Dr. Dumany's Wife

iction that a fit of indigestion would prove fatal to him had come true. His confidence in St. John of Nepomuc had been greater than his prude

had recorded a last will and testament in the county archives, in which last will and testament he nominated me, Dr. Kornel Dumany, as his sole heir, upon condition that I should take possession of the property and live i

y and a son of Hungary, to take possession of the home of my ancestors, and not to allow such an anti-patriotic and dangerous institution as the "Maticza" to

terary society. If this society was to hold future meetings in my uncle's museums, I could bear it; there was very little of Chauvinism or even patri

from their prescriptive sinecures, went up to Vienna and did their best to make it hot for the Hungarians. As every war has its origin in an inkstand, students are, naturally, the greatest Chauvinists, and I was to find that out with a vengeance. All my friends and colleagues became more and more averse to me, and even went so far as to take my patients from me by incensing them against me in every possible manner. Soon they bega

ded man could effect, and how much mischief I should be able to prevent. "But," he closed, "if you stubbornly and positively adhere to your unpatriotic resolution, and finally decline

e letter which my uncle had entrusted to my care, and which, as I now learned, proved to be the very will in question. I announced my firm resolution to adhere to my princ

have I to be t

ny family, of course," was the reply. "There

ts full. There were others who were quite young men, old schoolfellows of mine; somewhat bad students at the time, but, since Providence had furnished them with strong voices, they had taken advantage of the gift so as to make a noise in the world, and played the r?le

and each name, as it was read, was followed by a loud cheer "éljen!" All at once there came, instead of the "éljen!" after one of the names, the unanimous shout "Dead!" and the person named had to rise from his seat and leave the room, and h

"D

laughed, and pointed conspicuously with his fat fingers at the expelled man, who, with bent head, made his way to the door. I inquired the rea

immense scar, evidently an old sword-cut, got up from his seat at the green-covered table, and as he turned I beheld an aged and careworn but honest face, with two big tears slowl

that was his treachery," said one of my neighbours in an undertone. As the banished man passed out, I sat down on the seat

oken. But, of course, he kept at a distance. Presently my own name, "Dumany Kornel," was pronounced, and "Dead! Dead! Smrt!" was the shout of all around. I had caught the infection, and as the red-sashed priest smilingly and playfully raised a threatening fat finger at me and said,

s the best of you, and as pure a Hungarian as any in this meeting, or in this country either. I am th

ight. Then there was a whispering and consulting and questioning, until the honourable Vice-Govern

o embarrass me, and the red-sashed parson said, maliciously, "If

rs, your reverence,"

to-be-forgotten hero-king, wore a clean-shaven face like mine. The famous Palatinus Illésházy had pronounced Hungary free and independent with smooth hairless lips, and Thomas Nádasdy had carried the Hungarian tricolour to immortal triumphs although his face was as beardless as mine, as everybody might see by his portrait there present. I told them that I did not speak for myself, as I did not care a straw for their opinion, and felt sufficiently strong in my own self-respect and clear conscience, which, perhaps, was more than a good many present could say o

oors, or of getting my hands full of private quarrels and duels, but the concluding sentences met with such unanimous applause that I was heartily congratulated on the success of my maiden speech, and had the additional satisfa

king young man. He fairly embraced me, and said, "You are the man we wanted! Let me welco

the red-sashed priest and the Slav nobleman, who had always added his "Smrt" to the cry of "Dead!" sp

ou left him alone, he would have gone off, and left the Maticza in possession of the old

the milksop had turned into a

d independence, and here I was in the kingdom of Swatopluk, taking possession of my Uncle Diogenes's legacy. It was very foolish, but if I ha