before
Grosvenor could sufficiently pull his wits together to address him.

The food and drink were most acceptable, for the prisoners had taken no
refreshment since breakfast that morning, and the day was now drawing to
its close, as they could tell by the rapidly diminishing light that
percolated through their narrow window. They fell to upon the viands
forthwith, availing themselves of the last departing daylight to find
the food; and finally, after a little further desultory chat, in which
each did his best to make light of the situation, they disposed
themselves as comfortably as they could upon the floor, and sought such
rest as might be possible under the circumstances.

The night that followed was certainly not a pleasant one, for the floor
was hard, and sleep was shy of coming to them. With the first
glimmerings of daylight, therefore, the two prisoners arose, weary, sore
of body, and in a distinctly pessimistic frame of mind which found no
amelioration in the fact that hour after hour dragged its weary length
along, bringing neither visitors nor food, although the breakfast hour
had long passed. Noon arrived, and still no footstep approached the
door of their cell; and when at length their watches marked the hour of
three in the afternoon without the arrival of food, without even so much
as a visit from their jailer to ascertain whether or not all was well
with them, they began to ask themselves seriously whether by any chance
they had been forgotten.

The answer came about half an hour later when the door of their cell was
suddenly thrown open by the man who had locked them in on the previous
night, and who now gruffly summoned them to follow him.

They emerged from their place of confinement gladly enough--for they had
reached that stage of discomfort when one welcomes any change, even
though there should be a possibility that it may prove to be for the
worse--and were at once taken into custody by a handsomely attired
officer in command of ten soldiers who, armed with short, broad-bladed
spears, and each carrying a flaring torch, at once closed round them.
The word to march was given, and the party moved away along the
labyrinth of passages, turning hither and thither in the most
bewildering fashion, until at length they reached a narrow flight of
stone steps that wound upward, corkscrew fashion, until they emerged
into another passage which, after a journey of some fifty yards,
conducted them into a