The memory of that night will never leave me. Even now the feelings which possessed me then come back. Everything seemed unreal. The dark trees on either side of the way looked like tall spectres, the women who had been with me since the previous night seemed mere phantoms of the mind. The clank of the horses' hoofs grated on my excited nerves until I felt like crying out. Neither of us spoke. I was too much wrought upon. Perhaps they were. What had seemed reasonable enough in the day appeared like madness now. In spite of what I had seen and heard I could not believe that the maid Nancy would expose herself to so much danger in order to rescue me. Darker and darker became the road, for huge evergreens, laurels, and rhododendrons grew between the oaks. Moreover, I saw that we were descending into a valley. The night winds swept among the trees, making sweet music, but to me it was like the dirge of death. A bat darting to and fro struck my face with its wing, and an owl hooted dismally. "How much further?" I asked, more because I wanted to hear the sound of human voices than from desire to ask questions. But no reply was given, and but for the love in my heart, I felt, strong man as I was, like giving way to fear. Presently I saw a faint twinkling light, and afterwards the dark outline of a huge building appeared. A few minutes later we had come up close to an ivy-covered house. My companions dismounted and motioned me to do the same. Then out of the shadows came a man and took the horses. I heard a bell clang through a seemingly empty building, and then the door by which we stood opened. "Come in." I obeyed, feeling more than ever that my experiences could not be real. "This way, please." I followed my companion without a word along a wide corridor, after which I descended some steps, until I imagined I must be below the level of the earth. Then she opened the door of a compartment, and we entered together. It was a low-ceiled room, but looked comfortable and well-appointed. A lamp burned brightly on the table, and a cheerful wood fire burned in the chimney place. Before the fire a huge armchair was placed. "Will you sit here and rest? I will return presently." Mechanically I obeyed, and a moment later I was left alone. The room, the house--everything was as silent as death. I walked around the apartment, and stamped my feet to assure myself that I was not dreaming. I held my hands before the wood fire, and lifted the logs from place to place so that I might convince myself that I had not entered an enchanted region, such as I had read about in my boyhood. Then I examined the room more closely. I could nowhere discover a window. What did it mean? Had I been removed from one prison to another? Had I been mistaken as to the identity of my deliverer? Why had she kept her face hidden? It must have been her. Who else would have undergone so much?