A bit of pale sunlight was falling into the room and he saw that it entered through a narrow aperture close up to the ceiling.

After he had prepared his breakfast he dragged the table under this aperture and by standing on it was enabled to peer through.

A hundred yards away was the black edge of the spruce and balsam forest.
Between him and the forest, half smothered in the deep snow, was a cabin, and he shuddered as he saw floating over it the little red signal of death of which Croisset had told him the night before.
With the breaking of this day the hours seemed of interminable length.
For a time he amused himself by searching every corner and crevice of his prison room, but he found nothing of interest beyond what he had already discovered.

He examined the door which Croisset had barred on him, and gave up all hope of escape in that direction.

He could barely thrust his arm through the aperture that opened out on the plague-stricken cabin.