Mahulena.—Speak, then, speak.
Vratko.—I have a child, thou knowest, Mahulena; and I love that boy above all things. Well, that little son of mine has a kid, so charming an animal that thou mightst kiss it; it is a joy to see it gambol, and at times it seems to me that it smiles, believe me, the dumb animal!
Mahulena.—My good Vratko, I gladly believe thee—but do not tell me about that now; it was thy wish to tell me something about Radúz.
Vratko.—That is true! Of what should I tell thee except of him? So, the next day after they had led Radúz through the forest I came home in the evening, and my son was weeping bitterly, bitterly. His kid had wandered away somewhere and my wife said that perhaps a wolf had carried it off! At that the child began crying anew, until his heart was breaking. What was I to do? I went out to seek the kid, through it was very dark, in fact the dead of night . . . Thou knowest the abyss near the castle in the forest, that ghostly ravine in the depths of which the dark, wild waters roar? When I reached there I distinctly heard our kid weeping from out its depths! It had fallen in and yet still lived! I became frightened! Had it fallen to the very bottom? Should I lower myself thither? I thought of the joy of my son when I should bring him the animal safe and sound, and cautiously I began gradually to descend into the abyss.
Mahulena.—Thou torturest me! Why dost thou tell me all this?
Vratko.—Thou shalt see . . . I was-already some distance down; already I held the kid in my arms and was feeling its bruised limbs and kissing the animal compassionately—when suddenly above me footsteps were heard; then clay came sprinkling down on my head, stones were falling: ah, how they crashed into the depths below me! And when I glanced up in fright, there I saw a terrible face! The moon shone brightly upon it, and that pale face bending over the abyss was familiar to me—it was the face of Queen Runa! I was frightened as thou art frightened now, and in the shadow I stood motionless as thou standest now. But her lips opened and an awful curse, a black prayer, poured forth from them—dost thou wish to hear it?
Mahulena.—No, I do not. What anguish I feel!
Vratko.—Then she said: “As nevermore shall anyone on this earth find this key, so nevermore shall that iron circle leave his body! May it hold him as firmly as death holds us when it
