But the demon of curiosity holds fast and as soon as their eyes
had become sufficiently used to the darkness to notice the faint
line of light marking the sill of a door directly in front of
them, they all plunged forward in spite of the fear I have
mentioned.
The woman of the harsh voice and self-satisfied demeanour, who had
started them upon this adventure, was still ahead; but even she
quailed when, upon laying her hand upon the panel of the door she
was the first to reach, she felt it to be cold and knew it to be
made not of wood but of iron. How great must be the treasure or
terrible the secret to make necessary such extraordinary
precautions! Was it for her to push open this door, and so come
upon discoveries which--
But here her doubts were cut short by finding herself face to face
with a heavy curtain instead of a yielding door. The pressure of
the crowd behind had precipitated her past the latter into a small
vestibule which acted as an ante-chamber to the very room they
were in search of.
The shock restored her self-possession. Bracing herself, she held
her place for a moment, while she looked back, with a finger laid
on her lip. The light was much better here and they could all see
both the move she made and the expression which accompanied it.
"Look at this!" she whispered, pushing the curtain inward with a
quick movement.
Her hand had encountered no resistance. There was nothing between
them and the room beyond but a bit of drapery.
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