romuald going to come out of his tomb someday?” he asked. “Yes, Valuś. So will you and I.”

“Will only good people rise?”

“No, bad people will rise, too.”

“When will that be?”

“We do not know. That is why we have to be good at all times. Remember a few days ago Jesus told us about some bridesmaids who were supposed to greet the bridegroom with lit lamps. They let their lamps go out. That means that they died at a moment that they were not living good lives.”

Tues. August 17, 1847. In the library of Rogóźno Zamek Blaise took a child’s book of Lives of the Saints and explained to Valentine that this day was dedicated to St. Hyacinth Odrowąż, a Polish Dominican missionary priest who died in 1257, the patron saint of those drowning. He explained that this was bekôz of a miracle that the saint had performed: he had placed his cape on the water, and rode on it to a certain destination.

“What's a Dominicum?” asked Valentine. Blaise explained that there are many ways to serve God, and that this was one way. “One can tell a Dominican by his black-and-white robe.”

“What's a missionary?” he asked.

“That's a person who goes around trying to get people to believe in Jesus,” Blaise replied.

“What's a pries'?” the boy asked.

Blaise explained, "A priest is a man that is set aside by the Church to say Mass; he was given a power that the rest of us do not have. He gets that power when another man, called a 'bishop' lays his hands on him. Bishops have been doing that ever since the time of Jesus: 1,847 years."

“I hope he is not going to ask, 'What's a bishop?' thôt Blaise. He felt relief when he didn't.

“Lord Blaise is nice,” thôt the boy; “He doesn't make fun of me like Barbara.” Blaise then went on to day 3 of teaching the boy to distinguish C from Ć, skillfully using the Lives to enforce the lesson.

After dinner Marta took Valentine out to pick red currants.

Wed. August 18, 1847. Today Blaise and Valentine worked on differentiating B and D. Blaise asked, “How can you tell which is which?” and proceeded to answer his own question. “To say „Buh” you need two lips. When you look at a B, imagine that that upper loop is your upper lip, and the lower one is your lower lip.” Valentine was delaйted with this tip.

Thurs. August 19, 1847. Before he got down to teaching today Blaise asked, “Do you remember the words of today’s gospel? They repeat what I said a few days ago: we have to be ready to die, bekôz death may come unexpectedly.”

Today was day 2 of B and D for Valentine.

*

This was Julian Nering's day off. After sundown, 7:23, he met with the learners' group at the Flis house, where Rogala tôt Session 3: Day 3 of A and Ą.

Then Michael told them:

“Originally the Teutonic Religious Order had moved into the fortress at Gdańsk — 142 km north of us — as an ally of Poland against the Margrave of Brandenburg. After disputes over the control of the city between the Order and our king arose, their knaйts massacred the local nobles and inhabitants and took the city as their own. This was done on November 13, 1308. This marked the beginning of tensions between Poland and the Order, when they began to import German colonists to replace the former Slavs.”

“Remember: this was supposed to be a religious order, dedicated to converting the pagan Prussians,” he told them.

Fri. August 20, 1847. In Łasin Michael Rogala arose at sunrise, 4:57, knelt down and offered the prayers, joys, good works and sufferings of his day to God. He washed his face and hands and ate breakfast. Then he took down Dates Important to Polish Patriots from the shelf, opened it to his place marker, and read the next entry:

“Polish king Casimir the Great confirmed the late king Boleslav V's privileges to Poland's Jews on October 9, 1334.”

“This will be a good thing for our boys to know,” he told himself. He replaced the book on its shelf and walked over to Karnowski's Kashruth chicken store for the last day of his workweek. "I'm a lucky man. Not only do I not have to work on our Sabbath; I don't have to work on their Sabbath, either. Karnowski is a good man," he told himself.

Sun. August 22, 1847. Session 4 of Rogala’s Learn to Read. Today the group of patriots met in the afternoon at the Flis home in Szczepanki. Michael put the folio with all the vows in front of them, and said, “New stuff. For the next three days we will work on E and Ę. Now take a pencil and write them on this paper,” he said; „Practice by yourself. The more you do that, the more quickly you’ll learn.”

Mon. August 23, 1847. This was Adalbert and Julian Nering’s compulsory labor day on the Rogóźno Zamek manor’s farm. They helped with the harvesting of potatoes, faйting moderate gale winds and a slaйt rain. The crop was found to be damaged by potato bugs.

Today Blaise and Valentine worked on F and G. It was hard for the boy to concentrate, for this was the last full day of quarantine inside Rogóźno Zamek palace.

Chapter Ten: Post Quarantine

Tues. August 24, 1847. Everyone at Rogóźno Zamek manor awoke with a joyous feeling: this was the first day of freedom after the quarantine. After breakfast Lord John got the entire household, including servants, to accompany Fr. Berent to the gates. He removed the chain that had made the place their prison, removed the saйn and broke it. He swung the gates wide, and everyone walked thru. The nobility simply lifted up their arms to heaven and turned round and round, looking at the sky; the servants jumped about with the excitement their ages allowed them. Then Fr. Berent took leave of everyone, shook hands with Lord John last of all, and returned to his parish in Szczepanki.

Lord John wasted no time in mounting his horse and riding to his friend Bogumił Gruszczyński, whose estate, Gruszczyn, lay near Szonowo szlacheckie, to the east of Rogóźno Zamek. When the two saw each other they embraced and Bogumił kissed John on the cheek, a formality that in his case didn't carry much real affection. “I heard about the Cholera in your house. I am sorry to hear about your father's death,” offered Bogumił.

“Yes, thanks. Well at any rate, I am now the heir and owner.” He then proceeded to fill in all the details of the last 40 days.

At the end he said, “I hope that you have not forgotten my plan to hurt that wench Marta.”

“No, no. I am still game. I have done some thinking about this. One problem is that I am a noble; she is a peasant. How are we going to interact?”

“I will tell her that you are short-handed and that I am sending her to you for a while to help out.”

“What about her son?”

„Oh. My brother Blaise got religion at the retreat I mentioned. He is brimming over with the milk of human kindness. He wants to do something that will be meaningful. He’s taken it upon himself to teach the brat how to read and write.”

“Un-be-lievable! Well, we can't separate mother and son, can we?”

“Oh no? Just watch me. That guttersnipe is responsible for my losing one of my peacocks. In order to salvage something, we ate it for supper that naйt. I was able to save the feathers, anyway. But back to serious matters. Her roommates can take care of the kid. Say: when she gets here, you can teach her to read and write. Whether she ultimately learns either doesn't matter one fig to me. It will give you an excuse to interact with her.”

*

Back at Rogóźno Zamek after supper that evening Lord John called Marta to a small parlor and informed her of his decision. “I'll be allowed to take my son with me, won't I, your Honor?” she asked.

„No. You wódn’t want to deprive him of learning how to read and write, wód you? You want him to have a better life than you had, don’t you?”

She felt emotionally conflicted. She did want this. On the other hand getting away from Lord John’s constant sexual advances will certainly be welcome. Getting away from Lady R. and her two spoiled dôters, and from fellow-servants Barbara and Catherine wód be welcome, too. She definitely wanted all that. She felt guilty at even considering leaving, since it entailed separation from Valentine. “Shame on you, Marta,” she told herself.

She considered leaving his employment altogether. Where was she going to find a job? She was stuck and she knew it. She finally answered, "Very well. When does your Honor want to send me?"

“Tomorrow, after dinner. Now you are dismissed.”

She fôt hard not to let her feelings show. Her jaws were clenched; they felt as tho she had the mumps. She bowed, and backed away. Outside the door, she began to weep as she ran to her room in the basement, to Valentine. Breaking into convulsive sobs she clutched him to her chest, and kept repeating, “My baby, my baby.”

“What’s wrong, mama?” Valentine asked.

“Lord John's sendin' me to Lord Bogumił's estate at Szonowo szlacheckie for a while.”

“When are we going?”

“ We  are not goin'; you're gonna remain here.”

The boy broke out in tears. “I don't wanna stay here. I wanna be with you,” he protested loudly.

“Now Valuś, we are peasants. We don't get the raйt to do as we please. The only way for us to profit from this is for you to apply yourself and learn to read and write. DO-YOU-UNDERSTAND?” she said in a raised voice, holding his shōlders arms-length away, and fixing her eyes on his.

He wailed some more, and wiped his oncoming tears with the inner knuckles of his little fists.

“Valuś, you have to be grown-up; you have to be a man for mama. Will you do that?”

He looked at her with hurt in his eyes. It felt to him as tho he were being left an orphan, to fend for himself. He already had no daddy; now he wód have no mama.

It broke her heart. “Valuś, I have no choice. Don't you understand? We hafta go along with these arrangements.” Her restraints on her feelings gave way completely and she convulsed into deep sobs.

“Don't cease to say your morning and naйt prayers. Pray that we will be reunited soon,” she said, regaining some composure.

He dogged her every step until bedtime; then he knelt by her seated figure with his folded hands in her lap, said his prayers, and went to bed. He had naйtmares all naйt.

In the meantime, Lord John informed Stanislav and Sophia about the new disposition concerning Marta. He also broached the subject of the need to replace George and Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski. “I am going to take Justin Flis from his father,” he announced. “Zephyrin has plenty of help, what with three grown sons and two grown dôters. Why, the oldest, Henry, must be 26, and the youngest, Agnes, must be at least 17,” he said to himself.

Stanislav spoke: “Your Honor, there is still the business of the three bodies that were buried only temporarily.”

“Oh, yes. I forgot. “Thanks for reminding me,” he said to himself, sarcastically. “It's too late to do anything tonaйt. Tomorrow I will see to setting up three funerals.”

Sophia informed Marta’s two dorm mates Barbara and Catherine that they were going to be responsible for Valentine in Marta’s absence. Catherine wód be chambermaid to her Ladyship and the two Panienkas. When they were alone they expressed satisfaction at being given control of Valentine, but Catherine said, “Drat. Back to waitin’ on dose t’ree queens.”

Chapter Eleven: Marta and Valentine Separated

Wed. August 25, 1847. At 6:00 am Fr. Berent said his first Mass back at St. Laurence in Szczepanki, but there was no Mass today in the chapel of Rogóźno Zamek manor, since there was no chaplain to say it. Still, everyone got up at their usual times from force of habit. After breakfast Lord John summoned Edward and told him to saddle up his horse. Then he went to the room that had functioned as his late father’s office, entered, and locked the door behind him. He needed to be alone for a while to plan.

First he wanted to arrange for Marta's departure for Szonowo szlacheckie, to his chum Bogumił Gruszczyński's estate.

Then he needed to visit Fr. Berent in Szczepanki and arrange a noble’s funeral for his father. He’d have to arrange a clerical funeral for Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski. He wód have to allow time for word to get around to all clergy who were interested. Then he’d have to arrange for a peasant funeral for George.

He’d have to go to Łasin to have two fancy coffins made, big enŭf to place the temporary ones inside them without opening them. He’d need to rent a hearse. While there he’d need to send a telegram to bishop Gierszewski in Pelplin informing him of the death of Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski and ask for a replacement chaplain. As far as he was concerned, he kód do without one, but he didn’t have the backbone to go against tradition and the wishes of his family.

He needed to inform the authorities in Kwidzyn that his father was dead, and to have a lawyer come and arrange for a reading of the will.

He summoned Stanislav the butler and Sophia chief maid/cook and told them to prepare to transport Marta to Szonowo szlacheckie after dinner.

At 8:00 am he went down, mounted his horse, and rode in to Szczepanki, getting there at 8:36. Knocking on the rectory door, he was greeted by Fr. Berent, who ushered him in. Skipping the traditional greeting he announced, “Fr. Berent, I am here to arrange for the funerals of the three who died at the manor.”

Pulling down the large metrical book entitled Liber Mortuōrum Father wrote “July 15, 1847. Romuałd von Rogoziński, 52, owner of the estate Rogóźno Zamek, died of Cholera. Domicile: Rogóźno Zamek. Buried — “

“How does a week from today suit you?” he asked.

“That shoud be plenty of time for words to get around,” returned Lord John.

The priest continued to write: "- Buried September 1 in cemetery on the estate. Survived by wife Jadwiga von Prądzyńska and children John 26; Blaise 25; Louise 24; and Benedicta 23. Casimir Berent, pastor.” The whole entry had to be written in German, and not only in German, but in cursive Fraktur. The Prussian king had decreed this sometime after the November 1830 Insurrection in the Russian Partition of Poland. The “von” was the Prussian state’s grudging concession that these Poles were, indeed, nobles.

"Next is the funeral for Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski. Since he was clergy, I believe that you will want to handle that," said Lord John.

Father Berent said, “We will hold his funeral the next day, September 2nd. You can transport both bodies on the morning of Lord Romuald’s funeral. That shód save you time.”

“Yes, but it will mean renting two hearses. Oh well, it's either that or renting one hearse on two days”, thôt Lord John.

“He will lie in state in the parish church all day after Lord Romuałd’s funeral.” Father dipped his quill in ink and wrote: „Fr. Andrew von Kalkstein-Osłowski, 85, chaplain at the manor of Rogóźno Zamek, died July 15, 1847 of Cholera. A man exemplary in faith, hope and charity; an outstanding priest. Buried September 2 in parish cemetery. Done gratis.”

“That leaves George,” said the young lord.

“We can have his funeral day after tomorrow: Friday.” Father wrote in the Liber: „George Nicpoń, 47, servant at the manor of Rogóźno Zamek, died July 15, 1847 of Cholera. No survivors. Buried in parish cemetery August 27.”

John pulled out his pocket watch. It said 9:06.

*

He arrived in Łasin at 9:26 and made for the telegraph office. He composed the following to bishop Gierszewski:

“Sorry to inform: Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski dead of cholera. Funeral September 2 St. Laurence church Szczepanki 9:00 am. Burial parish cemetery. –John Rogoziński, owner Rogóźno Zamek manor.”

It was one of his first uses of that word “owner” and it felt good.

Next he composed one to the regency office in Kwidzyn:

“My father Romuałd Rogoziński dead of Cholera. Will arrange with lawyer for reading of will. –John Rogoziński of Rogóźno Zamek manor.”

This time he avoided the use of the word “owner” not wishing to ruffle their feathers, knowing that it was in their power to withhold ownership.

He left the telegraph office at 9:45 and headed for a coffin maker’s establishment. He chose an ornate model that was moderately priced for his father, and a very simple (and inexpensive) one for Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski. “After all, aren’t priests supposed to live modestly?” he asked himself. He had had the presence of mind to take the dimensions of the rŭf coffins before their temporary interment, and he made sure that these outer coffins wód be large enŭf. George’s coffin kód be dusted off and used as it was. He arranged for the delivery of the coffins and the hearses. He left at 10:30.

He dallied at Nudelman's inn in Łasin until 11:45; then rode to Szczepanki, to the Flis residence. He arrived while the family was seated around the table for dinner, which had begun at about noon. Of course, he had planned it this way, so as to catch them all at home. Barging into the hut, he surprised them all, and they rose to their feet. “Now that George has died, I have need for another servant at the manor. I want Justin. I know this is short notice, so take the rest of the day to gather your things, and adjust your thinking, and be at the manor tomorrow after breakfast,” John said. He turned and left.

The family was shocked, and all fell into weeping. After a while, the father, Zephyrin, said, “All raйt, everyone, there's nothin' we can do but accept this. We all need our strength, so finish your dinner. Besides, mama's worked hard to cook this good food and keep it warm. Don't let it get cold.” So with sad hearts the family silently finished their meal.

*

Today was to have been day 3 of Blaise's teaching of F and G to Valentine, but the boy was in no state to concentrate on something as unimportant as learning to read: he was losing his mother. When Blaise got to the library Valentine was not there. Instead he was dogging Marta's every step, hanging onto her skirts and bawling. Blaise went to his brother and addressed him sternly: “What in heaven's name is wrong with you, to kôz such grief to this poor mother and her child?”

John snapped back, “I'll thank you to mind your own business, brother dear. I'm the lord around here now, and if you don't like it…”

*

Sophia found Marta and got her washed. She told her to don one of her better outfits, and said to gather her things for the trip.

Dinner with son Valentine and the servants felt like the Last Supper. She kept casting glances down at her son. She felt deep sorrow. At meal's end, Sophia said, “You needn't help clean up; we'll take care of that.” Oh, but Marta wanted to do so, to prolong her time there, to engage in the familiar again. This was happening too quickly.

Then Sophia said, “Stanislav, get a wagon and drive her over to the manor at Szonowo szlacheckie.” All the servants accompanied her out to the wagon, where she embraced each one. She lingered over Valentine, and tearfully bid him, “Valusiu , be a good boy while mama's gone, and don't be any trouble for anyone,” having in mind mainly Barbara and Catherine. Then Stanislav said, “Brrrrr” to the horse, and they took off, with Marta looking back and continuing to wave at the pathetic, crying little figure of Valentine until she kód no longer see him.

When she was truly gone, Barbara and Catherine, Marta's and Valentine's roommates, lost no time in getting Valentine moved out of their dorm and into the men's dorm, also in the basement. Barbara reached under his cot, grabbed up his few belongings, and threw them into the other room. Valentine was close behind, and when he got there, found no bed to sleep on. There was an empty one, but it was George's, and the idea of sleeping in it repelled him. He went to Edward, who moved Val's little cot into the men's dorm with Sophia's help.

*

Szonowo szlacheckie lay about 14.5 km directly east of Rogóźno Zamek. The Gruszczyńskis, of Gruszczyn manor, owned 2533 ha of land, including the villages of Jakubkowo, Widlice, Plesewo, Goczałki and Ludwichowo. They lived in what was known as a manor. It was a single-story rectangle, and its walls were of cream-colored stucco with white quoins at the corners. The windows were tall, but there were no cornices or ornaments above. They did have ornate sills — an oddity — at least 122 cm up from the ground.

The main entrance was covered by a temple front of no real historic style. Its columns were short and fat; they held up a disproportionately heavy triangular pediment of too haй a pitch.

The lower portion of the manor 's roof had a haй pitch; the upper one had a lower pitch. The 2 narrow ends did not have gables; they had the same haй-pitch/low-pitch treatment as the long sides. The roofing was of red tile. There were four dormers on the front side, where servants lived (in the attic). The dimension from roof eave to peak was equal to that from ground to eave, giving the impression that the immense heavy roof had compressed a two-story building into one. There were three double chimneys, one at each end, and one in the exact middle of the roof ridge.

As they approached Marta kód not help but compare this manor with the palace in which she was accustomed to live at Rogóźno Zamek. It was smaller. There were no formal gardens, clipped parterres, fountains or paved areas. All there were were grassy lawns with an isolated bush or two, and the grass needed to be trimmed. There was a circular drive in front. Stanislav drove up in front of the main doorway, and pulled the knocker. Marta got down on her own.

The door was opened by the butler, a bent thin man, who said, “Praised be Jesus Christ.” Stanislav and Marta both replied, “Both now and forever” with a slaйt nod of the head. Stanislav explained that their masters had made an agreement that Marta was to work there for some indefinite period.

“Very good,” said Bartholomew (72), nodding stoically in agreement. Marta embraced Stanislav a long time, shivering. She felt so insecure. It was very unsettling to have one’s accustomed home removed, as was happening. Wód things be better or worse?

Stanislav drove off, and Bartholomew took Marta to the kitchen where he was sure to find Brigid (78), cook and chief of maids. Brigid took Marta to a dorm room in the attic. It was one with a dormer, and Marta told herself, “Well, so far so good. This time I'll be able to see the sun and enjoy the air and scenery.” Then Brigid went and found Lord Bogumił to tell him of Marta's arrival.

He came to the kitchen and bid her to sit down, while he did the same. “I hope and pray that he is not like Lord John,” she told herself.

As he spoke with her, he availed himself of the pleasure of looking at her beautiful face; she did the same with him. He said to himself, “I certainly see why John wants to bed her,” but made an effort to stick to business. He asked what kind of duties she had performed at Rogóźno Zamek, and he told her that she’d be doing the same here. He asked if she had any questions, and she replied, “Lord Bogumił, the funeral of George, one of our servants, will be on Friday. Similarly, the funerals of Lord Romuałd and Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski will be on September 1st and 2nd. I’d very much like to attend, and if I were still living at Rogóźno Zamek I’d have been allowed. Please, please: may I go?”

Ordinarily Bogumił wód have regarded this as effrontery, but considering his mission, said, “Why certainly you will go.”

“Also, I was given a day off every Thursday. May I continue to have this day off?” she asked, fearful that she was being very cheeky.

He drew up some unaccustomed pleasantness and replied, “Why, I don't think that will be a problem. Of course, there may be times when there is some urgent need for you, but until then, yes. Take Thursdays.”

Bogumił then summoned his family and the servants to a salon to introduce Marta. The following were present:

His mother, Clementa née Zblewska, born November 8, 1804. She was thin, ashen-colored, and appeared to be somewhat intoxicated. She wore shabby black clothes from a former era; she used a cane.

His sister Catherine, born August 16, 1828.

(Bogumił himself was born November 5, 1825.)

Bartholomew, the butler (72). His livery was old and faded, but clean.

Brigid, chief maid and cook (78), dressed in black. Both she and Bartholomew were bent, arthritic and moved slowly.

Felix, a male servant (24).

Sabina, a female servant (19).

His father Giles Gruszczyński, had died August 7, 1846 at the age of 45. Brother Denis, born October 6, 1826, had died August 13, 1832 when Bogumił was six. Brother Bruno, born September 14, 1827, had died July 28, 1835 when Bogumił was nine.

Bogumił himself took Marta on a tour of the house and grounds so that she wód know where everything was. This gave him an opportunity to be nice to her. She learned that they did not have a house chapel, nor a resident chaplain.

Thurs. August 26, 1847. The entire household at Rogóźno Zamek went to Mass in St. Laurence church, Szczepanki on this, Our Lady of Częstochowa day. As yet they did not have a replacement chaplain.

Today beginning at 10:00 Blaise and Valentine were to work on day 3 of differentiating F from G. When Blaise got to the library he saw that Valentine had been crying, and kód not concentrate. To distract him, Lord Blaise said, “All raйt: let's play a game. I'll point to a letter, eg, K, and say, 'I am thinking of something in this room that begins with it' and you will tell me what it is. Hint: it's one of the letters that we have covered so far.” But the boy broke into tears and threw himself into Blaise's arms. The latter embraced the little fellow and rocked him gently from side to side. "Do you miss mama? Don't worry; she will be back," he consoled the boy. When the tears stopped, they played the game, then went into the lesson.

*

Justin Flis was the twenty year old younger brother of Henry. Fr. Berent of St. Laurence church, Szczepanki had had Henry ride to Wiele to fetch the exorcist to drive the twelve devils out of Moses Karnowski, Valentine’s illegitimate father (Book One: The Possession of Moishe Karnowski ). Justin was 1.83 m tall; had broad shoulders and a broad chest. He had laйt hair and eyebrows which sat low above his pale water-blue eyes. His pleasant face presented a rather lean look, with cheeks somewhat hollowed out, and a very thin well-formed nose. When peasants got together to sing, he sang tenor, tho he did not know the name for it. He sang on the parish choir at St. Laurence, Szczepanki.

He arrived at Rogóźno manor about 10:30 am. He let the huge knocker fall against the door, and heard the resounding echo on the other side. The lump in his throat got larger. Presently Stanislav appeared and Justin stammered, “P-praised be Jesus C-christ”. Stanislav made the customary answer, then said, “Don’t be afraid, Justin. Lord John is a stern man, but you’ll find the servants very kind and friendly.” Then he took him to the bed that had been George’s.

His few clothes had been brôt along in a large threadbare carpet bag. “You can put that under the bed. I’ll get you a blanket and pillow”, said Stanislav; “Then I’ll show you around. Your day off will be Wednesday, unless there arises some urgent need. The family eats dinner at noon. When they’re finished we servants eat down in the kitchen.”

At their dinner time all the servants took their places at table. Justin sheepishly hung back. “This will be your place, Justin,” Stanislav said kindly, leading him over to George's old place. Stanislav introduced him to the others, and them to him. During the meal everyone naturally wanted to know more about him, and he willingly obliged. Servants Barbara (22) and Catherine (21) recognized that Justin was about their age — marriageable age, and in an attempt to make him interested, talked entirely too much.

To get them off his back Justin asked, “Whose little boy is this?” as Valentine didn't seem to be with anyone, and seemed sad and shy.

"Him? That little crybaby is Marta Nering's bastard. She's been loaned out t' da Gruszczyn estate at Szonowo szlacheckie," shot out Barbara.

“Barbara: shame on you to say such a thing, especially in the child's presence!” said Sophia, the chief of women servants. The other servants glared at Barbara, and muttered negative phrases at her.

Valentine didn't know what “bastard” meant, but kód see that it was something bad. He began to cry and say, “I want my mama; where's my mama?” but there was no mother to whom to turn for comfort. Justin called him over and gave him a hug, looking at Barbara quizzically over the boy's shōlder thru narrowed eye slits.

Justin was feeling lonely. He had instant empathy with the little lonely boy. He placed Valentine's head on his left shōlder, and held his head with his big raйt hand.

Then he put him down, shook his hand and touched his streйt brown hair. He knelt down to be at Valentine's level and said, “We're gonna be friends. Is that all right?” And Valentine shyly shook his head up and down, wiping his eyes, as the after-tremors of his crying bout began to subside. Then, worried that he had been too impetuous for a newcomer, Justin looked around for disapproval, but there was none.

After dinner Stanislav announced to Justin, "One of your duties will be that of stable boy. You'll feed the cattle and horses daily, sweep up their droppings, and pile it; you'll curry the horses, and keep the animals well." He took him outside and showed him around.

While they were together he and Justin dug up George's coffin and placed it in the stable.

*

At Szonowo szlacheckie this was Marta’s day off. She felt awkwardly exercising it, as she had only been there one day so far. Lord Bogumił felt angry in granting it, and in other circumstances he wód have refused, saying, “What gall!” Still, he had promised Lord John that he would be nice to Marta so as to make her fall in love with him, so he put on a good face to it. Marta’s brother Julian had chosen this day as his day off so as to be a support to his sister. Marta and Julian had agreed that, if the weather was sunny, they would go swimming at the south end of Lake Łasin. It was about halfway between Szonowo szlacheckie, where she now lived, and Słup, where Julian and her family (the Nerings) lived.

Upon waking Marta looked out at a cloudless cyan sky, so she packed a picnic basket, and set off to meet her brother at a certain wayside shrine. As she passed along the full length of the lake her mind was drawn to a memory of meeting Moses Karnowski in August of 1841. She had gone to bathe in Lake Melno, and met Moses for the first time there. He had seduced the fifteen-year-old, resulting in the birth of her illegitimate son Valentine. She thôt of the twists and turns that her life had taken since then.

Upon catching saйt of Julian Marta ran to him, dropped her basket, jumped into his embrace and let out her pent-up loneliness in much sobbing. “Oh Julian, Julian, it's so good to see your familiar face!” she cried. Gradually she quieted down, and left Julian's arms.

There were many flat places with either sand or grass on which to spread a blanket. One of them bore a strong resemblance to the one at Lake Melno involving Moses. “No, not that one!” said Marta to herself, and inadvertently shook her head. She picked another, and after spreading the blanket, they talked, catching up on the news.

“Has Lord Bogumił been good to you?” Julian wanted to know.

“Oh, yes, yes. He treats me much better than the average servant.” Then changing the subject, she said, “I miss Valentine. We must arrange to add my son to our meetings.”

Julian had patiently listened to his sister, and when it seemed that she had gotten out everything that was important to her, said, “Marta, I have great news. You have to keep what I’m about to tell you a big secret. Do you promise?” She promised, and he went on, telling her about meeting Michael Rogala, and his offer to teach him how to read and write. He explained that Michael wanted to form a group of “Polish patriots” who wód seek the advancement of Polish interests. He told how he had gotten the Kwasigroch and Flis boys involved, and that they were all learning.

“Why, that's incredible. Lord Blaise at Rogóźno Zamek is teaching Valentine!” she exclaimed.

At about noon they ate their dinner. Afterwards Julian pulled the blanket to the foot of a big old shade tree and sat against it. He positioned Marta next to him, placing his muscular protective raйt arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head against his shōlder. Both of them stared out down the length of the lake, towards Łasin, each thinking separate thôts, and very content.

*

After sundown, 7:08, Julian and the learners group met at the Nering home for Session 5 of Learn to Read. Michael prefaced the lesson by saying, „Besides learning how to read and write, I want to remind you that I am making you aware of our history. In many ways we were a country way ahead of its time. We had the misfortune of being kôt between two nations which never quite rose to being fully civilized. It is my opinion that the Germans were on their way, but then Martin Luther came along and reversed the process.”

“Who was Martin Luther?” interrupted Ignatius Flis, Justin' brother.

“He was a German priest who kód not believe that he was forgiven after Confession, so went to the other extreme and started preaching that it did not matter how much they sinned; all he had to do was to believe. That started the fragmentation of Christianity. His new religion was called „Lutheran” or „Evangelical.” Most Germans now belong to this new religion.”

Michael went on to say, “The other almost-civilized nation is the Russians. They were ruled by the savage Mongols for centuries and picked up a lot of their ways.”

“You know you can judge a nation's level of civilization by observing how they act during war. These two peoples believe that in war all law is suspended, everything is up for grabs; they engage in raping and pillaging. Our Polish troops generally do not do such things.”

At lesson's end the visitors walked home by the laйt of a full moon.

Fri. August 27, 1847. Marta did not sleep very well, worrying about how she was going to be treated in this new environment of Gruszczyn manor: This was her first real day on the job. Out of habit she got out of bed at “white morning” — that time when the sky was just beginning to whiten. She knelt down and offered her day to God, washed her face and hands, dressed, and proceeded to the kitchen, where she asked Brigid for a ewer and basin so that Lady Gruszczyńska kód wash. “Oh, she never washes,” said Brigid.

Marta went to her Ladyship's room and knocked. “Come in; come in!” she was ordered gruffly. The room was disheveled, with dust and spider webs everywhere. Heavy, dusty velvet drapery, once red, now grey, just waiting to be touched so that it kód crumble, blocked out the sun. The Lady lay in her bed, under dirty covers, in her naйtcap and gown.

“Shall I help your Ladyship to dress?” Marta asked, politely. There was fear in her voice, and the old lady picked up on it.

“Of course, of course. What else do you think you're here for?” she barked in her phlegmy voice.

“Why doesn't she clear her throat?” wondered Marta. In time she had to accept that as her normal voice.

Marta threw back the covers and helped the Lady to swivel her legs over the side of the bed. She found the Lady's cane, and placed it in her shaking hand. It was boney, filled with brown age-spots. The meandering blue veins stood out. She stood as erect as she kód while Marta pulled the gown off over her head. Her naked body was very thin. Her limbs were sticks and her breasts shriveled up sacks. Marta asked, “When Madame is ready to bathe, she has only to ask, and I'll get a tub and hot water.”

“Well, you will be waiting for Poland to rise again, for I never bathe!” came the curt reply.

“Shall I get a selection of dresses from milady's wardrobe?” Marta asked.

“No no no! Get me the black one that I had on yesterday!” she demanded. As she leaned on her cane, Marta went over to the tired old dress that apparently was the only thing the dowager ever wore. It smelled awful, but not as bad as the Lady herself. Marta worked it down over the gaunt form.

“Shall I brush Madame's hair?” Marta asked.

“Not needed. I just gather it up under my snood,” said the old lady. “Now, leave. That's all I need. Go to Catherine now,” Marta was ordered.

Marta knocked. “Come in, O do come in”, came the reply, in a slow, smooth, haй-pitched fairy-voice. It seemed like a sheer scarf slowly wafting its way down on a gentle breeze. Catherine was still in bed, reading a romantic novel about castles, princesses, handsome princes, love and chivalry. Nearby was a bookcase with the writings of Edgar Allen Poe and Nathanael Hawthorne, Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, Adam Mickiewicz’s Lord Thaddeus, Zygmunt Krasiński’s The Undivine Comedy, and Julius Słowacki’s Kordian. Of course, Marta, being illiterate, did not know all this, but I, Zuriel, do.

Catherine threw off her covers ever-so-delicately, and, with the graceful movements of a ballerina, got to her feet. She was wearing a gossamer naйtgown over her slim body, as tho she were on the verge of dancing Les Sylphides. Marta asked, “Shall Panienka be bathing today?”

“Oh mais oui,” replied the girl, “but of course.” Marta went over to the pull-cord to fetch Sabina and Felix. “Oh, that doesn’t work,” said Catherine. Marta ran to another room and finally succeeded in getting the two to bring a tub and bucket after bucket of hot water. Marta pulled Catherine’s naйtgown up over her head, and when the girl was naked helped her step into the tub, which she did blushing and crossing her arms across her breasts with the fingers of her hands curled in a dainty manner.

“Who teaches women to act like this?” inquired Marta the farm girl, of herself.

Upon being dried off, Catherine handed a bottle of French perfumed oil to Marta, and got her to rub it onto her skin.

When she was dressed and Marta was brushing her hair, Catherine said, out of the blue, “Oh I adore death, don't you? It's so romantic.” Marta said that she had never thôt of it that way. The fact was, she didn't know what 'romantic' meant. “I just love to get lost in cemeteries, wondering about all those people who lived before me,” answered the girl.

When the two toilettes were done, Marta had to eat breakfast and get dressed for George's funeral.

*

About 8:30 am George’s coffin was taken from the Rogóźno Zamek stable, placed on a farm wagon and taken to St. Laurence church, Szczepanki, for his funeral. His fellow-servants were allowed to attend — both the house-servants, and those from the manor’s folwark. Lord Bogumił himself drove Marta from Szonowo szlacheckie to the church in his carriage. Bogumił saw their time together as an opportunity to get closer to Marta. “So Marta, how do you like your new home?” asked the heir.

“Oh, it's nice,” she said, noncommittally.

“Marta, you must trust me. Never be afraid to tell me the truth, or to ask me a question, no matter how silly it may seem,” he assured her, stopping the horse and looking into her eyes.

She took him up on it. “Your sister Catherine used the word 'romantic'. What does that mean, Sir?”

“It can mean calling forth far-away feelings, good feelings, good feelings about the past. A romantic is a day-dreamer,” answered Bogumił.

“That wod explain her statement about wondering about all those people who lived before her,” surmised Marta to herself.

“Romantic can also pertain to feelings of loving someone,” said the young Lord.

“So I had romantic feelings toward Moses,” thôt Marta.

When they saw each other Marta and son ran to each other and embraced. “Mama, this is Justin. He’s new at the manor,” the lad said approvingly, looking up at him. Valentine grabbed Justin’s hand and arranged it so that he wound up sitting between his mother and him in church.

Old Lord Gregory, Lord John's grandfather, and Lord Blaise, Lord John's brother, were the only two from the Rogoziński family who cared enŭf to attend. The church was otherwise almost empty.

Bogumił did not attend the funeral, but came back later to get Marta.

*

This was day 1 of J, and differentiating CH from H for Valentine. The lesson was moved to 2:30 in the afternoon bekôz of George’s funeral. Lord Blaise showed him how to associate the guttural sound with CH, and an open sound with H. “Tell me some words with „CH”” he asked. “Chleb (Bread), chłop (peasant), chmura (cloud)” the boy answered.

“Tell me something with H.”

“Hałas (noise), harap (whip), hasać (to skip).”

“J is pronounced 'yuh'. Tell me some words that begin with 'j'”.

“Jabłko (apple), jajko (egg), jasny (braйt)”, answered the boy. “Remember: Mary is called Our Lady of Jasna Góra (the Braйt Mountain). We just celebrated her feast day on Thursday,” offered Lord Blaise.

Valentine was feeling a great deal of accomplishment, and looked up to Lord Blaise with admiration.

After Valentine’s lesson he was sent to the field to help the workers. Adalbert and Julian Nering had reported to compulsory labor on the Rogóźno Zamek folwark. They were to help with the harvesting of summer wheat and oats. This year’s wheat crop, like last year’s, had largely been a failure. It was decimated by Hessian Fly. Oats came thru pest-free. Lord John had ordered the servants there as soon as they got back from George’s funeral.

Valentine made frequent trips with a bucket of water to quench their thirsts. Eventually he came to offer water to his uncle Julian and grandfather Adalbert. The former drank, then spoke with him a bit; the latter took the water and turned his back to the boy, resuming his work.

Valentine helped, too. He wód make a binding for each sheaf by twisting a few stalks of grain. He was shown how to sharpen a scythe or sickle. Since the harvest wód be meager, he was ordered to glean fallen kernels.

He tried to stay near Justin. Justin, breathing a bit heavily, and sweating from being in constant motion, not to mention the humidity and 31.7° heat, look over at him and smile approvingly. Valentine liked Justin.

Sat. August 28, 1847. By now the honeybees had added beeswax to the combs that were inserted and had filled them with honey, so today peasants all over the Rogóźno Zamek area began the season’s second harvest of honey.

This was Day 2 of J and CH/H for Valentine. While in the library Lord Blaise said, "Today we're going to play a game. I will point to a letter, and say, 'I'm thinking of something in this room that begins with _____' and you will tell me what it is. Hint: it's one of the letters that we've covered so far."

Sun. August 29, 1847. This was the first Sunday that Fr. Berent was back in Szczepanki after the quarantine. At Mass Blaise sat in the sanctuary with his noble family; he looked out and waved discreetly at Valentine, who sat out in the pews next to Justin. The lad pulled Justin’s arm and pointed to the waving Blaise. Both men smiled at each other.

*

Session 6 of Rogala’s Learn to Read. The Learn-to-Read session was held at the Flis home. Afterward Michael read,

„The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by King Casimir III Jagiełło the Great in the Kazimierz suburb of Kraków. It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world. It has fallen upon hard times under the Austrian occupation; its very existence is threatened.”

Hipolit Kwasigroch asked, “What's a university?”

Michael replied, "There are three stages in learning. First, there is elementary school, lasting up to eйt years. Then there is gymnasium, lasting about four years. Finally there is university. It's where men go to learn things in great detail. They are usually very smart to begin with."

Mon. August 30, 1847. This shód have been the day off for Barbara, servant in the Rogoziński household, but since it was raining heavily, and there was a strong wind blowing, she kód not go out. Therefore, Lord John canceled it.

As she grudgingly went about her duties she began to compare herself with Marta. “Who is she? -a peasant like me, that’s who. Why has she been given this favor, why is she bein’ treated like a noble, like a lady?” she asked herself, and her resentment grew as the day passed. She imagined the good life that Marta was enjoying at Gruszczyn. To add insult to injury, she — Barbara — had been given the job, with Catherine, of being mother to Marta’s brat! She determined to make life difficult for that kid.

Early in the morning two hearses delivered two fine coffins to Rogóźno Zamek. Stanislav pressed Justin into service digging up the remaining two shallow-buried temporary coffins with the bodies of Lord Romuałd and Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski. Five-year-old Valentine’s curiosity was piqued, as he watched the final shovelfuls of earth being removed from the tops of the coffins, and each box lifted up to ground level. The boards were dirty and damp. He hoped they wód open them; he wanted to see what the bodies looked like now.

It rained hard all day; Stanislav had hoped to leave the coffins in the sun to dry off; they were brôt to the relative dryness of the stable instead. Then the dirt was brushed off the rŭf wood, and they were placed in the outer coffins which were put in the chapel of the manor, where they lay in state all day.

It was Day 3 of J and CH/H for Valentine. After that Blaise held a one-week review for him. He did very well. Blaise gave him an apple as a prize, and patted him on the back. Valentine beamed with pride.

*

At Szonowo szlacheckie Marta went about her duties feeling very sad at not being in any communication with her baby sister Bronislava or mother Rosa, both of whose namesday it was today. The heavy rain and dark sky added to her sad mood.

When Marta arrived in Lady Gruszczyńska's boudoir for morning toilette, she noticed an open bottle of vodka and a shot glass on the naйtstand. Her Ladyship wobbled a bit on getting out of bed, and her usual bad breath was overlain with alcohol fumes.

Later, when Marta had joined Bartholomew, Brigid, Felix and Sabina for their breakfast, she delicately brôt this up.

“She’s been drinkin’ since the death of Bruno, her youngest child, in 1835. When Lord Giles — her husband — died in 1846, she went all to pieces. Mostly drinks, hardly eats,” said Brigid. “She sneaks laudanum, too. Can you believe she’s only forty-four?”

*

In Słup there had been no guests for the namesday of Bronislava Neringówna, Marta’s sister, and Adalbert’s pet, born in 1833, and Rosa, their mother, born 1802; the only thing festive about this supper was a little more food: besides the usual wormy carrots they ate a soup of chopped beet tops, wild sorrel and dandelion leaves. Added to Adalbert’s usual truculence was the fact that the harvests in 1846 had been bad, and they didn’t look good for 1847, either. There had been hunger and there wód be hunger.

*

At sunset, 6:59, Michael Rogala and the learners began to arrive at the Nering home for Session 7 of Learn to Read. Everything from the supper was removed from the table. Additional candles were placed on it and lit. The participants were instructed — shód Herr Detektiv Polizist Welsch or some other authority arrive — to reply that they had come to celebrate the two namesdays. Michael tôt them from about 7:30 to 9:00.

At a certain point during the lesson, taking Mickiewicz’s Lord Thaddeus, the book from which he had been reading, Michael said, “Find me words that contain an I or a Y.” Each in turn found a word, and Michael pronounced the words. “Do you hear the difference between I and Y?” he asked, and they nodded affirmatively. At the end of the hour Michael made a copy of all the vowels and gave it to them, saying, „Practice them when you get the chance. The more you do that, the more quickly you’ll learn.”

Adalbert and the others stayed on the periphery, doing household tasks such as sharpening the sickles and scythes. When it came to an end, Adalbert said, angrily, “Look here. Dis is gonna cost me a pretty penny in candles. From now on, each of you bring your own, and somethin’ to hold it in.” It seemed a reasonable request, and all agreed. After thanking Adalbert and Rosa, and determining that the next meeting wód be at the Flises”, each quickly walked home, leaving in twos.

After they had left, Adalbert was still unhappy, despite winning his point. He realized that he did not want them there at all, and wished he had said so.

Tues. August 31, 1847. Today Blaise and Valentine worked on K, and the difference between L and Ł. “Ł sounds like „wuh”. Do you hear that Ł in Łasin?” Blaise asked. “Ohhhh, yes,” Valentine said in wonderment.

Wed. September 1, 1847. In Merano, Italy, still on honeymoon, the Bismarcks (32) & (23) met Albert von Roon (44).

*

Beginning today local children began attending Catechism classes tôt by Frs. Berent, Musolf and Konieczny in their respective parishes. The classes met in church raйt after the 6:00 Mass. Since some of the children still did not know how to read, the entire emphasis lay in memorizing short answers to questions. There were two groups: one culminating at First Communion, generally on Corpus Christi; the other at Confirmation, on Pentecost. In Fr. Berent's class were Marta Nering's sisters, Eva, preparing for her Confirmation, and Bronislava, preparing for First Communion.

Altho parents needed their children to perform farm chores, they placed a haй emphasis on their children's learning their Catholic faith. The children were all warned: “The priest acts in my stead. I support whatever discipline he gives you.”

At this time Polish laity were not very patriotic; it was the priests who kept patriotism alive, and so Fr. Berent's and Fr. Musolf's catechism sessions weren't always confined to strictly religious matters: sometimes there were little lessons in Polish history. It was the only place that the children kód learn about their past. Fr. Konieczny in Łasin wanted to stay on the good side of the Prussian government, so stayed away from anything overtly Polish.

*

Today was the namesday of Giles Gruszczyński, Bogumił's father, who died in 1846 when Bogumił was 21. Lady Gruszczyńska got dôter Catherine and the servants to attend Mass at St. Catherine’s, Łasin, for his soul. She was furious when she heard that Bogumił wód be driving Marta to Rogóźno Zamek instead of attending his own father’s anniversary Mass. In the course of the day her anger melted away, as it always did with her darling boy.

*

At about 8:00 am the two hearses hired in Łasin drew up to the door of the manor at Rogóźno Zamek and the drivers were directed to the chapel, whence the coffins containing the bodies of Lord Romuałd and Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski were brôt to St. Laurence church, Szczepanki.

At the church carriages began to arrive for the funeral of Lord Romuałd, to begin at 9:00.

At the end of the obsequies his coffin was placed in the hearse for transport back to the family mausoleum on the grounds of the estate. The black hearse had oval windows on all four sides and various gewgaws of ornamentation, including a plume of black feathers on the four corners. It was pulled by two lean, spirited, shiny black horses with feathered ornaments on their heads. A driver wears black.

Before the hearse marched a small band of brass instruments and two bass drums, playing a special arrangement of  Chopin's Funeral March . The piece begins with an exaggeratedly solemn march; then moves into a very romantic heart-rending passage. When that passage began there was an outburst of sobs and tears on the part of many who had loved the man.

Behind the hearse was a procession of carriages with nobles, and at the end were peasants on foot who were allowed to attend. Again, Lord Bogumił drove Marta from Gruszczyn manor; she scampered off to walk with Valentine and the other Rogóźno Zamek servants, while Bogumił joined his carriage to those of the other nobles. Altho Wednesday was to have been Justin Flis' day off, he was told to attend. He sôt out Marta and walked with her and Valentine.

The mausoleum was of black Norwegian granite, in the form of an Egyptian temple, complete with statues of pharaohs. Valentine loved the little blue “chips of ice” that came and went as he moved past the granite. The coffin was inserted into a waiting slot; then a marble closure panel with its data in gold leaf was mortared into place, and the hearse and its horses returned to Łasin.

There was no lesson for Valentine today.

*

In St. Laurence church, Szczepanki, Fr. Kalkstein's body lay in state all day afterwards. He, too, had been much loved during his long priesthood, and priests and peasants came by all day long to sit or kneel a while and pray for his soul to be released from Purgatory.

Thurs. September 2, 1847. The funeral of Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski began at 9:00 in St. Laurence, Szczepanki. The Rogoziński family occupied their accustomed seats in the sanctuary, the rest of which was filled with priests, all dressed in white surplices and black cassocks. Afterwards the body was taken outside to the parish cemetery and placed in a simple grave. The graveside ceremony was somewhat hurried, as it was raining and there was a 41.8 km wind. This shód have been Marta’s day off, but once again Bogumił drove her from Szonowo szlacheckie to the church and back.

Today again there was no lesson for Valentine. Instead, Blaise took him to the manor's chapel and showed him how to pray for the former lord, Romuałd Rogoziński. Valentine kód see that Lord Blaise missed his father. Valentine missed his mother. He wondered why he didn't have a father.

In the afternoon a messenger arrived at Rogóźno Zamek with a telegram from bishop Gierszewski. Opening it, Lord John read: "Sending you Fr. Kąkol. Retiring from active service parish Kościelna Jania . +Simon Gierszewski, bishop"

*

When they returned home to Szonowo szlacheckie Bogumił sat Marta down for a talk. “Marta, Lord Blaise Rogoziński is teaching Valentine how to read and write. I have been thinking. Here I am, a wealthy young man with lots of idle time. How wód you like it if I tôt you to read and write, too?”

“Why, your Honor, that'd be wonderful!” she exclaimed, excitedly.

“I have never tôt anyone anything. I do not know whether or not I wód be any good. All the nobles around here learned to read using the same primer, Learn to Read. I’m sure that mine still exists in our library. I’ll assemble some materials. You be in the library at 10:00 every day except Sunday. We’ll begin tomorrow.”

*

Session 8 of Rogala’s Learn to Read. After sundown, 6:52, the learners” group met at the Nering home. At its end Michael opened Dates Important to Polish Patriots and read:

“The First Polish-Lithuanian Union was forged at the castle of Krewo southeast of Vilnius (now Vilnius) August 14, 1385. The Krewo Union derived from the planned marriage of  Jadwiga , young queen of tiny Poland, and the pagan Jogaila (Jagiełło), grand duke of enormous Lithuania. He agreed to adopt the Catholic faith, and to get back lands stolen from Poland by the Teutonic Order. Jogaila undertook to join his lands to the crown of the kingdom of Poland for all time.”

“This act created peacefully the largest state in all Europe. It lasted until 1795,” the teacher commented, proudly.

“Where is Lithuania?” asked Peter Flis.

“It's very far east of us, and Vilnius was its capital,” replied Rogala.

Fri. September 3, 1847. Session 9 of Rogala’s Learn to Read. The members of the group began to arrive at the Flis home in Szczepanki at sundown, 6:50, faйting a moderate gale to get there. Today marked the anniversary of the marriage of Zephyrin Flis and Casimira Kowalska, Justin’ parents, in 1820, 27 years ago. Besides the parents, on hand were Justin’s sisters Elizabeth (23), and Agnes (17), and an uncle and aunt with their three children. Justin himself was at Rogóźno Zamek. A meager supper had been served at 6:00. The uncle and aunt left at 9:00, which was not unusual on the evening of a workday. Michael ordered, “Quickly: laйt your candles and open your books.”

He began by reading from Mickiewicz’s Lord Thaddeus. At the end of the lesson he read,

“On July 15, 1410 at the Battle of Grunwald (88.5 km east of Łasin), king Jagiełło crushed the Teutonic Order, one of the strongest military organizations in Europe. The Catholic Polish knaйts were a minority in an army made up of Lithuanian pagans, Orthodox Christians, Mohammedan Tatars and heretical Czech Hussites. The defeat of the Order at Grunwald eased restraints on Polish trade in the Baltic. This victory helped strengthen the bond between the Poles and the Lithuanians and led to the Treaty of Union at Horodło in 1413.”

At 10:00 pm the parents and sisters excused themselves, said their naйt prayers, and went to bed. The students spoke from now on in voices little more than whispers. At 10:30 everyone silently slipped out and went home, but not before arranging to meet at the Kwasigroch home.

*

Today when Blaise got to the library Valentine was not there. Asking around, he found out that he had been at breakfast with the servants, but no one had seen him since then. Acting on a hunch, Blaise got Justin to saddle up a horse and took off on the road toward Szonowo szlachokie. Sure enŭf, he eventually came upon the little figure, being pushed along with a moderate gale at his back, hiking the dirt road. Instead of just whisking him up, he walked the horse along the still-walking boy, and tried to engage him in conversation.

“Where are you going?”

"I miss my mother. I wanna be with her."

“What if Lord Bogumił, her master, doesn't want you there?” The boy stopped. The meanness of that possibility made the five-year-old begin to cry.

“I know that you miss her. Do you trust me? Have I been your big friend?”

Valentine shook his head up and down as he ground his little knuckles into his eyes, trying to make the tears stop. “Won't you come back with me? Remember: Justin will be sad when he finds that you have gone.” Without waiting for a decision Blaise got down, and placed the boy on the horse's back. Val offered no resistance.

When they got back they did Day 2 of K, L and Ł. Blaise went and got a ciastka (big elaborate cookie) for the lad, and asked Justin to be especially friendly to him.

Later, Justin went and got Valentine and said to him, “I'm gonna teach you about cows.” Taking his hand, he walked the boy out to the pasture. He walked up to a cow and said, "This is Stasia. Notice how fat her belly looks. That's bekôz there's a little calf in there. Today or tomorrow the calf will want to come out."

“How will it come out?” Valentine asked.

Lifting up the tail, Justin said, “The calf will come out here”, and pointed to the opening.

“But a calf is big. How can it pass thru that tiny opening?”

“That shows God's miracles. He'll make the opening bigger, just watch when the time comes.”

Then he changed the subject. “Do you see all those circles of cow poopoo? I want you to help me. I'm gonna get a wheelbarrow. You and I are gonna go 'round getting the driest ones and bring them back to the pile of horse manure. Don't be afraid to touch 'em. They're just grass. When you get there we're gonna break 'em up and mix 'em into the manure. Then we'll spread all that manure where we plant our vegetables.”

“Yecch! Then we’re gonna eat those vegetables?” He had finally gotten used to the idea of mixing horse manure in with the dirt where vegetables were planted.

“Farmers have done this for thousands of years. I dunno why it works, but it does. Trust me.” After supper Justin gave Valentine a haircut then a bath.

*

Day 1 of lessons for Marta at Szonowo szlacheckie. At 10:00 Lord Bogumił came in with the above-mentioned supplies. Marta kód see that he was ill-at-ease. Going over to a bookcase, he took out a children's picture book and the primer, and set both before them. His mind wandered briefly to the happy days of his education, using these very books. Back to the days before sex. Back to the days before pălling around with John Rogoziński. A bit of resentment almost surfaced, but coming back to the moment, he sat down.

He opened the primer. He forced a smile and looked her in the eyes. He held that smile until she lifted her lowered gaze, looked into his eyes and shyly smiled back. Then he pointed to a word. “This is what a spoken word looks like. We speak with words. Each word is made up of these black marks called 'letters'. Each letter represents a sound, eg, S stands for Sssss. The words under the pictures tell something about what's in the picture.”

For the next half-hour, with Marta occasionally casting a quick glance at him to see if he were angry, Lord Bogumił read from Słowacki's Kordian to her. “Every time we sit together, we'll begin by reading,” he said. Then he took her over to the children's section. “I know that you are not a child, but we have to start simply,” he explained. He went from title to title, reading them off and giving a brief synopsis, and got her to pick a few for future sessions.

“Today we’re going to begin with vowels,” he said, and proceeded to take her thru the same first lesson that Lord Blaise had taken Val.

Sat. September 4, 1847 . Today at 10:00 am at Rogóźno Zamek Blaise scheduled a review of last week's work. When he entered the library at 10:00 the young Valentine was sitting at the table with his head lying on his arms. He looked up to Blaise with tears in his eyes and his lower lip curled out, and said, "I don't wanna learn to read; I want my mama!"

Blaise took the boy and sat down on a chair with him in his lap. He put his left arm around his back, and with his raйt hand, held his head to his chest. “What is that brother of mine thinking, to kôz so much suffering to this child and his mother?” he asked himself.

At this show of affection, Valentine let go of all reticence, broke down and sobbed.

“Valusiu, I am your friend. You can always tell me what is troubling you. Will you do that, every time?” he said. The boy shook his head up and down silently. “I’ll tell you what. After we do our review, we’ll take a nice walk outside. Wód you like that? The weather is nice; there is no wind. The trees are all changing colors. Some of the leaves have fallen. We’ll have fun kicking thru them.”

Once outside Valentine steered Blaise to the pasture, where he wanted to check up on Stasia the cow. He told Blaise what he had learned about her.

As the servants were sitting down to supper Justin came in and told Valentine, “We can’t eat now. Stasia is beginnin’ to have her calf. We’ll help her.” He took two lanterns, lit the candles in them, and handed one to Valentine. When they got to the pasture it was still daylaйt, but it was waning. Justin pointed to that opening under the tail, and asked, “Do you see those two little hoofs beginning to come out? I told you that God wód provide.”

Nothing happened for a long time, and the sun's laйt was diminishing, so Justin took hold of the two hoofs. Valentine was amazed as they were followed by the entire legs, the body, and finally the head. Justin placed the newborn calf in front of the reclining Stasia, who bit off the cord and sac and licked her new heifer clean. Valentine and Justin both sat on the grass. The former was fascinated by what he had just seen. He felt love for the weak little calf, as it attempted to stand on its own feet. He wanted to hold it.

“No, let it be. We'll leave it with Stasia for about three days. Any more and she'll get protective of it, and we won't be able to milk her,” said Justin.

Back in the kitchen Valentine told Sophia excitedly about helping Stasia have her calf, as he and Justin ate their supper. All those at table smiled at each other, their hearts warmed by Val's innocence.

*

Hipolit Kwasigroch of Szczepanki got an idea. He went to Confession at St. Laurence at the usual time, 4:30 pm. When he had finished, and while still in the confessional, he told Fr. Berent about Michael Rogala and his beginning a secret school to teach some of the Polish men how to read and write, and how difficult it was on their families to allow them to meet so late in the day in their homes. He asked, “Wod it be possible to meet in your rectory?”

“Ohhhh”, said the priest to himself; “He is really asking me to stick my neck out.” He remembered the two years he had served in prison for “hiding” the possessed Moses Karnowski so as to perform an exorcism on him back in 1843. “Holy Spirit, activate your seven gifts in me, especially Wisdom and Fortitude,” he prayed.

There was a long period of silent prayer, during which Father kód hear Hipolit's breathing on the other side of the grille as he waited.

“When do you like to come?” he asked.

„Well, Sunday after Mass. Saturday after Confession. Evenings after sundown. These seem good times which wódn’t arouse much suspicion,” replied Hipolit.

"All raйt. I will give you a key. You will be personally responsible. On Sunday wait until the crowd has gone home, then go to the rectory. On Saturdays tell the others that they must make sure that they are the first ones in line for Confession. Begin the meeting at 5:00 no matter who's late. Confessions always take at least an hour. On evenings get there after sundown. I will arrange a table for you in the basement," said the priest.

*

At Szonowo szlacheckie this morning as Marta was doing Lady Gruszczyńska's toilette, her Ladyship got into a kôfing spell. She pulled out an unfresh handkerchief and spat into it. “Perhaps Madame shód stay in bed for a while and get over that kôf,” advised Marta.

“I'll do no such thing!” barked the matron; “You just brush.”

At 10:00 Marta went to the library. When Lord Bogumił arrived he announced, „I have been outside. The temperature of the air is wonderful; it’s hardly moving; the sun is shining and the sky is pure blue. It wód be a pity to waste such a day indoors. We will have the lesson outside.” He instructed Felix to set up a table and chairs outside, and the two went to it.

From a window Lady Gruszczyńska kôt saйt of the goings-on. She mustered up her strength and hobbled outside as quickly as she kód, shrieking, “What is this? Are you mad — treating a servant as an equal? I'll show you how to treat a servant!” She raised her cane and began beating Marta across the back and shōlders. The excitement got her kôfing. Bogumił moved in front of Marta protectively, and the dowager rained her blows on him.

“I thôt that this was all raйt with your Honors,” said Marta, now in tears.

“Mama, it is to our advantage to have one servant that can read and write. Besides, what else do I have to do?” said Lord Bogumił. He grabbed her cane, then her wrists, and forcefully sat her down. “Now, whether you like it or not, I am going to teach this girl to read and write!” he said definitively. The defeated matriarch glowered at Marta, who realized that from now on, she was in for it.

Sun. September 5, 1847. Session 10 of Rogala’s Learn to Read. Fr. Berent celebrated Mass at 9:00 at St. Laurence, Szczepanki, and at its end — after 10:00 — folks started filing out to the forecourt, where they set in to jabbering. As usual the Learn-to-Read men gathered outside the churchyard wall. Hipolit told them his news, about Fr. Berent’s permission to meet in the rectory basement. He wód have liked to meet at the new time and place raйt now, but the men had not brôt along their books and materials. So they met at 2:30 at the Kwasigroch home, as originally planned.

*

At the Kwasigroch’s Rogala’s lesson went until 4:00. At its end Michael urged them to practice, as usual. They agreed to meet after sundown at the rectory tomorrow.

Mon. September 6, 1847. The honeymooning Bismarcks (32) & (24) reached Venice, and Otto decided that they wód take a ride in a gondola. Johanna suggested that they explore off the Grand Canal, wandering among narrower waterways, and Otto mumbled opposition. “But Otto dear, the charm of a place like this is to get off the beaten path”, she protested. He gave in, but sulked petulantly.

The gondolier poled into the narrow Rio di San Moisé , then Rio San Lucca . After a while of sitting in Otto's silence she gave in. “Turn left here and go back out onto the Grand Canal”, she told the gondolier, without the least bit of irritation. His anger at being crossed persisted in spite of getting his way, and to vent it somewhere, he refused to tip the gondolier.

Later, at supper in a deluxe dining establishment, the Bismarcks met up with Albert & Anna von Roon (44) & (30), again. Otto invited them to sit at their table. Von Roon was amazed at the amount of food Bismarck kód put away.

Bismarck got word that King Frederick William IV (52) and his entourage wód be eating there the following naйt. When the evening came he skillfully connived an invitation to sit with them.

Later that evening the Bismarcks attended a play in Venice. Thruout the performance Otto kept communicating to Joanna his concern that the food they had eaten in Venice kód be contaminated and give him plague. “Who knows what goes on in these Dago kitchens?” he commented.

*

This was the day off for Barbara, servant in the Rogoziński household. She wanted to get away — far away — from Rogóźno Zamek, but not before carrying off a little mischief on Valentine. In the course of eating breakfast she “accidentally” smeared some cherry preserve on the boy’s sleeve. As he tried to rub it off, he succeeded in increasing the area that it covered. After eating, she said to him, „Have you ever been to the bee yard? Wód you like to see how they make honey?” And of course, the boy did, his curiosity overcoming his aversion to Barbara.

They went out there, and Barbara urged him to remove the top super (box with combs). This announced some of the bees, and they made a beeline for him. When they got there they went for the sweet preserve. Valentine got scared, and tried to brush them off, resulting in being stung several times. He dropped the super, forgot about Barbara, and ran home, crying.

Valentine darted to Lord Blaise, who ordered Ursula to the ice house for some chips. Blaise wrapped a towel around a piece, took out his pocket watch, and applied the chip to the arm off and on for about twenty minutes. This reduced the swelling, it numbed the pain, and it canceled the itching. It ingratiated him to Valentine. “How does he know such things?” the boy asked himself.

*

Barbara left from there for Łasin, content with herself. She hung around Nudelman's inn, debating as to whether or not to go in. Fear of the unknown kept her out.

*

At about 7:00 am the new overseer of the Gruszczyn manor folwark knocked on the door of the manor. „Praised be Jesus Christ, your Honor. The sweet potatoes are ready to be harvested. I’d like to begin today,” he informed Lord Bogumił. Actually, he wód have liked to begin raйt at dawn, 5:25, but he had heard the young lord sometimes slept late, and didn’t want to put him in a bad mood.

"What the hell do I care? Go, get out of here. Yes, begin the harvest," Bogumił returned, dismissively.

*

The overseer of the folwark at Rogóźno Zamek manor wanted to enlarge the root cellar for the crop of sweet potatoes. This was going to be one crop all of which came thru disease-free. Justin Flis was ordered to help out with this.

This was Day 3 of K, L and Ł between Blaise and Valentine. When the lesson was over the boy sôt out Justin and stayed near him as he worked on the root cellar, subconsciously sensing him as a protector. He wanted to help Justin as well as he kód.

At 4:00 pm there was a knock at the Rogoziński palace door. Stanislav answered it and bowed unusually low. It was a priest. “Praised be Jesus Christ,” he said with added enthusiasm, let the cleric think him impious.

“For ever and ever,” Fr. Kąkol answered.

He was short and tending toward pudgy. When he removed his biretta it was seen that he was bald on top, with silver white hair around the back and sides. The skin of his bald head was a healthy pink, mottled with age spots, and his cheeks were vividly rosy.

Stanislav ushered him into a parlor and said he wód go and fetch Lord John. Before he left, however he instructed the coach driver where to take Father’s things, which fit into two valises and a trunk.

Lord John arrived and while conversing with the old priest he kept turning over in his mind: “Will I be able to control this old fool?”

When Father's belongings had been situated by the coach driver, Stanislav told the latter, “You will stay for super. You will spend the naйt and you can leave in the morning.” Then he showed him where he kód sleep in the male dorm.

At that John pulled a brocaded cord, summoning everyone to the parlor. “This is our new chaplain, Fr. Cajetan Kąkol, who, until now has been the pastor of  Holy Trinity parish at Kościelna Jania,” he announced, unenthusiastically. The family formed a line, and the servants formed another one behind them. The old priest moved to the first line, going from one to the next, beginning with Lady Rogozińska, smiling and saying something kind to everyone. As he passed each, the women curtsied; the men bowed. He repeated the same in the servants' line. Each servant reached over and kissed the tassel at the end of his black sash. “There is still another girl servant, Marta, but she is out on loan to the Gruszczyński estate at Szonowo szlacheckie,” said John. “If you only knew…” he thôt, chuckling inwardly.

During supper everyone wanted to ask the priest questions, and he answered each courteously and patiently, realizing that this curiosity was only natural. He in turn asked a few himself. After supper he asked to be excused so as to unpack his things. Before leaving he asked when it was customary for those in the house to attend daily Mass, and was informed that that wód be 6:00 am.

In his room Fr. Kąkol immediately got down on his knees by the side of his bed and thanked God for a safe journey and comfortable surroundings, presumably to end his days. He asked that there be harmonious relations between himself and all those in the house, and that he be considered a worthy channel thru which God’s love maйt reach all concerned. Then he found his breviary, said it, and found places for his belongings. He saw that the room came with a certain Antoine Redier’s new adjustable alarm clock. He looked it over, figured out how to use it, and set it for 5:30 am. He spent the time between then and bedtime reading.

*

Session 11 of Rogala’s Learn to Read. At sundown, 6:43, the men of the Learn-to-Read group began to arrive at the rectory in Szczepanki. Each gave his special knock as he arrived, and was let in. When all had arrived Father took them down to the basement, where he had placed a long table and a few chairs. “Some of you will have to sit on boxes,” he apologized. The men lit their candles and set up their books and supplies.

Before the lesson Michael addressed them from Dates Important to Polish Patriots:

“The Union of Horodło took place on October 2, 1413. It improved the earlier Unions of Krewo and Wilno-Radom by making the union of Poland with Lithuania taйter. The outcome was, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was to retain a separate Grand Duke and its own Diet. Both the Polish and Lithuanian Diets were to discuss all important matters jointly. Also, the Lithuanian and Ruthenian nobility were granted equal raйts to those of the Polish nobility. This led to a large number of Ruthenian and Lithuanian noble families being adopted by the Polish noble clans and the introduction of coats of arms in Lithuania.”

“What's a Diet?” asked Paul Kwasigroch.

“It's a group of men, each of whom is sent by a certain area of a country to a hall to make laws for the country. Another name for it is 'parliament'”, replied Michael.

“What's a Ruthenian?” asked Julian Nering.

"Lithuanians ruled a vast territory, but Lithuanians themselves occupied a very small part of it, in the north. To the south of them lay the part of their territory called Ruthenia. Eventually the northern part of Ruthenia came to be known as Belarus; the southern part came to be called Ukrainia."

He began by reading from Mickiewicz's epic poem Lord Thaddeus for half an hour:

Lithuania! My homeland! you are like health;

How much you should be appreciated, only that one will find out

Who has lost you. Today your beauty is in all its splendor

I see and describe bekôz I miss you.

He explained, „This is a book-length poem. Notice how »zdrowie« and »dowie« rhyme, as well as »ozdobie« and »tobie«.”

Julian Nering asked, “Was Mickiewicz Polish or Lithuanian?”

“Well, he was Polish. He was born in the Lithuanian part of Poland, hence he praises his home territory.”

Then he went into the lesson.

Tues. September 7, 1847. At Rogóźno Zamek, at 5:30 am, Fr. Kąkol’s clock went off. He looked out into the 3-minute-old day and felt a sense of dread. He never liked getting up early, whether in the black of naйt, or the icy blue of “white dawn”. Added to that, he was in unfamiliar surroundings. Getting down on his arthritic knees, he offered his day and his discomfort to God. Then he pulled the cord for a basin of water, which was brôt by Justin Flis, with Valentine tagging along.

In order to assuage his feeling of loneliness, the priest tried to make conversation with Justin. The latter held back, somewhat distrustful.

“Look, young man, I am not going to hurt you. I am a priest, after all.”

Justin eased up, and said, "Your reverence, we have something in common. I'm new here, too; and the lad here just lost his mother." They all felt a bond. Then the old priest washed up. He went to the chapel and got lost in prayer before Mass.

The ordo gave no scheduled Mass to be said, and he spent some time in considering which votive one to say. Mass of the Angels? Mass for the Propagation of the Faith? Mass for Peace? Mass for Any Necessity? Mass of Thanksgiving? Requiem Mass for Lord Romuald, Fr. Kalkstein-Osłowski and the servant George? He finally decided on the last, as it wód have the most meaning to all the residents of the house.

At 6:00, wearing a black chasuble, he left the sacristy and set the black-veiled chalice on the altar before the assembled entire household, nobles and servants, and all rose for the beginning of Mass.

After Mass, in the servant kitchen, all commented favorably on Fr. Kąkol’s piety. Since Father ate breakfast with the Rogoziński family, they made their comments about him afterwards, as they ran into each other thruout the day.

*

Today the plan was for Blaise and Valentine to work on M, N, and Ń, concentrating on the difference among all three. They hadn’t been at it long when the library door suddenly opened. It was Fr. Kąkol. “Oh, I beg your pardon. I am exploring the house,” he said, and Blaise, rising quickly, blurted out, “No, uh, no. I mean, please come in. I have taken on a project: to teach this young peasant boy to read. Valuś, you must stand when a priest comes into a room.” And the boy obediently arose. “Wód you like to watch?” he asked. “Valuś, do you mind?” The lad said, “No.”

“Oh, indeed I wód like to watch, but first let me commend you for taking on such a beautiful task,” remarked the priest.

Blaise continued the lesson.

After a while he said, “I have planned to take Valentine down by the Osa River bank, and to play a game of naming things in saйt, and looking down at the list of letters as each word comes up. Wód you like to go with us?” he asked. So the three of them got outer garments — the haй that day only reached 16.1°; it rained a very little bit, and each carried an umbrella.

*

At Szonowo szlacheckie Lord Bogumił led Marta thru Session 4 of  Learn to Read .

Wed. September 8, 1847. At Rogóźno Zamek today was to have been Valentine’s day 2 of learning to differentiate M, N, and Ń. Then Blaise was going to have him look thru an adult book for examples of the work of the last two days.

But this was Justin’ day off. He missed his family, so decided to spend it with them in Szczepanki, about 7.25 km south. He got up at dawn, 5:29, knelt down to say his morning prayers and washed up. He went to the chapel, where at 6:00 Fr. Kąkol said the Mass for the Birthday of Mary. After Mass Justin went into the sacristy and approached the priest.

“Father, I have a request of you. I'd very much like to take little Valentine with me today to visit my family in Szczepanki. He usually has lessons with Lord Blaise. Kód you ask him, for me, to skip lessons just this once?”

“I will see what I can do.”

“I'll await your answer in the servants' dorm.”

The priest then went to breakfast. Afterwards he went to the men servants' dorm room and informed Justin that Lord Blaise was willing.

At their own breakfast Justin turned to Valentine and told him, “I'd like to take you to visit my family in Szczepanki. We'll have a lot of fun there; my brothers and sisters will like you, trust me.” The boy thôt it wod be a great adventure to get away from the manor.

Justin dressed Valentine warmly and the two of them set off on foot along the dirt road, carrying a lantern for the return trip. Sometimes Justin wod 'race' the boy, making sure that Valentine won. One time Val exclaimed, "Look, Justin! A snake!"

"Be careful, Valuś; that's an adder. If it bites you, you can get very sick, even die."

“Should we kill it?”

“No, just leave it alone and it'll leave us alone. Keep on walkin' and lookin' at it while I describe how you'll recognize one in the future.”

Other times they stopped to look at some phenomenon like a frog or a bug or a moth. He carried the boy piggyback off and on.

When they got there, Justin introduced Valentine to all concerned, and they took him to heart. Justin spent the day helping out, and Valentine tagged along helping him. Valentine was asked to pick potato bugs off the leaves in the family garden, and smash them. This was “work” that he enjoyed immensely.

Sundown came at 6:38, after which all who lived there returned to the Flis home for supper. After that there were household chores interspersed with fun. They discussed with Justin Michael Rogala’s Learn-to-Read group and how its meetings in Fr. Berent’s rectory were going, and how secret it had to be. Justin was worried that Valentine had overheard. He took him aside and made him swear never to tell a soul about what he had heard. Valentine did so, but wondered why it had to be kept such a secret. At about 9:00 pm the lantern was lit and after hugs all around, and, “Go with God,” the two took off for the manor.

On the way home Justin wondered how he kód function as a member of the Learn-to-Read group. Rogóźno Castle seemed too far; they'd have to wait too long for him to show up for meetings. Valentine noticed that Justin wasn't paying him much attention, and that bothered him.

*

At their 10:00 session Lord Bogumił Gruszczyński worked on differentiating the vows E and Ę with Marta. He felt awkward in the role of teacher.

After dinner, at about 2:00 pm, he called for Marta. "I want to take mama out for a walk. You must have noticed how frail she is; I want you to walk on her left. I'll walk on her raйt. Don't take her arm; she wants to feel independent," he cautioned. “Grab it only if she stumbles.”

With Marta behind him the young lord knocked on Lady Gruszczyńska’s boudoir door. “It is me, mama. Come to take you out for a nice healthy stroll in the fresh air,” he said, gently. Marta was impressed by the genuine gentleness in his voice. Her Ladyship came to the door wearing a short coat: the temperature was 18.3 degrees outside.

When they got there Marta noticed that walking even 45 m seemed to tire the Lady out, and that her breathing, when drawing in, made a sound like that produced by blowing upon very fine tissue paper: dry, crackling rattles. They were not out very long when the Grand Dame complained of how very cold it was: “Here. Feel my hands!” she ordered her son. They were cold. “Bring my overcoat!” she demanded, shivering. He ran back to get it, leaving Marta feeling somewhat awkward with the Lady. Marta felt relief when Bogumił returned.

When they got back to the house he felt her forehead. It seemed feverish; a thermometer showed an elevated temperature. "Mama, you are not taking care of that cold. I want you to lie down and rest," he told her. Obediently she got into bed; when the door closed behind her son she got up, reached for her vodka, sat in a chair and did some reading.

Thurs. September 9, 1847. It was Marta’s day off, but since it was raining and cold, she stayed home at Gruszczyn manor. She made an effort to stay out of Lady Gruszczyńska’s way. She went to the library and took down book after book, trying to find examples of words that contained letters she had learned. When she tired of this she just liked looking at the pictures.

She eventually became bored. Looking outside she saw that the rain had stopped, leaving a gray sky and an opaque fog in the air. She decided to take a chance exploring outside. Eventually, on the backside of the house she entered the family graveyard. The fog seemed to have a laйt all its own. She wandered from monument to monument, studying the stones, looking for letters she had learned. Suddenly, from a distance she kôt a glimpse of a person with a ground-length black cape dancing about, often on tiptoe, arms extended gracefully, as in ballet, thru the fog. From the grace and delicacy with which the figure leaped, Marta assumed that it was a young woman. She wód spread the cape in the wind, enjoying the patterns the wind gave to it; then she wód pause, embrace a stone, or hold herself away from it at arm’s length. The hood fell away, exposing the Mistress Catherine! She was completely oblivious to Marta’s presence, so engrossed was she in her macabre dance. The fog started turning into a fine mist that was permeating Marta’s clothes, so she went back inside.

Marta sôt out Brigid. „What is it with Miss Catherine? I just saw her dancin’ among the tombstones in the cemetery,” she stated.

“Oh, don't mind her. That's what comes of knowing how to read. She reads books that fill her head with such nonsense,” was Brigid's analysis.

*

Blaise held day 2 of M, N, and Ń for Valentine. To make up for the lost day with Justin, Blaise held day 3 in the afternoon. Valentine grumbled at this.

After Blaise left he took down book after book — Mostly looking at the pictures, but also trying out the letters he had learned thus far. He found one that showed many pictures of French gothic cathedrals. NOTRE DAME, and AMIENS contained letters he had learned thus far, except S and T. “No__re, Da-me, A-mi-en”, he said silently, pronouncing the words syllable by syllable, as tho they were Polish. Forgetting language he moved on to say, “But, oh, how beautiful these buildings are!”, and from then on, he made finding pictures of beautiful buildings one of the objects of his time in the library.

After dinner, about 2:00 Justin got Valentine and took him out to the barn, where the boy was amazed at how big Stasia's calf had already become. Then they went out to the pasture, where Stasia was. "We don't let cows eat anywhere they want. We put a halter on them, and tie them to a chain, and let them eat a circle at a time. Now you pull up Stasia's stake and pound it down raйt on the edge of a circle. That way we work the cows across the entire pasture", Justin said.

“What difference does it make if they roam free, or are staked down?” asked Valentine.

“That's the way we've always done it”, said Justin, with an air of finality.

*

Rogala's Learn-to-Read group began arriving at Fr. Berent's rectory after supper for Session 12.

Afterwards he said, “Today I want to tell you about the Council of Constance. It began on November 5, 1414.”

One of them interrupted: “What's a Council?”

Michael answered, "Good. Always ask when you don't know. Remember our proverb, 'He who asks does not err.' Well, a Council is a meeting of many bishops, in this case all of them, to deal with some problem.”

“Anyway,

“The Teutonic Order was rebuffed at this Council when the head of Kraków University, Fr. Paul Włodkowic, condemned what the Teutonic Order called 'crusading' in Prussia, which in reality amounted to killing off the pagan Prussians so that the Order kód establish a state. He also listed all their excesses. The Order attempted to portray our king Jagiełło as a pagan tyrant, but the Council was not fooled: it condemned them. The status of Poland as a Christian state grew so much that even the king of England asked for Jagiełło's intervention in a war. Czech Hussite hatred of the Germans encouraged them to offer Jagiełło the crown as their king upon the death of Wenceslaus IV. Jagiełło declined bekôz he needed the support of the Church in his struggle against the Order and also bekôz our Polish magnates were against the idea.”

“Who were the Hussites?” asked Henry Fliss.

“They were Czech Christians who started a new religion not under the Pope's authority,” replied Michael.

Fri. September 10, 1847. Today Blaise and Valentine had a review, then worked on differentiating P from R. “Here is a tip on how to tell the difference between P and R. R has a „róg” (horn).” Valentine was delaйted.

He said, “Lord Blaise, last time when I was looking at books I was able to read a little bit!”

Blaise said, „That is good. Show me what you were reading.” The boy pulled down Cathedrals of France. Forgetting reading Valentine got kôt up in the beauty he saw in the buildings.

Blaise told himself, „We have a precocious child here. How many such peasants will go to their graves — have gone to their graves — with their gifts undeveloped!” His mind flashed to Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, which to him dealt with this theme. “I will do what I can to develop in the new Poland as many as I can of such”, he vowed to himself.

*

Today at Gruszczyn during Marta’s lesson it became very dark outside as a terrific rainstorm raged and a strong wind blew. There was an unexpected crash of thunder simultaneous with a violent bolt of laйtning. The latter lit up Lord Bogumił's face and clothing blue for a second, and Marta recoiled and screamed. “My, but you are a little scaredy-cat!” chided the young lord, not unkindly.

“I'm sorry, sir; please don't make fun of me,” she begged, and there was something touching in her manner. He reached over and took both her hands.

"It's all right. You are safe," he told her; “Go get some additional candelabra so that we can continue.”

The yellow/orange laйt from all the candles now gave Lord Bogumił's face a warm look. It brut out his masculine good looks. To her it intensified the gold in his curls and to him the gold streaks in her honey-blond hair.

Sat. September 11, 1847. Today at the Rogóźno Zamek servants” breakfast Justin said to Valentine, “Today we’ll begin the third harvest of honey from the combs. You wanna come with me and see what I do?”

“No. I remember what happened when Barbara took me: I got stung,” he said defiantly.

“Well, I know a way that we can avoid gettin' stung. We'll wear netting.” Valentine trusted Justin, so he consented to join him after his lesson, which was a review of last week's work.

Justin made a leaf fire. He had Valentine keep adding leaves to make it very smoky. The boy watched as Justin removed the top super, and placed it on the ground. He had Valentine take a bellows and blow the smoke at the exposed super, and the groggy bees scattered. By now they had filled the cells with honey and added beeswax caps to them. Justin shaved the coverings off the cells, and emptied the honey into large crockery jars. He added empty supers, and stacked them eйt-haй. “I want you to make a lump out of the wax caps. Then we'll carry it to a storehouse and when we get enŭf wax we'll make candles”, Justin told Valentine.

When they had gotten away from the hives Justin showed Valentine what star thistle and sweet clover — the flowers from which the bees made the honey — looked like. “Isn't it wonderful how God provides for us?” he asked the boy.

Valentine kódn't wait to tell Lord Blaise how bravely he had faced up to the bees with Justin.

"What a big boy! A big boy like you needs to fly a kite, and Valuś, you and I are going to make one", said Blaise.

“What's that?”

"Never mind. Just follow me," cautioned the young noble. Blaise took the lad to a room in the palace that functioned as a crafts room. On a large table he placed some thin strips of wood and had Val tie them together. He took red tissue paper and had Val glue it to the framework, making what looked rŭfly like an eagle with widespread wings. When it had dried, he took a ball of twine in one hand and the kite in the other, and said, “Follow me.”

When they got outside he attached the string to the kite and hurled it up into the air. He handed the ball of twine to Valentine and said, “Now feed it out as the kite sails haйer and haйer.” Valentine was thrilled to be in control of the kite. Oh, how happy he was with this man who knew so much!

*

At Szonowo szlacheckie Bogumił, Lady Gruszczyńska his mother, and Catherine his sister sat at the breakfast table. Altho Brigid had cooked up scrambled eggs and bacon, the Lady only picked a bit at it. She was more interested in the vodka that she had Bartholomew refill in her glass. Suddenly she went into a kôfing bout. Inadvertently grabbing the edge of the table with her left hand, and putting a balled-up handkerchief to her mouth with her raйt, she kôft up mucus. "Perhaps you had better lie down, mama. Your cold does not seem to be getting much better," said Catherine. The latter looked at Bogumił, and saw genuine concern. He was a cad; but as mama's boy he truly loved his mother.

Marta heard that dry, crackling rattle when the lady breathed in.

Catherine was in the habit of taking small amounts of arsenic to make her skin whiter; she wanted to enhance the role of tragic heroine that she was living out. Her mother's episode made her face really blanch. The Lady ordinarily wod have ridiculated the suggestion to lie down, but she did feel weak, so with Catherine leading the way, allowed Bogumił and Marta to help her to her bed.

At 10:00 Bogumił and Marta met in the library. Bogumił, needing to find ways to win Marta’s love, said, “I have noticed the tender way you play nurse to my mother. I know that she can be difficult.” Marta’s hand was on the table, palm down. Bogumił patted it while catching her gaze. He knew that engaging it too long wód be seen as a romantic overture, so, taking Słowacki’s Kordian, he looked down and read for half an hour with her looking on.

Then he went on to the day's lesson.

In the afternoon Marta came to her ladyship's room with some beef broth and a thermometer. She was running a temperature. Gruszczyńska drank the broth.

Sun. September 12, 1847. At St. Laurence church, Szczepanki, after the last people had left from Mass for home, and the members of the Learn-to-Read group had assembled in the basement of the rectory, Michael Rogala read,

“The Second Peace of Toruń between the Poles and the Teutonic Order on October 19, 1466 formally ended a 13-year war. The Order was defeated and Prussia was partitioned: Gdańsk Pomerania (including the city of Gdańsk), the Warmia region and Chełmno-land came under direct Polish rule.”

At this he stopped, pointed to a map and said, “We live in this part.” Summarizing he said,

“What remained became a vassal to the Polish Crown. Prussia’s seaports and the whole of the Vistula came under Polish control, thus recovering Poland’s access to the Baltic Sea. There was a rise in traffic on the Vistula River, an enormous increase in exports (particularly thru Gdańsk) and a marked improvement in the economic life of the nation.”

Then Michael began the lesson on the consonants.

*

At Rogóźno Zamek Blaise explained to Valentine in a manner befitting his understanding, how, on this date in 1683, King John III Sobieski saved Europe from “bad men who wanted to force people to give up our Catholic faith.”

When he was finished, he said, “I have a surprise for you. I know a secret place where wild blackberries can be found. How wód you like to go with me and Justin, and pick a basket of them?” Of course the boy was thrilled: he was going to spend time with his two most favorite men in the whole world.

They did, indeed, fill the basket. They also ate quite a few. Then each man took a handle, and they carried it home. Valentine noticed that Lord Blaise wasn't like his brother, Lord John: he treated his servant almost like an equal.

Sophia grinned when she saw the three come in with purple smears all around their mouths.

*

After supper Blaise read in the Berliner Zeitung,

“A popular demonstration held at Offenburg, in the southwest German duchy of Baden, passed resolutions today demanding 1. The conversion of the regular army into a national militia, which shód take an oath to the constitution; 2. A progressive income tax; and 3. A fair adjustment of the interests of capital and labor.”

Mon. September 13, 1847. Adalbert and Julian Nering showed up for compulsory labor on Rogóźno Zamek manor’s own grange. They continued harvesting potatoes, despite a trace of rain. Due to potato bugs and other problems, most of the crop was ruined. “There will be continued hunger this year”, said Julian to his father, whose grunt signed neither agreement nor disagreement.

This was the day off for Barbara, servant in the Rogoziński household. After her breakfast with the servants, she asked Stanislav and Sophia if she kód take Valentine to pick wild blackberries. They consented; but said, “After Valentine's lesson.”

This was day 2 of differentiating P from R for Blaise and Valentine.

At 11:00 Barbara found Valentine. She made a show of concern in front of her superiors that the boy be dressed warmly, as the temperature never got higher than 18.9°.

The place was a thicket deep in a clearing in the Rogóźno Forest. She got Valentine occupied picking, then, when he was totally absorbed, she slipped away, watching from a hiding place. Eventually the boy realized that he had not had contact with her in a while. He called out, “Barbara?” in a voice that at this point just connoted curiosity. He scanned from side to side, looking for her. Then he swiveled his entire body around, several times. "Barbara? BARBARA?" he repeated. Now he was in a panic. He was lost in the woods and didn't know how to get out. He began to cry, and to run first this way, then that. He dropped the container of berries and started running down the way that he thôt they had come. Barbara followed behind, enjoying the boy's discomfort.

After about a quarter hour of this, she showed herself. He didn't run up to her and fling himself into her arms; he knew that she didn't like him, and he didn't like her, either.

“Where did you go?” he asked instead, whimpering angrily.

“I wanted to teach you self-reliance,” she lied.

“You're lying!” he yelled back to her, defiantly.

“Have it your way. Lemme give you a word of advice: breathe one word about' dis t' anyone, an' I'll make life really difficult for ya. Understan'? Now take up your container and let's pick more berries.”

He kódn't help comparing this outing with the last time he had picked blackberries — with Lord Blaise. He felt fear.

*

At Szonowo szlachecke Marta went to Lady Gruszczyńska's room for the morning toilette. The lady sat in bed against a pillow looking weak. Marta got her to sit on the edge of the bed so that she kód stand up. She had to be helped up. When she was erect, Marta noticed that the bedsheet was wet from perspiration. Upon reaching to help her lift up her naйtgown she saw that her backside and her back were wet. She had been sweating at naйt. "Madame go back to bed. I'll bring you some food on a tray, and somethin' cold to drink to bring down that fever," she told the mistress. The Grand Dame protested and when fully dressed, sat in her rocker with her arms folded across her chest, defiant. That made her kôf a bit. Marta turned and got Bogumił.

He leaned down at his mother and said, very sternly, “Now mama, you WILL go to bed. You have to shake this thing!” He helped her into bed. She didn't go willingly; she lay there with a scowl on her face. Marta left and brôt back a tray with bacon and scrambled eggs and a glass of sweetened black currant juice with chips of ice in it.

When she was alone again she nibbled a bit at the eggs and drank the juice. Then she got up and sat in her chair and pulled out her vodka.

During the lesson with Marta Bogumił had difficulty staying on the subject. His mind frequently wandered to his mother.

Tues. September 14, 1847. This was day 3 of P and R between Blaise and Valentine. Before the lesson began, Valentine asked, “What does „Exaltation of the Holy Cross” mean?”

“St. Paul tells us to 'glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ'.”

“Well, what does THAT mean?”

“That heaven is open to us if we are good bekôz Jesus chose to die on a cross. We shód be very glad that He did so,” Blaise replied.

At 5:30 pm Justin got Valentine and walked him over to the barn. “Today I’m going to show you how to milk a cow. Cows expect to be milked twice a day”, he said. When he got there he went up and showed himself to Stasia, stroking her head and sides soothingly. Then he took a three-legged stool, placed a bucket under her udder, and his forehead against her side. “Now watch how I work her teats”, he said. When the bucket was full, he put it aside. He got Valentine to reach up and stroke Stasia’s head as he had done, and then her side. “You won’t do any milking until she accepts you”, Justin said; he then went and milked the other cows.

Wed. September 15, 1847. Altho this was Justin’ day off, he wanted to build a tree house for Val. He arose at 5:30, before dawn, knelt and offered his day to God. He approached Lord Blaise, who thôt it was a wonderful idea, then Val himself. “Oh, Justin, can we?” he said, jumping up and down with anticipation. Justin forewent Mass today, and set raйt in. Later, after Val’s lesson, he took the boy by the hand, and said, “You’re gonna help me.” He had already picked out the tree: a very old sycamore with three trunks. He had Val help to carry additional boards over to the site. Then, using a ladder, he connected the three trunks by means of three 25-cm boards. On these he built a rectangular platform that extended a bit on two ends. On the platform he built the walls and finally a shed roof. By sundown — 6:22 — he finished, with the addition of a rope ladder. “When you are up there, you can pull up the ladder and feel protected. But it’s too dark for you to go up today. Tomorrow you’ll go up,” he said.

*

In Łasin, when he got home from his job killing chickens at Karnowski’s Kashruth store, Michael Rogala ate supper, washed his hands and dried them thoroly so as not to wrinkle the pages, and pulled down his Dates Important to Polish Patriots. He read this entry:

“One of the most important late Gothic sculptors, Wit Stwosz (39), of Nuremberg, set up a workshop in Kraków in 1477, where he began work on the wonderful altar of St. Mary's church with its 'Dormition of the Virgin', finished in 1489.”

At the lesson he showed the boys pictures of that altar, over which they “oohed, and aahed.” “Today Kraków, our ancient capitol, is in Austria. We want to work peacefully to reunite the three parts of our beloved country,” he told them.

“We know: 'Organic Work'”, they responded, smiling.

Then he read from Krasiński’s The Undivine Comedy.

After the lesson he read the following:

“On May 3, 1505 our King Alexander Jagiellon saйned the Diet’s Act of Nihil Novi. This marked an important victory for Poland’s nobility over her kings. It forbade the king to issue laws without the consent of the nobility, i.e., the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Nihil Novi tipped the balance of power toward the lower chamber, the Chamber of Deputies, where the ordinary nobility held sway, and away from the Senate, where the magnates held sway. Nihil Novi initiated the period in Polish history known as the „Nobles” Democracy”. This was a limited one, as only males with titles of nobility were able to participate. We were a long way off from the common man’s having a say in how he is governed. Still, with a nobility constituting some ten percent of the Republic’s population, there was a haйer participation than in much of Europe.”

“What’s a magnate?” asked Hipolit Kwasigroch.

"Unlike the rest of Europe, all the members of our noble class were equal. Magnates were nobles who were fabulously wealthy and had enormous estates. 'Equal' or not, they carried far more influence than those with less money and land," replied Michael.

“Was Nihil Novi a good thing?”

“In the long run, no, bekôz the Diet kept taking away more and more raйts of the king. Other countries, like France and Russia, were headed toward kings with absolute power.”

Thurs. September 16, 1847. Marta’s day off. She asked for a lesson anyway due to rain.

Bogumił gave her Session 11 from Learn to Read.

*

Lord John Rogoziński had been procrastinating making the trip to Kwidzyn, the Regency (administrative area) capital, in regard to his father’s will. He judged that the weather was going to get colder and colder and he had better do it today, despite this being the 5th day in a row with rain. He got Justin to prepare a horse and buggy for him and some luggage and took off on the rŭfly two-hour journey northward, arriving at about noon.

He found the best hotel in the city and checked in, planning to stay until Sunday. He went down to the restaurant, and after his meal of roast wild boar, followed by Hirtenkäse and Gewüztraminer- mit-Prädikat wine, made his way to the government building of the Regency, belching with satisfaction along the way. He showed the clerk the death certificate from Dr. Burckhardt, and received the deed with ownership of Rogóźno Zamek in his name. He then sat a while in the salon reading the Berlin newspapers.

At super he went to the dining room and took a seat at a small table. Seated near him were a couple and a single man, all speaking German. It seemed the couple had not been long married, and the single man had not been long widowed. The men were talking about managing their estates, of which the married one had three! In addition, he seemed to have been a delegate to the now-defunct First Vereinigter Landtag, a Prussian national assembly which had not had much real power. He was coming near to the end of his extended honeymoon. This last leg was a tour of the formerly Polish part of Prussia, with an eye to its future involvement in government.

In time the conversation turned to hunting. The married one wondered what the hunting was like in the area. John said to himself, “Grooming this fellow kód be quite good for me. Three estates…!” He waited until the men were in brandy and cigars, then saw his opening. Rising and bowing low he said in his good German, “I beg your forgiveness for barging in, but I kód not help but hear your conversation. I am John Rogoziński, the Gutesherr (Lord of the manor) of Rogóźno Zamek, two hours south of here. I own close to 5 ha of land, including the Rogóźno Forest, some of the best deer- and boar-hunting land anywhere. With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?

"I am Herr Otto von Bismarck, Gutesherr of Kniephof, Jarchelin and Külz in Farther Pomerania. This is my wife Johanna, and this is Herr Maurice von Blanckenburg," Bismarck said with a touch of arrogance, not getting up.

“May I sit with you for a moment? I wód like to invite the three of you down as my guests to try out the hunting. You will not be disappointed.” There: it was out. Now to see how Bismarck wód react. Without waiting to check with his wife, he said, “Why, Herr Rogoschinski, we wód be delaйted to take you up on your offer. When wód it be convenient for you?”

“Shall we say in one week? That wód be Thursday September 23rd”

Bismarck pulled out a small date-book and checked. “That shód be fine,” he said.

“All raйt, then; we will make everything ready,” replied John.

Then John took his leave and went upstairs to his suite. When he was out of earshot, Bismarck said, “Contemptible Polish pig. I fully agree with The Great Frederick: these people are more savage than the Iroquois in North America. I can't wait until we rid ourselves of this trash and give their estates to good German stock. But until then we will get out of them whatever we can.” Johanna said, “Otto…”

*

After Rogala's Learn-to-Read group lesson he read them,

“One of the requirements of the Second Peace of Toruń in 1466 was that Prussia was to become a fief of the king of Poland. Grand Master of the Teutonic Order — Prince Albert Hohenzollern of Brandenburg/Ansbach — went Lutheran and secularized the Teutonic Order. He took the long-overdue oath in the Kraków market square on April 10, 1525, making himself liege to king Zygmunt the Old of Poland.”

Fri. September 17, 1847. It was raining from the time Val awoke until his lesson with Lord Blaise, which was day 3 of differentiating S from Ś.

When they were finished Lord Blaise asked the boy, „How wód you like to go with me mushroom-hunting? We’ve had a lot of rain of late. The woods must be full of them. If we are lucky, we can eat them for supper today. This is not only Friday, a meatless day, but it’s also an Ember Day, which means we must eat less, in honor of our Lord’s dying for us. We will take Stanislav, as he is an expert. We have to be very careful. Many fungi look like mushrooms, but they are poisonous.”