'
'Good-night, Madame,' I stammered, trembling. I had not been
able to distinguish her face in the gloom of the doorway, but her
voice, her greeting, her presence unmanned me. I was troubled
and perplexed; I had not spirit to kick a dog. I followed the
two servants from the hall without heeding how we went; nor was
it until we came to a full stop at a door in a white-washed
corridor, and it was forced upon me that something was in
question between my two conductors that I began to take notice.
Then I saw that one of them, Louis, wished to lodge me here where
we stood. The porter, on the other hand, who held the keys,
would not. He did not speak a word, nor did the other--and this
gave a queer ominous character to the debate; but he continued to
jerk his head towards the farther end of the corridor; and, at
last, he carried his point. Louis shrugged his shoulders, and
moved on, glancing askance at me; and I, not understanding the
matter in debate, followed the pair in silence.
We reached the end of the corridor, and there for an instant the
monster with the keys paused and grinned at me.
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