I'll make a full
confession. I'll tell the whole story!"
The trap-door was replaced and we were again in complete darkness.
He settled himself beside me in the straw.
"No need to husband our provisions now," he said. "Neither of us will be
left long in this hole. Let's comfort ourselves with food and wine."
I felt inclined the same way and we munched and passed the kidskin back
and forth.
"Tell me," I said, "how it was that your thumping brought such a quick
response."
"I signalled in the code of knocking known to all jailers," he said.
I expressed my amazement and incredulity.
"Don't you fool yourself," he said. "There is a certain sort of mutual
understanding between executioners and jailers on the one hand and
criminals on the other. There must be a give and take in all trades, even
between man-hunters and hunted men. They were on the watch for any signal
I might give, if it really meant anything. They were pleased to hear.
You'll see the results promptly."
In fact, after no long interval, the trap-door was lifted again and a rope
lowered, up which Crispinillus was bidden to climb.
He embraced me time after time, saying that we should never set eyes on
each other again and that, confession or no confession, he knew his doom
was not far off; but he wanted me, as long as I lived, to remember the
gratitude of Nona's husband, his thankfulness for my treatment of his
family and his efforts to requite the service.
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