e laughed, though no sound
issued from the gaping mouth, as she stood in the last patch of shadow
which was separated by some few yards of silvery path from the black
blot upon the wall which covered the secret door.

They had hunted and harried her, and walked upon her body lying in the
dust, but they had lost her and had gone back to their hovels to eat
and sleep, and maybe once more cast up the reckoning of the money she
owed them, the which--she swore the most horrible oath--she would never
pay.

She gathered up her dust-ridden garments and stole swiftly across the
moonlit space; she had just touched the edge of the shadow, she was
almost home, when, with a mighty shout, they were upon her. Out of the
houses, out of the courtyards, down the streets they swarmed, children
and women falling, to be jerked to their feet by the men who ran
silently, urged on by the fanatic who for years had hugged the idea of
some such moment of most horrible revenge.

And then to the sinister sound of the rushing feet there was added the
baying of many pariah dogs which, from every conceivable corner and
from miles away, raced like a pack of wolves upon the Steppes, to join
the hunt.

Blind with terror, shaking in agony, Zulannah fumbled helplessly for
the special brick; it lay, she knew, in the third row and had as mark a
jutting piece of mortar in the middle.

She passed her hand wildly up and down, too mad with fear to count;
every brick, to right, to left, and as far as she could reach above,
below, had the jutting piece of mortar; the wall was as high as the
heavens; the third row was here, beneath her hand--no! high above her
head--no! one, two, yes, here--her fingers touched it--it was gone.

It takes a long time to write or read in inky words, but it was really
only a few seconds before the door swung open.

She gave a scream of terrible relief and rushed into the blackness and
as she rushed a dog leapt straight at her shoulders.

She screamed again and swung-to the door with all her strength; it shut
upon the dog, breaking its back; it remained ajar to her pursuers.

There still was hope. She knew the way; they did not. Could she but
get to her bedroom behind the massive doors, could she but reach the
telephone, the instrument she had regarded as her finest toy, she would
soon have the police running to the rescue. She fled down the narrow
passage which led to a jumble of small rooms; she even paused for a
moment