ts which had thus thrown him into the jaws of death. In an
hour or two, however, he sufficiently recovered from the shock to
reflect that most probably they would give him some chance to speak for
himself. There would not be any trial; who would waste time in trying so
insignificant a wretch? But there might be some opportunity of speaking,
and he resolved to use it to the utmost possible extent.

He would arraign the unskilful generalship of the king; he would not
only point out his errors, but how the enemy could be defeated. He would
prove that he had ideas and plans worthy of attention. He would, as it
were, vindicate himself before he was executed, and he tried to collect
his thoughts and to put them into form. Every moment the face of Aurora
seemed to look upon him, lovingly and mournfully; but beside it he saw
the dusty and distorted features of the copse he had seen drawn by the
horse through the camp. Thus, too, his tongue would protrude and lick
the dust. He endured, in a word, those treble agonies which the
highly-wrought and imaginative inflict upon themselves.

The hours passed, and still no one came near him; he called, and the
guard appeared at the door, but only to see what was the matter, and
finding his prisoner safe, at once resumed his walk to and fro. The
soldier did not, for his own sake, dare to enter into conversation with
a prisoner under arrest for such an offence; he might be involved, or
suspected. Had it been merely theft or any ordinary crime, he would have
talked freely enough, and sympathized with the prisoner. As time went
on, Felix grew thirsty, but his request for water was disregarded, and
there he remained till four in the afternoon. They then marched him out;
he begged to be allowed to speak, but the soldiery did not reply, simply
hurrying him forward. He now feared that he should be executed without
the chance being afforded him to say a word; but, to his surprise, he
found in a few minutes that they were taking him in the direction of the
king's quarters. New fears now seized him, for he had heard of men being
turned loose, made to run for their lives, and hunted down with hounds
for the amusement of the Court.

If the citizen's wealth had made him many enemies (men whom he had
befriended, and who hoped, if they could be see him executed, to escape
the payment of their debts), on the other hand, it had made him as many
friends, that is, interested friends, who trusted by doing hi