“Well. What happened?”
“I was so overcome I could not speak, and she stood gazing at me with wide-opened eyes, looking more beautiful than I can tell you. She never stirred, and her lips never moved—that I will swear. And yet both of us heard her say, very low but quite clearly: ‘The mountain, George! Don’t desert me. Seek me on the mountain, my dear, my husband.’”
“Well, what next?”
“I sprang up and she was gone. That’s all.”
“Now tell me what you saw and heard, Savage.”
“What his lordship saw and heard, Mr. Quatermain, neither more nor less. Except that I was awake, having had one of my bad dreams about snakes, and saw her come through the door.”
“Through the door! Was it open then?”
“No, sir, it was shut and bolted. She just came through it as if it wasn’t there. Then I called to his lordship after she had been looking at him for half a minute or so, for I couldn’t speak at first. There’s one more thing, or rather two. On her head was a little cap that looked as though it had been made from the skin of a bird, with a gold snake rising up in front, which snake was the first thing I caught sight of, as of course it would be, sir. Also the dress she wore was so thin that through it I could see her shape and the sandals on her feet, which were fastened at the instep with studs of gold.”
“I saw no feather cap or snake,” said Ragnall.
“Then that’s the oddest part of the whole business,” I remarked. “Go back to your room, both of you, and if you see anything more, call me. I want to think things over.”