If it is empty we might, perchance, make our escape." All night the boys labored with their daggers, having first tapped the wall all round, to hear if any difference of sound gave an intimation that a hollow space was behind.

They could not perceive this; but fancying that, upon the one side, there was some very slight difference, they attempted to remove the stones there.
All through the night and next day they continued their labor; and succeeded, with great difficulty, in removing two of the stones of the wall.

Behind these, however, was a mass of rubble, formed of cement so hard that the daggers failed to make any impression, whatever, upon it; and after laboring through the whole day, they were forced to abandon the design, and replace the stones as they had before been; filling up the interstices with the mortar which they had dug out, so that no trace of the task upon which they were employed should remain.
That night, when the door opened, two figures, as before, presented themselves; and they knew that their summons before the dreaded court was at hand.

With their daggers and pistols concealed within their vests, they followed their guides; each, with a grasp of his hand, assuring the other of his steadfastness and faith.

They had resolved that, sooner than submit to torture, which would cripple them for life, they would fight to the last, and die resisting.
This time they found in the audience hall, in addition to the three judges, four men; clothed also in black, but evidently of an inferior order.