The door of the little house stood open before her, being only on the
latch. She had stepped in: there was nobody inside. In the first room
there was furniture of some hard wood; close to the wall stood a carved
side-board with painted earthenware on it, on a table was a pitcher of a
similar ware full of fresh pure water. The door of another room to the
right was also open and in that room also she found nobody. There stood
a bed with a bear skin for a coverlet, other bear skins spread on the
floor served instead of carpets and on the walls were bright lynx, and
wildcat skins.
From this room there was a door leading into a third room and here also
she found nobody. The walls of this room were covered with
weapons--guns, pistols and curiously shaped swords and daggers, in rows
and crossed, hanging on nails and leaning against the walls. On the
oaken table stood stuffed beasts and birds, under the table was a
stuffed fox fastened to a chair; a pair of wild boars' heads with
powerful tusks were over the door, but there was no sign of any living
beast.
Henrietta fancied that the master of this little house must be away but
not far off and she made up her mind to wait till he returned home. Yet
one hour after another passed away and Henrietta was at last obliged to
go on further lest she should have to pass the night there and, only
when she was already some distance away, was she struck by the peculiar
circumstance that all round the hut grass was growing thickly and that
no path led up to it.
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