As she was reflecting upon this matter, the suggestion came, that, perhaps, she might find this secret passage between the two rooms, and possibly be able to fasten the entrance way to her apartment on the inside, and thus bar the miscreant out, who would dare intrude upon her privacy.  Acting upon the supposition that this idea was not beyond the pale of possibility, she commenced a diligent examination of all that part of the wall of the outer room which extended as far as the inner one; but she could find no resemblance to a door, no crack in the solid rocks, no spot on the floor which gave the least indication of what she sought.  All was apparently an unbroken mass, through which no mortal or living thing had ever passed.  She began to think that, after all, Duffel might possibly be deceived himself, or else was only trying to frighten her.  Determined, however, if there was such a communication as he spoke of, to find it, if it could be found, she went into the other room, and commenced the same minute search, having first locked and bolted the door, so as to make certain of not being discovered or interrupted, unless the intruder should come by the secret way.  After the closest examination of the wall, with her eyes, to no purpose, she commenced trying the efficacy of touch, pressing her fingers over every portion of the surface of the room; but, as no appearance of what she was laboring to find rewarded her search, she began to despair of success.

“If there is such a passage,” she thought within herself, “it is so guarded that none may find it, save the possessors of the secret:  and my only hope is in sleepless watchfulness.  How long I shall be able to live without sleep, God knows.”

In this manner the night was passed—­night in the outer world; for to her the night and day were alike, and she could only guess as to which prevailed above her.  She sat down to collect her thoughts and form, if possible, some plan of action by which to be governed.  While thus engaged, she recollected the note she had given to Bill, the memory of which had been crowded from her mind for the past few hours by the pressure of other things.

“Oh, if I but knew how it would affect them!” she said, as she suffered her thoughts to dwell upon the subject.  “They will certainly see the folly of trusting in Duffel, and the imminent danger they are exposed to in his service; but will they, can they help me?  I will hope even if it is vain to do so.  It is a fearful thing to be compelled to throw one’s self into the hands and upon the mercy of such bad men; but God can overrule the evil intentions of the wicked, and very bad men sometimes perform noble and generous deeds.”

Ah! had she known that at the very moment she was thus endeavoring to console herself, Bill was taking an impression of the lock to the door of the outer room, for the purpose of taking her to another prison, farther from home and hope than the one she was now confined in, how the little hope from that source would have died in her bosom!