om the neighborhood of Detvar. She was a rather good-looking woman,
and used to sing very prettily when washing up the plates and dishes in
the evening. She had such a nice soft voice that her master once called
her into his sitting-room, and made her sit down on one of the
leather-covered chairs. She had never sat so comfortably in her life
before.

"I like your voice, Anna; sing me something here, so that I can hear you
better."

So Anna started a very melancholy sort of song, "The Recruit's Letter,"
in which he complains to the girl he loves of all the hardships of war.

Gregorics was quite softened by the music, and three times he exclaimed:
"What a wonderful voice!" And he kept moving nearer and nearer to Anna,
till all at once he began to stroke her cheek. At this she turned
scarlet, and jumped up from her chair, pushing him away from her.

"That's not in my contract, sir!" she exclaimed.

Gregorics blushed too.

"Don't be silly, Anna," he said.

But Anna tossed her head and walked to the door.

"Don't run away, you stupid, I shan't eat you."

But Anna would not listen, and took refuge in her kitchen, from which
she was not to be coaxed again that evening.

The next day she gave notice to leave, but her master pacified her by
the gift of a golden ring, and a promise never to lay a finger on her
again. He told her he could not let her go, for he would never get any
one to cook as well as she did. Anna was pleased with the praise and
with the ring, and stayed, on condition that he kept his promise. He did
keep it for a time, and then forgot it, and Anna was again on the point
of leaving. But Gregorics pacified her this time with a necklace of
corals with a golden clasp, like the Baronesses Radvanszky wore at
church. The necklace suited her so well, that she no longer thought of
forbidding her master to touch her. He was rich enough, let him buy her
a few pretty things.

In fact, the same afternoon she paid a visit to the old woman who kept a
grocer's shop next door, and asked whether it would hurt very much to
have her ears pierced. The old woman laughed.

"Oh, you silly creature," she said, "you surely don't want to wear
earrings? Anna, Anna, you have bad thoughts in your head."

Anna protested and then banged the door behind her, so that the bell
fastened to it went on ringing for some moments.

Of course she wanted some earrings, why should she not have some? God
had given her ears the same as to