SHE WAS ABOUT TO TURN and RUN, when she HEARD someone SINGING in a sweet, clear
voice DEEP in the house. The VOICE WAS so GENTLE and SAD that SHE HAD TO SEE WHO was singing. She followed the sound from room to room, all over the house, but they were all empty.
At last she reached the cellar door. DESCENDING the STEEP and NARROW STEPS, she found an
OLD BLIND WOMAN who was sitting in a corner, shaking her head sadly, while she SANG
MOURNFULLY to herself.
"Who are you?" the daughter of the business man asked.
"I KEEP THIS HOUSE," explained the blind woman. "But WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
"I AM TO MARRY the MASTER OF THE HOUSE," the girl said.
"Alas! You poor child! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHERE YOU ARE. You are in the DEN of a thief and a murderer. YEARS AGO I was brought here with a PROMISE of MARRIAGE. Instead the VILLAIN BLINDED ME so I could not run away, and has MADE ME WORK harder than the most
wretched SLAVE. Now that I have GROWN WEARY and UNABLE to WORK AS I ONCE DID,
he has BROUGHT YOU HERE. He will drive ME into the woods TO DIE, and he will BLIND YOU and MAKE YOU TAKE MY PLACE."
"Come with me," urged the girl, "WE'LL RUN AWAY together." But as she was guiding the old woman toward the steps, they HEARD the sound of the robbers' voices above.
When the girl recognized her BRIDEGROOM 's VOICE, her HEART SANK. But the old woman said, "HIDE behind those chest in the corner, and be quiet as a mouse. DON'T MOVE, or everything is lost. Tonight, when the ROBBERS are ASLEEP, I will fetch you, then WE SCAPE TOGETHER."
HARDLY had the GIRL HIDDEN behind a metal-bound chest, when the CHIEF ROBBER CAME
to the head of the STAIRS and with a loud deep shout said to the old woman, "COME UP and FIX US DINNER, or you will regret it quick enough! MY BRIDE HASN'T COME, and I AM IN A RARE BAD TEMPER. In the morning, I WILL RIDE TO DEMAND MY BRIDE and have no more
of this games! Her FATHER IS a GREEDY and FOOLISH MAN; HE will HAND HER OVER.
And IT is going to BE HARDER to her than she can imagine, SINCE SHE has DISOBEYED ME.
NOW, HURRY and SET out some FOOD and DRINK."
HIDDEN behind the chests, she TREMBLED and SHIVERED, dreading her FATE if SHE WERE
DISCOVERED. Now ONE CHEST that was NEAR her HAND was PARTIALLY OPENED; she could SEE GOLD gleaming faintly in what LITTLE LIGHT FELL DOWN through the open cellar door. Carefully SHE LIFTED out several GOLD COINS all of finest gold. Then, REACHING IN more DEEPLY, she DISCOVERED a MASSIVE GOLD RING with the PICTURE of her father's
company logo engraved on it. SHE instantly KNEW that these ROBBERS were the ONES who HAD
STOLEN ALL her FATHER'S GOLD months before. Keeping quiet, she DROPPED the RING in
her skirt POCKET. Then she WAITED while the blind woman executed her plan.
Upstairs, the blind woman PUT a SLEEPING POTION in the THIEVES' WINE. Soon, one by one lay down and went to sleep, SNORING LOUDLY. When they were ALL ASLEEP, the old lady called down to the girl, "COME quickly! We must HURRY!" She came out from behind the chests and CLIMBED the STAIRS. She had to step over the sleepers, who LAY IN ROWS upon the floor.
She was dreadfully AFRAID of TOUCHING THEM, for fear one would wake, but she GO through
WITHOUT MISHAP. The OLD WOMAN was WAITING BY THE OPEN DOOR. The girl took her hand, and THEY HURRIED AWAY as quickly as they could FROM the ROBBERS' den.
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