had vainly sought a few minutes before. She sprang for it, darting past
him like a frightened bird seeking refuge, and in another moment she was
lost in the green labyrinths.

* * *

The moonlight had become clear and strong, casting black shadows all
about her. Twice, in her frantic efforts to escape, she ran back into
the centre of the maze. The jester had gone, but she imagined him
lurking behind every corner, and she impotently recalled his words:
"There is no way out of the magic circle."

At last, panting and exhausted, she knew that she was unwinding the
puzzle. Often as its intricacies baffled her, she kept her head,
rectifying each mistake and pressing on, till the wider curve told her
that she was very near the entrance. She came upon it finally quite
suddenly, and found herself, to her astonishment, close to the terrace
steps.

She mounted them with trembling limbs, and paused a moment to summon her
composure. Then, outwardly calm, she traversed the terrace and entered
the house.

Lady Blythebury was dancing, and she felt she could not wait. She
scribbled a few hasty words of farewell, and gave them to a servant as
she entered her carriage. Hers was the first departure, and no one
noted it.

She sank back at length, thankfully, in the darkness, and closed her
eyes. Whatever lay before her, she had escaped from the nightmare horror