,
until it seemed scarcely possible that there could be any further
danger.

He now thought of returning to the room, but after a little
consideration decided not to. No doubt they would all be awake,
perhaps also others might be there, and to go back might lead to
discovery, and destroy all further chances of seeing Katie. Still,
the thought would not be dismissed. Sleep was impossible, and he lay
awake, recalling the events of the night.

At length there occurred to his mind the thought of those Spanish
bonds which he had found and hidden away so carefully. He had not
visited the place since, or rather, he had not looked at the
hiding-place. He determined to do so now merely for the sake of
reassuring himself as to the safety of those precious papers. For
Katie's fortune lay wrapped up in that parcel, and he was anxious
that he should be the means of saving it for her. In addition to
this, he was anxious to search carefully along the passage-way, to
see if there might not be openings which had thus far escaped
him--which might possibly lead to the outer world.

He provided himself with his torch and found that he had matches
enough. He then climbed up into the passage-way, and lighted his
torch; after which he proceeded onward until he reached the chink
where the package had been deposited. Here he stooped down and held
the light close.

The first sight showed nothing. But the string which he had left
hanging out was, as he knew, not very perceptible, so he held the
light closer and felt for it. Even then he found nothing.

He now thought that perhaps the package had fallen by its own weight
a little farther in, drawing the string after it. In order to find
whether this were so or not, he reached his hand into the chink.

No sooner had he done this than he snatched it away, and sat there
staring.

The chink was very much larger than it had been before.

There was no doubt about this. Then it had been barely wide enough to
admit the package. Now he could easily thrust his whole arm into the
opening.

It was utterly unaccountable. By some incomprehensible means that
crevice had been enlarged. The whole stone, he now saw, had been
thrust forward several inches into the passage-way. It seemed as if
nothing short of an earthquake could suffice to move from its place
such a stone as that. In itself it appeared to be of vast size and
weight, and below it, and above it, and on either side, were others
equally va