“Very old and worn, my dear daroga! 9 Very old and worn, the chandelier!⁠ ⁠… It fell of itself!⁠ ⁠… It came down with a smash!⁠ ⁠… And now, daroga, take my advice and go and dry yourself, or you’ll catch a cold in the head!⁠ ⁠… And never get into my boat again.⁠ ⁠… And, whatever you do, don’t try to enter my house: I’m not always there⁠ ⁠… daroga! And I should be sorry to have to dedicate my Requiem Mass to you!”

So saying, swinging to and fro, like a monkey, and still chuckling, he pushed off and soon disappeared in the darkness of the lake.

From that day, I gave up all thought of penetrating into his house by the lake. That entrance was obviously too well guarded, especially since he had learned that I knew about it. But I felt that there must be another entrance, for I had often seen Erik disappear in the third cellar, when I was watching him, though I could not imagine how.