“Then go. If you try to follow me you will regret it.”
Seeing her determination Philippa took up the articles of attire she had laid aside, and proceeded not without pain, to put them on. She offered to assist Royda with her garments, but was coldly repulsed.
“You are wise to go,” Royda said significantly, as she pressed a handkerchief to her wounded arm. “There is the door. You cannot miss the way, and the outer door at the end of the passage opens by pulling the handle. The secret lock is from the outside. Now turn that knob; I cannot.”
Philippa did as directed, and the heavy door with its trophy of arms swung slowly open. She lingered. “Fräulein,” she said earnestly, as she pointed to the other’s wound, “that is the only harm I have ever knowingly done you. Will you not forgive me?”
Her tone was so gentle, so pleading, that Royda looked at her sharply and as though suspicious of hypocrisy. “Forgive you!” site repeated bitterly, drearily. “How can you ask me that? No,” she went on, with a swift change of tone as her resentment welled up again: “I cannot forgive you; no, never! You have ruined my life; innocently or not is nothing to me. But you shall not suffer for this night’s work if I can help it. Now, go!”
A peremptory gesture cut short Philippa’s hesitation. She took up a candle by Royda’s direction, and without another word went out through the doorway which was then closed upon her. For a moment a horrible fear of a trap came upon her. What if she were buried alive in the depth of the rock? But she took courage, as by the light she made out the passage stretching before her, and she began to make her way along it as fast as she could, always descending, sometimes by a gentle slope sometimes by a few shallow steps. Expecting every moment to arrive at the outlet, the passage began to seem interminable; but at last she reached the end and the small iron-clamped door. In a moment she had unlatched it and passed through. She found herself in a shrubbery, so thick as to be almost impassable, but by dint of feeling her way she pushed along a concealed path which gradually grew less dense, and after a while led her into comparatively open woodland.
The storm had passed away, the stars were shining between the masses of light drifting cloud, and the air had never seemed to Philippa so fresh as now after the tension of the scene in the great rock-chamber, and the close atmosphere of the long passage. Making her way down the side of the valley she soon reached the path running along it, which would lead her home.
In that night of adventure Von Tressen little dream how near he and Philippa were to one another. The Lieutenant and Galabin had resolved to pay Rozsnyo another visit and, if they should find it possible, make a bolder attempt to solve the mystery of the masked prisoner. When they arrived outside the walk they saw that the window was closed and hidden. Passing on, they reached their climbing place and were quickly on the roof. As they cautiously went forward they were somewhat exercised to notice that the ascending stream of light was not to be seen, and on coming to the barred skylight they found that the room below was in darkness. This in a moment frustrated their plans, for obviously it would be unsafe, if not absolutely useless, to try to attract the prisoner’s attention when they could not see him or know whether he was alone. So after waiting some time in the hope that a light might appear, they were reluctantly forced to the conclusion that there was nothing for it but to abandon the attempt for that night. They were accordingly making their way back when an unexpected thing happened. As Von Tressen quietly slid down the wall he suddenly found himself in contact with a moving body, and next instant was seized by the throat. A desperate struggle thereupon ensued between him and his unknown assailant; it was pitch dark, and the Lieutenant could make out nothing of the man’s face; all he knew was that he must put forth all his strength to hold his own. In the struggle they worked their way to the edge of the slope and then went crashing down together. By this time Galabin had descended, and, taking in the situation, rushed to his friend’s assistance. Between them they quickly overpowered the unknown assailant, who continued to struggle desperately, and were able to hold him down.
“Keep a look-out for another attack,” Von Tressen said to Galabin.