pies, or she will overwhelm me
again with curses."

"We shall go, Czipra," said Lorand: "Yes, yes, don't laugh at the idea.
Get your hat, Desi: you are well enough dressed for a country call: let
us go across to Sarvoelgyi's."

"To Sarvoelgyi's?" said Czipra, clasping her hands, and coming closer to
Lorand. "You will go to Sarvoelgyi's?"

"Not just for Sarvoelgyi's sake," said Lorand very seriously,--"who is in
other respects a very righteous pious fellow; but for the sake of his
guests, who are old friends of Desi's.--Why, I have not yet told you,
Desi. Madame Balnokhazy and her daughter are staying here with Sarvoelgyi
on a matter of some legal business. You cannot overlook them, if you
are in the same village with them."

"I might go away without seeing them," replied Desiderius indifferently;
"but I don't mind paying them a visit, lest they should think I had
purposely avoided them. Have you spoken with them already?"

"Oh yes. We are on very good terms with one another."

Lorand sacrificed the caution he had once exercised in never writing a
word to Desiderius about Melanie. It seemed Desi did not run after her
either; what had his childish ideal come to? Another ideal had taken its
place.

"Besides, seeing that Gyali is the ladies' solicitor, and seeing that
you, my dear friend, have '_manupropria_' despatched Gyali out of
Szolnok--he immediately took the post-chaise and is already in Pest, or
perhaps farther--it is your official duty to give an explanation to
those who are waiting for their solicitor and to tell them where you
have put their man--if you have courage enough to do so."

Desiderius at first drew back, but later his calm confidence and courage
immediately confirmed his resolution.

"What do you say,--if I have courage? You shall soon see. And you shall
see, too, what a lawyer-like defence I am able to improvise. I wager
that if I put the case before them, they will give the verdict in our
favor."

"Do so, I beseech you," said Lorand, soliciting his brother with
humorously clasped hands.

"I shall do so."

"Well be quick: get your hat, and let us go."

Desiderius with determined steps went in search of his hat.

Czipra laughed after him. She saw how ridiculous it would be. He was
going to calumniate the bridegroom before the bride. With what words she
herself did not know: but she gathered from the gentlemen's talk that
Gyali had been driven from the company the night before for some