"In  making  some  alterations,  the  workmen  came  upon  an
old  dungeon,  which  had  been,  for  many  years,  built  up  and
forgotten.  Every  stone  of  its  inner  wall  was  covered  by
inscriptions  which  had  been  carved  by  prisoners — dates,  names,
complaints,  and  prayers.  Upon  a  corner  stone  in  an  angle
of  the  wall,  one  prisoner,  who  seemed  to  have  gone  to  exe-
cution, had  cut  as  his  last  work,  three  letters.  They  were
done  -with  some  very  poor  instrument,  and  hurriedly,  with  an
unsteady  hand.  At  first,  they  were  read  as  D.  I.  C. ;  but,  on
being  more  carefully  examined,  the  last  letter  was  found  to
be  G.  There  was  no  record  or  legend  of  any  prisoner  with
those  initials,  and  many  fruitless  guesses  were  made  what  the


A   SULTRY  NIGHT.  115

name  could  have  been.  At  length,  it  was  suggested  that  the
letters  were  not  initials,  but  the  complete  word,  Dig.  The
floor  was  examined  very  carefully  under  the  inscription,  and,
in  the  earth  beneath  a  stone,  or  tile,  or  some  fragment  of
paving,  were  found  the  ashes  of  a  paper,  mingled  with  the
ashes  of  a  small  leathern  case  or  bag.  What  the  unknown
prisoner  had  -Nvritten  will  never  be  i-ead,  but  he  had  written
something,  and  hidden-  it  away  to  keep  it  from  the  gaoler."

"  My  father,"  exclaimed  Lucie,  "  you  are  ill ! "

He  had  suddenly  started  up,  with  his  hand  to  his  head.
His  manner  and  his  look  quite  terrified  them  all.
