the dark. Yet almost within the instant I gripped my nerves,
comprehending all that had occurred, and confident of my own safety.
There must be another opening into this underground den--one leading to
the outer air--judging from that sudden and powerful suction. The very
atmosphere I breathed had a freshness to it, inconceivable in such a
place otherwise. With the first return of intelligence my mind gripped
certain facts, and began to reason out the situation. That sudden
sweep of air could only have originated in the opening of some other
barrier--a door no doubt leading directly to the outside. I had seen
no occupant of the room; without question it was deserted at my
entrance. Yet someone had been there, and not long before, as was
evidenced by the burning candle. Nor, by that same token, did this
same mysterious party expect to be absent for any length of time.
Apparently I had intruded at the very moment of his departure.
Wherever that second passage might be, the former occupant of this
underground den had evidently entered it previous to my opening the
inner door. Still unaware of my presence he had unfastened some other
barrier, and the resultant draught had extinguished the candle, and
blown shut the door at my back. This seemed so clearly the truth that
I laughed grimly behind clinched teeth. The solution was easy; I had
but to discover the extinguished candle, relight it, search out the
second passage, and waylay the fellow when he returned unsuspicious of
danger.

Confident as to the correctness of my theory, and eager for action to
relieve the tension on my nerves in that black silence, I began feeling
a way along the wall toward the right, in the direction where I
remembered the iron light bracket to be situated. The rough stone
surface was unbroken, and I encountered no obstacles under foot, my
groping search being finally rewarded by touch of the iron brace. I