It was a
pitch-dark night, and bitterly cold, and I shivered, I know, as I heard
the sullen flow of the river, and listened to the moaning of the wind
among the trees.
We walked on for some minutes in silence, then my companion asked me if
I felt afraid, or if I would go on with him.
"I will go where you go," I answered.
Then suddenly he disappeared, and Playfire, who had been his counsel at
the time of the trial, took my hand and led me onwards.
We passed through a doorway, and, still in darkness, utter darkness,
began to descend some steps. We went down--down--hundreds of steps as it
seemed to me, and in my sleep, I still remembered the old idea of its
being unlucky to dream of going downstairs. But at length we came to the
bottom, and then began winding along interminable passages, now so
narrow only one could walk abreast, and again so low that we had to
stoop our heads in order to avoid striking the roof.
After we had been walking along these for hours, as time reckons in such
cases, we commenced ascending flight after flight of steep stone-steps.
I laboured after Playfire till my limbs ached and grew weary, till,
scarcely able to drag my feet from stair to stair, I entreated him to
stop; but he only laughed and held on his course the more rapidly, while
I, hurrying after, often stumbled and recovered myself, then stumbled
again and lay prone.
Pages:
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127