months he had become the soul, the law, the order of the work-room; he
was the dial, concentrating all rays; he must even himself have
sometimes doubted whether he were king or prisoner--it was the
captivity of a pope among his cardinals.

By as natural a reaction, accomplished step by step, as he was loved
by the prisoners, so was he detested by the jailers. It is always
thus, popularity cannot exist without disfavor--the love of the slaves
is always exceeded one degree by the hate of their masters.

Sam Needy was, by his particular organization, a great eater; his
stomach was so formed, that food enough for two common men would
hardly have sufficed for his nourishment. Lord Slickborough had one of
these large appetites, and laughed at it; but that which is a cause of
gayety for a British peer, with a rent-roll of fifty-thousand pounds
a year, is a heavy charge to an artisan, and a misfortune to a
prisoner.

Sam Needy, free in his own loft, worked all day, earned his four
pounds of bread, and ate it; Sam Needy, in prison, worked all day,
and, for his pains, received invariably one pound and a half of bread,
and four ounces of meat; the ration admits of no change. Sam was
therefore constantly hungry whilst in the House of Correction; he was
hungry, and no more--he did not speak of it because it was not his
nature so to do.

One day Sam, after devouring his scanty pittance, had returned to his
work, thinking to cheat his hunger by it--the rest of the prisoners
were eating cheerily. A young man, pale, fair, and feeble-looking,
came and placed himself near him; he held in his hand his ration, as
yet untouched, and a knife; he remained in that situation, with the
air of one who would speak, and dares not. The sight of the man, and
his bread and meat annoyed Sam.

"What do you want?" said he, rudely.

"That you would do me a service," said the young man, timidly.

"What?" replied Sam.

"That you would help me to eat this--it is too much for me."

A tear stood in the proud eye of Sam; he took the knife, divided the
young man's ration into two equal parts, took one of them, and began
eating.

"Thank you," said the young man; "if you like, we will share together
every day."

"What is your name?" said Sam.

"Heartall."

"Wherefore are you here?"

"I have committed a theft."

"And I too," said Sam.

Henceforth they did thus share together every day. Sam Needy was
little more than thirty years old, but at