"But you are stronger both in mind and body," said Sigismund; "and
you are not madly in love as I am."

And then he would pour forth a rhapsody about Gertrude, and about
English life, and about his hopes and fears for the future; to all
of which Valerian, like the brave fellow he was, replied with words
of encouragement.

But at length there came a day when his friend made no answer to his
usual morning greeting.

"Are you ill?" he asked.

For some time there was no reply, but after a while Sigismund rapped
faintly the despairing words:-

"Dead beat!"

Valerian felt the tears start to his eyes. It was what he had all
along expected, and for a time grief and indignation and his
miserable helplessness made him almost beside himself. At last he
remembered that there was at least one thing in his power. Each day
he was escorted by a warder to a tiny square, walled off in the
exercising ground, and was allowed to walk for a few minutes; he
would take this opportunity of begging the warder to get the doctor
for his friend.

But unfortunately the doctor did not think very seriously of
Zaluski's case. In that dreary prison he had patients in the last