Sitting on the edge of my bed cudgelling my brains

17 June.--This morning, as I was sitting on the edge of my bed cudgelling my brains, I heard without a crackling of whips and pounding and scraping of horses' feet up the rocky path beyond the courtyard. With joy I hurried to the window, and saw drive into the yard two great leiter-wagons, each drawn by eight sturdy horses, and at the head of each pair a Slovak, with his wide hat, great nail-studded belt, dirty sheepskin, and high boots. They had also their long staves in hand. I ran to the door, intending to descend and try and join them through the main hall, as I thought that way might be opened for them. Again a shock, my door was fastened on the outside.

Then I ran to the window and cried to them. They looked up at me stupidly and pointed, but just then the "hetman" of the Szgany came out, and seeing them pointing to my window, said something, at which they laughed.

Henceforth no effort of mine, no piteous cry or agonized entreaty, would make them even look at me. They resolutely turned away. The leiter-wagons contained great, square boxes, with handles of thick rope. These were evidently empty by the ease with which the Slovaks handled them, and by their resonance as they were roughly moved.

When they were all unloaded and packed in a great heap in one corner of the yard, the Slovaks were given some money by the Szgany, and spitting on it for luck, lazily went each to his horse's head. Shortly afterwards, I heard the crackling of their whips die away in the distance.

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[Most Significant]

“I ran to the door, intending to descend and try and join them through the main hall, as I thought that way might be opened for them. Again a shock: my door was fastened on the outside…”

Once more, Jonathan’s every move has been anticipated and blocked by the Count, who was clearly expecting this delivery. Jonathan noted on 28 May that his bedroom windows had bars on them, but this is the first time he has been locked in his bedroom. Not only that, but the Count apparently told the Szgany leader something that leads him and the Slovaks to laugh at Jonathan’s cries.

After the Slovaks leave, Jonathan is once more given the run of the castle’s unlocked areas.

[Most Significant]

Why wasn’t Jonathan concerned when he first noticed that his bedroom windows had metal bars?

This was not unusual at the time, even for windows on upper stories. (Jonathan’s room, the library, and the dining room all seem to be on the castle’s third floor— or second floor, if you consider the ground floor to be floor zero). Ground floor windows would be barred for security reasons. Higher windows might be barred to keep children safe from falling.