“Who is in this room?” she asked in loud clear tones.

Not a breath stirred.  She glanced from one specimen to another, as though suspecting that among the dead some living being had taken a disguise.  But she knew them all.  There was nothing new to her there.  She was not afraid.  Her passion returned.

“My soul!—­yes!” she cried again, leaning heavily on the table, “I would give it if I could know, and it would be little enough!”

Again that awful sound filled the room, and rose now almost to a wail and died away.

Unorna’s brow flushed angrily.  In the direct line of her vision stood the head of the Malayan woman, its soft, embalmed eyes fixed on hers.

“If there are people hidden here,” cried Unorna fiercely, “let them show themselves! let them face me!  I say it again—­I would give my immortal soul!”

This time Unorna saw as well as heard.  The groan came, and the wail followed it and rose to a shriek that deafened her.  And she saw how the face of the Malayan woman changed; she saw it move in the bright lamp-light, she saw the mouth open.  Horrified, she looked away.  Her eyes fell upon the squatting savages—­their heads were all turned towards her, she was sure that she could see their shrunken chests heave as they took breath to utter that terrible cry again and again; even the fallen body of the African stirred on the floor, not five paces from her.  Would their shrieking never stop?  All of them—­every one—­even to the white skulls high up in the case; not one skeleton, not one dead body that did not mouth at her and scream and moan and scream again.

Unorna covered her ears with her hands to shut out the hideous, unearthly noise.  She closed her eyes lest she should see those dead things move.  Then came another noise.  Were they descending from their pedestals and cases and marching upon her, a heavy-footed company of corpses?

Fearless to the last, she dropped her hands and opened her eyes.

“In spite of you all,” she cried defiantly, “I will give my soul to have him safe!”

Something was close to her.  She turned and saw Keyork Arabian at her elbow.  There was an odd smile on his usually unexpressive face.

“Then give me that soul of yours, if you please,” he said.  “He is quite safe and peacefully asleep.  You must have grown a little nervous while I was away.”

CHAPTER X

Unorna let herself sink into a chair.  She stared almost vacantly at Keyork, then glanced uneasily at the motionless specimens, then stared at him again.

“Yes,” she said at last.  “Perhaps I was a little nervous.  Why did you lock me in?  I would have gone with you.  I would have helped you.”

“An accident—­quite an accident,” answered Keyork, divesting himself of his fur coat.  “The lock is a peculiar one, and in my hurry I forgot to show you the trick of it.”