from me for a time; and God
knows how painful my thoughts have now become. Amine, dear Amine, may
angels guard thee!"

CHAPTER FORTY.

Although to-morrow was to end all Amine's hopes and fears--all her short
happiness--her suspense and misery--yet Amine slept until her last
slumber in this world was disturbed by the unlocking and unbarring of
the doors of her cell, and the appearance of the head gaoler with a
light. Amine started up--she had been dreaming of her husband--of
happiness! She awoke to the sad reality. There stood the gaoler, with
a dress in his hand, which he desired she would put on. He lighted a
lamp for her, and left her alone. The dress was of black serge, with
white stripes.

Amine put on the dress, and threw herself down on the bed, trying, if
possible, to recall the dream from which she had been awakened, but in
vain. Two hours passed away, and the gaoler again entered, and summoned
her to follow him. Perhaps one of the most appalling customs of the
Inquisition is, that after accusation, whether the accused parties
confess their guilt or not, they return to their dungeons, without the
least idea of what may have been their sentence, and when summoned on
the morning of the execution they are equally kept in ignorance.

The prisoners were all summoned by the gaolers from the various
dungeons, and led into a large hall, where they found their
fellow-sufferers collected.

In this spacious, dimly-lighted hall, were to be seen about two hundred
men, standing up, as if for support, against the walls, all dressed in
the same black and white serge; so motionless, so terrified were they,
that if it had not been for the rolling of their eyes, as they watched
the gaolers, who passed and repassed, you might have imagined them to be
petrified. It was the agony of suspense, worse than the agony of death.
After a time, a wax candle, about five feet long, was put into the
hands of each prisoner, and then some were ordered to put on over their
dress the _Sanbenitos_--others the _Samarias_! Those who received these
dresses, with flames painted on them, gave themselves up for lost; and
it was dreadful to perceive the anguish of each individual as the
dresses were, one by one brought forward, and with the heavy drops of
perspiration on his brows, he watched with terror lest one should be
presented to him. All was doubt, fear, and horror!

But the prisoners in this hall were not those who were to suf