All at once I caught my foot against a stone and fell forward with some force, but I felt no pain--my limbs were too numb to be sensible of any fresh suffering.

I raised my heavy, aching eyes in the darkness; as I did so I uttered an exclamation of thanksgiving.

A slender stream of moonlight, no thicker than the stem of an arrow, slanted downward toward me, and showed me that I had at last reached the spot I sought--in fact, I had fallen upon the lowest step of the stone stairway.

I could not distinguish the entrance door of the vault, but I knew that it must be at the summit of the steep ascent.

I was too weary to move further just then.