What could have made them so late? Astrange voice, too! To whom could it belong? They rushed into thekitchen, whither the truants had repaired, and at once obtained rathermore than a glimmering of the real state of the case.
The lanterns glimmered, as the menran to and fro; the horses' hoofs clattered on the uneven paving of theyard; the chaise rumbled as it was drawn out of the coach-house; and allwas noise and bustle.
First of all,it was necessary to awaken the girl, who had fallen asleep with her faceon the kitchen table; this took a little time, and, even when she didanswer the bell, another quarter of an hour was consumed in fruitlessendeavours to impart to her a faint and distant glimmering of reason.
The two corridors, monotonously papered in the same greyand faded pattern, seemed to emphasize the dust and dingy floridity ofthe few early Victorian ornaments, the green rust that devoured thebronze of the lamp, the dull gold that glimmered in the frame of thebroken mirror.
You steppedoutside for a moment, as shopmen often do, to make sure of what hemeant; and in that moment of time he perceived in the inner room therazor you had just laid down, and the yellow-white head of Sir Arthurin the barber's chair; probably both glimmering in the light of thatlittle window beyond.