ledge that you have taken
up arms against his troops, and you are now found acting the despicable
part of a spy. Your false reasoning cannot induce me to alter the
sentence pronounced against you. You have but a few minutes in which to
take your farewell of life."

No sooner did Mercer catch sight of the prisoner than he turned very
pale, and as he laid his hand on my shoulder I felt that it trembled
violently.

"What is the matter, Mercer?" I asked.

"That noble fellow who stands there is my schoolfellow, my old familiar
friend!" he cried, scarcely aware of what he said; then, unable to
restrain himself, he rushed forward and seized the prisoner's hand.
"Sydney Markham!" he exclaimed, with deep earnestness, looking up into
the face of the condemned man, who gazed at him with an expression of
recognition and affection; "say that you are not guilty; that you have
not been acting the part of a spy. You were ever the soul of honour; I
will answer for you; they will not destroy you. If they give you time
you can easily disprove the foul accusation brought against you. Say
so, Sydney, speak! Tell them that you are not guilty. I will fly to
the general--I will go on my knees before him, I will entreat for your
life; I will offer mine instead of yours."

The unhappy young man shook his head, and with a faint smile answered,
"Mercer, I cannot disprove the accusation brought against me. We may
differ in our views, yet, believe me, I do not feel that I have swerved
from the path of honour, and therefore, noble and high-minded as you
ever were, I am still worthy to be called your friend. But we are
wasting precious time; the minutes of my life are numbered, and I must
prepare for death."

"Oh, no, no, no! I must strive to save you; I cannot bear to see you
thus snatched away from life." Then he turned abruptly to the president
of the court. "This man cannot be as guilty as you suppose, sir," he
exclaimed, with a look of agony; "he would never have sought to injure
the King's forces unfairly; let him live till I have seen Sir William
Howe; he may order a reprieve till he has inquired more into the
particulars of the case."

"You ask an impossibility, sir," answered the officer, who was of the
Martinet school, as stern and unbending as one of his men's muskets; "he
has been found guilty, and I have no power to reprieve him. We must put
a stop to this system of sending spies into our camp. The higher his
positi