The sight of the girl walking about surprised him. He thought she must be one of the maids and spoke to her coarsely, laying his hand on her arm. Agnes wrenched herself free and ran, as she thought, in the direction from which she had come; but she had mistaken her bearings and found herself in a small turret-chamber at the farther end of the passage, in which there was a winding staircase.
At that moment the remembrance of Ann came to her.
"They will not let me go to her, but I will go. I cannot stay here," she thought; "I will go now at once. Surely this staircase must lead somewhere!" And, feeling in the darkness, she groped her way to the bottom, where a gleam of light came from a door which stood half-open. She remembered having noticed this turret from the terrace one day, when, to amuse herself, she had reconnoitred, and she had discovered that it led out into a small courtyard.
"I shall find means of getting out into the street," she thought, "and then I can easily find my way to the Old Bailey."
She was not mistaken; the staircase gave into a court-yard, at the farther end of which was an iron gate. She had some difficulty in forcing the bolt back and in pulling the gate open, but it yielded at last, and, quick as lightning, she passed out into the street. She had a sort of hunted feeling; she did not know herself what drove her to act thus. She was as one walking in her sleep. She was not naturally a coward, nor even fearful, but at the present moment a feeling of terror dominated her whole being.
When she found herself alone in the deserted streets she did not hesitate; she went straight forward without reasoning, moved by some inexplicable impulse. Here and there she saw the houses marked with the red cross, with the words, "Lord, have mercy upon us!" written in red letters over the doors, and she shuddered.
"Supposing, when I reach Ann, I find her in such a house, and cannot get to her!" she thought.
She had gone some distance when she heard steps following her. She dared not look back, but, hastening her speed, turned up the street which led to the Old Bailey. The steps came nearer and nearer, and suddenly she was caught up, a cloth thrown over her face, a hand pressed over her mouth, and a voice said sharply:
"Lie quiet and you are safe; move and I will kill you!"
Instinctively she obeyed, and felt herself carried she knew not whither.