"And I--I never wish to see you again, because I hate you. I hate you, because you have been cruel. But let me tell you this; poor as we are, I have never taken a farthing of Anton's money. When I am his wife, as I hope to be--as I hope to be--I will take what he gives me as though it came from heaven. From you!--I would sooner die in the street than take a crust of bread from you." Then she darted from him, and succeeded in escaping without hearing the words with which he replied to her angry taunts. She was woman enough to understand that her keenest weapon for wounding him would be an expression of unbounded love and confidence as to the man who was his rival; and therefore, though she was compelled to deny that she had lived on the charity of her lover, she had coupled her denial with an assurance of her faith and affection, which was, no doubt, bitter enough in Ziska's ears. "I do believe that she is witched," he said, as he turned away towards his own house. And then he reflected wisely on the backward tendency of the world in general, and regretted much that there was no longer given to priests in Bohemia the power of treating with salutary ecclesiastical severity patients suffering in the way in which his cousin Nina was afflicted. Nina had hardly got out of the Grosser Ring into the narrow street which leads from thence towards the bridge, when she encountered her other lover. He was walking slowly down the centre of the street when she passed him, or would have passed him, had not she recognized his figure through the gloom. "Anton," she said, coming up to him and touching his arm as lightly as was possible. "I am so glad to meet you here." "Nina?" "Yes; Nina." "And what have you been doing?" "I don't know that I want to tell you; only that I like to tell you everything." "If so, you can tell me this." Nina, however, hesitated. "If you have secrets, I do not want to inquire into them," said the Jew. "I would rather have no secrets from you, only--" "Only what?" "Well; I will tell you. I had a necklace; and we are not very rich, you know, at home; and I wanted to get something for father, and--" "You have sold it?" "No; I have not sold it. The man was very civil, indeed quite kind, and he lent me some money." "But the kind man kept the necklace, I suppose." "Of course he kept the necklace. You would not have me borrow money from a stranger, and leave him nothing?" "No; I would not have you do that. But why not borrow from one who is no stranger?" "I do not want to borrow at all," said Nina, in her lowest tone. "Are you ashamed to come to me in your trouble?" "Yes," said Nina. "I should be ashamed to come to you for money. I would not take it from you." He did not answer her at once, but walked on slowly while she kept close to his side.