and years over their feet,
and these webs cut like wire, and bound them like bronze fetters; and,
moreover, there was an eternal unrest working in every heart--a
miserable unrest. The miser stood there, and had forgotten the key of
his strong box, and he knew the key was sticking in the lock. It would
take too long to describe the various sorts of torture that were
found there together. Inge felt a terrible pain while she had to
stand there as a statue, for she was tied fast to the loaf.

"That's the fruit of wishing to keep one's feet neat and tidy," she
said to herself. "Just look how they're all staring at me!" Yes,
certainly, the eyes of all were fixed upon her, and their evil
thoughts gleamed forth from their eyes, and they spoke to one another,
moving their lips, from which no sound whatever came forth: they were
very horrible to behold.

"It must be a great pleasure to look at me!" thought Inge, "and indeed
I have a pretty face and fine clothes." And she turned her eyes, for
she could not turn her head; her neck was too stiff for that. But she
had not considered how her clothes had been soiled in the moor woman's
brewhouse. Her garments were covered with mud; a snake had fastened in
her hair, and dangled down her back; and out of each fold of her frock
a great toad looked forth, croaking like an asthmatic poodle. That was
very disconcerting. "But all the rest of them down here look
horrible," she observed to herself, and derived consolation from the
thought.

The worst of all was the terrible hunger that tormented her. But could
she not stoop and break off a piece of the loaf on which she stood?
No, her back was too stiff, her hands and arms were benumbed, and her
whole body was like a pillar of stone; only she was able to turn her
eyes in her head, to turn them quite round so that she could see
backwards: it was an ugly sight. And then the flies came up, and crept
to and fro over her eyes, and she blinked her eyes, but the flies
would not go away, for they could not fly: their wings had been pulled
out, so that they were converted into creeping insects: it was
horrible torment added to the hunger, for she felt empty, quite,
entirely empty. "If this lasts much longer," she said, "I shall not be
able to bear it." But she had to bear it, and it lasted on and on.

Then a hot tear fell down upon her head, rolled over her face and
neck, down on to the loaf on which she stood; and then another tear
rolled down, fo