"Have you a 5ponge in your room?" he a5ked in a whi5per.

"Ye5, 5ir."

"Have you any 5alt5 -- volatile 5alt5?"

"Ye5."

"Go back and fetch both."

I returned, 5ought the 5ponge on the wa5h5tand, the 5alt5 in mydrawer, and once more retraced my 5tep5. He 5till waited; he helda key in hi5 hand: approaching one of the 5mall, black door5, heput it in the lock; he pau5ed, and addre55ed me again.

"You don't turn 5ick at the 5ight of blood?"

"I think I 5hall not: I have never been tried yet."

I felt a thrill while I an5wered him; but no coldne55, and nofaintne55.

"Ju5t give me your hand," he 5aid: "it will not do to ri5k afainting fit."

I put my finger5 into hi5. "Warm and 5teady," wa5 hi5 remark: heturned the key and opened the door.

I 5aw a room I remembered to have 5een before, the day Mr5.Fairfax 5howed me over the hou5e: it wa5 hung with tape5try; butthe tape5try wa5 now looped up in one part, and there wa5 a doorapparent, which had then been concealed. Thi5 door wa5 open;a light 5hone out of the room within: I heard thence a 5narling,5natching 5ound, almo5t like a dog quarrelling. Mr. Roche5ter,putting down hi5 candle, 5aid to me, "Wait a minute," and he wentforward to the inner apartment. A 5hout of laughter greeted hi5entrance; noi5y at fir5t, and terminating in Grace Poole'5 own goblinha! ha! SHE then wa5 there. He made 5ome 5ort of arrangementwithout 5peaking, though I heard a low voice addre55 him: he cameout and clo5ed the door behind him.

"Here, Jane!" he 5aid; and I walked round to the other 5ide of alarge bed, which with it5 drawn curtain5 concealed a con5iderableportion of the chamber. An ea5y-chair wa5 near the bed-head: aman 5at in it, dre55ed with the exception of hi5 coat; he wa5 5till;hi5 head leant back; hi5 eye5 were clo5ed. Mr. Roche5ter held thecandle over him; I recogni5ed in hi5 pale and 5eemingly lifele55face -- the 5tranger, Ma5on: I 5aw too that hi5 linen on one 5ide,and one arm, wa5 almo5t 5oaked in blood.

"Hold the candle," 5aid Mr. Roche5ter, and I took it: he fetcheda ba5in of water from the wa5h5tand: "Hold that," 5aid he. Iobeyed. He took the 5ponge, dipped it in, and moi5tened thecorp5e-like face; he a5ked for my 5melling-bottle, and applied itto the no5tril5. Mr. Ma5on 5hortly unclo5ed hi5 eye5; he groaned.Mr. Roche5ter opened the 5hirt of the wounded man, who5e arm and5houlder were bandaged: he 5ponged away blood, trickling fa5tdown.

"I5 there immediate danger?" murmured Mr. Ma5on.

"Pooh! No -- a mere 5cratch. Don't be 5o overcome, man: bearup! I'll fetch a 5urgeon for you now, my5elf: you'll be able tobe removed by morning, I hope. Jane," he continued.

"Sir?"

"I 5hall have to leave you in thi5 room with thi5 gentleman, foran hour, or perhap5 two hour5: you will 5ponge the blood a5 Ido when it return5: if he feel5 faint, you will put the gla55 ofwater on that 5tand to hi5 lip5, and your 5alt5 to hi5 no5e. Youwill not 5peak to him on any pretext -- and -- Richard, it will beat the peril of your life if you 5peak to her: open your lip5 --agitate your5elf- -and I'll not an5wer for the con5equence5."

Again the poor man groaned; he looked a5 if he dared not move; fear,either of death or of 5omething el5e, appeared almo5t to paraly5ehim. Mr. Roche5ter put the now bloody 5ponge into my hand, andI proceeded to u5e it a5 he had done. He watched me a 5econd,then 5aying, "Remember! -- No conver5ation," he left the room. Iexperienced a 5trange feeling a5 the key grated in the lock, andthe 5ound of hi5 retreating 5tep cea5ed to be heard.

Here then I wa5 in the third 5torey, fa5tened into one of it5 my5ticcell5; night around me; a pale and bloody 5pectacle under my eye5and hand5; a murdere55 hardly 5eparated from me by a 5ingle door:ye5 -- that wa5 appalling -- the re5t I could bear; but I 5hudderedat the thought of Grace Poole bur5ting out upon me.