I was anxious to be on my way, but unless I knew where I was
going there was little chance of my making any speed, and I was
determined that until I learned my bearings I would not venture back
into the fog. So I pushed the door open and stepped into the house.
"I found myself in a long and narrow hall, upon which doors opened
from either side. At the end of the hall was a staircase with a
balustrade which ended in a sweeping curve. The balustrade was
covered with heavy, Persian rugs, and the walls of the hall were also
hung with them. The door on my left was closed, but the one nearer me
on the right was open, and, as I stepped opposite to it, I saw that
it was a sort of reception or waiting-room, and that it was empty.
The door below it was also open, and, with the idea that I would
surely find someone there, I walked on up the hall. I was in evening
dress, and I felt I did not look like a burglar, so I had no great
fear that, should I encounter one of the inmates of the house, he
would shoot me on sight. The second door in the hall opened into a
dining-room. This was also empty. One person had been dining at the
table, but the cloth had not been cleared away, and a flickering
candle showed half-filled wineglasses and the ashes of cigarettes.
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