There was, of course, no response, but a sound seemed to pass into that identical room; she fancied she heard steps--his familiar steps moving about, but as if he trod softly--cautiously. Terror seized her, and her heart seemed to die within her breast. She sprang from bed, clasped Maude's hand, and went softly, mechanically to the room. It was empty, and the cold light of the waning moon flooded it from end to end, making it seem alike lone and ghostly. Her imagination had played her false; but she was painfully haunted by the memory of that dream and the palpable sounds that, after waking, had followed it; and hourly, in her true spirit of Scottish superstition, expected to hear of fatal tidings from the seat of war--like her who, of old, had watched by the Weird Yett of Earlshaugh. Like poor Malcolm Skene was she, too, to have her presentiment--her prevision of sorrow to come? It almost seemed so. But her thoughts now clung persistently to the hero of her girlish days; he had behaved faithlessly, uncertainly to her, she thought; yet, perhaps, he might come back to her some day, if God spared him, and then he would find the old and tender love awaiting him still. Yet Roland might come home and marry _someone else_! No man, she had heard, went through life remembering and regretting one woman for ever. Was it indeed so? But after the night of her strange dream the morning papers contained the brief, yet terrible, telegram stating that a battle had been fought at a place called Kirbekan, by General Earle's column (of which the Staffordshire formed a part), but that no details thereof had come to hand. The recent calamity she had undergone rendered Hester's heart apprehensive that she might soon have to undergo another. And ere the lengthened news of the battle did come, she and Maude had left Edinburgh, as they anticipated, perhaps for ever. CHAPTER LV. WITH GENERAL EARLE's COLUMN. While the column of Brigadier Sir Herbert Stewart was toiling amid thirst and other sufferings across the vast waste of the Bayuda Desert, and gaining the well-fought battles of Abu Klea and Abu Kru, the column of Brigadier Earle had gone by boats up the Nile to avenge the cruel assassination of Gordon's comrade and coadjutor, Colonel Donald Stewart, on Suliman Wad Gamr and the somewhat ubiquitous Moussa Abu Hagil with all their people. The succession of cataracts rendered the General's progress very slow; thus the 4th of January found his advanced force, the gallant South Staffordshire, only encamped at Hamdab, as we have stated a few chapters back. Suliman, on being joined by Moussa a few days after Abu Klea, had fallen back from Berti, thus rendering it necessary for General Earle to push on in pursuit, through a rocky, broken, and savage country, bad for all military operations, and altogether impracticable for cavalry.