"Thank you."
A few seconds passed.
"Yes . . . yes . . ." said Altenheim, rising.
Blows rang against the gate. Sernine observed:
"Not even the usual summons . . . no preliminaries. . . . Your mind is still made up?"
"More so than ever."
"You know that, with the tools they carry, they won't take long?"
"If they were inside this room I should still refuse."
The gate yielded. They heard it creak on its hinges.