I wuz, almos' completely."

"Then, how did you wake yourself up thoroughly enough to know that it was
exactly five minutes past two?"

"Lemme see, suh. Possibilly, 'twuz bekase uv whut I seen 'long about
ha'fpas' one--possibilly, boss."

"So you hadn't been asleep for two hours?"

"Almos', suh. It wuz dis way: you see, boss, de bellboys' bench is right
unduh de big clock in de lobby, off to de right uv de desk. I happen' dat
night to let my haid slide ovuh 'g'in de glass case uv de clock, an when
it stahted out to hit de ha'fpas' bell, it rattled an' whizzed, an' it
jarred me. Golly, boss! I woke up an', when I seed how it wuz rainin'
outside, I thought lightnin' had hit me. It skeered me--an' dat is one
good way to wake up a nigger at night--skeer 'im, an' you don' have to
stab him. I sorter hollered.

"I got up an' went to de main entrance, jes' to make de night clerk think
I wuz on de job in case he woke up. I looked down de street tow'rd de
post-office, an' I seed a man goin' in dar.

"'Bless de Lawd!' I says to myse'f. 'White people ain' got much to
do--goin' to de post-office dis time uv night.' An' I went on back to de
bellboys' bench and stahted in niggerin' it once mo'e."

"Niggering it?"

"Yas, boss; you know, dat means quick sleepin'. 'Peared to me I ain' no
mo'e got my eyes shut when I wakes up ag'in, an' right dar in de lobby is
dat same man what I seed gwine to de post-office."

"What waked you up?"

"I don' know, boss. I can' no mo'e figger dat out den I kin fly. Dat wuz
de fust time in my life dat I done wake up at night when onmolested."

"How did you know the man you saw in the lobby was the one you had seen
going into the post-office?"

"Dey wuz de same, boss; dat's all. Had de same buil', same long raincoat
on, an' same thick beard. He had done pass' me by an' wuz on his way up
de stairs 'stead uv waitin' foh me to run de elevatuh. I wouldn' nevuh
seed his beard dat time, but he turn' 'roun' when he wuz nigh to de top
uv de stairs an' look back at me. Den I seed foh a fac' dat he wuz de
same as de yuther man I jes' done seed."

Braceway gave no sign of how highly he valued the negro's words. Seated
by the window, the dollar bill still on his knee, he kept his gaze on
Roddy, holding him to his narrative.

"You want me to believe that, when you saw this man two blocks away at
half-past one in the morning, you noticed he wore a beard? Wasn't it
too dark?"

"Naw, suh. Dem post-office l