I began to rub my eyes and pinch myself to see if I was awake. It all seemed like a horrible nightmare to me. I expected that I would suddenly awake, and find myself at home, with the light of dawn struggling in through the windows. This sometimes happened to me in the morning after a day of overwork. But my flesh felt the pinch, and my eyes were not deceived. I was indeed awake and among the Carpathian mountainss. All I could do now was to be patient, and to wait the coming of morning.

Just as I had decided I would be outside all night, I heard footsteps approaching behind the great door. Through the cracks in the door I saw the gleam of a coming light. Then there was the sound of rattling chains and the sound of huge bolts drawn back. A key was turned with a noise which told me that it had not been used for a long time, and the great door swung back.

In the doorway stood a tall old man. He was clean shaven except for a long white moustache, and dressed in black from head to foot. In his hand he held an antique silver lamp, from which the flame threw long quivering shadows as it flickered in the air blowing in from the open door. The old man signalled me to come in with a gesture of his right hand. He spoke excellent English, but with a strange intonation.