Enderby. She
unlocked the folding doors, and, pushing aside some of the piles of
old garments, saw a narrow line of light between the boards, and
heard the tones almost as clearly as if she was in the same room.
Eager to tell Edmund how near she was, she stretched herself out,
almost crept between the shelves, leant her head against the board on
the opposite side, and was about to speak, when she found that it
yielded in some degree to her touch. A gleam of hope darted across
her, she drew back, fetched her light, tried with her hand, and found
that the back of the cupboard was in fact a door, secured on her side
by a wooden bolt, which there was no difficulty in undoing. Another
push, and the door yielded below, but only so as to show that there
must be another fastening above. Rose clambered up the shelves, and
sought. Here it was! It was one of the secret communications that
were by no means uncommon in old halls in those times of insecurity.
Edmund might yet be saved! Trembling with the excess of her delight
in her new-found hope, she forced out the second bolt, and pushed
again. The door gave way, the light widened upon her, and she saw
into the room! Edmund was lying on the bed, Walter sitting at his
feet.
Both started as what had seemed to be part of the wainscoted wall
opened, but Edmund prevented Walter's exclamation by a sign to be
silent, and the next moment Rose's face was seen squeezing between
the shelves.
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