She stepped out quickly and shut the door behind her.

On her left was the blind end of the passage; she turned to the right.

She took one step into the darkness and stood motionless.

Beside her, within a few feet of her, some one had moved, with a dull sound as of a boot on wood; a sound so near her that she held her breath, and pressed herself against the wall.
She listened.

Perhaps some of the servants--it was a common usage--had made their beds on the floor.