"Like a play," he muttered. "'My Lord, the
carriage waits.'"
With an exclamation of annoyance the Governor stepped forward, took the
two envelopes, displacing them with a bit of silver, and dismissed the
boy. He opened both missives before examining either. Then he stood for
a moment, a rectangle of paper in either hand, frowning.
Van Ness, peering over the Governor's shoulder, read:
We have given up hope for Mr. King's recovery. His death is a matter of
days, perhaps hours.
DR. HAMMOND.
We beg to inform your Excellency that the Vigilance
Committee's guard at the county jail has been withdrawn.
33, SECRETARY.
CHAPTER XLV
THE COMMITTEE STRIKES
On Sunday morning, May 18th, all of San Francisco was astir at dawn.
There was none of the usual late breakfasting, the leisurely perusal of
a morning paper.
In some mysterious fashion word had gone abroad that history would be
made this morning. The odd and feverish expectancy which rides, an
unseen herald in the van of large events, was everywhere.
A part of this undue activity resulted from the summoning of male
members out of nearly three thousand households for military duty to
begin at 9 o'clock.
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