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Thelma by Marie Corelli
page 17 of 774 (02%)

All at once he bethought himself of the cave whence she had emerged.
It was close at hand--a natural grotto, arched and apparently lofty.
He resolved to explore it. Glancing at his watch he saw it was not
yet one o'clock in the morning, yet the voice of the cuckoo called
shrilly from the neighboring hills, and a circling group of swallows
flitted around him, their lovely wings glistening like jewels in the
warm light of the ever-wakeful sun. Going to the entrance of the
cave, he looked in. It was formed of rough rock, hewn out by the
silent work of the water, and its floor was strewn thick with loose
pebbles and polished stones. Entering it, he was able to walk
upright for some few paces, then suddenly it seemed to shrink in
size and to become darker. The light from the opening gradually
narrowed into a slender stream too small for him to see clearly
where he was going, thereupon he struck a fusee. At first he could
observe no sign of human habitation, not even a rope, or chain, or
hook, to intimate that it was a customary shelter for a boat. The
fusee went out quickly, and he lit another. Looking more carefully
and closely about him, he perceived on a projecting shelf of rock, a
small antique lamp, Etruscan in shape, made of iron and wrought with
curious letters. There was oil in it, and a half-burnt wick; it had
evidently been recently used. He availed himself at once of this
useful adjunct to his explorations, and lighting it, was able by the
clear and steady flame it emitted, to see everything very
distinctly. Right before him was an uneven flight of steps leading
down to a closed door.

He paused and listened attentively. There was no sound but the slow
lapping of the water near the entrance; within, the thickness of the
cavern walls shut out the gay carolling of the birds, and all the
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