now, and how long it
was likely to be before I saw that dear village and Grace again.

The stairs were still sharp cut and little worn, but Elzevir paid great
care to his feet, lest he should slip on the ferns and mosses with which
they were overgrown. When we reached the brambles he met them with his
back, and though I heard the thorns tearing in his coat, he shoved them
aside with his broad shoulders, and screened my dangling leg from getting
caught. Thus he came safe without stumble to the bottom of the pit.

When we got there all was dark, but he stepped off into a narrow opening
on the right hand, and walked on as if he knew the way. I could see
nothing, but perceived that we were passing through endless galleries cut
in the solid rock, high enough, for the most part, to allow of walking
upright, but sometimes so low as to force him to bend down and carry me
in a very constrained attitude. Only twice did he set me down at a
turning, while he took out his tinder-box and lit a match; but at length
the darkness became less dark, and I saw that we were in a large cave or
room, into which the light came through some opening at the far end. At
the same time I felt a colder breath and fresh salt smell in the air that
told me we were very near the sea.

CHAPTER 11

THE SEA-CAVE

The dull loneness, the black shade,
That these hanging vaults have made:
The strange music of the waves
Beating on these hollow caves--_Wither_

He set me down in one corner, where was some loose dry silver-sand upon
the floor, which others had perhaps used for a resting-place before.
'Thou must lie here for a month or two, lad,' he said; 'tis a mean bed,
but I have known many worse, and will get straw tomorrow if I can, to
better it.'

I had eaten nothing all day, nor had Elzevir, yet I felt no hunger, only
a giddiness and burning thirst like that which came upon me when I was
shut in the Mohune vault. So 'twas very music to me to hear a pat and
splash of water dropping from the roof into a little pool upon the floor,
and Elzevir made a cup out of my hat and gave a full drink of it that was
icy-cool and more delicious than any smuggled wine of France.

And after that I knew little that happened for ten days or more, for
fever had hold of me, and as I learnt afterwards, I talked wild and could
scarce be restrained from jumping up and loosing the bindings that
Elzevir had put upon my leg. And all that time he nursed me as tenderly