“Good—­what next?”

“As it was difficult for me to keep the pelisse away from the hole, it slipped through my fingers.  In trying to get hold of it again, I put my hand too much forward.  One of the lasses saw it, and screamed out, pointing to the window.”

“Dolt!” exclaimed the Prophet, becoming pale with rage, “you have ruined all.”

“Stop a bit! there is nothing broken yet.  When I heard the scream, I jumped down from my stool, and got back into the cellar; as the dog was no longer about, I left the door ajar, so that I could hear them open the window, and see, by the light, that the old man was looking out with the lamp; but he could find no ladder, and the window was too high for any man of common size to reach it!”

“He will have thought, like the first time, that it was the wind.  You are less awkward than I imagined.”

“The wolf has become a fox, as you said.  Knowing where the knapsack was to be found with the money and the papers, and not being able to do more for the moment, I came away—­and here I am.”

“Go upstairs and fetch me the longest pike.”

“Yes, master.”

“And the red blanket.”

“Yes, master.”

“Go!”

Goliath began to mount the ladder; half-way up he stopped.  “Master,” said he, “may I not bring down a bit of meat for Death?—­you will see that she’ll bear me malice; she puts it all down to my account; she never forgets, and on the first occasion—­”

“The pike and the cloth!” repeated the Prophet, in an imperious tone.  And whilst Goliath, swearing to himself, proceeded to execute his instructions, Morok opened the great door of the shed, looked out into the yard, and listened.

“Here’s the pike and the cloth,” said the giant, as he descended the ladder with the articles.  “Now what must I do next?”

“Return to the cellar, mount once more by the window, and when the old man leaves the room—­”

“Who will make him leave the room?”

“Never mind! he will leave it.”

“What next?”

“You say the lamp is near the window?”

“Quite near—­on the table next to the knapsack.”

“Well, then, as soon as the old man leaves the room, push open the window, throw down the lamp, and if you accomplish cleverly what remains to do—­the ten florins are yours—­you remember it all?”

“Yes, yes.”

“The girls will be so frightened by the noise and darkness, that they will remain dumb with terror.”

“Make yourself easy!  The wolf turned into a fox; why not a serpent?”

“There is yet something.”

“Well, what now?”

“The roof of this shed is not very high, the window of the loft is easy of access, the night is dark—­instead of returning by the door—­”

“I will come in at the window.”

“Ay, and without noise.”

“Like a regular snake!” and the giant departed.