Issuing and gliding along by the side of the hall and round the
great bay window, he came to the stair indicated by Mrs. Rees, and
descending a little way, stood and listened: plainly enough to his
practised ear, what the old woman had represented as the underground
passage to the airiest of stables, was itself full of horses. To go
down amongst these in the dark, and in ignorance of the construction
of the stable, was somewhat perilous; but he had not come there to
avoid risk. Step by step he stole softly down, and, arrived at the
bottom, seated himself on the last--to wait until his eyes should
get so far accustomed to the darkness as to distinguish the poor
difference between the faint dusk sinking down the stair and the
absolute murk. A little further on, he could descry two or three
grated openings into the fountain court, but by them nothing could
enter beyond the faintest reflection of moonlight from the windows
between the grand staircase and the bell tower.
As soon as his eyes had grown capable of using what light there was,
which however was scarcely sufficient to render him the smallest
service, Richard began to whistle, very softly, a certain tune well
known to Lady, one he always whistled when he fed or curried her
himself.
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