I had, in advance of Marion’s coming this afternoon, placed a pair of black velvet drapes over the door entering this secret chamber, and I now adroitly led the way towards to that draped entry rather than to my front door. I was able to do this principally because Marion was still reacting from her choler towards me, and did not notice that instead of taking a straight line to the front door through a little antechamber, she was in reality turning slightly to the right and finding herself against the draped entranceway. I quickly whisked aside the drapes, put my hand to the knob of the door and flung it open, and, with a haughty toss of her head, she passed, not across the little antechamber door, but rather over into that room which was to spell her ultimate downfall and surrender!
Chapter 3
No sooner had Marion crossed the threshold than I closed the door and turned a secret spring lock, artfully concealed to one side of a mechanism of the regular knob and lock I had had this installed shortly after my conquest of dear Alice, and possibly it was a stroke of Providence which had furnished the inspiration. Perhaps subconsciously I had always dreamed of subjugating and mastering haughty Marion, and this little mechanism would aid me greatly in making the dream now come true!
She glanced around, and then turned to face me, a look of indignation plainly written on her beautiful, insolent features: “Where have you taken me, sir? I told you I wanted to be quits of you, and yet you have led me into another room. Is this part of your trickery and cunning?”