He left the house on foot. So far, he had not allowed himself to think
too much of the future, and had found little time for such reflection.
He was a man who put all his energy into what he was doing, and was
inclined to let consequences take care of themselves rather than waste
thought in providing for them. He believed he was doing what was just
and honourable, and if there was a spice of adventure and romance in
it, that only made it the more easy to do. The only danger he could
think of was that Sabina might slip in one of the difficult passages
and hurt her foot a little, or might catch cold in the damp vaults.
Nothing else could happen.
He congratulated himself on having got Toto in his power, since Toto
was the only man who understood the ways of the "lost water." If he
had before suspected that there was any one at large in Rome who knew
as much he would have hesitated. But he had made the discovery of the
man and had taken him prisoner at the same moment, and all danger in
that quarter seemed to be removed.
As for the material difficulty, he and Masin could smooth the way very
much in two or three hours, and could substitute a solid wooden ladder
for the one of rope in the well. Sabina was young, slight, and
probably active, and with a little help she would have no difficulty
in reaching the inner chamber.
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