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see, into a large drain-pipe which ran along the inside wall, and which
was obviously flushed by buckets of water being poured into it. Rats
and other vermin infested this, and it gave off an unpleasant odor which
filled the cell. The floor was of stone. Cowperwood's clear-seeing
eyes took it all in at a glance. He noted the hard cell door, which was
barred and cross-barred with great round rods of steel, and fastened
with a thick, highly polished lock. He saw also that beyond this was a
heavy wooden door, which could shut him in even more completely than the
iron one. There was no chance for any clear, purifying sunlight here.
Cleanliness depended entirely on whitewash, soap and water and sweeping,
which in turn depended on the prisoners themselves.

He also took in Chapin, the homely, good-natured, cell overseer whom he
now saw for the first time--a large, heavy, lumbering man, rather dusty
and misshapen-looking, whose uniform did not fit him well, and whose
manner of standing made him look as though he would much prefer to sit
down. He was obviously bulky, but not strong, and his kindly face was
covered with a short growth of grayish-brown whiskers. His hair was cut
badly and stuck out in odd strings or wisps from underneath his big cap.
Nevertheless, Cowperwood was not at all unfavorably impressed--quite the
contrary--and he felt at once that this man might be more considerate of
him than the others had been. He hoped so, anyhow. He did not know that
he was in the presence of the overseer of the "manners squad," who would
have him in charge for two weeks only, instructing him in the rules of
the prison, and that he was only one of twenty-six, all told, who were
in Chapin's care.

That worthy, by way of easy introduction, now went over to the bed
and seated himself on it. He pointed to the hard wooden chair, which
Cowperwood drew out and sat on.

"Well, now you're here, hain't yuh?" he asked, and answered himself
quite genially, for he was an unlettered man, generously disposed, of
long experience with criminals, and inclined to deal kindly with kindly
temperament and a form of religious belief--Quakerism--had inclined him
to be merciful, and yet his official duties, as Cowperwood later found
out, seemed to have led him to the conclusion that most criminals
were innately bad. Like Kendall, he regarded them as weaklings and
ne'er-do-wells with evil streaks in them, and in the main he was not
mistaken. Yet he coul