The door creaked shut behind him; the outer door slammed; he heard a bolt fall. And there was no longer sound or sight.
He stood on a steel floor, in darkness. This darkness was absolute. It seemed to have weight, to press down upon him. It smothered. And there was no sound. It was as though he were buried deeply with tons and tons of silent earth upon him. He stood still a long moment, while this feeling enwrapped him slowly; then he stepped forward on tiptoe, reaching with hands before him, till he touched a wall. It was of steel, and he ran his fingers over rivets. Face to this wall, he moved to the right, struck a corner, then another wall; another corner, another wall; another corner; another wall; a fourth corner, and the wall from which he had started. But missing his tale, he went about a fifth corner, counting it as the fourth, felt a vague sense of mistake, and then, suddenly, a dizziness made him sway on his legs. He had lost his bearings; it was as if, about a pivot upon which he stood, the whole world had revolved several times.
