upon him to preserve his own independence
while still pursuing the one object of his life with undiminished
effort.

A flood of light from the suddenly opened church-door,
followed by a burst of pent-up melody, recalled
him to himself. He waited until all was dark again,
rose to his feet, passed through the gate and, with a
brace of his shoulders and quickened step, walked on
into Wall Street.

As he made his way along the deserted thoroughfare,
where but a few hours since the very air had been
charged with a nervous energy whose slightest vibration
was felt the world over, the sombre stillness of the ancient
graveyard seemed to have followed him. Save
for a private watchman slowly tramping his round and
an isolated foot-passenger hurrying to the ferry, no
soul but himself was stirring or awake except, perhaps,
behind some electric light in a lofty building where
a janitor was retiring or, lower down, some belated
bookkeeper in search of an error.

Leaving the grim row of tall columns guarding the
front of the old custom-house, he turned his steps
in the direction of the docks, wheeled sharply to the
left, and continued up South Street until he stopped
in front of a ship-chandler's store.

Some one was at work inside, for the rays of a lantern