s base; and then
to think of their wives and children at home. We have to do some hard
things; but I say, do the square thing, and let her slide."

"But I can't believe he's guilty," said Eli.

"But don't you allow," said Mr. Eldridge, "that eleven men are more
sure to hit it right than one man?"

"Yes," said Eli, reluctantly, "as a general thing."

"Well, there's always got to be some give to a jury, just as in
everything else, and you ought to lay right down on the rest of us. It
isn't as if we were at all squirmish. Now, you know that if you hold
out, he'll be tried again."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Got to be--no other way," said Mr Eldridge. "Now, the next time,
there won't be anybody like you to stand out, and the judge'll know
of this scrape, and he'll just sock it to him."

Eli turned uneasily in his chair.

"And then it won't be understood in your place, and folks'll turn
against you every way, and, what's worse, let you alone."

"I can stand it," said Eli, angrily. "Let 'em do as they like. They
can't kill me."

"They can kill your wife and break down your children," said Mr.
Eldridge. "Women and children can't stand it. Now there's that man
they were speaking of; he lived down my way. He sued a poor, shiftless
fellow that had come from Pennsylvania to his daughter's funeral, and
had him arrested and taken off, crying, just before the funeral
begun--after they'd even set the flowers on the coffin; and nobody'd
speak to him after that--they just let him alone; and after a while
his wife took sick of it--she was a nice, kindly woman--and she had
sort of hysterics, and, finally, he moved off West. And 'twasn't long
before the woman died. Now, you can't undertake to do different from
everybody else."

"Well," said Eli; "I know I wish it was done with."

Mr. Eldridge stretched his arms and yawned. Then he began to walk up
and down, and hum, out of tune. Then he stopped at Captain Thomas's
chair.

"Suppose we try a ballot," he said. "He seems to give a little."

In a moment the foreman rapped.

"It is time we were taking another ballot, gentlemen," he said.

The sleepers rose, grumbling, from uneasy dreams.

"I will write 'guilty' on twelve ballots," said the foreman, "and if
any one desires to write in 'not,' of course he can."

When the hat came to Eli, he took one of the ballots and held it in
his hand a moment; and then he laid it on the table. There was a
general murmur. The picture which M