Page:The shoemaker's apron (1920).djvu/81

 “I will not!” Vitazko said. “A fine scamp you must be if your own brothers had to chain you up! No! You stay where you are!”

With that Vitazko slammed the door in the dragon’s face and left him.

Then he went for his mother and brought her to the castle.

“Here, my mother,” he said, “is the dwelling I have won for you.”

He took her through the nine spacious chambers and showed her everything. At the tenth door he said:

“This door is not to be opened. All the castle belongs to you except this room only. See to it that this door is never opened. If it is opened, an evil fate will overtake you.”

Then Vitazko took his beechen club and went out hunting.

He was hardly gone before his mother sat down before the tenth door and said to herself over and over:

“I wonder what can be in that room that Vitazko doesn’t want me to open the door.”

At last when she could restrain her curiosity no longer, she opened the door.