ve it left open, to which suggestion he kindly
yields. It is a large double door and gives light as well as fresh air to
all our part of the shop.

This little episode has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the men; I
almost instantly feel that I have risen several pegs in the esteem of my
comrades. Several of them who have hitherto held aloof come over for an
introduction to Tom Brown. If I am on the side of the convicts against the
officers, in short if I am "ag'in the government," I must be all right. I
am perfectly conscious of the barriers giving way. Of course the game I
am playing has its dangers, but I believe it is the wise one. If I am
really to gain these men's confidence, I must be on the convicts' side and
act the part completely. I must look at matters from the convicts' point
of view; and scorn of all forms of hypocrisy and double dealing on the
part of those in authority as well as good faith with your pals seems to
be the platform upon which all the best men stand. And these are mighty
fine qualities outside prison; why then are they not equally fine inside?
Are not truth and courage and devotion to be welcomed wherever found? And
are not falsehood and hypocrisy always hateful? A certain man who is
serving time here, although innocent of the crime for which he was sent,
because he could not escape conviction without implicating two of his
friends is a type. "But then," he once explained to me, "you see, I had
done a good many things for which I had not served time. And our code of
ethics is based upon the rule that you must never squeal on a pal." It was
the same man who, when he once started to complain of the injustice of
some term he had served and I had said, "Yes, but you must consider the
other side of it," broke into a smile and answered:

"You are entirely right. I've calculated that I still owe the state of New
York two or three hundred years."

But all that is another story.

Before the morning is over George, the trusty, comes along saying: "Shave,
Jack?" "Yes." "Shave, Brown?" "No, thank you."

So my partner goes under George's hands for his semiweekly barbering, and
in due time reappears, looking his best. If anyone should ask me how good
is Jack's best, I should have to answer that I have not the least idea. By
this time I am becoming so attached to my open-hearted, whole-souled
partner that I can only look at him with the eyes of affectionate and
indiscriminating friendship.

While J