noon
The trial was two days off and the least hardship I need expect would be imprisonment until it was over . After that I was at a loss to forecast their designs . Even then I could not be set free to tell my story , but I felt sure that nothing would be done until the arch-conspirator and dictator , Jim Garvin himself , had been consulted and had issued his imperial decree . Shortly before noon I heard footsteps on the stairs , and since one set of feet came with the creaking caution of a person who did not wish to be heard , I feigned sleep and breathed with a deep regularity that was almost a snore . The door opened and Dawson entered . By this time I knew his delicate tread . He crossed the room and looked at me for a while , bending low down to listen to my breathing .