to be done, you must do it. Do you
know me?"

Of course he knew Mr. Sztolarik, who had often been to Glogova since he
had been made President of the Courts. So off ran Pal Kvapka, and in a
few minutes the big fire-bell was tolling. There was no wind, and the
sound was carried for miles around over the meadows, into the woods,
over the mountains, and soon the people came running up from every side.
It was astonishing how soon the villagers were assembled round the
Presbytery. Those who saw it will never see its like again, until the
Archangel Gabriel sounds his trumpet at the last day.

Sztolarik gazed placidly at the crowd assembled around him.

"Now," he said, "I have only to stand up in their midst and ask them if
any of them have seen Veronica. But it will be quite unnecessary, for
Veronica herself will soon be here. Look out of the window," he called
up to the bell-ringer, "and tell me if you can see the young lady."

"Yes, I can see her, she is running through the Srankos' maize-field."

"She lives!" exclaimed Gyuri ecstatically, but his joy was soon at an
end, for he thought: "If there is nothing the matter with her she must
have run away from me."

And he began to wonder if it would not have been better if she were
dead, for then he could have believed she loved him, and could have
loved her and sorrowed for her.

The bell-ringer still went on tolling the bell, so Sztolarik called up
to him:

"Stop tolling, you fool, can't you? Show us which way the Srankos'
maize-field lies."

The bell-ringer pointed to the right.

"You run on in front, Gyuri, and try and get out of her what is the
matter with her."

But Gyuri was already gone, through the priest's garden, across Magat's
clover-field, and his heart began to beat, for from there he could see
Veronica in her green dress, without a hat, only a little red silk shawl
round her shoulders. Across Szlavik's corn-field, then into Gongoly's
meadow, and they were face to face.

The girl drew a sobbing breath when she saw him, and began to tremble
violently.

"Where is the fire?" she asked.

"Don't be frightened, there is no fire. My guardian had the bell rung so
as to make you return home. Why did you run away?"

The girl turned pale, and bit her lip.

"It is enough if I know the reason," she said in a low voice. "Please
leave me alone."

And she turned round as though to return to the woods.

"Veronica, for heaven's sake don't torture me; what have