Pause for a moment. Ralph was listening intently.
"I begin to recollect. There was an accident; the door refused to open; I fought for my life as long as I could before the fumes overcame me, and I gave myself up for lost. Oh, it was something to remember, Marion," muttered Mrs. May.
Marion, for it was she, made no reply. She was crying quietly.
"What is the matter with the girl?" the woman asked irritably.
"Oh, it is good for you to ask me that question," said Marion, "after all the bitter trouble and humiliation you have put upon me. Get up and follow me."
"I cannot. The thing is impossible. You forget that I have been almost dead. My limbs are paralyzed. I shall not be able to walk for at least two days. I must remain like a dog here. But there is no hurry. What happened?"
"I can't tell; I don't know. You were found in the corridor, I am told, insensible. When they came back to the castle they found you lying here. They had all been down on the beach searching for Geoffrey."
The woman laughed. It was a laugh to chill the blood.
"I hope they found him," she said.
"Oh, yes, they found him," Marion said quietly.