It was a little gallery, with arches on one side
opening into a larger place, the character of which they could only
conjecture, for nearly all they could determine was, that it went
below and rose above where they stood. On the other side was a plain
wall, such as they had had on both sides of them.
They had been speaking in awe-filled whispers, and were now in
silence endeavouring to send their sight through the darkness beyond
the arches.
"Listen, my lady," said Donal.
>From above their heads came a chord of the aerial music, soft and
faint and wild! A strange effect it had! it was like news of the
still airy night and the keen stars, come down through secret ways
into the dark places of the earth, from spaces so wide that they
seem the most awful of prisons! It sweetly fostered Arctura's
courage.
"That must be how the songs of angels sounded, with news of high
heaven, to the people of old!" she said.
Donal was not in so high a mood. He was occupied at the moment with
the material side of things.
"We can't be far," he said, "from the place where our plummet came
down! But let us try a little further."
The next moment they came against a cord, and at their feet was the
weight of the clock.
At the other end of the little gallery they came again to a door and
again to a stair, turning to the right; and again they went down.
Arctura kept up bravely.
Pages:
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448