The fuel had given out. After a little while the last spark died. And she slept.
The dim light fell on them where they slept seated upright, unconscious, swaying as the car swayed. Unseen forests swept past on either side under a dark sky set with stars; low mountains loomed in the night, little rivers sparkled under trestles for a second and vanished in the dull roar of the rushing train.
The man, sunk back against the upholstered seat, lay as though dead.
But after a while the girl dreamed. It was the frontier toward which they were rushing through the night--a broad white road running between meadows set with flowers, such as she had often seen.
Two painted sentry boxes stood on either side of the boundary; the one on her side was empty, but in the other she realized that her enemy was on guard, hidden, watching her.
She desired to cross. In all her life never had she so longed for anything as she longed to cross that still, sunny, flower-bordered frontier.
She dared not. Her enemy stood hidden, armed, watching her from within that painted sentry box. She knew it. She was afraid. She knew that her enemy would step out with weapon levelled and challenge her the instant she set foot across that flowering frontier. She was afraid of his challenge, afraid even to learn what her enemy might look like.
Yet she _must_ cross. Something had to be done--something had to be done while the sun was shining and the breeze in the meadow set the flowers all swaying. She looked desperately at the silent sentry box. Nothing moved. Yet she knew her enemy was watching her.
Then, frightened, she set one foot across the line--took one more step, very timidly.
She knew it--she _knew_ it! It had come--it had happened to her at last!
"F-friend!" she faltered--"but I do not know the countersign."
"_Pass, friend, without the countersign!_"
She listened again, her hand resting against her heart. But she only heard a child laughing inside the sentry box, and the smothered ruffle of preening wings.
Her dream partly awoke her; she lay very still, vaguely conscious of where her cheek was resting, then closed her eyes to seek her enemy again among her dreams.
They awoke with a light shining in their eyes; the guard stood on the running rail, one hand on the knob of the door.