"Stop that!" called Edred, with fierce anger, "we shall come all right; but let's have a truce to your whining." Alwin was silent after this rebuke; but the caverns were by no means silent, for now the unearthly sounds seemed to increase, and the boys clung to each other in terror. Louder and louder grew the roar, and I heard one of them exclaim. "There is something coming towards us. Oh, see! what is it? what can it be?" The anguish of those words I shall never forget. Before them along one of the many passages, a faint light seemed to shine; it came apparently from the eyes of a fierce beast who was approaching. The light was not sufficient to discern his shape, but from the lurid glare cast upwards from his eyes I could see three letters traced on his brow--S-I-N. They were incomprehensible to me, but I think the boys understood them; for, as they confronted those mysterious letters, they fell back appalled. Well indeed they might, for such a dreadful creature as bore them I never before beheld. He approached nearer and nearer, while the boys shrank back against the rocks. The fiend looked as if he would devour them; but yet, as he came near, I perceived his intention was to torture them for a while first. He came close up to them, and seemed almost to enfold them in his embrace. He whispered to them, and as his eyes cast a light on their faces, I could see the misery and despair depicted there. The fiend then gave a growl of awful meaning, and set himself down at a little distance from them, as if to take some sleep. "What did he say?" whispered Alwin mournfully. "That he would _never_ let us go," answered Edred in a despairing tone. "Let us try to get away," again whispered Alwin; "will no one save us?" "No one is so strong as he," said Edred hoarsely. "What fools we were, Alwin!" "What shall we do? Do let us try to escape." They crept forward a few steps, but the ground was noisome mire after the passage of this creature, and the boys were covered with filth at every step they took. It was all in vain, however, for they knew not which way to go; and once, when a slight sound roused the attention of the fierce fiend, he turned as if to spring on them, uttering a deep growl. "What did he say?" again whispered Alwin. "That it is of no use our trying to escape," groaned Edred. "He says there is no return from this pit of darkness." * * * * * Then I awoke from my dream. Agnes paused, and the children remained silent, till Minnie broke forth with passionate earnestness-- "But oh, Agnes, there _is_ a way out! Oh, why were they left there to perish?" "That was all I saw in that dream," said Agnes; "and when I woke these words were ringing in my ears, 'The wages of sin is death.'" "But," said John, with kindling eyes, "there is a bit more to the end of that verse, Agnes." "Not if we keep only to the first page of the 'Wordless Book,'" answered Agnes.