rm-bell sounded everywhere. God's judgment
held sway that night. Almost the entire nation was sleepless. Only the
reconciled husband and wife slept quietly and sweetly. At times the
lady wept in her dreams; tears fell on her pillow; she dreamed of her
happy bridal days or of the sweet moment when she laid her first child
in her husband's arms. Her husband lay with calm countenance, at odds
with the world but reconciled with himself--with the better half of
his soul. The happiness which had fled from him in the palace sought
him out in the prison. The hanging lamp threw its pale light on their
sleeping forms. In this frightful night four single riders galloped
separately toward Bethlen castle, hardly a thousand paces apart. By
the lightning flashes they saw each other at times and each one struck
spurs the harder to his horse. The first rider reached the castle
gate and gave the signal with the horn; the drawbridge fell
threateningly, the rider sprang into the courtyard and laid a letter
in the hand of the warder who hurried forward. It was Paul Beldi's
message.

The second rider who reached the castle, ordered the gate opened in
the name of the Prince. He gave the castle warder a second paper. It
was Ladislaus Csaki. The warder turned pale as he read this message.

"My lord," he faltered, "I have just received an order from Paul Beldi
who threatens me with death if any harm happens to the prisoner."

"You have your choice," replied Csaki. "If you obey, it is possible
that he will have your head cut off to-morrow. If you do not obey, I
will kill you to-day." The warder trembled as he bowed.

"Raise the draw," ordered Csaki. "Let no one enter the castle without
permission. Whoever acts contrary to my orders is a dead man."

* * * * *

Husband and wife slept peacefully. A minute later the door opened with
a slight noise and Stephen Pataki entered, terror-stricken and with
difficulty restraining his tears. He stepped up to Banfy to awaken
him. As he touched his hand, Banfy, seeing Pataki who in his emotion
could not speak, tried to rise without waking his wife but she opened
her eyes at that very moment and Pataki, who did not wish her to know
the terrible message, said in Latin:

"Rise, my lord, the death sentence is here."

Trembling at the speech in a foreign tongue whose meaning Pataki's
face so ill concealed, Banfy's wife asked in terror what it meant.

"Nothing, nothing," said