did he say, "You must prepare yourself for a shock. The impertinences
you suffered from last night were unpleasant no doubt, but if you had
been allowed to return home, you might not now be deploring them in
comparative peace and safety."

"What do you mean?"

"That your partner was not as fortunate as yourself. Look up at the
house; what do you see there?"

A crowd was what I saw first, but he made me look higher, and then I
perceived that the windows of my room, of our room, were shattered and
blackened and that part of the casement of one had been blown out.

"A fire!" I shrieked. "Poor Richter was smoking--"

"No, he was not smoking. He had no time for a smoke. An infernal
machine burst in that room last night and your friend was its wretched
victim."

I never knew why my friend's life was made a sacrifice to the revenge
of his fellow-countrymen. Though we had been intimate in the year we
had been together, he had never talked to me of his country and I had
never seen him in company with one of his own nation. But that he was
the victim of some political revenge was apparent, for though it
proved impossible to find the man who had detained me, the house was
found and ransacked, and amongst other secret things was discovered
the model of the machine which had been introduced into our room, and
which had proved so fatal to the man it was addressed to. Why men who
were so relentless in their purposes towards him should have taken
such pains to keep me from sharing his fate, is one of those anomalies
in human nature which now and then awake our astonishment. If I had
not lost Dora through my detention at their hands I should look back
upon that evening with sensations of thankfulness. As it is, I
sometimes question if it would not have been better if they had let me
take my chances.

* * * * *

Have I lost Dora? From a letter I received to-day I begin to think
not.

THE BLACK CROSS.

A black cross had been set against Judge Hawkins' name; why, it is not
for me to say. We were not accustomed to explain our motives or to
give reasons for our deeds. The deeds were enough, and this black
cross meant death; and when it had been shown us, all that we needed
to know further was at what hour we should meet for the contemplated
raid.

A word from the captain settled that; and when the next Friday came, a
dozen men met at the place of rendezvous, ready for the ride which
shou