Towards three o’clock I fell into fear-haunted dreams, but was presently awakened by a quick knocking at my door and, opening, I came face to face with my companion, who stood there fully dressed. “For God’s sake let me come in.” He looked about the room nervously. “Have you anything to drink?” I produced a flask of Scotch whiskey and he filled half a glass and gulped it down. Then he drew a massive iron key from his pocket and threw it on the bed. “Whatever happens, keep that. Don’t let me have it.” I picked up the key and looked at it curiously. It was about four inches long and very heavy. “Why don’t you want me to let you have it?” “Because it unlocks a door that would lead me to--hell,” he cried fiercely. Then he reached for the flask. “No, no! You’ve had enough,” I said, and drew the bottle out of his reach. “Randolph, you know I’m your friend, don’t you? Look at me! Now what’s the matter? What door are you talking about?” “The door to a wing of the prison where Edison is.” “You said he was in Aaron Burr’s cell.” “He’s been moved to another part of the building. That woman arranged it.” “Why?” He looked at me in a silence of shame, then he forced himself to speak. “So I could carry out my orders” “Orders? Not--not German orders?” He nodded stolidly. “I’m under her orders--it’s the same thing. I can’t help it. I can’t stand against her.” “Then she _is_ the countess?” He bowed his head slowly. “Yes. I meant to play fair. I would have played fair, but--the Germans put this woman on our trail when we left Chicago--they mistrusted something and--” with a gesture of despair, “she found me in Pittsburg--she--she’s got me. I don’t care for anything in the world but that woman.” “Randolph!” “It’s true. I don’t want to live--without her. You needn’t cock up your eyes like that. I’d go back to her now--yes, by God, I’d do this thing now, if I could.” He had worked himself into a frenzy of rage and pain, and I sat still until he grew calm again. “What thing? What is it she wants you to do?” “Get rid of you to begin with,” he snapped out. “It’s easy enough. We go to the prison--this key lets us in. I leave you in the cell with Edison and--you saw that package in my room? It’s a bomb. I explode it under the cell and--there you are!” “You promised to do this?” “Yes! I’m to get five thousand dollars.” “But you didn’t do it, you stopped in time,” I said soothingly. “You’ve told me the truth now and--we’ll see what we can do about it.” He scowled at me. “You’re crazy. We can’t do anything about it. The Germans are in control of Richmond. They’re watching this hotel.” Ryerson glanced at his watch. “Half-past three. I have four hours to live.” “What!” “They’ll come for me at seven o’clock when they find I haven’t carried out my orders, and I’ll be taken to the prison yard and--shot or--hanged. It’s the best thing that can happen to me, but--I’m sorry for you.”