back her sleeve and held out her arm
to Topandy.

"See how my arm got scratched by the grasp of the robber! and look here,
how bruised my mouth is from the pistol," said she, parting her rosy
lips, behind which two rows of pearly teeth glistened. "It's a good
thing he didn't knock out my teeth."

"Well, that would have been a pity. But how did you get away from him,"
asked Topandy, in an anxious tone.

"Well, I don't know whether you would ever have seen me again, if this
young man had not dashed to our assistance; for he sprang forward and
snatched the pistol from the hand of the robber,--who immediately took
to his heels and ran away."

Topandy again shook his head, and said it was hard to believe.

"No doubt he still has the pistol in his pocket."

"Give it to me."

"But don't fool with it; it might go off and hurt somebody."

Lorand handed the pistol in question to Topandy. The barrel was of
bronze, highly chased in silver.

"Curious!" exclaimed Topandy, examining the ornamentation. "This pistol
bears the Sarvoelgyi arms."

Without another word he put the weapon in his pocket, and shook hands
with Lorand across the table.

"My boy, you are a fine fellow. I honor you for so bravely defending my
people. Now I have the more reason in agreeing to your living
henceforward under the same roof with me; unless you fear it may,
through fault of mine, fall in upon you. What was the robber like?" he
said, turning again to the women.

"We could not see him, because he put out the candle and ran away."

Lorand was struck by the fact that the woman did not seem inclined to
recall the robber's features, which she must, however have been able to
see by the help of the spirit-lamp; he noticed, too, that she did not
utter a word about the robber's being a gypsy.

"I don't know what he was like," she repeated, with a meaning look at
Lorand. "Neither of us could see, for it was dark. For the same reason
our deliverer could not shoot at him, because it was difficult to aim in
the dark. If he had missed him, the robber might have murdered us all."

"A fine adventure," muttered Topandy. "I shall not allow you to travel
alone at night another time. I shall go armed myself. I shall not put up
with the existence of that den in the marsh any longer or it will always
be occupied by such as mean to harm us. As soon as the Tisza overflows,
I shall set fire to the reeds about the place, when the stack will catch
fire, too."