, and how she could love! At the force of
that love all else passed away--pride, shame, hate, all; everything was
forgotten except that name, upon which her voice dwelt with such longing.

"Yes," he said, "he is a spy. He is now being tried, or rather, he has
been tried--for I may as well tell it--and has been condemned. I need say
no more about it; I have already said enough. You know the fate of a
condemned spy. Before another hour all will be over."

At first Katie seemed about to faint, but the last sentence roused her.
She started up, and again seized his arm with her convulsive grasp. With
white, tremulous lips she said, in a low voice which had sunk to a
whisper,

"An hour! an hour! Did you say--another hour?"

Lopez bowed his head in silence.

"But _you_--_you_--_you_," said Katie, fiercely--"_you_ do not believe
him guilty?"

"I have nothing to do with it," said Lopez, coldly.

"Nothing to do? Are you not commander here?"

"Yes."

"Can you do nothing?" she asked again.

"No. The trial is over. His fate has already been decided; in another
hour all will be over."

The repetition of these words roused Katie to a fresh outburst of
despairing grief.

"Oh!" said she; "in so short a time! so short!"

"It was because he was so near his doom," continued Lopez, "that the
condemned prisoner requested to see you, and I thought I would mention
it. Had it not been for this request he would have been shot without your
knowing it."

Katie wrung her hands, in a blind passion of despair.

"Oh!" she burst forth, "something must be done! He shall not die! He must
not! Oh, heavens! how can I live, and think of it? Harry! Harry! was
there no one to speak for you? A _spy_! It's false! He was a simple
traveller. Oh, Captain Lopez, there must be some way of saving him, or at
least of deferring his doom. Can it not be put off--for one day?"

"That would be of no avail," said Lopez.

"One day!" pleaded Katie, in eager tones.

"It's useless," said Lopez; "it's impossible. The sentence of the court
cannot be revoked."

"But time flies! Oh, Captain Lopez, can you not let him go?"

"Oh yes," said Lopez, "I can do that easily enough. I could let him out,
so that he could escape."

At this Katie fell on her knees, and clasped the hands of Lopez.

"Oh, Captain Lopez, I kneel to you! I pray to you! On my knees I pray for
his life! Let him fly! Oh, let him fly! Oh, I pray--I pray on my knees!"

Lopez drew a long bre