"I had news from Trigger yesterday," I told him, "Todd has gone away, so
there will probably be peace for a long while."

"Where has he gone to?" he asked.

"I am unable to say," I replied.

_Monday._

Blant continues to refuse all food, and to maintain his terrible
silence. He sits with his head in his hands all day long, oblivious of
everything around him. The kind-hearted keeper stays in his cell with
him at night. "I know he haint in no fix to stand lonesomeness," he said
to me to-day; "even if he don't pay no attention to me, I allow it's
some comfort to him to have a human nigh." Then he added, "If he haint
able to speak out his grief before long, it's liable to strike in and
kill him. Something ought to be done to rouse him."

"What?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't rightly know. But he's turnt loose all holts on life;
something to grapple him to it again is needed."

Knowing their love for each other, my first thought of course was to
bring Nucky; but the terrible story could have only disastrous effects
upon him at present, so that is not to be considered.

_Thursday._

The mail-carrier stopped at the gate yesterday to say, "I hear tell that
Blant haint toch a morsel of vittles sence he shot Rich. Neither has the
babe, sence he left it, to speak of,--the pore little creetur just
whimps and pines for him continual, and won't scacely tech the food its
pap gives it. Minervy Saxby's been over trying to peaceify it,--but in
vain. It was allus purely silly about Blant, allowing he's its maw.
When a babe gits its mind sot thataway on a proposition, there haint no
help for it but to give it what it craves. It's likely to pine away if
you don't."

I did not tell Blant of this when I stopped by the jail this
afternoon,--I hope it will not reach him, as it could only add to his
misery. I was thankful when I arrived to find him out in the common
room, where all the prisoners stay during the day, even though he sat in
a corner and did not seem to see the others.

The keeper followed me out again, and talked a while on the steps, "I
got Blant started on a few vittles to-day, after nine days of starving,"
he said. "The way I done it was to make out I thought he was trying to
cheat the gallows. Then he called for meat and bread. 'Pears like the
gallows is the onliest prospect he is able to take any comfort in, and I
hold it before him constant, to sort of keep his sperrits up. Though God
knows I'm a-actin