y
on the walls somewhere. Then a voice called something unintelligible
from the direction of the stairs; the beating ceased, and footsteps went
across the floor again into silence.

VI

He was dazed and blinded by the light when, after infinite hours, he
drew the bolts and slid the panel open.

* * * * *

He had lost all idea of time utterly: he did not know whether he should
find that night had come, or that the next day had dawned. He had waited
there, period after period; he marked one of them by eating food that
had no taste and drinking liquid that stung his throat but did not
affect his palate; he had marked another by saying compline to himself
in a whisper.

During the earlier part of those periods he had followed--he thought
with success--the dreadful drama that was acted in the house. Someone
had made a formal inspection of all the chambers--a man who said little
and moved heavily with something of a limp (he had thought this to be my
lord Shrewsbury himself, who suffered from the gout): this man had
walked slowly through the chapel and out again.

At a later period he had heard the horses being brought round the house;
heard plainly the jingle of the bits and a sneeze or two. This had been
followed by long interminable talking, muffled and indistinguishable,
that came up to him from some unknown direction. Voices changed
curiously in loudness and articulation as the speakers moved about.

At a later period a loud trampling had begun again, plainly from the
hall: he had interpreted this to mean that the prisoners were being
removed out of doors; and he had been confirmed in this by hearing
immediately afterwards again the stamping of horses and the creaking of
leather.

Again there had been a pause, broken suddenly by loud women's wailing.
And at last the noise of horses moving off; the noise grew less; a man
ran suddenly through the archway and out again, and, little by little,
complete silence once more.

Yet he had not dared to move. It was the custom, he knew, sometimes to
leave three or four men on guard for a day or two after such an assault,
in the hope of starving out any hidden fugitives that might still be
left. So he waited again--period after period; he dozed a little for
weariness, propped against the narrow walls of his hidinghole; woke;
felt again for food and found he had eaten it all ... dozed again.

Then he had started up suddenly, for without an