The door swung open.

Once more they were both conscious of that peculiar silence, which seemed to have in it some unnamable quality.

He moved to the foot of the stairs and shouted.
"Hello! Any one there ?" There was no reply.

He opened the doors of the two rooms on the right hand side, where Quest, when he was engaged in any widespread affair, kept a stenographer and a telegraph operator.

Both rooms were empty.