. The moments of
their old master, they said, were most assuredly numbered. None of them
could promise him so much as another day of life.

On the third day the heydukes and doorkeepers also migrated over in a
body to Abellino, who began to be exasperated at so much flattery. So he
spoke to them curtly enough, and on learning from them that henceforth
they would regard him as their earthly Providence, inasmuch as his uncle
was by this time drawing his last breath, he suddenly announced that he
was about to introduce a series of radical reforms among the domestics
attached to the Karpathy estate, the first of which was that every male
servant who wore a moustache was to instantly extirpate it as an
indecent excrescence. The stewards and factors obeyed incontinently,
only one or two of the heydukes refused to make themselves hideous; but
when he began to promise the lower servants also four imperial ducats a
head if they did their duty, they also proceeded to snip off what they
had hitherto most carefully cherished for years and years.

On the fourth day, of all his good friends, officials, domestics, and
buffoons, Mike Kis, Martin the former Whitsun King, Master Varga the
estate agent, Palko the old heyduke, and Vidra the gipsy, were the only
persons who remained with John Karpathy as he stood at Death's ferry.
Even the poet Gyarfas had deserted him, and hastened to congratulate the
new patron.

On the fifth day there was nobody to bring away tidings from Karpathy
Castle; perchance they were already engaged in burying the unfortunate
wretch.

On the sixth day, however, a horseman galloped into Abellino's
courtyard, whom they immediately recognized as Martin.

As he dismounted from his horse the steward of the Pukkancs estate, one
of the first deserters, looked down from the tower, and, smiling
broadly, cried out to him--

"Well, so you have come too, eh, Martin, my son? You're just in time, I
can tell you. Had your marriage been celebrated a week later, your new
landlord would have revived in his own favour some old customs. What
news from Karpatfalva?"

He had come, of course, to invite the gentlemen to the funeral. That was
the most natural supposition.

"I have brought a letter for you, Mr. Bailiff," said Martin,
nonchalantly; and, to the great disgust of the steward, he did not even
doff his cap before Abellino, who was standing on the balcony.

"Look to your cap, you bumpkin! Why don't you doff it, sirrah