when she might think right. Mr. Trelawny and Mr. Corbeck were to
attend to the lighting of the lamps. When the hands of the clock were
close to the hour, they stood ready with their linstocks.

The striking of the silver bell of the clock seemed to smite on our
hearts like a knell of doom. One! Two! Three!

Before the third stroke the wicks of the lamps had caught, and I had
turned out the electric light. In the dimness of the struggling lamps,
and after the bright glow of the electric light, the room and all
within it took weird shapes, and all seemed in an instant to change.
We waited with our hearts beating. I know mine did, and I fancied I
could hear the pulsation of the others.

The seconds seemed to pass with leaden wings. It were as though all
the world were standing still. The figures of the others stood out
dimly, Margaret's white dress alone showing clearly in the gloom. The
thick respirators which we all wore added to the strange appearance.
The thin light of the lamps showed Mr. Trelawny's square jaw and strong
mouth and the brown shaven face of Mr. Corbeck. Their eyes seemed to
glare in the light. Across the room Doctor Winchester's eyes twinkled
like stars, and Margaret's blazed like black suns. Silvio's eyes were
like emeralds.

Would the lamps never burn up!

It was only a few seconds in all till they did blaze up. A slow,
steady light, growing more and more bright, and changing in colour from
blue to crystal white. So they stayed for a couple of minutes without
change in the coffer; till at last there began to appear all over it a
delicate glow. This grew and grew, till it became like a blazing
jewel, and then like a living thing whose essence of life was light.
We waited and waited, our hearts seeming to stand still.

All at once there was a sound like a tiny muffled explosion and the
cover lifted right up on a level plane a few inches; there was no
mistaking anything now, for the whole room was full of a blaze of
light. Then the cover, staying fast at one side rose slowly up on the
other, as though yielding to some pressure of balance. The coffer
still continued to glow; from it began to steal a faint greenish smoke.
I could not smell it fully on account of the respirator; but, even
through that, I was conscious of a strange pungent odour. Then this
smoke began to grow thicker, and to roll out in volumes of ever
increasing density till the whole room began to get obscure. I h