She glanced into the cracked mirror and
laughed, half ashamed at her eagerness, yet utterly unable to suppress
the quickened beat of her pulse.
She was ready almost in a minute, and had blown out the lamp. Again
she ventured a glance out into the street below, but the skulking
figure had disappeared, no one lurked anywhere in the gloom. There was
not a sound to disturb the night. She almost held her breath as she
opened the door silently and crept out into the hall. Stella possessed
no knowledge of any back stairway, but the dim light enabled her to
advance in comparative quiet.
Once a board creaked slightly, even under her light tread, and she
paused, listening intently. She could distinguish the sound of heavy
sleepers, but no movement to cause alarm, and, assured of this, crept
forward. The hall turned sharply to the right, narrowing and becoming
dark as the rays of light failed to negotiate the corner. Twenty feet
down this passage ended in a door. This was unlocked, and yielded
easily to the grasp of her hand. It opened upon a narrow platform, and
she ventured forth.
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