What I did during this time I do not know, but afterwards, from the fact that both my legs were black and blue, I concluded I must have been from time to time beaten to my knees by the anguish of horror that surged over me, and that time after time I struggled again to my feet. Suddenly, after how long I cannot determine, the clouds lifted: my brain became clear and untroubled, and to my amazement I found myself in an excellent cheerfulness. The house was now quite dark, but the darkness did not distress me, nor had any shadow of fear remained on my mind. To my even greater astonishment I noticed I was healthily tired; and without more ado I went to my bedchamber, threw myself on to my couch, and slept a sound untroubled sleep till broad daylight. On awaking I was still in such buoyant spirits that I almost fancied the experience of yesterday must have been some elaborate delusion: that my sudden imprisonment and Poyning's uncanny disappearance had so preyed upon my mind that I had unconsciously magnified a mere ordinary fit of the blues into those horrors I have so feebly described. As the day advanced, this impression deepened: I felt comparatively happy, and rambled round the now tiresome apartments, whistling to myself, and wondering what I should do in the event of my escaping from this beautiful but terrible valley. I fell to speculating upon what would be the end of Stephen Poyning--supposing he still lived. Would he remain in this city for the rest of his life, counting the outer world well lost for the boon of being near the woman he loved; and could it by any conceivable chance be possible that the dread Nine would pardon him and consent to his marriage with a woman who was to them, apparently, little less sacred than the goddesses of old Greece? What was Philipson doing? Was he aware of my captivity--was there any help to be expected from him? Could it be that he _was_ helping me--that he had set his powers of mind, which I knew to be tremendous, working against the forces that willed to destroy me, and that _that_ was the reason of my sudden release from the great mental anguish of last night?