malicious satisfaction, the little sigh with which he
pushed the empty canister from him.

He seemed lost for some time in the slough of his Dutch reflections,
but at length he fixed his eyes upon me, and in a low, suffocating tone
said, "Hast a file?"

"No," said I.

"There, then," said he, giving me a small parcel tightly tied up in
paper. "Farewell!" and he moved towards the door before I could recover
from my surprise to thank him. As he reached it, he turned about, and
in a very significant voice said, "Der bood est hardt,"--a species of
Plat-Deutsch I might not have understood if unaccompanied by a gesture
which implied that the ground was hard beneath my window, as a caution
to me in the event of a leap.

No sooner was I alone than I opened my precious packet, which, besides
two files, contained a small phial of aquafortis and another of
oil,--the latter a useful adjunct to prevent the grating noise being
heard. Having concealed the implements in a rat-hole, I proceeded to
examine the iron bars of the window, which, although seemingly of great
size and strength, were in reality coated with a rust of more than half
their actual thickness. This was a most inspiriting discovery, and at
once animated me with glowing hopes of success.

As I could only work during the night, I affected illness as a
reason for keeping my bed during the day, when I slept profoundly and
refreshingly.

The non-success of all my efforts to interest diplomacy in my cause was
just beginning to impress me with a sense of gloom and despondency, when
this new incident occurred to rally my drooping courage. Life had now an
object; and that, if not always enough for happiness, is sufficient at
least to rouse those energies which, when stagnant, produce despair.
How I longed for night to come, that I might resume my labor! with what
resolute industry I worked on during the dark hours, only ceasing when
the change of the sentries brought the guard close beneath my window,
and even grudging the few seconds thus wasted! With what delight I used
to measure the fissure which, at first only deep enough for my nail, was
now sufficient to cover the file! This I used to conceal each morning
with bread colored by the rusty powder that fell from the filing, so
that, to all seeming, everything was in its usual order.

This was almost the only period of my life in which I remembered my
father: from some similarity in our condition, perhaps, he was now