"Bah!" cried the beggar, who knew very little about jewels, "let me do it—I'm not afraid."
"No, no; let us rather knock at the door——"
But he stopped himself; for it occurred to him that, as this handsome door was made of crystal, a blow with the knocker would at least crack it.
Tired by these hesitations, the old beggar seized the knocker and struck so heavy a blow with it that the door was shivered into fragments.
They entered freely.
There was nobody in the vestibule; in the Palace of Vanity nobody would remain in the ante-chamber. And yet this ante-chamber surpassed in luxury many drawing rooms. It was adorned with statues representing gods and goddesses, and pictures representing kings and queens, princes and princesses.
It was paved with jasper and porphyry; but this pavement was so highly polished, so slippery, that the young man, whose shoes were studded with hobnails, was near falling several times within the space of three minutes. He was obliged to cling to the walls, and would rather have walked upon ice, as then he might have had on a pair of skates.
"THE DOOR WAS SHIVERED INTO FRAGMENTS."