and trap, but
it made a great difference in Glogova too. Every summer numbers of
ladies came from the small watering-places round about, very often
countesses too (mostly old countesses), in order to say a prayer under
the umbrella, and for these an inn was built opposite the priest's
house, called the "Miraculous Umbrella." In fact, Glogova increased in
size and importance from day to day.

In time the villagers began to feel ashamed of the simple wooden belfry,
and had a tower built to the church, and hung two bells in it from
Besztercebanya. Janos Sranko had a splendid statue of the Holy Family
erected in front of the church, to commemorate his resurrection from the
dead. The governess (for a time Father Janos had a governess for little
Veronica) filled the priest's garden with dahlias, fuchsias, and other
flowers which the inhabitants of Glogova had never yet seen.

Everything improved and was beautified (except Widow Adamecz, who got
uglier day by day), and the villagers even went so far as to discuss on
Sunday afternoons the advisability of building a chapel upon the
mountain St. Peter had been seen on, in order to make it a place of
pilgrimage and attract even more visitors.

The Gregorics Family

PART II

CHAPTER I.

THE TACTLESS MEMBER OF THE FAMILY.

Many years before our story begins, there lived in Besztercebanya a man
of the name of Pal Gregorics, who was always called a tactless man,
whereas all his life was spent in trying to please others. Pal Gregorics
was always chasing Popularity, and instead of finding it came face to
face with Criticism, a much less pleasing figure. He was born nine
months after his father's death, an act of tactlessness which gave rise
to plenty of gossip, and much unpleasantness to his mother, who was a
thoroughly good, honest woman. If he had only arrived a little earlier
... but after all _he_ could not help it. As far as the other Gregorics
were concerned, he had better not have been born at all, for of course
the estates were cut up more than they would otherwise have been.

The child was weak and sickly, and his grown-up brothers always hoped
for his death; however, he did not die, but grew up, and when of age
took possession of his fortune, most of which he had inherited from his
mother, who had died during his minority and left him her whole fortune;
whereas the children of the first wife only had their share of the
father's fortune, which, however,