| 741 | 742 | 743 | 744 | 745 |
| 1 | 236 | 472 | 708 | 944 |
|
flying from room to room.
The ancients, too, had mysterious retreats of the same kind, in which
luxury was adapted to enormities. The pattern has been preserved
underground in some sepulchres in Egypt, notably in the tomb of King
Psammetichus, discovered by Passalacqua. The ancient poets have recorded
the horrors of these suspicious buildings. Error circumflexus, locus
implicitus gyris.
Gwynplaine was in the "little rooms" of Corleone Lodge. He was burning
to be off, to get outside, to see Dea again. The maze of passages and
alcoves, with secret and bewildering doors, checked and retarded his
progress. He strove to run; he was obliged to wander. He thought that he
had but one door to thrust open, while he had a skein of doors to
unravel. To one room succeeded another. Then a crossway, with rooms on
every side.
Not a living creature was to be seen. He listened. Not a sound.
At times he thought that he must be returning towards his
starting-point; then, that he saw some one approaching. It was no one.
It was only the reflection of himself in a mirror, dressed as a
nobleman. That he? Impossible! Then he recognized himself, but not at
once.
He explored every passage that he came to.
743
Page
Quick Jump
|