somewhat lighter
heart.

The governor of Siberia sat meditating for some time after being left
alone.

He had been a schoolmate of Paul Mastowix, and well remembered that even
as a boy his chief characteristic was hypocrisy, and even in after years
he had many times suspected the loyalty of the man, and was not at all
surprised to learn that he was an active Nihilist behind a mask of
loyalty.

And it was so strange that the innocent cause of his sudden downfall
should now come under his charge. The fact gave him an interest in the
young man which he would not otherwise have had, for he evidently
believed his story.

So he set to work to think of a place where he could put him until such
time as he could make sure regarding him, and after consulting with the
superintendent, he concluded to put him into the general reception-room,
to act as an assistant in receiving new convicts sent to Siberia.

And the following day he was installed there. In the meantime, however
his wounds had been dressed by one of the surgeons--a rare condescension
to a prisoner.

It was a strange place, but there was little to do, save when a new
batch of prisoners arrived; and as he had already gone through with the
prisoner part of the business, the place after all did not seem so
strange to him.

There were altogether about a dozen men belonging to this department,
and for the most part they were exiles for life, or long terms, who had
become blunted and reconciled-men whose hopes and ambitions were gone,
and who only lived because they could not die--men whose time had not
yet come.

The employees in this department seldom spoke to each other. Some of
them were old men, some actually tottering and evidently longing for the
grave, and when young Barnwell was put among them he was not received
with favor, hardly with prison civility.

"He is a spy," said one.

"Put here to watch us," said another.

"But what can he learn? We have no secrets, no desires but to die,"
remarked a third.

"Yet there must be some reason for this young man's being placed here;
keep an eye on him," whispered a fourth.

"Bah!" was the general expression, for they knew there was no occasion
to watch them, and if there was they would not be there, but down in the
gold mines, hundreds of feet below, where they now suffered with the
cold.

And so it passed into a matter of indifference with them. They regarded
themselves as favored above the general run