"Yes, you will hear these voices too," said Nightspore enigmatically.



Chapter 5

THE NIGHT OF DEPARTURE

When they returned to the house, the windows were all in darkness and
the door was ajar, just as they had left it; Krag presumably was not
there. Maskull went all over the house, striking matches in every
room--at the end of the examination he was ready to swear that the
man they were expecting had not even stuck his nose inside the
premises. Groping their way into the library, they sat down in the
total darkness to wait, for nothing else remained to be done.
Maskull lit his pipe, and began to drink the remainder of the whisky.
Through the open window sounded in their ears the trainlike grinding
of the sea at the foot of the cliffs.

"Krag must be in the tower after all," remarked Maskull, breaking the
silence.

"Yes, he is getting ready."

"I hope he doesn't expect us to join him there. It was beyond my
powers--but why, heaven knows. The stairs must have a magnetic pull
of some sort."

"It is Tormantic gravity," muttered Nightspore.