He stepped down into the water, raised one of the stones, and set it on the other. Thus elevated, he rested his elbow against the rope of the hammock, and with untroubled mien began to talk again, for he feared the effect of silence on the girl. But all the while he was talking about their safety, his underthought had been busy with other trains of reasoning and other reflections about the implacable reality, the growing menace of which he was watching with a growing fear. What was taking place? How was he to handle the situation? Owing to the action of Jodot and William, the surface of the water was rising. So be it. But the two ruffians were evidently taking advantage of a state of things already existing and which had existed for centuries. Must he not then suppose that those who made possible this raising of the surface for reasons now hidden from him—but certainly not for the purpose of blockading and drowning people in the grotto—must have made it equally possible to let the surface sink back to its normal level? The closing of the flood-gates implied the existence of invisible machinery which would, when the lake was too full, let the water out. But where was he to look for this machinery? Ralph was not one of those who await death with idle hands. He considered carefully the plans of getting to grips with his enemies, or of swimming to the flood-gates. But if a bullet hit him, or if the icy coldness of the water gave him cramp, what would become of Aurelie? Careful as he was to hide his anxiety from Aurelie, she could not longer fail to understand certain inflections of his voice and pauses in his task when he was tongue-tied by the fear which was torturing her. “Please—please—answer me,” she said. “I would much rather know the truth. There is no longer any hope, is there?” “What! But it’s getting dark.” “But not quickly enough. And when the night does come we shall be none the more able to get away.” “Why not?” “I don’t know. But I have a feeling that it is all over with us; and that you know it.” He said firmly: “No—no. The danger is great. But it’s a long way off as yet. We shall escape it, if we keep cool. Everything rests on that. Thought and understanding. When I understand everything, I’m sure that there will be time to act. Only——” “Only?” “You must help me. To understand everything I need your memories, all your memories.”