When that was done, and when they had
flooded the whole pavement under the arch, in order to conceal the
fact that it had been washed in one place, it occurred to them that
they should look on the stairs, to see if there were any blood there,
and in the courtyard, too, near the entrance; but they could not find
anything, and it was time for the woman to go to the place where she
worked all day at ironing fine linen, which had been her occupation
before she had been married. So she went away, leaving her husband
alone.
He smoked thoughtfully and swept the stone gutter, towards the other
end of the courtyard. He noticed nothing unusual, until he reached the
door of the coach-house, and saw that it was ajar, whereas it was
always locked, and he had the key in his lodge. He opened it, and
looked in. The flood of morning light fell upon a little heap of
broken brick and mortar, and he saw at a glance that a small breach
had been made in the wall. This did not surprise him, for he knew that
Malipieri and Masin had made holes in more than one place, and the
architect had more than once taken the key of the coach-house.
What frightened him was the steady, roaring sound that came from the
breach. He would as soon have thought of trusting himself to enter the
place, as of facing the powers of darkness, even if his big body could
have squeezed itself through the aperture.
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