pit--was only an incident. Adam was in a state of intellectual tumult,
which had no parallel in his experience. He tried to rush away from the
horrible place; even the baleful green light, thrown up through the
gloomy well-shaft, was dying away as its source sank deeper into the
primeval ooze. The darkness was closing in on him in overwhelming
density--darkness in such a place and with such a memory of it!

He made a wild rush forward--slipt on the steps in some sticky, acrid-
smelling mass that felt and smelt like blood, and, falling forward, felt
his way into the inner room, where the well-shaft was not.

Then he rubbed his eyes in sheer amazement. Up the stone steps from the
narrow door by which he had entered, glided the white-clad figure of Lady
Arabella, the only colour to be seen on her being blood-marks on her face
and hands and throat. Otherwise, she was calm and unruffled, as when
earlier she stood aside for him to pass in through the narrow iron door.




CHAPTER XIX--AN ENEMY IN THE DARK


Adam Salton went for a walk before returning to Lesser Hill; he felt that
it might be well, not only to steady his nerves, shaken by the horrible
scene, but to get his thoughts into some sort of order, so as to be ready
to enter on the matter with Sir Nathaniel. He was a little embarrassed
as to telling his uncle, for affairs had so vastly progressed beyond his
original view that he felt a little doubtful as to what would be the old
gentleman's attitude when he should hear of the strange events for the