the sofa, upon which Ir immediately placed himself, his head on StaÅâs knee.
Ignacy brought up a chair.
âSomething to eat? Iâve ham and a little caviar.â
âVery well.â
âSomething to drink too? I have a bottle of reasonable Hungarian wine, but only one wine glass that is not broken.â
âIâll drink from a tumbler,â replied the visitor.
Ignacy began to scuttle around the room, opening the cupboard chest and table-drawer in turn.
He produced the wine, put it away again, then set out ham and bread on the table. His hands and cheeks were quivering and a good deal of time passed before he was sufficiently himself to get together all the provisions he had previously mentioned. Not until he had partaken of a small glass of the wine did he regain his much-shaken equilibrium.
Meanwhile, Wokulski was eating.
âWell, and whatâs the latest news?â asked Ignacy, in the coolest tone imaginable, tapping his visitorâs knee.
âI suppose you mean in politics?â replied Wokulski. âThere will be peace.â
âThen why is Austria arming?â
âAt a cost of sixty million gulden? She wants to seize Bosnia and Herzegovina.â
Ignacy opened his eyes very wide.
âAustria wants to seize â¦â he echoed. âHow so?â
âHow so?â Wokulski smiled. âBecause Turkey cannot prevent her.â
âAnd what about England?â
âEngland will get compensation.â
âAt Turkeyâs expense?â
âOf course. The weak always pay the costs of any conflict between the strong.â
âAnd justice?â exclaimed Ignacy.
âJustice lies in the fact that the strong multiply and increase, and the weak perish. Otherwise the world would become a charitable institution, which would indeed be unjust.â
Ignacy shifted his chair.
âHow can you say such things, StaÅ? Seriously, joking aside â¦â
Wokulski turned his calm gaze upon him.
âYes,â he replied. âWhat is so strange in it? Doesnât the same law apply to me, to you, to all of us? ⦠Iâve wept for myself too often to feel for Turkey â¦â
Ignacy lowered his eyes and was silent. Wokulski went on eating.
âWell, and how did things go with you?â asked Ignacy in his normal voice.
Wokulskiâs eyes gleamed. He put down the bread and leaned against the arm of the sofa.
âDo you remember,â he asked, âhow much money I took with me when I went abroad?â
âThirty thousand roubles, in cash.â
âAnd how much do you suppose Iâve brought back?â
âFifty ⦠perhaps forty thousand roubles ⦠Am I right?â asked Rzecki, looking at him uncertainly.
Wokulski poured a glass of wine and drank it slowly.
âTwo hundred and fifty thousand roubles, mostly in gold,â he said distinctly. âAnd since I told them to buy banknotes, which Iâll sell when the peace is signed, I shall have over three hundred thousand roubles â¦â
Rzecki leaned towards him, his mouth open.
âDonât be alarmed,â Wokulski went on, âI made it honestly, by hard, very hard, work. The secret was that I had a rich partner and was satisfied with four or five times less profit than others. So my capital, while continually growing, was in constant circulation. Well,â he added after a time, âI was very lucky too ⦠Like a gambler who backs the same number ten times running at roulette. High stakes? ⦠nearly every month I risked my entire fortune, and my life every day.â
âWas that the only reason you went there?â Ignacy asked.
Wokulski looked at him mockingly.
âSurely you didnât expect me to turn into a Turkish Wallenrod ?â
âBut to risk your neck for money, when you had a good living â¦â Ignacy muttered, shaking his head and raising his eyebrows.
Wokulski shuddered and
Ignacy brought up a chair.
âSomething to eat? Iâve ham and a little caviar.â
âVery well.â
âSomething to drink too? I have a bottle of reasonable Hungarian wine, but only one wine glass that is not broken.â
âIâll drink from a tumbler,â replied the visitor.
Ignacy began to scuttle around the room, opening the cupboard chest and table-drawer in turn.
He produced the wine, put it away again, then set out ham and bread on the table. His hands and cheeks were quivering and a good deal of time passed before he was sufficiently himself to get together all the provisions he had previously mentioned. Not until he had partaken of a small glass of the wine did he regain his much-shaken equilibrium.
Meanwhile, Wokulski was eating.
âWell, and whatâs the latest news?â asked Ignacy, in the coolest tone imaginable, tapping his visitorâs knee.
âI suppose you mean in politics?â replied Wokulski. âThere will be peace.â
âThen why is Austria arming?â
âAt a cost of sixty million gulden? She wants to seize Bosnia and Herzegovina.â
Ignacy opened his eyes very wide.
âAustria wants to seize â¦â he echoed. âHow so?â
âHow so?â Wokulski smiled. âBecause Turkey cannot prevent her.â
âAnd what about England?â
âEngland will get compensation.â
âAt Turkeyâs expense?â
âOf course. The weak always pay the costs of any conflict between the strong.â
âAnd justice?â exclaimed Ignacy.
âJustice lies in the fact that the strong multiply and increase, and the weak perish. Otherwise the world would become a charitable institution, which would indeed be unjust.â
Ignacy shifted his chair.
âHow can you say such things, StaÅ? Seriously, joking aside â¦â
Wokulski turned his calm gaze upon him.
âYes,â he replied. âWhat is so strange in it? Doesnât the same law apply to me, to you, to all of us? ⦠Iâve wept for myself too often to feel for Turkey â¦â
Ignacy lowered his eyes and was silent. Wokulski went on eating.
âWell, and how did things go with you?â asked Ignacy in his normal voice.
Wokulskiâs eyes gleamed. He put down the bread and leaned against the arm of the sofa.
âDo you remember,â he asked, âhow much money I took with me when I went abroad?â
âThirty thousand roubles, in cash.â
âAnd how much do you suppose Iâve brought back?â
âFifty ⦠perhaps forty thousand roubles ⦠Am I right?â asked Rzecki, looking at him uncertainly.
Wokulski poured a glass of wine and drank it slowly.
âTwo hundred and fifty thousand roubles, mostly in gold,â he said distinctly. âAnd since I told them to buy banknotes, which Iâll sell when the peace is signed, I shall have over three hundred thousand roubles â¦â
Rzecki leaned towards him, his mouth open.
âDonât be alarmed,â Wokulski went on, âI made it honestly, by hard, very hard, work. The secret was that I had a rich partner and was satisfied with four or five times less profit than others. So my capital, while continually growing, was in constant circulation. Well,â he added after a time, âI was very lucky too ⦠Like a gambler who backs the same number ten times running at roulette. High stakes? ⦠nearly every month I risked my entire fortune, and my life every day.â
âWas that the only reason you went there?â Ignacy asked.
Wokulski looked at him mockingly.
âSurely you didnât expect me to turn into a Turkish Wallenrod ?â
âBut to risk your neck for money, when you had a good living â¦â Ignacy muttered, shaking his head and raising his eyebrows.
Wokulski shuddered and
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