In that flash I saw that I was now close to the exact spot I wanted--the ancient part of the house.

I saw, too, that between where I stood and the actual walls there was no cover of shrubbery or coppice or spinny--there was nothing but a closely cropped lawn to cross.

And in the darkness I crossed it, there and then, hastening forward with outstretched hands which presently came against the masonry.

In the same moment came the rain in torrents.

In the same moment, too, came something else that damped my spirits more than any rains, however fierce and heavy, could damp my skin--the sense of my own utter helplessness.