Tak passed day after the day, and each morning it invariably was convinced.

That the invisible enemies conduct precise calculation and somewhere in sight compulsorily leaves reminding about that, how many days remained to the end of the period assigned. Sometimes fateful numbers appeared at the walls, sometimes on the floor, and that on the leaves of paper, stuck on the garden wicket or on the boards of fence. So it could not reveal with its entire vigilance of John fer'e how appeared these daily warnings. Each time at the sight of its numbers covered almost superstitious horror. It lost rest, it was emaciated, and in its eyes stood sad fear, as in the hunted down beast. It supported only only hope for the fact that any minute now from Nevada primchitsya the young hunter. Chislo twenty gradually was reduced to fifteen, fifteen to ten, but from Jefferson Hope everything not there were news whatever. A quantity of remained days melted, but Hope did not appear. After hearing on the street the knock of horse hooves or the shout of carter, which drove on horses, old farmer rushed to the winches, hoping that at long last arrived the aid. But when number five was changed into four, and four by troika, it entirely fall by spirit and it gave up hope for the rescuing. He understood, that one, on top of that badly knowing the surrounding mountains, it will be completely helpless. All highways thoroughly were guarded, and no one could leave without the passage, given out by advice of four. Where not turn, nowhere to not be hidden from the fatal danger impending above it. And nevertheless nothing could shake its solutions to more often part with the life, than doom their daughter to the disgrace and beschestiye.
Odnazhdy in the evening it sat one, after leaving in the thought about its misfortune and vainly trying to find any way out. In the morning on the wall of house appeared number "2"; tomorrow the last day of the period assigned. And which will be then? Imagination vaguely sketched to it any horrors. But daughter which will be with it, when it it does not become? Really there is no method to be pulled out from this cobweb, which tightly covered of their both? It dropped head to the table and began to cry from the consciousness of its weakness. No that this? To it reached the light scraping sound, distinctly audible in the night silence. This sound went from the entrance door. Fer'e sneaked into the anteroom and napryazhenno it listened. Several seconds of complete silence, then again the same only audible and as if insinuating sound. Obviously, someone very quietly tapped by finger on the door panel. Possibly, night is the killer, who appeared to lead for the performance the sentence of secret law-court? Or this reminding that did begin the last day of that tempered to it period? John fer'e solved, that instantaneous death is better than the agonizing expectation, which worried to death its heart and forced to quiver each nerve. After rushing forward, it pulled out bolt and threw open door.