They Were Divided - Miklos Banffy [188]
Balint stayed only a day or two in Budapest, just long enough to buy a uniform and some other equipment he would need, and clear up some unfinished business in the head office of the Co-operative Movement before enlisting in the army.
Then he left for Kolozsvar.
In Transylvania too everyone was happy and full of confidence, even though by then it had become clear that their real enemy was Russia, while France and England had both declared war on Austria’s ally Germany. It was also fairly sure that their other ally, Italy, could not be relied upon and that Romania would remain neutral. Nevertheless euphoria was in the air and among the gayest were the young men, all reserve officers, who were eagerly preparing to rejoin their regiments. Only the women were anxious, the mothers and sisters.
Balint found a number of his old friends who were making the most of their last days carousing with gypsy music and revelling in the joys of saying farewell. At that moment life was suddenly freer – and the girls more complaisant. Some of the men were still dressed in everyday clothes, but most were already sporting their uniforms.
He saw the Laczok boys and young Zoltan Miloth, Adrienne’s brother. There also were Pityu Kendy, Joska Kendy, Aron Kozma with three of his cousins, Isti Kamuthy, Adam Alvinczy and his young brother, and even the eldest Alvinczy, Farkas, who had abandoned his vicarious travels and, though it was now rather tight for him, had donned his old sky-blue hussar’s tunic.
In Monostor Street Balint met the kind Ida Kendy, Countess Laczok, who had come in from Var-Siklod to see that her sons were well provided with a host of things they would not need, scarves to keep out the cold and other oddments so that they would not get wet at the front. She was out shopping when Balint met her and though filled with anxiety she did her best to hide it and smiled gaily when Balint greeted her.
The smile faded as soon as she looked closely at him. ‘Have you been ill?’ she asked. ‘You look so pale!’
Balint parried the question and they walked on together. This was when he encountered the three Alvinczys. Those tall, fair, good-looking and broad-shouldered young men were walking along arm-in-arm and keeping step, their heels tapping in true military fashion and spurs clinking as they went. They kissed Aunt Ida’s hand and shook Abady’s and talked loudly in high good humour.
Farkas gave Abady several hearty claps on the shoulder, as befitted a military man, for there was now no trace of the world-weary melancholic that Balint had last seen at Magyarokerek. Now he was all merry and extrovert. The Alvinczy brothers were as happy and confident of success as if they were just setting off for a ball. ‘We’ll be back by Christmas!’ they cried, for had not the German Emperor said the same and he, of all people, should know. ‘It’s carnival time!’ they shouted. ‘Hurrah! Hurrah! The hussars are coming!’
‘Seeing you three,’ smiled Aunt Ida, ‘anyone’d believe we’ll beat the Russians in no time!’
‘We three?’ replied Farkas. ‘We won’t only be three. We’ve just had news from Fiume that Akos has escaped from the Foreign Legion. He ran off the moment he heard about the war and gets here the day after tomorrow. Then there’ll be four of us!’
Balint and Countess Laczok were fascinated by the news and at once asked how it had happened and how they had heard. The brothers did not know very much. It seemed that Akos had arrived at Fiume on one of the Austria-Lloyd steamers. At Casablanca he had swum halfway across the harbour, discreetly boarded a ship and stowed away until after she had sailed. Then he had worked his passage as a stoker. At Fiume he had been arrested as he had no papers, but the Governor of Fiume, who had known Farkas Alvinczy when he had been in Parliament, had believed Akos’s story and wired to Farkas for confirmation. So all was well.
Standing at strict attention the brothers said their goodbyes and clattered off as if they had been soldiers all their lives.