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Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 60
Finally, the messengers of the Mnisheks arrived: Marina with her father and retinue drove up to Moscow. Demetrius ordered to send a carriage covered with silver and a dozen white horses to meet the bride. In the village of Krasnoe, Mnishekov was met with rich gifts by Demetrius' uncle Mikhail Nagoi and Prince Rubets-Mosalsky.Such a huge number of guests needed to be accommodated somewhere, and Dimitri ordered the Sloboda and townspeople to temporarily transfer their homes in China and the White City to the Poles, but this was not enough, and the tsar ordered the Arbat and Chertolsky monasteries to be vacated in order to accommodate foreign guests there. Moscow murmured. But Dimitri, excited by the upcoming meeting, did not pay attention to this. Having changed into simple clothes, he, accompanied by Buchinsky and Shuisky, went incognito to watch the ceremony of Marina's arrival.On May 3, the motorcade of the Mnisheks drove into Moscow and along the old Smolensk road, called Orbat, h
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 61
Taking a breath, Dr. Gold looked out the window and said:“It’s already getting dark, you’re tired, and I’m tired beyond measure. I didn't expect my story to take so long. If you come tomorrow, I will have time to rest and continue. And now I just have to finish the sad story of Dimitri. However, you yourself probably know what happened to him.- I'm ashamed to admit it, but no, - the vicar shook his head, - I only briefly heard about False Dmitry, I don't know any details.- Well ... Late in the evening on Friday, July 16, 1606, I left the Marina, returned to my palace and, flushed with alcohol, fell asleep soundly. But at dawn I was awakened by the ringing of bells: they sounded the alarm in the church of St. Elijah on the other side of the Fire. Still not fully awake, I rushed to the window and shouted to the Germans on guard:- What's happened?“It seems that Moscow is on fire, your royal grace,” one of the guards yelled back.There was a knock on the door, and Basmanov, who usual
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 62
Lord, how I want to eat!Laszlo Molnar was terribly hungry. When did he last eat? Seems like the third day. Yes exactly. The good priest that day threw him a pfennig with the inscription "FÜR DIE ARMEN" [i] , and the happy Laszlo was able to buy rye bread and a bowl of porridge. But is this enough for a long time? The day before yesterday he had eaten the last crumbs, and since then he has never been lucky. Oh ho ho, what to do?Her legs, weakened by hunger, refused to obey. Laszlo made his way to a haystack in the meadow and fell down on it with relief. You need to rest a little, wait until this strange burning sensation in your chest ends, and then go to the village - suddenly you can beg for something. If today he does not eat, tomorrow he will not have the strength to rise. The old man knew this for sure, because he had been wandering for more than a year.Once upon a time, Laszlo had a wonderful wife, a house, a mill, thanks to which he received his surname [ii] . They did not li
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 63
Day after day, in clear weather and rain, they moved west and constantly gave performances. We stopped at inns for the night, choosing a cheaper room. In the autumn the old man bought a sheepskin coat and no longer looked like a tramp. He saved every pfennig, but did not spare the best bones for Barat: he wanted to somehow express his love and gratitude to his friend. Moreover, he took the dog to the barber, who washed and combed the brown wool. Barat began to look much prettier.Every night in a dream, Laszlo saw their future house. It remains to accumulate quite a bit, a few months - and the dream will come true. Maybe even next summer ... They will settle together with Barat somewhere on the outskirts of Pozsony, they will earn a living by performances, and Laszlo will devote the rest of the time to the garden, grow many flowers, vegetables, greenery, and maybe even start some kind of some livestock so that the dog always has meat. A wattle fence will be placed around the house, an
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 64
The walls of the hall, topped by a vaulted ceiling, were hung with halberds, muskets, and stuffed animals. From all sides, the heads of boars, foxes and wolves stared at Istvan with dead eyes. He shuddered and at that moment on the stairs leading to the second floor, he noticed the very maid whom he had seen through the window. The girl smiled and waved her hand towards the right wing of the house:- Ban Tomas is waiting for you in the library.“Thank you,” Isstvan nodded. "So my new father's name is Tomasz."The first door led to the library, and the newly minted young man resolutely stepped inside. There were several open bookcases, a large oak dining table, and half a dozen curule chairs. In one of them sat a pale, thin man of about fifty with a gray mustache and a goatee beard.“Ah, Pishta,” he smiled, and his face lit up with joy. - Come in, sit down.The young man settled down next to Tomas, handed him the potion, and looked at him expectantly.- Thank you. That's what I wanted
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 65
A little earlier, having taken the goblets into the hall, Istvan returned to the kitchen, but did not find Agnieszka. The girls who worked there could hardly contain their laughter and cast sly glances at him. He tried to look for her around the house, but then his father intercepted him. I had to meet the arriving guests with him and my uncle. And now he had been sitting at the table for almost an hour, numerous maids scurrying back and forth, bringing new dishes and taking away dirty dishes, but Agnieszka did not appear.Surprised at himself, the young man recalled how he was looking forward to this reception, how he wanted to get to know his neighbors and their beautiful daughters. Is it possible that a fleeting meeting with a maid can change everything so much? Is it enough for him, a hundred-year-old man, to be thrilled because of the radiant eyes of some girl? But a fact is a fact - he longed to see her, languishing with boredom surrounded by annoying neighbors.Finally Istvan n
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 66
- Write!Isstvan turned around impatiently. He was in a hurry for a date, and he did not want to waste time talking.- Yes, father?“Come, my dear, I need to talk to you.”The young man reluctantly entered the library and sat down.“My friend,” Tomas began, “your uncle Zoltan has become completely uncontrollable. I tried to talk to him, but he talks about some lights, about ghosts... And he claims that you saw them too.- This is true. One night I had to watch all this from his window.“And what do you think it could be?”- Uncle believes that an evil spirit has come to his soul. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case, he deserved it.“Yes, yes, of course,” my father muttered, and suddenly looked straight at Istvan: “What is happening to you, my dear Pishta?He blinked in surprise.- I'm not blind, my friend, and I see that something is oppressing you. You had such a kind, such a beautiful smile, and now it is more like a grin. You have become impatient, categorical, irritable, I
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 67
Relations between Istvan and his father began to improve. The kind-hearted Tomasz could not hold a grudge in his heart for long; although he did not forget that his son had deceived him, he mentally justified him in every possible way.After the departure of Zoltan and the death of the dog, the young man became much calmer, and it seemed to his father that he again recognized the former dear Pishta. In reality, Istvan, in love, was happy, and therefore kind and indulgent to everyone.He continued to go to Çeite Castle every week. Agnieszka, as before, greeted him with a joyful smile. However, over time, it began to seem to the young man that she was becoming more and more nervous. Something was clearly troubling her. But when asked, she answered evasively:“Nothing happened, my dear. For some reason I'm just scared...“What frightens you, dear Agnieszka? Tell.- Don't know. But I feel in my heart that something is not right in this castle. He scares me.Once she said:“This disgusting