The noise had, in the meantime, subsided, but just as we had got the candle lighted, it began again.
"'Now,' said Mary, 'you stay here, Laura, and I'll go into the next room and listen at the passage door.' She spoke so decidedly that I obeyed in trembling.

Mary armed herself with the poker, and, unlocking our door, went into the tapestry room, first lighting the second candle, which she left with me.

She crossed the room to the door as she had said.

_I_ thought it was to listen; in reality her object was to endeavour to turn the key in the lock of the tapestry room door, which she had _not_ been able to do the night before, for once the door was shut the key would not move, and she had been obliged to content herself with the insecure hold of the hook and staple.

Now it had struck her that by inserting the poker in the handle of the key she might succeed in turning it, and thus provide ourselves with a double defence.