"Night fell. After a time the eastern sky began to lighten, and we knew that the moon was rising; grew lighter still, and the orb peeped over the sea; swam into full sight. I glanced at Edith and then at Thora. My wife was intently listening. Thora sat, as she had since we had placed ourselves, elbows on knees, her hands covering her face. "And then from the moonlight flooding us there dripped down on me a great drowsiness. Sleep seemed to seep from the rays and fall upon my eyes, closing them--closing them inexorably. Edith's hand in mine relaxed. Stanton's head fell upon his breast and his body swayed drunkenly. I tried to rise--to fight against the profound desire for slumber that pressed on me. "And as I fought, Thora raised her head as though listening; and turned toward the gateway. There was infinite despair in her face--and expectancy. I tried again to rise--and a surge of sleep rushed over me. Dimly, as I sank within it, I heard a crystalline chiming; raised my lids once more with a supreme effort. "Thora, bathed in light, was standing at the top of the stairs. "Sleep took me for its very own--swept me into the heart of oblivion! "Dawn was breaking when I wakened. Recollection rushed back; I thrust a panic-stricken hand out toward Edith; touched her and my heart gave a great leap of thankfulness. She stirred, sat up, rubbing dazed eyes. Stanton lay on his side, back toward us, head in arms. "Edith looked at me laughingly. 'Heavens! What sleep!' she said. Memory came to her. "'What happened?' she whispered. 'What made us sleep like that?' "Stanton awoke. "'What's the matter!' he exclaimed. 'You look as though you've been seeing ghosts.' "Edith caught my hands. "'Where's Thora?' she cried. Before I could answer she had run out into the open, calling. "'Thora was taken,' was all I could say to Stanton, 'together we went to my wife, now standing beside the great stone steps, looking up fearfully at the gateway into the terraces. There I told them what I had seen before sleep had drowned me. And together then we ran up the stairs, through the court and to the grey rock. "The slab was closed as it had been the day before, nor was there trace of its having opened. No trace? Even as I thought this Edith dropped to her knees before it and reached toward something lying at its foot. It was a little piece of gay silk. I knew it for part of the kerchief Thora wore about her hair. She lifted the fragment. It had been cut from the kerchief as though by a razor-edge; a few threads ran from it--down toward the base of the slab; ran on to the base of the grey rock and--under it! "The grey rock was a door! And it had opened and Thora had passed through it! "I think that for the next few minutes we all were a little insane. We beat upon that portal with our hands, with stones and sticks. At last reason came back to us.