the sources of light remained a mystery. The walls themselves seemed
to radiate. The light fell evenly, and neither bright reflections nor
shadowy places were to be seen.

The sisters went on. Now they were alone. The door closed behind them
with a grating sound. Kirsha ran on ahead. The sisters no longer saw
him. The corridor was sinuous. It was difficult to walk fast for some
unknown reason. A kind of weight seemed to fetter their limbs. The
passage inclined slightly downwards. They walked on like this a long
time. It grew hotter and damper the farther they advanced. There was
an aroma--strange, sad, and exotic. The fragrance increased, became
more and more languorous. It made the head dizzy and the heart ready
to faint with a sweetness not free from pain.

It seemed an incredibly long way. Their legs now moved more slowly.
The stone floor was cruelly hard.

"It's almost impossible to walk," whispered Elisaveta.

Those few moments seemed like ages in that dank, sultry underground.
There seemed to be no end to the narrow winding passage; the two
sisters felt as though they were doomed to walk on and on, for ever
and ever, without reaching any place.

The light gradually grew dimmer, a thin mist rose before their eyes.
Still they walked on along the cruel, endless way.

Suddenly their journey was done. Before them was an open door, a shaft
of white, exultant light came pouring in--freedom's own ecstasy.