"Come," said Victor; "give me your hand, Lady Eversleigh, and let me
guide you."
She placed her hand in that of the surgeon. He led her to a steep
staircase, formed by blocks of solid stone, which were rendered
slippery by the moss that had gathered on them. It was a winding
staircase, built in a turret which formed one angle of the tower.
Looking upwards, Honoria saw a gap in the roof, through which the
moonlight shone bright. But there was no sign of any other light.
"Where is my husband?" she asked. "I see no lights; I hear no voices;
the place seems like a tomb."
Victor Carrington did not answer her question.
"Come," he said, in a commanding voice. "Follow me, Lady Eversleigh."
He still held her hand, and she obeyed him, making her way with some
difficulty up the steep and winding staircase.
At last she found herself at the top. A narrow doorway opened before
her; and following her companion through this doorway, she emerged on
the roof of the tower.
Around her were the ruined battlements, broken away altogether here and
there; below her was the craggy hill-side, sloping downwards to the
wide expanse of the moorland; above her was the purple sky, flooded
with the calm radiance of the moon; but there was no sign of human
habitation, no sound of a human voice.
"Where is my husband, Mr. Carrington?" she cried, with a wild alarm,
which had but that moment taken possession of her.
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