But these now began to rise, and the hags took up the corpse of the dead, and the paupers swarmed around with cries of "Mut! mut!" (dead! dead!) and exclamations of wonder.

Then they all turned their foul and bleary eyes toward me, and stood as if transfixed with astonishment.

At length there burst forth from the crowd one who sought to get at me.
It was the Chief Pauper.

He still held in his hand the long knife of sacrifice.

He said not a word, but rushed straight at me, and as he came I saw murder in his look.