Baroness Orczy

“ One of the things your lordship does not know is, that there is at the present moment, terrible dissatisfaction for leagues around in the village and on the fields. The peasantry are frightened. They do not understand things very clearly, and nobody has been at much pains to explain anything to them. To-day they are in a very dejected, terror-stricken mood, to-morrow, who knows? they might get infuriated, and it is not good to irritate a lowland peasant too far. He is like the puszta, smooth and at peace as a calm lake ”

“ He kept to the main road, down the alley of poplars, which threw narrow gaunt shadows across, that looked like long arms stretched menacingly towards the mill. It was still emitting volumes of smoke through its tall chimney, and András was glad that it lay well to the left, away from the main road, and that he was not obliged to lead Csillag past the dreaded building.
He wished to keep his spirits up, and talked gaily to the mare. A group of a dozen labourers barred the way ahead, in front.
“Hey! friend András! whither so quickly?" they shouted from afar. ”

“ CHAPTER XII LORD AND PEASANT András rode, gaily and full of hope, across the desolate puszta, his mind busy in arranging the best plan with which to overthrow my lord’s resistance, should he prove obstinate in the nursing of his folly. The peasant never for a moment supposed that the lord of Bideskút would not immediately see in their right light all the evils which were gathering over his head, and all the sorrows and haunting terrors his unnecessary fads were causing among those who were to a great extent dependent Upon their lord for wage. ”

“ It is that mill, which is causing so much trouble. Remember, we are not all so clever as your lordship, we do not understand all the means, by which fire and iron can be made to do the work of our hands. It has raised great fears in the minds of the women, the men themselves, though they will not admit their terror, curse under their breath the contrivance which will take the bread out of their mouth, for want of sufficient wage. ”

“ He looked at all this luxury, and wondered how a man could wilfully risk losing all that, for the sake of a cursed fad, how he could risk being forced to leave this gorgeous house, those rose-bushes, and the sight of those gaily-decked butterflies, who laughed so merrily in the great hall. ”

“ The rents of Kisfalu, András paid entirely in money, and the noble lord always in want of cash, sent his bailiff every quarter-day for the gold. Thus the game of hide-and-seek went on, in which Rosenstein was the only winner, the other two merely dupes. András however, firmly believed that though Bideskúty had repeatedly refused to sell Kisfalu to a peasant, yet a feeling of gratitude must exist in his heart towards that same peasant, who was willing to keep him out of the Jew’s clutches, by exacting but a nominal interest for his money. ”

“ I have come to plead for the poor, the ignorant, on your lordship’s estate. There are hundreds there, who for generations have worked God’s bountiful earth for you and your forefathers, sowing and reaping, threshing and grinding the fine corn and flour, which is famed throughout the world. ”

“ The poor fellows are all standing about in the fields, the women whose sons, fathers, brothers are employed on the mill, are terrified of the evil that will come to them; they moan and sob fit to break a strong man’s heart. ”

“ The peasants are enraged. They will do themselves or you some terrible injury. Your honour! remember for God’s sake your own mother, your wife. The peasants think the devil drives the machinery, they are in terror now, they will be furious presently, and great, great harm will come of it.”
“What harm comes of it, will be of your own making, impudent peasant!” said Bideskúty enraged, rising to his feet “Come now, I have had enough of this. Get out of my house, I tell you! I will not sell my mill. Is that enough?”
András had become very pale ”