She went to the edge and looked over. The ladder had not moved and was still out of reach.
"The others will soon be coming to my door," said Stéphane. "I am surprised that they haven't been yet."
But they did not wish to confess their mutual anxiety; and Véronique put a further question, in a calm voice:
"And the treasure? The God–Stone?"
"That riddle is hardly less obscure," said Stéphane, "and also depends entirely on the last line of the inscription: 'The God–Stone which gives life or death.' What is this God–Stone? Tradition says that it is a miraculous stone; and, according to M. d'Hergemont, this belief dates back to the remotest periods. People at Sarek have always had faith in the existence of a stone capable of working wonders. In the middle ages they used to bring puny and de
