Swithin stood and waited some time; till he considered that upon the
whole it would be preferable to leave. With this intention he emerged
and went softly along the dark passage towards the extreme end, where
there was a little crooked staircase that would conduct him down to a
disused side door. Descending this stair he duly arrived at the other
side of the house, facing the quarter whence the wind blew, and here he
was surprised to catch the noise of rain beating against the windows.
It was a state of weather which fully accounted for the visitor's impatient
ringing.
St. Cleeve was in a minor kind of dilemma. The rain reminded him that
his hat and great-coat had been left downstairs, in the front part of the
house; and though he might have gone home without either in ordinary
weather it was not a pleasant feat in the pelting winter rain.
Retracing his steps to Viviette's room he took the light, and opened a closet-door
that he had seen ajar on his way down. Within the closet hung various
articles of apparel, upholstery lumber of all kinds filling the back
part. Swithin thought he might find here a cloak of hers to throw round
him, but finally took down from a peg a more suitable garment, the only
one of the sort that was there. It was an old moth-eaten great-coat,
heavily trimmed with fur; and in removing it a companion cap of sealskin
was disclosed.
'Whose can they be?' he thought, and a gloomy answer suggested itself.
'Pooh,' he then said (summoning the scientific side of his nature),
'matter is matter, and mental association only a delusion.' Putting on
the garments he returned the light to Lady Constantine's bedroom, and
again prepared to depart as before.
Scarcely, however, had he regained the corridor a second time, when he
heard a light footstep--seemingly Viviette's--again on the front landing.
Wondering what she wanted with him further he waited, taking the
precaution to step into the closet till sure it was she.
The figure came onward, bent to the keyhole of the bedroom door, and
whispered (supposing him still inside), 'Swithin, on second thoughts I
think you may stay with safety.' Having no further doubt of her personality he came out with thoughtless abruptness from the closet behind her, and looking round suddenly she
beheld his shadowy fur-clad outline. At once she raised her hands in
horror, as if to protect herself from him; she uttered a shriek, and
turned shudderingly to the wall, covering her face.
Swithin would have picked her up in a moment, but by this time he could
hear footsteps rushing upstairs, in response to her cry. In
consternation, and with a view of not compromising her, he effected his
retreat as fast as possible, reaching the bend of the corridor just as
her brother Louis appeared with a light at the other extremity.