“Mr。Fentolinisinastrangehumour，“shewenton，amomentlater，aftershehadstruckthefinalchordsofhersong。“Therearethingsgoingonarounduswhichnoonecanunderstand。Ithinkthatoneofhisschemeshasmiscarried；hehasgonetoofar。Hesuspectsyou；Icannottellyouwhyorhow。Ifonlyyouwouldgoaway！“
“WhataboutEsther？“heaskedquietly。
“Youmustleaveher，“shecried，withalittlecatchinherthroat。
“Geraldhasbrokenaway。EstherandImustcarrystilltheburden。“
Shemotionedhimtogo。Hetouchedherfingersforamoment。
“Mrs，Fentolin，“hesaid，“Ihavebeenagoodmanyyearsmakingupmymind。NowthatIhavedoneso，IdonotthinkthatanyonewillkeepEstherfromme。“
Shelookedathimalittlepitifully，alittlewistfully。Then，withashrugoftheshoulders，sheturnedroundtothepianoandrecommencedtoplay。Hameltookhiscoatandhatfromaservantwhowaswaitinginthehailandpassedoutintothenight。
HewalkedbrisklyuntilhereachedtheTower。Thewindhadrisen，buttherewasstillenoughlighttohelphimonhisway。Thelittlebuildingwasincompletedarkness。Heopenedthedoorandsteppedintothesitting-room，litthelamp，and，holdingitoverhishead，wentdownthepassageandintothekitchen。Thenhegaveastart。Thelampnearlyslippedfromhisfingers。Kneelingonthestonefloor，inverymuchthesameattitudeashehadfoundherearlierintheday，HannahCoxwascrouchingpatientlybythedoorwhichledintotheboathouse，herfaceexpressionless，herearturnedtowardsthecrack。Shewasstilllistening。
Hamelsetdownthelampuponthetable。Heglancedatthelittleclockuponthedresser；itwasaquarterpastten。Thewomanhadobservedhisentrance，althoughitseemedinnowaytohavediscomposedher。
“Doyouknowthetime，Mrs。Cox？“heasked。“Yououghttohavebeenhomehoursago。Whatareyoudoingthere？“
Sherosetoherfeet。Herexpressionwasoneofdoggedbutpatienthumility。
“Istartedforhomebeforenineo’clock，sir，“shetoldhim，“butitwasworsethaneverto-night。AllthewayalongbytheseaI
seemedtoheartheirvoices，soIcameback。Icamebacktolisten。
Ihavebeenlisteningforanhour。“
Hamellookedatherwithafrownuponhisforehead。
“Mrs。Cox，“hesaid，“IwishIcouldunderstandwhatitisthatyouhaveinyourmind。Thosearenotrealvoicesthatyouhear；youcannotbelievethat？“
“Notrealvoices，“sherepeated，withouttheslightestexpressioninhertone。
“Ofcoursenot！Andtellmewhatconnectionyoufindbetweenthesefanciesofyoursandthatroom？Whydoyoucomeandlistenhere？
“Idonotknow，“sheansweredpatiently。
“Youmusthavesomereason，“hepersisted。
“Ihavenoreason，“sheassuredhim，“onlysomedayIshallseebehindthesedoors。Afterwards，Ishallhearthevoicesnomore。“
Shewasbusytyingashawlaroundherhead。Hamelwatchedher，stillpuzzled。Hecouldnotgetridoftheideathattherewassomemethodbehindhermadness。
“Tellme-Ihavefoundyoulisteningherebefore。Haveyoueverheardanythingsuspicious？“
“Ihaveheardnothingyet，“sheadmitted，“nothingthatcounts。“
“Come，“hecontinued，“couldn’tweclearthismatterupsensibly？
Doyoubelievethatthereisanybodyinthere？Doyoubelievetheplaceisbeingusedinanywayforawrongpurpose？Ifso，wewillinsistuponhavingthekeysfromMr。Fentolin。Hecannetrefuse。
Theplaceismine。
“Mr。Fentolinwouldnotgiveyouthekeys，sir，“shereplied。“Ifhedid，itwouldbeuseless。“
“Wouldyoulikemetobreakthedoorin？“Hamelasked。
“Youcouldnotdoit，sir，“shetoldhim，“notyounoranybodyelse。
Thedooristhickerthanmyfist，ofsolidoak。ItwasamechanicfromNewYorkwhofittedthelocks。Ihavehearditsaidinthevillage-BillHamas，thecarpenter，declaresthattherearedoubledoors。Theworkmenwhowereemployedherewerehousedinatentuponthebeachandsenthomethedaytheyfinishedtheirjob。Theywereneverallowedinthevillage。Theywereforeigners，mostofthem。Theycamefromnobodyknowswhere，andwhentheyhadfinishedtheydisappeared。Whywasthat，sir？WhatisthereinsidewhichMr。Fentolinneedstoguardsocarefully？“
“Mr。Fentolinhasinventedsomething，“Hamelexplained。“Hekeepsthemodelinthere。Inventorsareveryjealousoftheirwork。“
Shelookeddownuponthefloorforamoment。
“Ishallbehereatseveno’clockinthemorning，sir。Iwillgiveyouyourbreakfastattheusualtime。“
Hamelopenedthedoorforher。
“Goodnight，Mrs。Cox，“hesaid。“Wouldyoulikemetowalkalittlewaywithyou？It’salonelypathtothevillage，andthedikesarefull。“
“Thankyou，no，sir，“shereplied。“It’salonelyway，rightenough，butitisn’tlonelinessthatfrightensme。Iamlessafraidoutwiththewindsandthedarknessthanunderthisroof。IfIlosemywayandwanderallnightuponthemarsh，I’llbesaferouttherethanyou，sir。
Shepassedaway，andHamelwatchedherdisappearintothedarkness。
Thenhedraggedoutabowloftobaccoandfilledapipe。Althoughhewashalfashamedofhimself，hestrolledbackoncemoreintothekitchen，and，drawingupastool，hesatdownjustwherehehaddiscoveredHannahCox，satstillandlistened。Nosoundofanysortreachedhim。Hesattherefortenminutes。Thenhescrambledtohisfeet。
“Sheismad，ofcourse！“hemuttered。
Hemixedhimselfawhiskyandsoda，relithispipe，whichhadgoneout，anddrewupaneasy-chairtothefirewhichshehadlefthiminthesitting-room。Thewindhadincreasedinviolence，andthepanesofhiswindowrattledcontinually。Heyawnedandtriedtofancythathewassleepy。Itwasuseless。Hewascompelledtoadmitthetruth-thathisnerveswereallonedge。Inasensehewasafraid。Thethoughtofbedrepelledhim。Hehadnotasingleimpulsetowardsrepose。Outside，thewindallthetimewasgatheringforce。Morethanoncehiswindowwassplashedwiththespraycarriedonbythewindwhichfollowedthetide。Hesatquitestillandtriedtothinkcalmly，triedtopiecetogetherinhismindthesequenceofeventswhichhadbroughthimtothispartoftheworldandwhichhadledtohisremainingwherehewas，anundesiredhanger-onatthethresholdofMilesFentolin。Hehadthefeelingthatto-nighthehadburnedhisboats。Therewasnolongeranypretenceoffriendlinesspossiblebetweenhimandthisstrangecreature。Mr。Fentolinsuspectedhim，realisedthathehimselfwassuspected。Butofwhat？Hamelmovedinhischairrestlessly。
Sometimesthatgatheringcloudofsuspicionseemedtohimgrotesque。
Ofwhatrealharmcouldhebecapable，thislittleautocratwhofromhischairseemedtoexercisesuchamaligninfluenceuponeveryonewithwhomhewasbroughtintocontact？Hamelsighed。Theriddlewasinsoluble。Withasuddenrushofwarmerandmorejoyousfeelings，heletthesubjectslipawayfromhim。Heclosedhiseyesanddreamedforawhile。Therewasanewworldbeforehim，joyswhichonlysoshortatimeagohehadfanciedhadpassedhimby。
Hesatupinhischairwithastart。Thefirehadbecomemerelyahandfulofgreyashes，hislimbswerenumbandstiff。Thelampwasflickeringout。Hehadbeendozing，howlonghehadnoidea。
Somethinghadawakenedhimabruptly。Therewasacolddraughtblowingthroughtheroom。Heturnedhishead，hishandsstillgrippingthesidesofhischair。Hisheartgavealeap。Theouterdoorwasafewinchesopen，wasbeingheldopenbysomeinvisibleforce。Therewassomeonethere，someoneonthepointofenteringstealthily。Evenashewatched，thecrackbecamealittlewider。Hesatwithhiseyesriveteduponthatopeningspace。Theunseenhandwasstillatwork。Everyinstantheexpectedtoseeafacethrustforward。Thesensationofabsolutephysicalfearbywhichhewasoppressedwasarevelationtohim。
Hefoundhimselfwishingalmostfeverishlythathewasarmed。Thephysicalstrengthinwhichhehadtrustedseemedtohimatthatinstantavaluelessandimpotentthing。Therewasasplashofsprayorraindropsagainstthewindowandthroughthecrackinthedoor。Thelampchimneyhissedandsplutteredandfinallythelightwentout。Theroomwasinsuddendarkness。Hamelsprangthentohisfeet。Silencehadbecomeanintolerablething。Hefelttheclosepresenceofanotherhumanbeingcreepinginuponhim。
“Who’sthere？“hecried。“Who’sthere，Isay？“
Therewasnodirectanswer，onlythedoorwaspushedalittlefurtheropen。Hehadsteppedclosetoitnow。Thesweepofthewindwasuponhisface，althoughintheblackdarknesshecouldseenothing。Andthenasuddenrecollectionflashedinuponhim。
>Fromhistrouserspockethesnatchedalittleelectrictorch。Inaninstanthisthumbhadpressedthebutton。Heturnedituponthedoor。Theshiveringwhitehandwhichhelditopenwasplainlyinview。Itwasthehandofawoman！Hesteppedswiftlyforward。
Adarkfigurealmostfellintohisarms。
“Mrs，Fentolin！“heexclaimed，aghast。
Anhystericalcry，chokedandsubdued，brokefromherlips。Hehalfcarried，halfledhertohiseasy-chair。Suddenlysteadiedbythepresenceofthisunlooked-foremergency，heclosedtheoutsidedoorandrelitthelampwithfirmfingers。Thenheturnedtofaceher，andhisamazementatthisstrangevisitbecameconsternation。
Shewasstillinherdinner-gownofblacksatin，butitwassoakedthroughwiththerainandhungaboutherlikeablackshroud。Shehadlostoneshoe，andtherewasagreatholeinhersilkstocking。
Herhairwasalldisarranged；oneofitsnumerousswitcheswashangingdownoverherear。Therougeuponhercheekshadrundownontoherneck。Shesatthere，lookingathimoutofherholloweyeslikesometrappedanimal。Shewasshakingwithfear。Itwasfear，notfaintness，whichkepthersilent。
“Tellme，please，whatisthematter？“heinsisted，speakingasindifferentlyashecould。“Tellmeatoncewhathashappened？“
Shepointedtothedoor。
