Together they made that last effort, fumbling with their hands across the rough surface, and suddenly--had they touched the spring, indeed ?--a section of the surface before them swayed slowly in.

Ronicky caught the half-senseless body of Jerry Smith and thrust him inside.

He himself staggered after, and before him stood Ruth Tolliver! While he lay panting on the floor, she closed the door through which they had come and then stood and silently watched them.

Presently Smith sat up, and Ronicky Doone staggered to his feet, his head clearing rapidly.
He found himself in a small room, not more than eight feet square, with a ceiling so low that he could barely stand erect.

As for the furnishings and the arrangement, it was more like the inside of a safe than anything else.