A plank, by way of flying drawbridge, joined it to the shore.

And it was a dreary moment for Jimson when he pulled this after him and found himself alone on this unwholesome fortress.

He could hear the rats scuttle and flop in the abhorred interior; the key cried among the wards like a thing in pain; the sitting-room was deep in dust, and smelt strong of bilge-water.

It could not be called a cheerful spot, even for a composer absorbed in beloved toil; how much less for a young gentleman haunted by alarms and awaiting the arrival of a corpse! He sat down, cleared away a piece of the table, and attacked the cold luncheon in his basket.

In case of any subsequent inquiry into the fate of Jimson, It was desirable he should be little seen: in other words, that he should spend the day entirely in the house.