lready expecting her with great impatience and, before she
left the carriage, shouted a question about the result of the trial.
Panna did not answer immediately, but cautiously descended, gratefully
pressed the hand of the gardener, who had brought her to her own house,
and entered the room with her father. Here she opened her lips for the
first time, uttering only the words: "Six months!"

Her father struck the table furiously with his clenched fist,
shrieking: "Then Hell ought to open its jaws and swallow the whole
band! But wait, I know what to do. Six months will soon be over, and
then I'll make short work with the fine gentleman. I'll be judge and
executioner in one person, and the trial won't last long, that I swear
by all the fiends."

Panna hastily interrupted him: "For Heaven's sake, Father, hush. If
any one should hear it might be bad for you. What induces you to say
such imprudent things? Do you want to be imprisoned for making
dangerous threats? You know that they wouldn't use as much ceremony
with you as with the nobleman. Only keep perfectly cool, we are not
obliged to make ourselves the judge, there is still one person higher
than the court, and he will decide our cause."

"What do you mean?" asked the father, looking inquiringly at Panna.

"You'll learn; only let me act, and keep cool."

The old man was not naturally curious, so he desisted and went to rest,
Panna following his example.

The next morning Panna was seen moving to and fro very busily between
her own house and her father's, and repeatedly entering the town-hall.
With her father's help, she carried all their property to his hut and
then offered the empty Molnar house for sale. There was no lack of
purchasers, but the peasant does not decide quickly to open the strings
of his purse, so it was three days before the bargain was concluded.
But at last the business was settled and Panna received several hundred
florins in cash. She gave the larger portion to her father, who bought
a vineyard with them, and kept a hundred for herself. When this was
done, Panna said that she had business in the city, hired a carriage,
and went to Pesth.

The king was at that time in Ofen, where he gave public audiences
daily. It is an ancient and wise custom of the Hapsburgs to make
themselves easily accessible to the people. In Austro-Hungary no
recommendation, gala attire, nor ceremony is requisite in order to see
and speak to the sovereign.