when night came , he was pleased to find himself near another village . when at a distance he heard the watchman crying out , " we are visited ! " and soon the men of the village stood out to see the stranger . he was again told to enter the lodge of the chief , and his reception was in every respect the same as on the previous night . except that the young woman was more beautiful , and that she entertained him very kindly . although urged to stay with them , the mind of maidwa was fixed on the object of his journey . before daybreak he asked the young woman at what time the red swan passed , and to point out the way . she marked against the sky with her finger the course it had taken , and told him that it had passed yesterday when the sun was between mid - day and its falling - place . maidwa again set out rather slowly , but when the sun had risen , he tried his speed by shooting an arrow ahead , and running after it . but it fell behind him , and he knew that he had lost nothing of his quickness of foot . nothing remarkable happened through the day , and he went on leisurely . some time after dark , as he was peering around the country for a shelter , he saw a light emitted from a small low lodge . he went up to it very slyly , and , peeping through the door , he discovered an old man alone , with his head down upon his breast , warming his back before the fire . maidwa thought that the old man did not know that he was standing near the door . in this he was mistaken . without turning his eyes to look at him , the old man said , " walk in , my grandchild . take a seat opposite to me , and take off your things and dry them , for you must be fatigued . i will prepare you something to eat , and you shall have something very delicate . " maidwa accepted this kind invitation , and entered the lodge . the old man then remarked , as if in mere course of conversation : " my kettle with water stands near the fire . " immediately a small earthen pot with legs appeared by the fire . he then took one grain of corn , also one of whortleberry , and put them in the pot . maidwa was very hungry , and seeing the limited scale of the old man 's housekeeping , he thought his chance for a supper was very slight . the old man had promised him something very delicate , and he seemed likely to keep his word . maidwa looked on silently , and did not change his face any more than if the greatest banquet that was ever spread had been going forward . the pot soon boiled , when the old man said in a very quiet way : " the pot will stand at a distance from the fire . " 
the old man was warming his back before the fire .
why did maidwa think the old man did not know he was standing near the door ?
why did maidwa think the old man did not know he was standing near the door ?