.

HARDLY A COINCIDENCE.
The old lady's eyes met ours without purpose or intelligence.

It was plain that she did not see us; also plain that she was held back in her advance by some doubt in her beclouded brain.

We could see her hover, as it were, at her end of the dark passage, while I held my breath and Mr.Steele panted audibly.

Then gradually she drew back and disappeared behind the door, which she forgot to shut, as we could tell from the gradually receding light and the faint fall of her footsteps after the last dim flicker had faded away.
When she was quite gone, Mr.Steele spoke: "You must be satisfied now," he said.