answered 'No, sir.' The height of the moon showed me it was
late, and as I was frightened at finding myself alone in the woods, I
almost ran back to the railway station, where I saw no one, except a
telegraph operator, who seemed to be asleep in his chair. I cannot say
what time it was, because I could not see the clock. Soon after, it
began to thunder, and all through that terrible storm I was alone in
the waiting-room. So great was my relief when the wind and lightning
ceased, that I went to sleep, and dreamed of a happy time when I lived
in Italy, and of talking with one very dear to me. Just then I awoke
with a start, and heard a voice talking outside, which seemed very
familiar. There were two persons; one, a negro, said:

"'There ain't no train 'till daylight, excepting the through freight.'

"The other person asked: 'When is it due?' The negro answered:

"'Pretty soon, but it don't stop here; it goes to the water tank where
it blows for the railroad bridge; and that is only a short distance up
the track.'

"I think I must have been only half awake, and with my mind fixed on my
dream, I ran out in front of the station house. An old negro man
limping down the street was the only person visible, and while I
watched him he suddenly vanished. I went along the track for some
distance but saw no one; and when I came back, the ticket agent was
standing in the door of his office. I cannot explain to you the
singular impulse which carried me out, when I heard the dialogue,
because it is inexplicable to myself, save by the supposition that I
was still dreaming; and yet I saw the negro man distinctly. There was a
lamp-post near him, and he had a bundle on his shoulder. When the 3:05
train came, I went aboard and left X---."

A smile parted Mr. Dunbar's lips, and his handsome teeth glittered as
he whispered to Judge Dent:

"Even your chivalrous compassion can scarcely digest this knotty
solution of her movements that night. As a fabrication, it does little
credit to her ingenuity."

"Her statement impresses me differently. She is either entirely
innocent, or she had an accomplice, whose voice she recognized; and
this clue should be investigated."

The District Solicitor rose and bowed to the Magistrate.

"With your Honor's permission, I should like to ask the prisoner whom
she expected to see, when she recognized the voice?"

"A person who is very dear to me, but who is not in the United States."

"What is the n