'Won't your Lordship spare me a trifle for coming so far?'

'I--I'm afraid I have nothing to give,' said Raymond, putting his
hand in his empty pocket.

'A kiss is all I want from your Lordship,' answered the voice; and
then a pair of lips met Raymond's in the darkness. The lips were cold
as ice, but the breath that came between them was hot as flame.

Then all was silence. Had Raymond kissed one of the invisible goblins
instead of Silvia? Or was Silvia herself a goblin?

Be that as it might Raymond was left in an awkward situation. For all
he knew he was in the middle of an underground labyrinth; and the next
step might land him at the bottom of some pitfall. Raymond remembered
that long ago, when he was a small boy, his mother had once shut him
up in the dark closet behind the kitchen chimney, because he had made
a mud-pie on the ironing-board. That closet had seemed black enough,
but what was it compared with this? Besides, Rosamund had come after a
while and secretly let him out, and they had spent the afternoon
together in the barn. But Rosamund could never come to him here; and
that goblin kiss upon his lips had taken away his right to hope for
her.

While these thoughts had been passing through his mind he had been
slowly feeling his way forward; but all at once he was brought to a
stand by a sharp prick on the breast as if from the point of a
levelled spear.

'Who comes?' said a harsh voice.

'Only me,' replied Raymond in his most conciliating tone.

'Have you the password?' demanded the voice again.

Recollecting what the donkey-driver had told him, Raymond answered at
a venture--

'Yellow-cap!'

'Pass on, Yellow-cap!' said the voice.

He passed on, hoping that his wanderings were now to end. But after a
few steps he felt against his throat the smooth sharp edge of a sword,
which caused him to start back with a cry.

'Who comes?' said a snarling voice.

'Yellow-cap!' Raymond replied.

'The number, Yellow-cap?'

'Seven!' hazarded Raymond.

'Pass on, Seven!' said the voice.

Raymond stepped forward nervously, stumbled down an unexpected pair of
steps, and all in a moment there was a brilliant dazzle of light
close to his eyes. It vanished as suddenly as it came; but it had
given him a fleeting impression of many grisly faces pressing around
him on all sides, with fire-lit eyes all fixed upon his. On the
succeeding darkness, which seemed more intense than ever, the image of
these faces