And suddenly, in one of the long, intense pauses between gust and gust, was heard the soft rumbling of wheels, the rhythmic trampling of horses; and they came nearer and nearer into the courtyard underneath. And every one who heard them--besides St Armand there were five persons in the room--stood still and looked at one another, for there had been the sound of many hoofs, not few. The High Priest likewise, panting hard, sat up amongst his pillows, listening intently. Then, with a new excitement, he tried to speak, opening his mouth grotesquely, no sound issuing from the blue lips. It was so painful to see him, that those around, accustomed as most were to death-scenes, never forgot it. But St Armand, curiously callous, after glancing once round at him, went abruptly from the room. In the antechamber all was silent, till suddenly the panelled oaken door burst softly open, and Mr Barringcourt walked into the room. “You’re late.” “I’ve no morbid taste for watching people die. How is he?” “Oh! very lively. Fidget! fidget! incessantly. Now, how about last night? All this is rather sudden.” “Oh! last night passed quite all right. That is why he’s dying so soon, as you know.” St Armand had drawn himself up to that height when he matched the Master. “I don’t think it was so all right. So far as I have been able to make out, he underwent no temptation.” “Under the circumstances it would have been too strong for him. I kept him sleeping.” In the feeble light, each head thrown back, they looked at one another, and the gleaming lightning from each pair of eyes filled the room with a strange uncertainty. “You kept him sleeping?” “I did.” “And what of Marigold?” “She underwent the temptation instead.” “That’s no test for him.” “He is not qualifying for Heaven, you know--nor yet for Hell.” “I’m not so sure of that latter. He ought to be. So Marigold underwent the temptation? Well, I did for her what you should have done. I showed her the way to go about it.” “Yes. I think you rather went beyond the bounds of good taste.” “Oh no. I blundered slightly, owing to your keeping so distinctly neutral since your return. I wonder, Barringcourt, if you’ve shown any distinctive skill over this game, or if a kindly Providence has done the work for you. You seem to me to have been particularly blind all through.” The Master laughed lightly. “You’ve just hit it. I’ve been as blind as a bat, with the one redeeming feature that I was there at the climax. I wondered you had left the coast so clear.” “Yes. I presumed too far upon a lover’s quarrel.” “And you’ve discovered your mistake.”