Then he rapped lightly with
his fingers and I heard the voice I knew so well: 'Mariora, are you
asleep?'

"'I am awake. What do you want?' she replied.

"'Let me in, Mariora; open the door!'

"I whispered to her what she should say.

"'I cannot, my husband is not at home. I am alone.'

"'For that very reason open, so that we two may have it all to
ourselves?'

"'There will be three of us, don't forget Ursu.'

"'It is all up with Ursu,' laughed the robber outside.

"'You have killed him, you villain!' cried Mariora though I never
whispered this to her.

"'Not I, but the honey-cake.'

"'Why did you do so?'

"'Because he was in my way.'

"'Who will defend me now?'

"'I will defend you. I will take you away with me. I will take you to a
beautiful city full of palaces. I will buy you a house and an estate and
you shall be a great lady.'

"'It cannot be. I already have my lawful husband and you too have your
lawful wife.'

"'Your lawful husband shall die when I choose, and you will then be a
widow. As for Anicza, she only married a mask. I will tear it off and
she will no longer know who I was.'

"Oh, my lady, can you not fancy how my heart broke at these words! Yet I
did not weep.

"'You will deceive me as you deceived her,' replied Mariora.

"Then the robber began to swear that I had deceived him first. He lied
concerning me, oh! the accursed wretch! Yet the game had to go on.
Mariora was no longer the mistress of her own thoughts. She is a
helpless creature. If I had not whispered in her ear what she was to
say, she would have had no answer ready for him.

"'I fear you,' she said at my prompting, 'for you are a robber; it is
not love but money that you want. Why did it not occur to you to court
me before? You have only come now because you have found out that my
father has been here and offered me a hundred ducats that we may buy a
little estate with it. You have only come here to rob me of that.'

"The tempter grew furious at so much gainsaying.

"'Stupid wench!' he cried, 'what are your hundred ducats to me? I will
give you ten times as much. Here! take them!' And with that he pitched
through the little window--opening above the door a heavy purse which
fell rattling at our feet. It was full of ducats. I kicked it aside with
loathing.

"'It is easy to talk,' replied Mariora. 'Now, you give and give, but if
I were to let you in, you would take them back again to-morrow with my
own.'

"'I s