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"She had sent ht to touch the skull, and as I did so it disintegrated beforewith all the other bones I should never have touched it! But it was too late

"Quite suddenly I flew into action I stood up I secured the earrings and the brooch inknife -- the kitchen knife was in the pirogue -- and I spun round to face the stairs No one had coht

"And ere they, or as he, I should say, who could sit at a desk and read by the light of candles when such a horror existed on the floor above?

"This had been a house of torture, this place, and surely it had been ht his victims here, I reasoned, and here it was that Rebecca had met her end

"Who was it noho knew these things and did nothing about theolden chair? Who was it that was buried in that doorlesstowith sheer exhilaration But I had to deters

"I went to the s and was amazed to discover hoell I could see over the swamp And there, way far away, I saw Blackwood Manor very distinctly on its raised lawn

"Whoever lived in this place, whoever visited it, could spy upon the house if he wanted to; he could see -- as -- my very s and the s of the kitchen as well If he had a telescope or binoculars, and I saw neither one here, he could have studied us all very well

"It was chilling to see this clear view of the house, but I used it to check et home and fast

"The voices threatened again The dizziness came over le with Rebecca's voice I was near to fainting But I had to resist this

"I went down the steps, through the big room and down onto the island and explored every inch of it that I could reach Yes, the cypress trees had created it and anchored it, and from the west and the north they were so thick that the island itself must have been invisible Only the eastern bank, where I had come ashore, was the way of access

"Regarding the strange structure of granite and gold, I couldn't discover anything raven figures were as beautiful there as anywhere else The worth of the gold , I reasoned, but no one had ever stolen it; no one -- it seemed -- had ever tried

"But I was so hot now, so coated in sweat, so bitten up by the mosquitoes and harassed by the lonesoled with the half-heard voices that I had to get out of here I had to get safe

"I juht up the pole, pushed off the bank and headed for home "

Chapter12

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