“Paùna! Is this thy love? Thou art sending me back to death and destruction!”
“Go whither thou wilt. This only I tell thee, I will never be thy wife—I could not endure to have to despise my husband.”
“Thou dost love some other!”
“Nay, Tannas, thee I love, and thee alone. I have many a time watched through the livelong night for love of thee; but I never dreamed that I had a coward for my lover!” Paùna wept, burying her face in her hands.
“And I, who thought thou wouldst welcome me with joy, and hide me in thy dwelling!”
“Oh, shame!” cried the maiden—“shame! that I should have betrothed myself to thee. But this I swear, that the Bucegi Mountain shall burn ere I become thy wife!”
“And I swear,” cried Tannas, “that thou shalt not see me again till I am a cripple—or dead!”
And as they spoke thus, the two lovers faced one another with such burning glances that their eyes sparkled in the darkness.
Just then a red light shone out over the heights above, and looking up, they saw that one of the rocky peaks of the Bucegi seemed all aglow. Brighter and brighter it grew, till a red flame appeared to break out and send up a shower of stars on high. The two lovers stood as though turned to stone. Then windows began to open in the neighbouring houses, and the people to call out to one another that there was a forest fire—nay, that the mountain was burning! All the village was in an uproar—dogs began to bark and cocks to crow.