out the floor,
with the dust thick upon them. He cast one swift glance around, and then
walked across and opened the door of the small inner room. The sudden
draught extinguished his candle, and he found himself suddenly in total
darkness. The closely barred shutters, which protected the low window,
were securely fastened, and effectually shut out the lingering remnants
of daylight. Stooping down, he re-lit the candle which he was still
carrying, and holding it high over his head, looked anxiously around.
One glance was sufficient. In the corner of the room opposite to him was
a small table, where he always kept a basin of cold water and some clean
towels. Round here the carpet had been torn up, and rearranged, with
little pretence at concealment. Nearer the window stood a large oak
cabinet, the most important piece of furniture in the room, and this he
saw again in a moment had been tampered with. It had been moved a little
out of its position, and one of the lower drawers stood partly open.

Like a man in a dream he slowly walked across to it and drew out a bunch
of keys from his pocket. The final test had yet to be applied, and the
final blow to fall.

He unlocked the topmost partition, and revealed a number of small
drawers. Eagerly he drew out the topmost one, and looked inside. Then he
knew the worst. It was empty. There was no longer any doubt whatever.
His cottage had been entered by no ordinary housebreaker, for the
purpose of plunder, but with a set of false keys, and with a far more
serious object. The secret on which more than his life depended was
gone!

CHAPTER XX

GOD! THAT I MAY DIE!

For a certain space of time, which seemed to him indefinite, but which
was indeed of no great length, he stood there stunned, gazing at the
rifled cabinet. Then, as consciousness returned to him, the roar of the
storm without fell upon his ears, and struck some strange note of accord
with the tumult in his brain. Turning round, he unbarred the shutters,
and, opening the window, stepped outside. With slow, uncertain steps he
made his way through the dense black plantation of shrieking fir trees,
and out on to the cliffs. Here he paused, and stood quite still, looking
across the sea. There was no light in the sky, but the veil of absolute
darkness had not yet fallen upon the earth. Far away on the horizon was
a lurid patch of deep yellow storm-clouds, casting a faint glimmer upon
the foaming sea, which seemed to