himself of a long-tried
friend, he could not but feel the throb of those deep interests which,
in the estimation of this woman at least, hung upon a word which those
dying lips might utter. And swayed by this feeling, he unconsciously
became a third watcher, though for what, and in hope of what, he could
scarcely have told, so much was he benumbed by the suddenness of this
great catastrophe, and the extraordinary circumstances by which it was
surrounded.

And so one o'clock came and passed.

It was not the last time the clock struck before a change came. The hour
of two went by, then that of three, and still, to the casual eye, all
remained the same. But ere the stroke of four was heard, Mr. Ferris, who
had relaxed his survey of Imogene to bestow a fuller attention upon his
friend, felt an indefinable sensation of dismay assail him, and rising
to his feet, drew a step or so nearer the bed, and looked at its silent
occupant with the air of a man who would fain shut his eyes to the
meaning of what he sees before him. At the same moment Mr. Byrd, who had
just come in, found himself attracted by the subtle difference he
observed in the expression of Miss Dare. The expectancy in her look was
gone, and its entire expression was that of awe. Advancing to the side
of Mr. Ferris, he glanced down at the dying lawyer. He at once saw what
it was that had so attracted and moved the District Attorney. A change
had come over Mr. Orcutt's face. Though rigid still, and unrelieved by
any signs of returning consciousness, it was no longer that of the man
they knew, but a strange face, owning the same features, but
distinguished now by a look sinister as it was unaccustomed, filling the
breasts of those who saw it with dismay, and making any contemplation of
his countenance more than painful to those who loved him. Nor did it
decrease as they watched him. Like that charmed writing which appears on
a blank paper when it is subjected to the heat, the subtle, unmistakable
lines came out, moment by moment, on the mask of his unconscious face,
till even Imogene trembled, and turned an appealing glance upon Mr.
Ferris, as if to bid him note this involuntary evidence of nature
against the purity and good intentions of the man who had always stood
so high in the world's regard. Then, satisfied, perhaps, with the
expression she encountered on the face of the District Attorney, she
looked back; and the heavy minutes went on, only more drearily, and