time. He fled. The doctor and the attendant who were in the
adjoining room could not see me, or know what the trouble was; but they
lost no time in finding out. Like the proverbial cold-blooded murderer
who stands over his victim, weapon in hand, calmly awaiting arrest, I
stood my ground, and, with a fair degree of composure, awaited the
onrush of doctor and attendant. They soon had me in hand. Each taking
an arm, they marched me to my room. This took not more than half a
minute, but the time was not so short as to prevent my delivering
myself of one more thumb-nail characterization of the doctor. My
inability to recall that delineation, verbatim, entails no loss on
literature. But one remark made as the doctor seized hold of me was
apt, though not impromptu. "Well, doctor," I said, "knowing you to be a
truthful man, I just took you at your word."

Senseless as this act appears it was the result of logical thinking.
The steward had entire charge of the building and ordered all necessary
repairs. It was he whom I desired above all others to see, and I
reasoned that the breaking of several dollars' worth of plate glass
(for which later, to my surprise, I had to pay) would compel his
attention on grounds of economy, if not those of the friendly interest
which I now believed he had abandoned. Early the next morning, as I had
hoped, the steward appeared. He approached me in a friendly way (as had
been his wont) and I met him in a like manner. "I wish you would leave
a little bit of the building," he said good-naturedly.

"I will leave it all, and gladly, if you will pay some attention to my
messages," was my rejoinder.

"Had I not been out of town," he replied, "I would have come to see you
sooner." And this honest explanation I accepted.

I made known to the steward the assistant physician's behavior in
balking my desire to telephone my conservator. He agreed to place the
matter before the superintendent, who had that morning returned. As
proof of gratitude, I promised to suspend hostilities until I had had a
talk with the superintendent. I made it quite plain, however, that
should he fail to keep his word, I would further facilitate the
ventilation of the violent ward. My faith in mankind was not yet wholly
restored.

XV

A few hours later, without having witnessed anything of particular
significance, except as it befell myself, I was transferred to my old
ward. The superintendent, who had ordered this reha