. By
this bold move, he had everything to gain and nothing to lose. There
was, however, one other precaution which he would have to take, and
that was to make as little noise as possible. His heavy boots would
never do, and the sound might pass through even such walls as these.
Removing these, therefore, he carried them under one arm, and,
holding the torch in his unoccupied hand, he advanced along the
passage.

The stones were cold to his feet as he started on his adventurous
way. Slowly, cautiously, stealthily, he moved along. The passage was
about six feet in height and two feet wide, with massive stone-walls
on either side. By its direction, it seemed to pass through the wall
at one end of the great hall, past the place where the stairway
ascended from below. Along this Harry moved noiselessly and
watchfully, and at length came to a place where the passage-way
turned at right angles, just as it had done at the entrance. Up this
he walked, and, after a few paces, perceived an abyss before him. In
an instant he understood what this was. It was another chimney
similar to the one in his room, from which the passage-way had
started, and here too, doubtless, there was a room like his own.

He now extinguished the torch, which, together with the boots, he put
down on the floor, and then, lying flat down, he thrust his head over
the opening and tried to see what was below. There was a faint light,
the light of moonbeams, which streamed in here and fell upon the
floor, just as in his own room. He reached down his hand, and could
feel that here too there were stepping-stones. In fact, there were
two rooms connected by this passage-way, and in all probability they
were exactly similar. But who were in this room? The men had been
taken to one side of the great hall, the women to the other. Were the
women here? Were they by themselves? And was Katie here? Would it be
possible for him to go down so as to try to communicate with any of
them? It was certainly hazardous. A discovery would ruin all. It
would be better to wait, at any rate to watch here for a while, and
listen.

As he watched he could see somewhat better, for his eyes grew more
accustomed to the dim light. He could make out the stepping-stones,
and the chimney floor, and the floor of the room for about one-third
of the distance from the chimney. As he lay there and watched and
listened, there came to his ears, through the deep stillness of
night, the sound of reg