And now it suddenly dawned upon her why her pursuers had laughed so loudly when they saw her take refuge in this direction, here also the road was barred. For an instant she stopped short. Feminine weakness for a moment took possession of her heart, and a shudder ran suddenly through her whole body; it was one of those instinctive feelings of panic which we cannot explain to ourselves. Where can I take refuge? she thought. Shall I forsake the road and venture amidst the strange woods beyond? Then she bethought her on what errand she had come, and she trembled no longer, but drew forth her pistols from her holsters, looked well to their priming, placed one under her arm, took the other in her hand, and tying the horse to a tree by the roadside (for, indeed, of what further use was he now?), resolutely directed her steps towards the noisy mob. It was now so dark that it would have been easy to have avoided them altogether by making a short circuit, but that sort of perilous curiosity which often urges men to thrust themselves into the very situations from which they instinctively shrink, would not now permit her to turn from her purpose of penetrating those howling masses there and then. Only when she was already in the midst of them did they become aware of her. "Stop!" resounded on every side of her, and the point of a scythe pressed against the breast of the intruder. In the moment of danger Maria recovered in an instant all her presence of mind. "Give me room! two paces at the least!" she cried with a clarion-like voice. "A step nearer and I shoot! What do you want here?" At the sight of the pistol the sordid mob drew back. If she had wished to proceed the path now lay clear and unobstructed before her. But now she had changed her mind. This nocturnal spectacle had put it into her head that here was some evil plot afoot against the Hétfalusy family. She must find out what it was, and if possible defeat it. So she repeated her question: "What are you doing here?" At that moment the door of the wayside house opened, and out came Thomas Bodza with a lamp in his hand. "Who is talking here?" he asked, peering all around him into the darkness. Some timorous peasant lads behind the door pointed out to him the new arrival, at the same time calling his attention to the fact that the stranger had a pistol in his hand, and it was therefore not advisable to go near him. The master, however, boldly advanced towards Maria, and held the lamp high above his head the better to read the intruder's face. "What a fine head that young squire has," growled shaggy Hanák behind his back, "it would look very well on the point of my scythe." "Hush!" said the master. "I want to speak to him! Who are you, sir, and what do you want?"