recited the fantastic oath
before them all once more, whilst they repeated every syllable of it
after him. The comedy was concluded by a violent electric shock which
instantly sent a spasm of pain through the muscles and sinews of every
member of the living chain. The poor untaught creatures all imagined
that the devil himself was flying through their limbs and with tears and
groans they begged Black Mask not to put them to any further test.

"And now, Fatia Negra," said old Onucz respectfully, "the moment has
come in which you also must keep your word. Will you really take my
daughter to wife?"

"I will not see the light of day again until I have done so."

"Will you swear to be her husband in the way you promised to swear?"

"You shall hear me."

"Then have I something else to say to you. Over there, as you see,
stands the great weighing machine, in one of the scales I will place
Anicza and in the other as many piles of ducats as will make her kick
the beam. I will give my girl as many gold ducats as she weighs."

Thereupon the two bridesmen produced a large wooden platter, placed the
bride on it, raised it high in the air and carried it to the huge
weighing machine. Onucz bade them place both bride and platter in the
scale that it might weigh the heavier. Then they piled up into the other
scale as many of the sacks of ducats sealed with the seal of Onucz as
were necessary to establish an absolute equipoise between the two
scales, and then while both the girl and the gold, balancing each other
were floating in the air, old Onucz, his face beaming with triumph,
poked Fatia Negra in the side with his elbows and said: "And now all
that is yours."

The adventurer rushed to the weighing-machine, not indeed to the scale
on which the gold was, but to where the girl stood and lifted her down
on his arm as if she were a child. The other scale, losing its balance,
rushed earthwards and the sacks filled with gold ducats toppled off it
left and right.

At this the company was delighted. Fatia Negra's manly tenderness was
appreciated by everyone and old Onucz, radiant with joy, turned towards
his cronies: "You see it is not my money but my daughter that he is
after!"

And yet if Fatia Negra had only been able to foresee what was about to
happen the next instant, if only he had been able to guess what would
happen during the first few moments of the first approaching quarter of
an hour, could he but have heard one step,