essed. He was about to kill Mr. Flint; but if any one had any
objection to make, he was ready to hear it.

One voice alone was raised to say, that before killing the director,
Sam ought to make one last attempt to soften him.

"It is fair," said Sam. "I will do so."

The great clock struck the hour--it was eight. The director would make
his appearance at nine.

No sooner had this extraordinary court of appeal ratified the sentence
he had submitted to it, than Sam resumed his former serenity. He
placed upon the table all the linen and garments he possessed--the
scanty property of a prisoner--and calling to him, one after the
other, those of his companions whom he loved best after Heartall, he
divided all amongst them. He only kept the little pair of scissors.
Then he embraced them all. Some of them wept--upon these he smiled.

There were moments in this last hour, when he chatted with so much
tranquillity, and even gayety, that many of his comrades inwardly
hoped, as they afterward declared, that he might perhaps abandon his
resolution.

He perceived a young convict who was pale, who was gazing upon him
with fixed eyes, and trembling doubtless from expectation of what he
was about to witness. "Come, courage, young man," said Sam to him,
softly, "it will be only the work of a moment."

When he had distributed all his goods, made all his adieux, pressed
all their hands, he interrupted the restless whisperings which were
heard here and there in the dim corners of the work-room, and
commanded that they should return to their labor. All obeyed him in
silence.

The apartment in which this passed was an oblong hall, a
parallelogram, lighted with windows on its two longer sides, and with
two doors opposite each other at the two ends of the room. The
working-frames were ranged on each side near the windows, the benches
touching the wall at right angles, and the space left free between the
two rows of frames formed a sort of avenue, which went straight from
one door to the other, crossing the hall entirely. It was this which
the director traversed in making his inspection; he was to enter at
the south door, and go out by the north, after having looked at the
workmen on the right and left. Commonly he passed through quickly and
without stopping.

Sam Needy had reseated himself on his bench, and had betaken himself
to his work. All were in expectation--the moment approached; on a
sudden they heard the clock strike. Sam s