"Where is this secret chamber," asked Adrian, rising, now more
inclined to believe the fantastic story of the doctor. "Can I see it?"
"Certainly, it is important you should know it as you will have to
leave your present body in it for safety. Look!"
He touched a spring in the mantelpiece, whereupon the whole of the
fireplace swung round on a kind of pivot, showing that the back was
hollow and that a narrow flight of steps led downward into darkness.
Roversmire lighted a candle which stood on the mantelpiece, then
taking it in his hands, bent down and entered into the cavity,
beckoning to Adrian to follow. The young man did so, and as soon as
they were on the verge of the steps, the doctor, touching another
spring in the stone wall, caused the fireplace to swing back again
into its place.
"You see, anyone in the room could not tell we were hidden here," said
Roversmire, smiling. "Come downstairs and I will show you the secret
of the pyramid."
Somewhat bewildered by this strange experience, Adrian followed the
doctor down the narrow stairs guided by the glimmering light of the
taper. They went down for some distance, then found themselves in a
small square vault, with room enough for three people to stand in it.
Roversmire again touched a spring and one part of the wall slid slowly
aside, showing a space beyond in utter darkness.
"Another precaution, you see," said the doctor, pointing to the third
spring. "Anyone who found the first secret would never guess the
second. Come!"
He advanced into the vault, and going towards one end of it turned an
ivory handle fixed in the wall, whereupon the whole apartment was
irradiated with a powerful electric light. Adrian gave an exclamation
of surprise and put his hands over his eyes as they felt quite painful
in the sudden glare after the dense darkness, only lighted by the
candle.
It was a moderate-sized apartment, circular in shape, with a domed
roof of pure white, painted with signs of the Zodiac, and from the
centre blazed the electric light hidden in a large semi-opaque globe.
The walls were hung with strange tapestries of brilliant colours,
whereon were depicted the animal gods of Egypt and the fantastic
deities of India, while the floor was covered by a thick, soft carpet
with a bizarre pattern in blue, yellow and red, the outcome of some
opium-confused, oriental imagination. At one side of this queer place
was a low couch covered with a magnificent tiger skin, and near at
hand a mother-of-pearl inlaid Moorish table, whereon stood a decanter
of red wine and some glasses, together with a plate of white bread.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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