The night had now come; and for the first time (for their jailers had
been regular in bringing food and candles), they were left in darkness.
Any change in their condition in such a place inspired new fears; and
when some hours had passed, and the gloom was still unbroken, Emma could
no longer repress her alarm.
They listened attentively. There was the same murmuring in the outer
room, and now and then a moan which seemed to be wrung from a person in
great pain, who made an effort to subdue it, but could not. Even these
men seemed to be in darkness too; for no light shone through the chinks
in the door, nor were they moving, as their custom was, but quite still:
the silence being unbroken by so much as the creaking of a board.
At first, Miss Miggs wondered greatly in her own mind who this sick
person might be; but arriving, on second thoughts, at the conclusion
that he was a part of the schemes on foot, and an artful device soon to
be employed with great success, she opined, for Miss Haredale's comfort,
that it must be some misguided Papist who had been wounded: and this
happy supposition encouraged her to say, under her breath, 'Ally
Looyer!' several times.
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