HUNGARIAN STUDIES 11. No. 1. Nemzetközi Magyar ... - EPA
HUNGARIAN STUDIES 11. No. 1. Nemzetközi Magyar ... - EPA HUNGARIAN STUDIES 11. No. 1. Nemzetközi Magyar ... - EPA
162 MIKLÓS BÁNFFYsame time he moved his head like a horse with the habit of 'weaving*. It wasnot clear whether this was the result of panic, fright or excitement, or whetherit was a habitual nervous tic. When Bálint had finished, he hesitated a fewseconds before replying and, when he did so, seemed to have difficulty ingetting out the words, "Can't be done, please; can't be done!" "Can't? Verywell then, we must think of something else!" said Bálint, forcing as muchmenace as he could into his tone. "I shall hire a lawyer and fight you myself.I shall make the case my own. According to the law you have no right, noright at all, to the sum you are claiming. You are limited to receiving back theoriginal loan plus 8% annual interest - not a penny more. I shall instruct mylawyers to insist that your behaviour to these people constitutes a criminaloffence, which, you may like to know, carries a penalty of two years'imprisonment!""Can't be done, please; can't be done!" was all that Rusz managed to getout as he stood squirming in front of Bálint."Yes, it can be done! What you are doing is no less than a felony - extortingbetween three and four hundred percent! How could you?""Please! It isn't all true, and it isn't only me. Please! I too have to pay dearto get money... it's very expensive!""And from whom do you get it, may I ask?"The former teacher was still weaving about, but now there was a hint of asmile buried in his wrinkled face. He did not answer the question but went on,"Expensive money, very expensive... and much losses, very much... hisLordship not know how it is on mountain. Land register book is never in order,many men there only in grandfather's name still. People here like that; one dayhere, one day not here. They go away and I see no more, never. Money notpaid, man gone. Cannot do anything. I pay, I lose much money... I have to...much loss, always loss..." and he went on in his broken Hungarian repeatingthe same feeble arguments and reiterating that it wasn't his money, and that ashe only had a tiny profit from the whole affair there was nothing he could do."Well, then, go to your principals! Let them relent!" interrupted Bálint."Can't be done, please; can't be done!""All right then, but I warn you of two things. The first warning is both foryou and for your charming associates; I shall prosecute this case as if it weremy own. The second is for you alone. Since I have come to the mountains, Ihave found out how desperate these people are and how much they hate you.It is my duty to warn you of this. From now on you hold your fate in yourown hands!"Pántyilimon shrugged his shoulders: "I know, please, bad people, badpeople... bad... bad..."
MURDER IN THE MOUNTAINS 163Bálint left the room while the money-lender stood aside bowing andwringing his hands. He descended the steps rapidly, jumped onto his horse androad swiftly away followed by Honey and the gyorniks. The huge oak entrancegates swung shut behind them, and the dogs could still be heard barking asthey rode swiftly down the hill, through the village, and back to their road.*On the train back to Kolozsvár Bálint thought over the whole affair andfound himself more and more annoyed by the part that he had allowed himselfto play. He had done it again. Once more he had become personally involved.He should never have promised his help to the men of Pejkoja, but weaklyhe had allowed himself to be carried away by the old man's talk of hisgrandfather and by his fear of what the evil-faced Turturika might do if theyall decided upon la noptye. And now he had gotten right into the middle oftheir fight with the money-lender, and what had begun as disinterestedmediation had ended in personal involvement. Now, if he did not succeed inwinning the case for the people of Pejkoja, his own prestige would suffer inthe eyes of the mountain people. The case would not be easy. He neverdoubted the identity of Rusz's silent anonymous partners. These were obviouslythe Roumanian priest from Gyurkuca and the notary Gaszton Simó.Between them they would not miss a trick, however dishonest, to see that Ruszwas exonerated. In their own world they wielded great power, and they hadthe unutterable advantage of being always there, on the spot where they couldfrighten people and put pressure on them in a hundred different ways. Whereashe, Bálint, could only occasionally come among them. During his rare visitsthey put their trust in him, but if he were not there what would happen...?Obviously he would have to find a lawyer who was not only prepared to acceptthe case but who would himself be trusted by the people of the mountain.Bálint thought for a long time until at last inspiration came to him: AurélTimisán. He was the perfect candidate; he was a lawyer and a Roumanian whosat in parliament to defend the interests of his fellow Roumanians. Thepeasants would respect him and do as he said, and he might even be able toinfluence the popa himself. Of all people surely Aurél Timisán had morechance than any of settling this affair properly - maybe even without takingit to court. He was generally known to be an honest man. Bálint congratulatedhimself and decided to visit him as soon as possible, telling himself that theold radical was sure to agree to help, for it was entirely a question of protectingimpoverished Roumanians. After several telephone calls in the morning Bálintmanaged to make an appointment to see Timisán in the early afternoon. The
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- Page 118 and 119: 116 KEVIN E. KELLYfilms Lugosi made
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- Page 171 and 172: CONTRIBUTORSMiklós BÁNFFYLászló
162 MIKLÓS BÁNFFYsame time he moved his head like a horse with the habit of 'weaving*. It wasnot clear whether this was the result of panic, fright or excitement, or whetherit was a habitual nervous tic. When Bálint had finished, he hesitated a fewseconds before replying and, when he did so, seemed to have difficulty ingetting out the words, "Can't be done, please; can't be done!" "Can't? Verywell then, we must think of something else!" said Bálint, forcing as muchmenace as he could into his tone. "I shall hire a lawyer and fight you myself.I shall make the case my own. According to the law you have no right, noright at all, to the sum you are claiming. You are limited to receiving back theoriginal loan plus 8% annual interest - not a penny more. I shall instruct mylawyers to insist that your behaviour to these people constitutes a criminaloffence, which, you may like to know, carries a penalty of two years'imprisonment!""Can't be done, please; can't be done!" was all that Rusz managed to getout as he stood squirming in front of Bálint."Yes, it can be done! What you are doing is no less than a felony - extortingbetween three and four hundred percent! How could you?""Please! It isn't all true, and it isn't only me. Please! I too have to pay dearto get money... it's very expensive!""And from whom do you get it, may I ask?"The former teacher was still weaving about, but now there was a hint of asmile buried in his wrinkled face. He did not answer the question but went on,"Expensive money, very expensive... and much losses, very much... hisLordship not know how it is on mountain. Land register book is never in order,many men there only in grandfather's name still. People here like that; one dayhere, one day not here. They go away and I see no more, never. Money notpaid, man gone. Cannot do anything. I pay, I lose much money... I have to...much loss, always loss..." and he went on in his broken Hungarian repeatingthe same feeble arguments and reiterating that it wasn't his money, and that ashe only had a tiny profit from the whole affair there was nothing he could do."Well, then, go to your principals! Let them relent!" interrupted Bálint."Can't be done, please; can't be done!""All right then, but I warn you of two things. The first warning is both foryou and for your charming associates; I shall prosecute this case as if it weremy own. The second is for you alone. Since I have come to the mountains, Ihave found out how desperate these people are and how much they hate you.It is my duty to warn you of this. From now on you hold your fate in yourown hands!"Pántyilimon shrugged his shoulders: "I know, please, bad people, badpeople... bad... bad..."
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