Rocho—Hanka

Rocho and Hanka Borynowa form a practical alliance at a moment when Antek Boryna’s freedom depends on finding a large sum of money. Their bond is shown not through a long history of shared life but through a sequence of intimate acts: Rocho brings news, Hanka entrusts him with a secret, and he helps turn her private savings into a plan. In the later court letter, he again protects her confidence and makes the news of a possible release bearable by setting out what she must do next.

News and a possible way forward

Rocho first tells Hanka that Antek might be released before his hearing if someone could vouch that he would not flee, or if the court received a pledge of five hundred roubles. The possibility changes the terms of their immediate problem: release is no longer only a distant legal outcome but something that might be secured through a pledge. Rocho’s news gives Hanka a reason to consider what resources she can gather, while the size of the required sum makes clear that hope alone will not suffice.

Hanka tells Rocho that Antek’s Brother-in-law has offered advice, and Rocho acknowledges that it is useful while warning her that the adviser may also expect to profit. He cautions her not to hurry into selling, invoking the risk that a man who leaves the land prosperous may return destitute. His response is not simply opposition to the proposed plan: he suggests that they look for a loan or ask among the villagers before sacrificing property. In this exchange, Rocho’s care takes the form of questioning the costs and possible motives attached to help, rather than accepting the first available solution.

The money entrusted to Rocho

Hanka then admits that she has money, though she has not yet counted it. Rocho asks her to bring it so they can reckon the amount together. She goes away and returns with a bundle, closing and bolting the door before placing it on his knee. Its contents include paper money, silver, a few zlotys, and six strands of beads. The closed door and the precise act of counting place their exchange inside a small space of deliberate secrecy: Hanka is not merely discussing a possible source of funds but showing Rocho something she has kept from everyone else.

The sum is not enough for the pledge. When Rocho asks whether livestock might be sold, Hanka considers selling the sow and the barren cow, which a buyer has already asked about, as well as several bushels of wheat. Rocho proposes assembling the required amount gradually, grain by grain, and says they will manage without anyone’s help. The plan gives Hanka’s scattered resources a shared purpose: cash, possible animal sales, and grain can each contribute toward the bond. It also marks a shift in their relationship from the exchange of information to joint practical work.

Hanka explains that her father gave her the money specifically to rescue Antek and told her not to breathe a word about it. Rocho is the first person she has told. Her disclosure makes the trust between them explicit: the money has been held under an instruction of secrecy, and she chooses to break that silence with Rocho because the rescue requires action. Rocho promises not to tell anyone and says that, when the time comes, he will go with her for Antek. Hanka throws herself at his feet in thanks and calls him as good as a born father. His answer redirects her gratitude toward the hoped-for reunion and toward God, while his offer to accompany her gives the promise practical force.

The court letter and renewed resolve

When a later letter arrives, Antek’s Brother-in-law tries to read it over Rocho’s shoulder. Rocho quickly folds it and first gives Hanka only the information that the court will allow her to visit Antek once a week. After the other man has left, Rocho follows Hanka inside and reveals the more consequential instruction: she must bring the five-hundred-rouble pledge, and Antek can then be released straight away. By withholding this part until they are alone, Rocho preserves Hanka’s control over the news and avoids sharing her private opportunity with the person whose advice he had already treated cautiously.

The revelation overwhelms Hanka before it energizes her. Her voice disappears; she flushes, turns pale, and falls full length before the holy pictures, her hands spread and tears clouding her eyes. Rocho quietly withdraws to the porch, reads the letter again, and smiles. When he returns to her, she is ready to face whatever happens, and he immediately turns the new possibility into instructions: sell what is needed, gather the money, and set out for Antek on Tuesday or even the next day. Hanka repeats that Antek is coming back, while Rocho warns her not to announce it widely. She should say only that Antek was released on a pledge, a discretion he connects directly with keeping Antek’s Brother-in-law from interfering.

The character of their alliance

Rocho’s support combines judgment, confidentiality, and companionship. He does not tell Hanka that the first advice is worthless; instead, he weighs its possible benefit against the adviser’s possible gain and urges her to search for alternatives. He then helps count what she has, accepts the secret of its origin, and makes his own presence part of the intended rescue. When the court letter arrives, his careful handling of it repeats the same pattern: he controls who hears the news and tells Hanka the full terms privately.

Hanka, in turn, treats Rocho as someone she can trust with both money and fear. She discloses the hidden bundle and the purpose her father assigned to it, then responds to Rocho’s assurance with physical gratitude and a comparison to a father. The later message moves her from stunned uncertainty to action, but it is not Rocho who can guarantee Antek’s return: the court’s condition still requires the pledge, and the money must still be assembled. Their relationship matters because it makes that difficult interval navigable. Rocho supplies informed counsel and dependable company; Hanka supplies the concealed resources and the resolve to use them. Together, they turn a fragile possibility of release into a concrete effort to bring Antek home.