he had in hand essay to a passage after him that it might hold a greedy at the feast of his providing when he looked back across his shoulder was it to see if his quick footsteps still fell dry upon the dusty pavement or were already moist and with the red mire that stained the naked feet of he shaped his course for the main western road and soon reached it riding a part of the way then and walking on again he travelled for a considerable distance upon the roof of a stage coach which came up while he was a foot and when it turned out of his road the driver of a return post chaise to take him on with him and then made across the country at a run and saved a mile or two before he struck again into the road at last as his plan was he came up with a certain slow night coach which stopped wherever it could and was stopping then at a while the guard and coachman ate and drank within he for a seat outside this coach and took it and he quitted it no more until it was within a few miles of its destination but occupied the same place all night all night it is a common fancy that nature seems to sleep by night it is a false fancy as who should know better than he the fishes in the cold bright glistening streams and rivers perhaps and the birds on the branches of the trees and in their and pastures beasts were quiet life and adventures of and human creatures slept but what of that when the solemn night was watching when it never winked when its darkness watched no less than its light the stately trees the moon and shining stars the softly stirring wind the lane the broad bright country side they all kept watch there was not a blade of growing grass or corn but watched and the it was the more intent and fixed its watch upon him seemed to be and yet he slept riding on among these of god he slept and did not change the purpose of his journey if he forgot it in his troubled dreams it came up steadily and woke him but it never woke him to remorse or to abandon ment of his design he dreamed at one time that he was lying calmly in his bed thinking of a moonlight night and the noise of wheels when the old clerk put his head in at the door and beckoned him at this signal he arose immediately being already dressed in the clothes he actually wore at that time and accompanied him into a strange city where the names of the streets were written on the walls in characters quite new to him which gave him no surprise or uneasiness for he remembered in his dream to have been there before although these streets were very that to get from one to another it was necessary to descend great heights by that were too short and ropes that moved deep bells and swung and swayed as they were clung to the danger gave him little emotion beyond the first thrill of terror his anxieties being concentrated on his dress which was quite for some festival that was about to be there and in which he had come to take a part already great crowds began to fill the streets and in one direction of people came rushing down an interminable perspective flowers and making way for others on white horses when a terrible figure started from the throng and cried out that it was the last day for all the world the cry being spread there was a wild hurrying on to judgment and the press became so great that he and his companion who was constantly changing and was never the same man two minutes together though he never saw one man come or another go stood aside in a porch fearfully surveying the multitude in which there were many faces that he knew and many that he did not know but dreamed he did when all at once a struggling head rose up among the rest � livid and deadly but the same as he had known it � and him as appointed that day to happen they closed together as he strove to free the hand in which he held a club and strike the blow he had so often thought of he started to the knowledge of his waking purpose and the rising of the sun the sun was welcome to him there were life and motion and a world to divide the attention of day it was the eye of night of watchful silent and attentive night with so much leisure for the observation of his wicked thoughts that he dreaded most there is no glare in the night even glory shows to small advantage in the night upon a crowded battle field how then shows glory s murder aye he made no compromise and held no secret with himself now murder he had come to do it let me get down here he said short of the town eh observed the coachman i may get down where i please i suppose y � ou got up to please yourself and may get down to yourself it won t break our hearts to lose you and it wouldn t have broken em if we d never found you be a quicker that s all the guard had alighted and was waiting in the road to take his money in the jealousy and distrust of what he contemplated he thought this man looked at him with more than what are you staring at said not at a handsome man returned the guard if you want your fortune told i tell you a bit of it you won t be 