Then he
returned. 'Here I am without weapons,' said he. 'Let me in!'
"We had to gain as much time as possible, so I whispered Mariora to say
that she must first stir up the fire into a blaze for she could not let
him in in the dark.
"These words inflamed the passion of the tempter still more.
"'You will have time for that afterwards,' said he. 'I can see your
beautiful eyes even in the dark, for then they shine all the more
brightly.'
"'Then I suppose I have eyes like a cat?' I made Mariora say.
"'Silly fool!' growled the tempter to himself in Hungarian, which
Mariora did not understand. 'No,' he then added in Roumanian, 'you have
eyes like stars.'
"'But confess now, do you really love me? Or do you only come hither
with evil designs? Don't you want, now, to cut off the hands of my
little child? for robbers covet the hacked off hands of babies,--they
make them invisible.'
"At this the man's temper fairly gave way. He perceived that he was
being trifled with and exclaimed roughly: 'Woman, open the door, or I'll
bring it down about your ears!' And he gave the door such a blow with
his clenched fist that it cracked from end to end. 'I tell you for the
last time,' cried he, 'let me in peaceably. If you will come with me, I
will take you, and your child also, to a pleasant place. I will make a
gentleman of him and a lady of you. But if you gainsay me another
moment, I'll batter in the door, dash the brains of your brat out
against the wall and carry you off by force wherever I please.
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