the chiffonier! It helps us when all else fails.'

Hardly had she said the word when there was a kind of creaking of the
whole place, and something was steadily dragged over the roof.

Again I seemed to read between the lines of her words. I knew the
lesson of the lantern.

'One of you get on the roof with a noose and strangle him as he passes
out if we fail within.'

As I looked out of the opening I saw the loop of a rope outlined black
against the lurid sky. I was now, indeed, beset!

Pierre was not long in finding the lantern. I kept my eyes fixed
through the darkness on the old woman. Pierre struck his light, and by
its flash I saw the old woman raise from the ground beside her where
it had mysteriously appeared, and then hide in the folds of her gown,
a long sharp knife or dagger. It seemed to be like a butcher's
sharpening iron fined to a keen point.

The lantern was lit.

'Bring it here, Pierre,' she said. 'Place it in the doorway where we
can see it. See how nice it is! It shuts out the darkness from us; it
is just right!'

Just right for her and her purposes! It threw all its light on my
face, leaving in gloom the faces of both Pierre and the woman, who sat
outside of me on each side.

I felt that the time of action was approaching, but I knew now that
the first signal and movement would come from the woman, and so
watched her.

I was all unarmed, but I had made up my mind what to do. At the first
movement I would seize the butcher's axe in the right-hand corner and
fight my way out. At least, I would die hard. I stole a glance round
to fix its exact locality so that I could not fail to seize it at the
first effort, for then, if ever, time and accuracy would be precious.

Good God! It was gone! All the horror of the situation burst upon me;
but the bitterest thought of all was that if the issue of the terrible
position should be against me Alice would infallibly suffer. Either
she would believe me false--and any lover, or any one who has ever
been one, can imagine the bitterness of the thought--or else she would
go on loving long after I had been lost to her and to the world, so
that her life would be broken and embittered, shattered with
disappointment and despair. The very magnitude of the pain braced me
up and nerved me to bear the dread scrutiny of the plotters.

I think I did not betray myself. The old woman was watching me as a
cat does a mouse; she had her right hand hidden in the folds o