nse underbrush, she suddenly became grave, gazed at
the trees with such great joy, touched their trunks and branches
with such tenderness, her lips and eyes glowed with such rapture,
that Kotlicki asked her, pointing to the trees: "No doubt they must
be good friends of yours?"

"Yes indeed, good and sincere friends and not comedians!" she
replied with a light irony in her voice.

"You have a very vengeful memory. You neither believe, nor forgive.
I desire only one thing: to be able to convince you . . ."

"Then marry me!" she exclaimed quickly, turning towards him.

"I beg for your hand!" he murmured in the same tone.

They glanced straight into each other's eyes and both suddenly
became gloomy. Janina knitted her brows and began unconsciously to
tear her unfinished wreath with her teeth, while Kotlicki bowed his
head and became silent.

"Come, let us hurry, we shall be late for the performance!" called
someone, and they hastened to catch up with the rest of the company.

"So to-morrow there is to be a read rehearsal of my play?" Glogowski
was asking Topolski.

"To be exact, it will be only a reading of the play itself, for
Dobek has not yet finished writing out the roles," answered
Topolski.

"Great Scott! and when do you expect to present it?"

"Don't fear, the Philistines will hiss and hoot you soon enough,
without your hurrying!" Kotlicki twitted him.

"We shall present it in a week from next Tuesday . . . at least I
would have it so," replied Topolski.

"Or, strictly speaking, there will remain for rehearsals and for the
learning of the roles only four days. No one will know his part, no
one will be able to master it even passably in so short a time.
That's nothing short of murder, cold-blooded murder!" cried
Glogowski.

"You'll treat Dobek to a few whiskeys and he will safely pull the
play through for you," suggested Wawrzecki.

"Yes, he will shout for everybody. . . . As the matter stands, it is
best to announce that there will take place merely a reading of the
play."

"You needn't worry about me, I'll learn my role," Majkowska assured
him.

"And I also," added Janina.

"I know the ladies always know their parts but the men . . ."

"The men will play their parts well without having to learn them,"
remarked Wawrzecki. "Don't you know that Glas never studies his
roles! A few rehearsals familiarize him with the situations of the
play and the prompter does the rest."

"That's why he plays