Хребты безумия
VI
Interruptingthesesculpturedwallswerehighwindowsandmassivetwelve-footdoorways;bothnowandthenretainingthepetrifiedwoodenplanks—elaboratelycarvedandpolished—oftheactualshuttersanddoors. Allmetalfixtureshadlongagovanished,butsomeofthedoorsremainedinplaceandhadtobeforcedasideasweprogressedfromroomtoroom. Windowframeswithoddtransparentpanes—mostlyelliptical—survivedhereandthere,thoughinnoconsiderablequantity. Therewerealsofrequentnichesofgreatmagnitude,generallyempty,butonceinawhilecontainingsomebizarreobjectcarvedfromgreensoapstonewhichwaseitherbrokenorperhapsheldtooinferiortowarrantremoval. Otherapertureswereundoubtedlyconnectedwithbygonemechanicalfacilities—heating,lighting,andthelike—ofasortsuggestedinmanyofthecarvings. Ceilingstendedtobeplain,buthadsometimesbeeninlaidwithgreensoapstoneorothertiles,mostlyfallennow. Floorswerealsopavedwithsuchtiles,thoughplainstoneworkpredominated.
AsIhavesaid,allfurnitureandothermovableswereabsent;butthesculpturesgaveaclearideaofthestrangedeviceswhichhadoncefilledthesetomblike,echoingrooms. Abovetheglacialsheetthefloorsweregenerallythickwithdetritus,litter,anddebris,butfartherdownthisconditiondecreased. Insomeofthelowerchambersandcorridorstherewaslittlemorethangrittydustorancientincrustations,whileoccasionalareashadanuncannyairofnewlysweptimmaculateness. Ofcourse,whereriftsorcollapseshadoccurred,thelowerlevelswereaslitteredastheupperones.
