He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. Whenever it fell upon me my blood ran cold, and so by degrees, very gradually, I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever. Now this is the point. You fancy me mad.
Madmen know nothing.
But you should have seen me. I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed. And this I did for seven long nights, every night just at midnight, but I found the eye always closed, and so it was impossible to do the work, for it was not the old man who vexed me but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I went boldly into the chamber and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name in a hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night.