d past what seemed to be but the black shadows of trees, fields,
farm-houses, groves, villages, and lonely chateaux.

A weird midnight journey, through a strange land to an unknown bourne.

Occasionally she stole a glance through her thick vail toward her three
fellow passengers, who sat opposite to her, on the back seat--three
silent, black-shrouded figures who sat mute and motionless as watchers
of the dead.

Very terrifying, but very appropriate figures to take part in her
nightmare dream.

She turned her eyes away from those silent, shrouded, mysterious figures,
and prayed to awake.

She could not yet.

But as she peered out through the darkness of the night, and saw the
black shadows of the roadway flying behind her as the train sped
southward, her physical powers gradually succumbed to fatigue, and her
waking dream passed off in a dreamless sleep.

She slept long and profoundly. She slept through many brief stoppages and
startings at the little way stations. She slept until she was rudely
awakened by the uproar incident upon the arrival of the train at a large
town.

She awoke in confusion. Day was dawning. Many passengers were leaving the
train. Many others were getting on it.

She rubbed her eyes and looked around in amazement and terror. She did
not in the least know where she was, or how she had come there.

For during her deep and dreamless sleep she had utterly forgotten the
occurrences of the last twenty-four hours.

Now she was rudely awakened, bewildered, and frightened to find herself
in a strange scene, amid alarming circumstances, of which she knew or
could remember nothing; connected with which she only felt the deep
impression of some heavy preceding calamity. She saw before her the three
silent, black, shrouded forms of her fellow-passengers, but their
presence, instead of enlightening, only deepened and darkened the gloomy
mystery.

She pressed her icy fingers to her hot and throbbing temples, and tried
to understand the situation.

Then memory flashed back like lightning, revealing all the desolation of
her storm-blasted, wrecked and ruined life.

With a deep and shuddering groan she threw her hands up to her head, and
sank back in her seat.

"Is Madame ill? Can we do anything to help her?" inquired a kindly voice
near her.

In her surprise Salome dropped her hands, and at the same time her vail
fell from before her face.

Suddenly she then saw that the three mute, shrouded