So she took the golden knot in her fingers, and pried into its intricacies as sharply as she could.  Almost without intending it, or quite knowing what she was about, she was soon busily engaged in attempting to undo it.  Meanwhile, the bright sunshine came through the open window; as did likewise the merry voices of the children, playing at a distance, and perhaps the voice of Epimetheus among them.  Pandora stopped to listen.  What a beautiful day it was!  Would it not be wiser if she were to let the troublesome knot alone, and think no more about the box, but run and join her little playfellow and be happy?

All this time, however, her fingers were half unconsciously busy with the knot; and happening to glance at the flower-wreathed face on the lid of the enchanted box, she seemed to perceive it slyly grinning at her.

“That face looks very mischievous,” thought Pandora.  “I wonder whether it smiles because I am doing wrong!  I have the greatest mind in the world to run away!”

But just then, by the merest accident, she gave the knot a kind of twist, which produced a wonderful result.  The gold cord untwined itself, as if by magic, and left the box without a fastening.

“This is the strangest thing I ever knew!” said Pandora.  “What will Epimetheus say?  And how can I possibly tie it up again?”

She made one or two attempts to restore the knot, but soon found it quite beyond her skill.  It had disentangled itself so suddenly that she could not in the least remember how the strings had been doubled into one another; and when she tried to recollect the shape and appearance of the knot, it seemed to have gone entirely out of her mind.  Nothing was to be done, therefore, but to let the box remain as it was until Epimetheus should come in.

“But,” said Pandora, “when he finds the knot untied, he will know that I have done it.  How shall I make him believe that I have not looked into the box?”

And then the thought came into her naughty little heart, that, since she would be suspected of having looked into the box, she might just as well do so at once.  Oh, very naughty and very foolish Pandora!  You should have thought only of doing what was right, and of leaving undone what was wrong, and not of what your playfellow Epimetheus would have said or believed.  And so perhaps she might, if the enchanted face on the lid of the box had not looked so bewitchingly persuasive at her, and if she had not seemed to hear, more distinctly, than before, the murmur of small voices within.  She could not tell whether it was fancy or no; but there was quite a little tumult of whispers in her ear—­or else it was her curiosity that whispered: 

“Let us out, dear Pandora—­pray let us out!  We will be such nice pretty playfellows for you!  Only let us out!”

“What can it be?” thought Pandora.  “Is there something alive in the box?  Well—­yes!—­I am resolved to take just one peep!  Only one peep; and then the lid shall be shut down as safely as ever!  There cannot possibly be any harm in just one little peep!”