Moreover,--and this is the thing of all strongest to temper or to twist my judgment of him,--I feel often as though it were he who laid his finger on my blind eyes and bade me look up and see where lay my happiness.

For it is strange how long a man can go without discovering his own undermost desire.

Yet, when seen, how swift it grows! Quiet and still we stood in the bay of the staircase, and the steps over our heads creaked under the feet of the men who came down.

The duke's hand was on my arm, restraining me, and he held it there till the feet had passed above us and the stealthy tread landed on the marble flagging of the hall.

We thrust our heads out and peered through the darkness.