"Hadn't you better go to bed, my dear?" said a voice near me; and I started into wakefulness, and found Mary standing near me, with the black stocking-covered hand resting on one shoulder, while with the other she brushed my hair off my forehead. "Bed? No!" I exclaimed, shaking myself. "I couldn't help feeling sleepy, Mary; but I shan't go to bed." "But it's close upon twelve o'clock, dear, and you must be tired out." "Never mind, Mary; to-morrow's Sunday," I said, with a yawn; and I went on once more talking to her about the engineer's office, and how I got on with young Girtley and his father, till my voice trailed off, and through a mist I could see Mary with that black stocking upon her hand poking about it with a great needle. Then the black stocking seemed to swell and swell to a mountain's size, till it was like one huge mass, which Mary kept attacking and stabbing with a long, bright steel lance, but without avail, for it still grew, and grew, and grew, till it seemed about to overwhelm me, and in my horror I was trying vainly to cry to her to stab it again, when I started up into wakefulness, for there was the faint tinkle of a bell. Mary, too, had leaped to her feet, and was clinging to me. "Once!" she whispered. There was another tinkle, very softly given. "Twice!" whispered Mary. Then another very faint ring. "Three?" whispered Mary; "it's Jones." "It's Revitts come home!" I said joyfully. "No," she said, still clinging to me. "He has the latchkey." "Lost it," I said. "Let me run down and let him in." "No, no. Wait a moment," said Mary faintly. "I can't bear it yet. There's something wrong with my poor boy." "There isn't," I cried impatiently. "There is," she said hoarsely; "and they've come to bring the news." She clung to me spasmodically, but loosed me directly after, as she said quietly: "I can bear it now." I ran down softly, and opened the door to admit the wandering husband; but to my astonishment, in place of Revitts, there stood Stephen Hallett. "Hallett!" I exclaimed. "Yes," he said. "I saw a light in the rooms. Is Revitts there?" "No," I said. "Not yet." "On duty?" "No; he was married to-day." "Yes, yes," he said, in a strange tone of voice. "I remember now. Who is upstairs?" "Mrs Revitts--Mary." "Let us go up," he said; "I'll step up quietly." I was the more confused and muddled for having just awakened from a deep sleep, and somehow, all this seemed to be part of the dream connected with the great black mass that had threatened to fall upon me. I should not have been the least surprised if I had suddenly awakened and found myself alone, when, after closing the door, I led Hallett upstairs to the little front room where Mary was standing with dilated eyes, staring hard at the door. "You, Mr Hallett?" she exclaimed, as he half staggered in, and then, staring round, seemed to reel, and caught my hand as I helped him to a seat.