"Gracious lord," said Macko, "there was an offence, there must be a punishment; otherwise, there would be no law in the world. But I am also guilty because I did not try to restrain the natural impetuosity of that youth; I even praised him for it. It is my fault, gracious king, because I often told him: 'First cut, and then look to see whom you have hurt.' That was right in war, but wrong at the court! But he is a man, pure as gold, the last of our family!"
"He has brought shame upon me and upon my kingdom," said the king; "shall I be gracious to him for that?"
Macko was silent, because when he thought about Zbyszko, grief overpowered him; after a long silence, he began to talk in a broken voice: "I did not know that I loved him so well; I only know it now when misfortune has come. I am old and he is last of the family. If he perish--we perish! Merciful king and lord, have pity on our family!"
Here Macko kneeled again and having stretched out his arms wasted by war, he spoke with tears: "We defended Wilno; God gave us honest booty; to whom shall I leave it? If the Krzyzak requires punishment, let punishment come; but permit me to suffer it. What do I care for life without Zbyszko! He is young; let him redeem the land and beget children, as God ordered man to do. The Krzyzak will not ask whose head was cut off, if there is one cut. There will be no shame on the family. It is difficult for a man to die; but it is better that one man perish than that a family should be destroyed."
Speaking thus he clasped the king's legs; the king began to wink his eyes, which was a sign of emotion with him; finally he said: "It can not be! I cannot condemn to death a belted knight! It cannot be! It cannot be!"
"And there would be no justice in it," added the castellan. "The law will crush the guilty one; but it is not a monster, which does not look to see whose blood is being shed. And you must consider what shame would fall on your family, if your nephew agreed to your proposal. It would be considered a disgrace, not only to him, but to his children also."
To this Macko replied: "He would not agree. But if it were done without his knowledge, he would avenge me, even as I also will avenge him."