brother! We shall be Poles once
more! War is inevitable. When I hurried here on a secret mission, the
vanguard of the army was already on the Niemen. Napoleon is already
gathering an immense army, such as man has never seen and history does not
remember; by the side of the French the whole Polish army is advancing,
our Joseph,105 our Dombrowski, our white eagles! They are already on the
march, at the first sign from Napoleon they will cross the Niemen; and,
brother, our Fatherland will be restored!"

The Judge, as he listened, slowly folded his spectacles, and gazed fixedly
at the Monk, but said nothing; he sighed deeply, and tears stood in his
eyes--finally he clasped Robak about the neck with all his might,
exclaiming:--

"My Robak, is this really true? My Robak," he repeated, "is this really
true? How many times they have deceived us! Do you remember, they said
that Napoleon was already on the road? And we were waiting! They said, he
is already in the Kingdom,106 he has already beaten the Prussians, and is
coming in among us! And what did he do? He made peace at Tilsit.107 Is it
really true? Are you not deceiving yourself?"

"It is the truth," cried Robak, "as God is in Heaven!"

"Blessed be the lips that bring these tidings!" said the Judge, raising
his hands on high. "You shall not regret your mission, Robak; your
monastery shall not regret it; two hundred choice sheep I give to your
monastery. Monk, yesterday you expressed a desire for my chestnut and
praised my bay; to-day the two shall at once be harnessed to the waggon in
which you gather alms. To-day ask me for what you wish, for whatever
pleases you, and I will not refuse! But as to all that business with the
Count, let me alone; he has wronged me, I have already summoned him to
court--is it fitting that I should propose an accommodation?"

The astonished Monk wrung his hands. Fixing his eyes upon the Judge and
shrugging his shoulders, he said:--

"So, when Napoleon is bringing liberty to Lithuania, when all the world
trembles, then you are thinking of your lawsuit? And after all that I have
told you will you sit calmly, folding your hands, when one must act?"

"Act? How?" asked the Judge.

"Have you not yet read it in my eyes?" replied Robak. "Does your heart
still tell you nothing? Ah, brother, if you have one drop of the Soplicas'
blood in your veins, just consider: the French are striking from in
front--what if we stir up a rising of the people f