Amanda had first demanded of him a statement of all the
facts. He had thereupon informed her of the appointment which he had
made with Swartz in Richmond, to meet him three days afterward at the
house of Alibi--of his detention by the pickets, so that he had been
unable to keep the appointment--Alibi's statement when he saw him, that
Swartz had not been to his house--and Swartz's confinement in the
lonely house, ending in his murder by Darke. That was all he knew, he
said--the paper was gone--where was it?
"At Mr. Alibi's," Amanda had replied; "I only asked you this, Mr.
Nighthawk, to satisfy myself that my visions were true. I _saw_ poor
Mr. Swartz go to Mr. Alibi's, and ask for you, on the day you
appointed. When he was told that you had not come, he seemed very
low-spirited, and told Mr. Alibi that he _must_ see you, to give you a
paper. His life was threatened, he said, on account of that paper. An
officer and a lady had discovered that he had that paper--it was as
much as his life was worth to keep it on his person--if Mr. Alibi would
take it, and for old times' sake, put it away until _he_ came back, he
would pay him as much gold as he could hold in both hands. Then he gave
the paper to Mr. Alibi, and went away, telling him to say nothing of
it."
"I then asked her," continued Nighthawk, "where the paper could be
found.
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