m_.

That evening, just before dusk, I heard the clear notes of a cornet.
Mattia was there! Dear old Mattia! he wanted to tell me that he was near
and thinking of me. He was evidently in the street on the other side of
the wall opposite my window. I heard footsteps and the murmur of a
crowd. Mattia and Bob were probably giving a performance.

Suddenly I heard a clear voice call out in French, "To-morrow at
daybreak!" Then at once Mattia played his loudest on the cornet.

It did not need any degree of intelligence to understand that Mattia had
not addressed these French words to an English public. I was not sure
what they meant, but evidently I had to be on the alert at daybreak the
next morning. As soon as it was dark I got into my hammock, but it was
some time before I could go to sleep, although I was very tired. At
last I dropped off to sleep. When I awoke it was night. The stars shone
in the dark sky and silence reigned everywhere. A clock struck three. I
counted the hours and the quarter hours. Leaning against the wall I kept
my eyes fixed on the window. I watched the stars go out one by one. In
the distance I could hear the cocks crowing. It was daybreak.

I opened the window very softly. What did I expect? There were still the
iron bars and the high wall opposite. I could not get out, and yet
foolish though the thought was, I expected my freedom. The morning air
chilled me but I stayed by my window, looking out without knowing at
what, listening without knowing to what. A big white cloud came up in
the sky. It was daybreak. My heart throbbed wildly. Then I seemed to
hear a scratching on the wall, but I had heard no sound of footsteps. I
listened. The scratching continued. I saw a head appear above the wall.
In the dim light I recognized Bob.

He saw me with my face pressed against the bars.

"Silence!" he said softly.

He made a sign for me to move away from the window. Wondering, I obeyed.
He put a peashooter to his mouth and blew. A tiny ball came through the
air and fell at my feet. Bob's head disappeared.

I pounced on the ball. It was tissue paper made into a tiny ball like a
pea. The light was too dim for me to see what was written on it; I had
to wait till day. I closed my window cautiously and lay down again in
my hammock with the tiny bit of paper in my hand. How slowly the light
came! At last I was able to read what was written on the paper. I read:

"To-morrow you will be taken in the t