They caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a small apartment.
Yet Edouard recognized the carpet of the tapestried room--which was a very large room.

Creeping a yard nearer, he discovered that it was the tapestried room, and that what had seemed the further wall was only the screen, behind which were lights, and two women singing a duet.
He whispered to Raynal, "It is the tapestried room." "Is it a sitting-room ?" whispered Raynal.
"Yes! yes! Mind and not knock your foot against the wood." And Raynal went softly up and put his foot quietly through the aperture, which he now saw was made by a panel drawn back close to the ground; and stood in the tapestried chamber.

The carpet was thick; the voices favored the stealthy advance; the floor of the old house was like a rock; and Edouard put his face through the aperture, glowing all over with anticipation of the little scream of joy that would welcome his friend dropping in so nice and suddenly from Egypt.
The feeling was rendered still more piquant by a sharp curiosity that had been growing on him for some minutes past.

For why was this passage opened to-night ?--he had never seen it opened before.

And why was Jacintha lying sentinel at the foot of the stairs?
But this was not all.