"Deed, miss, I'se 'fraid!" whimpered the little maid.
"Afraid of what, you goose?"
"'Fraid of meeting of a ghose in the dark places!"
"Pooh! you can take the light with you! I can stay here in the dark well enough."
"'Deed, miss, I'se 'fraid!"
"What! with the candle, you blockhead?"
"Lors, miss, de candle wouldn't be no 'tection! I'd see de ghoses all de plainer wid de candle!"
"What a provoking, stupid dolt! You're a proper maid—afraid to do my bidding! Afraid of ghosts, forsooth. Well, I suppose I shall have to go myself—plague on you for an aggravating thing! There—take the candle and come along!" said Capitola, in a tone of impatience.
Pitapat took up the light and stood ready to accompany her mistress, Capitola, humming a gay tune, went to the door and unlocked and opened it.
She wished to withdraw the key, so as to lock it on the other side and secure the robbers and insure the safety of her own retreat; but to do this without betraying her purpose and destroying her own life seemed next to impossible. Still singing gayly she ran over in her mind with the quickness of lightning every possible means by which she might withdraw the key silently, or without attracting the attention of the watchful robbers. It is difficult to say what she would have done, had not chance instantly favored her.