Into the next!
He knew it the instant he crossed the threshold; yes, this was the entry, this was the room, there was the settle——
He stopped, staring, gasping——
The settle was empty.
Slowly he stepped forward, gazing about him. Yes, there was the bucket of water on the floor, just as he had left it; there were the blood-stained rags; there was the torn sheet.
But the settle was empty.
He threw himself beside it and ran his hands over it, to be sure that his eyes were not deceiving him.
No; the settle was empty.
He ran into the next room and the next. He ran all through the house calling, “Comrade! Little comrade!”
But there was no reply. The rooms were empty, one and all.