'And he knew you were following him.' She said it slowly, stating it as a fact. 'He knew that, didn't he?'
'How did you guess?' I said, surprised.
'It's not a guess. I knew he meant you to go down the mine after him. When you left the kitchen I looked out of the window to — to see if there really was a moon. He was standing on the slope that leads down to the mine. He was looking back to the house, waiting. As soon as he saw you come round the house, he started on down towards the mine. I left the kitchen and followed you. I saw you hiding in the gorse, waiting for him to come out of the store shed. Then, when he disappeared down that shaft, I saw you run for the hoist. I waited and waited. At length Mr Manack came up — alone. I thought you'd be up soon after him. But you didn't come, so I went down to the hideout. It was then I got worried and decided to look for you in the mine. It's not a place for a stranger to be wandering in — even if he is a miner.'
'It certainly is not,' I told her. 'My torch has gone dead on me, I'm down to my last five matches, I've scrambled miles and had the fright of my life. I was just sitting here, thinking that this place was likely to be my tomb. Look, what about showing me that alternative route?'
'Yes,' she said. 'Wait there. I won't be long.' The light of her lamp faded down the gallery. Then suddenly all was dark again as she turned out of the gallery.
I became conscious once more of the unending drip of the water. That infernal darkness almost had me convinced Kitty had never been there, that I had imagined it all. I waited there in the darkness for five, maybe ten minutes. Then a light glowed in the gallery behind me. A moment later she was standing beside me and the great cleft where the tin had been sloped out showed clearly in the beam of the lamp she held in her hand.
The relief of having light and company! I found her hand in the darkness. 'I'd like to thank you,' I said.
'It's all right,' she said, and drew back timidly. 'I just felt there was something wrong, so I came down.' Her voice had fallen to a whisper.
'Well,' I said, 'I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't turned up. I'd have just stayed here till I rotted.'
'Somebody would have come to look for you.'