"My crime?"
"None."
"For how long—"
"Three days."
He heaved a great sigh of relief.
"It is merely some practical joke, I see. That infernal Franz, I knew he was meditating mischief! Three days—and then free?"
"Yes, for then you die."
Once more he was silent.
Then: "This is a hideous dream. I will waken from it at once—at once. My dear lady—"
She heard him advancing.