“I shall be torn to pieces by the dogs, I suppose.”
But no dogs barked, and Annella made her way unharmed to the back part of the house.
Here the windows were likewise all illuminated, and some of them were so near the ground that Annella was tempted to look in upon the inmates before knocking for admittance.
So she climbed upon an outside cellar-door, and holding by the window-sill above it, looked through the window in upon the room.
It was a cosy sitting-room, warmly lighted, well carpeted, and well curtained, though now the curtains were drawn back, letting the cheerful light stream out into the cheerless night. There was a table in the centre of the room covered with a most comfortable and substantial supper.
Within her view sat two persons—a tall, lean, gray-haired old man, and a short, fat, fair-haired old woman.
They looked so happy that Annella could not choose but hold on to the window-sill and gaze upon their happiness, until the woman, raising her eyes to the window, started, uttered a shriek, and dropped her knife and fork.
And at the same instant Annella sank down out of sight upon the cellar-door.
But soon she heard a commotion in the room over her head, followed by the opening of a door to the left, and the crashing of a footstep through the shrubbery. And the next instant she felt herself rudely seized, and set upon her feet, while a rough hand turned the light of a dark lantern full upon her face, and a harsh voice demanded:
“Ship ahoy! Who are you?”