into the narrow way he was about to
traverse.

Then with one heavy thrust he threw open the door, and without a
moment's hesitation passed in with his sword advanced, to be followed
quickly by the chamberlain, who raised the light above his head, to
throw the King's shadow right before him, so that his mock semblance,
looking black, solid, and grotesquely dwarfed, moved on in front till it
struck against the angle of the wall where the passage turned sharply to
the left.

Here with sword advanced the chamberlain approached as closely as he
could, fully expecting attack from a hiding foe; but the King passed
boldly on, with his shadow before him, till the next angle was reached,
their footsteps sounding hollow, dull, and strange in the confined
space.

The King walked onward like one well accustomed to traverse the place,
and in another few minutes the great candle his follower bore was
casting the dwarf shadow upon the heavy door that blocked the end.

"A false clue, Hurst," said the King gruffly. "The secret of this place
is still our own.--No, by my faith!" he almost roared. "The light,
man--lower--and look here!"

For there, plain to see, was the ring of a heavy key in the lock of the
massive door, and as the King seized the latch and raised it with a
click, the door swung inward easily upon its well-oiled hinges, followed
by a puff of the soft night air, which would have extinguished the light
had not the King hastily closed the door again.

"Gone, and by this way!" he growled, as he turned the key, sending the
bolt with a sharp snap into the socket. Then with a sharp tug he drew
out the shining wards and signed to his follower to return.

Lord Hurst uttered a low sigh of relief, for he felt that the King had
escaped a terrible danger, the loss of the jewel being as nothing to his
life.

He backed slowly, lighting the way, till they were about half-a-dozen
yards from the door, when he stopped short and raised the light on a
level with a little horizontal niche close to the roof of the passage,
into which the King thrust the key.

"There has been treachery here, Hurst," he said sombrely, "for a
stranger would not be likely to have found that key. Simple
hiding-places are often the most safe. But there," he growled, with a
suppressed oath; "back into the corridor, but extinguish that light
before you raise the arras, and make sure that we are alone."

The order was obeyed, the chamberlain cautiously