"No reprieve, no reprieve! Nobody comes near us. There"s only thenight left now!" moaned Dennis faintly, as he wrung his hands. "Doyou think they"ll reprieve me in the night, brother? I"ve knownreprieves come in the night, afore now. I"ve known "em come aslate as five, six, and seven o"clock in the morning. Don"t youthink there"s a good chance yet,--don"t you? Say you do. Say youdo, young man," whined the miserable creature, with an imploringgesture towards Barnaby, "or I shall go mad!"
"Better be mad than sane, here," said Hugh. "GO mad."
"But tell me what you think. Somebody tell me what he thinks!"
cried the wretched object,--so mean, and wretched, and despicable,that even Pity"s self might have turned away, at sight of such abeing in the likeness of a man--"isn"t there a chance for me,-isn"tthere a good chance for me? Isn"t it likely they may bedoing this to frighten me? Don"t you think it is? Oh!" he almostshrieked, as he wrung his hands, "won"t anybody give me comfort!"
"You ought to be the best, instead of the worst," said Hugh,stopping before him. "Ha, ha, ha! See the hangman, when it comeshome to him!"
"You don"t know what it is," cried Dennis, actually writhing as hespoke: "I do. That I should come to be worked off! I! I! That Ishould come!"
"And why not?" said Hugh, as he thrust back his matted hair to geta better view of his late associate. "How often, before I knewyour trade, did I hear you talking of this as if it was a treat?"
"I an"t unconsistent," screamed the miserable creature; "I"d talkso again, if I was hangman. Some other man has got my oldopinions at this minute. That makes it worse. Somebody"s longingto work me off. I know by myself that somebody must be!"
"He"ll soon have his longing," said Hugh, resuming his walk.
"Think of that, and be quiet."
Although one of these men displayed, in his speech and bearing, themost reckless hardihood; and the other, in his every word andaction, testified such an extreme of abject cowardice that it washumiliating to see him; it would be difficult to say which of themwould most have repelled and shocked an observer. Hugh"s was thedogged desperation of a savage at the stake; the hangman wasreduced to a condition little better, if any, than that of a houndwith the halter round his neck. Yet, as Mr Dennis knew and couldhave told them, these were the two commonest states of mind inpersons brought to their pass. Such was the wholesome growth ofthe seed sown by the law, that this kind of harvest was usuallylooked for, as a matter of course.
In one respect they all agreed. The wandering and uncontrollabletrain of thought, suggesting sudden recollections of things distantand long forgotten and remote from each other--the vague restlesscraving for something undefined, which nothing could satisfy--theswift flight of the minutes, fusing themselves into hours, as if byenchantment--the rapid coming of the solemn night--the shadow ofdeath always upon them, and yet so dim and faint, that objects themeanest and most trivial started from the gloom beyond, and forcedthemselves upon the view--the impossibility of holding the mind,even if they had been so disposed, to penitence and preparation, orof keeping it to any point while one hideous fascination tempted itaway--these things were common to them all, and varied only intheir outward tokens.
"Fetch me the book I left within--upon your bed," she said toBarnaby, as the clock struck. "Kiss me first."
He looked in her face, and saw there, that the time was come.
After a long embrace, he tore himself away, and ran to bring it toher; bidding her not stir till he came back. He soon returned, fora shriek recalled him,--but she was gone.
He ran to the yard-gate, and looked through. They were carryingher away. She had said her heart would break. It was better so.
"Don"t you think," whimpered Dennis, creeping up to him, as hestood with his feet rooted to the ground, gazing at the blankwalls--"don"t you think there"s still a chance? It"s a dreadfulend; it"s a terrible end for a man like me. Don"t you thinkthere"s a chance? I don"t mean for you, I mean for me. Don"t letHIM hear us (meaning Hugh); "he"s so desperate."
Now then," said the officer, who had been lounging in and out withhis hands in his pockets, and yawning as if he were in the lastextremity for some subject of interest: "it"s time to turn in,boys."
"Not yet," cried Dennis, "not yet. Not for an hour yet."
"I say,--your watch goes different from what it used to," returnedthe man. "Once upon a time it was always too fast. It"s got theother fault now."
"My friend," cried the wretched creature, falling on his knees, "mydear friend--you always were my dear friend--there"s some mistake.
Some letter has been mislaid, or some messenger has been stoppedupon the way. He may have fallen dead. I saw a man once, falldown dead in the street, myself, and he had papers in his pocket.
Send to inquire. Let somebody go to inquire. They never will hangme. They never can.--Yes, they will," he cried, starting to hisfeet with a terrible scream. "They"ll hang me by a trick, and keepthe pardon back. It"s a plot against me. I shall lose my life!"
And uttering another yell, he fell in a fit upon the ground.
"See the hangman when it comes home to him!" cried Hugh again, asthey bore him away--"Ha ha ha! Courage, bold Barnaby, what carewe? Your hand! They do well to put us out of the world, for if wegot loose a second time, we wouldn"t let them off so easy, eh?
Another shake! A man can die but once. If you wake in the night,sing that out lustily, and fall asleep again. Ha ha ha!"
Barnaby glanced once more through the grate into the empty yard;and then watched Hugh as he strode to the steps leading to hissleeping-cell. He heard him shout, and burst into a roar oflaughter, and saw him flourish his hat. Then he turned awayhimself, like one who walked in his sleep; and, without any senseof fear or sorrow, lay down on his pallet, listening for the clockto strike again.