His hands grew still;
his eyes closed. And after a moment a door creaked slightly on its
hinges, and a breath of cool air informed Mr. Grimm that that open door,
wherever it was, led to the outside, and freedom.
There was another faint creaking as the door was shut. Mr. Grimm's
nerveless hands closed involuntarily, and his lips were set together
tightly. Was it to be a knife thrust in the dark? If not--then what? He
expected the flare of a match; instead there was a soft tread, and the
rustle of skirts. A woman! Mr. Grimm's caution was all but forgotten in
his surprise. As the steps drew nearer his clenched fingers loosened; he
waited.
Two hands stretched forward in the dark, touched him
simultaneously--one on the face, one on the breast. A singular thrill
shot through him, but there was not the flicker of an eye or the
twitching of a finger. The woman--it _was_ a woman--seemed now to be
bending over him, then he heard her drop on her knees beside him, and
she pressed an inquiring ear to his left side. It was the heart test.
"Thank God!" she breathed softly.
It was only by a masterful effort that Mr.
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