That they had not made at once for the scene of crime brought me some small sense of comfort, but not much.

They were too resolute in their movements and much too thorough and methodical in their search, for me to dream of their confining their investigations to the first floor.

Unless I very much mistook their purpose, I should soon hear them ascending the stairs, after which, instinct, if not the faint smell of smoke still lingering in the air, would lead them to the room where my poor Adelaide lay.
And thus it proved.

More quickly than I expected, the total darkness in which I lay, brightened under an advancing lantern, and I heard the steps of two men coming down the hall.

It was a steady if not rapid approach, and I was quite prepared for their presence when they finally reached the doorway opposite and stopped to look in at what must have appeared to them a vast and empty space.