I hung on desperately, bending my body along the rail, and he passed directly beneath, yet so shadowed I could merely distinguish his outline.

The fellow--an officer, no doubt, seeking a breath of fresh air--strolled to the opposite corner, and then turned off into the orchard.

I dared not risk an attempt to drop and run, for I knew not what might await me in the darkness.

Yet where I clung I was exposed to discovery, and, when he turned his back, I sank down once more within the shelter of the balcony.

He stopped under the trees, apparently having found a seat of some kind, although I could see nothing except the tip of the burning cigar, as he flipped aside the ashes.