She rose, drew near, and imitating his accent, asked: "What do you want?"
"Open the door!"
"I shall not open it."
The man grew angry.
"Open the door, or I'll break it in."
She began to laugh.
"Break away, my man; break away."
Then he began to beat, with the butt end of his gun, upon the oaken trap-door closed over his head; but it would have resisted a battering-ram.
The keeper's wife heard him go down again. Then, one after another, the soldiers came up to try their strength and inspect the fastenings. But, concluding no doubt that their efforts were in vain, they all went back into the cellar and began to talk again.
The young woman listened to them; then she went to open the outer door, and stood straining her ears for a sound.