his highest form of encomium.

Presently I take up some questioning on my own account.

"Hello, Number Four!" I begin.

A voice from the dim and fading daylight of the vault outside answers,
"Hello, Tom!"

"How many fellows are there in here?"

"Six of us, now you've come. That fellow who spoke a while ago is in Two,
next to you. There's a fellow in Three, but he's got a bad cold so he
can't talk very well. Then there's my partner in Five; and a big fellow in
Eight, but he don't say much. Quite a nice party, you see, Tom. Glad
you've come to join us. Say! how long are you goin' to be here?"

"I don't know. There was some talk of letting me out to-night if I would
promise to behave myself."

Then the pleasant voice of Number Two breaks in again. "Well, if they
don't let you out to-night, you're good till Monday, because they never
let us out of here on Sunday."

I shall not attempt to reproduce all the conversation of this memorable
night. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when I entered the dark
cell. During the next three hours, as I sat on the floor close to the door
of my iron cage, our talk covered a wide range of topics from grave to
gay. We touched upon almost every subject, from prison fare and the ethics
of the jail to the comparative merits of various trans-Atlantic liners. We
discussed politics--New York City, state and national; Prison Reform, from
various angles; the character and conduct of celebrities we had seen or
known--both in and out of prison; and other things too numerous to
mention. I must confess that, on the whole, more intelligent, instructive,
and entertaining conversation it has seldom been my lot to enjoy. I soon
came to the conclusion that under favorable conditions the jail was
decidedly the most sociable place in prison.

The brunt of the talk fell upon Number Four, Number Two and myself; with
occasional remarks from Number Five. Number Three was not in condition to
speak, as will be seen later, and he and Number Eight contributed only one
remark apiece during the entire night. The leader of the party was Number
Four, and I hate to think what we should have done without him.

So much for the lighter side of the matter. But all the time our
conversation was going on, more and more the influence of the place kept
closing in upon me; more and more I found myself getting into a state of
helpless anger against the Prison System, the men who have been
responsible for its cont