Ned ate his breakfast voraciously the next day and wanted more.  Dinner also left him hungry, but, carrying out his original plan, he counterfeited weakness, and, before the soldier left, lay down upon the pallet as if he were too languid to care for anything.  He disposed of supper in similar fashion, and then waited with a throbbing pulse for the second call from the senior member of the firm of White & Fulton.

After an incredible period of waiting he heard the slight rasping of the fork in the keyhole.  Then the door was opened and the older partner entered.  Before speaking he carefully relocked the door.

“I believe you’re glad to see me,” he said to Ned.  “You’re sitting up.  I don’t think I ever before saw a boy improve so much in twenty-four hours.  I’ll just feel your pulse.  It will be one of my duties as senior partner to practice medicine for a little while.  Yes, it’s a strong pulse, a good pulse.  You’re quite clear of fever.  You need nothing now but your strength back again, and we’ll wait for that.  All things come to him who waits, if he doesn’t die of old age first.”

His talk was so rapid and cheerful that he seemed fairly to radiate vigor.  It was a powerful tonic to Ned who felt so strong that he was prepared to attempt escape at once.  But Obed shook his head when he suggested it.

“That strength comes from your feelings,” he said.  “All that glitters isn’t gold or silver or any other precious metal.  That false strength would break down under a long and severe test.  We’ll just wait and plan.  For what we’re going to undertake you’re bound to have every ounce of vigor that you can accumulate.”

“You’ve been able to go out in the hall when you chose, then why haven’t you gone away already?” asked Ned.

“I didn’t get my key perfected until a few days ago, and then as I heard you yelling in here I decided to find out about you.  Two are company; one is none, and so we formed a partnership.  Now when the firm acts both partners must act.”

Ned did not reply directly.  He did not know how to thank him for his generosity.

“Have you explored the hall?” he asked.

“It leads up a narrow stairway, down which I came some time ago when my Mexican brethren decided that I was too much of a Texan patriot.  Doubtless you trod the same dark and narrow path.  At the head of that is another door which I have not tried, but which I know I can open with this master key of mine.  Beyond that I’m ignorant of the territory, but there must be a way out since there was one in.  Now, Ned, we must make no mistake.  We must not conceal from ourselves that the firm of White & Fulton is confronted by a great task.  We must select our time, and have ready for the crisis every particle of strength, courage and quickness that we possess.”

Ned knew that he was right, and yet, despite his youth and natural strength, his convalescence was slow.  He had passed through too terrible an ordeal to recover entirely in a day or even a week.  He would test his strength often and at night Obed White would test it, too, but always he was lacking in some particular.  Then Obed would shake his head wisely and say:  “Wait.”