Page:Randall Parrish--My Lady of the South.djvu/235

WE FIND THE PASSAGE "but niver did I see such a face before on a human. Sure, it's no woman I iver want to know."

"And it's one I should like to be better acquainted with. At least the sight has established one fact—the ﬁreplace there is the entrance to the secret passage. Here, take the carbine, and stand by while I try to discover how it works."

He advanced with me reluctantly enough, although the familiar touch of the weapon gave him a measure of conﬁdence. Yet he stopped, as if rooted to the spot, ten feet away, and, I doubted not, would have run at the slightest alarm. I had not as yet attained full control over my own nerves, the recollection of that ghastly face haunting me strangely; yet I compelled myself to advance, convinced the vision had been no illusion, but an earthly reality to be met with boldness. Here was the spot I sought, here the revealment of the mystery, here the point of attack. Whatever of horror might lie hidden in the blackness beyond that fireplace, it must be explored and uncovered. With every nerve tingling I bent to the task, cursing the cowardice which made my hands tremble. my blood like ice. Apparently the entire lower half of the mantel had revolved as if on a central pivot, and I felt carefully for the slightest crevice indicating the place of separation. To sight and touch there was none; not even after I had called O'Brien to bring the lamp, and we had together gone over the entire surface inch by inch. Nowhere was there an opening sufficient even for the insertion of a knife blade; apparently the mantel was as solid and immovable as the closely ﬁtted stones of [ 221 ]