She was surrounded by a profound darkness, except where the shaft-like opening made a nebulous mist in the corner of her wooden cavern.

Providentially she struggled back to consciousness slowly, so that the solitude and silence came upon her gradually, with a growing realization of the events of the past twenty-four hours, but without a shock.

She was alone here, but safe still, and every hour added to her chances of ultimate escape.

She remembered to have seen a candle among the articles on the shelf, and she began to grope her way towards the matches.

Suddenly she stopped.