every week, besides ever so many feast days."

"Oh, I can do another 'bit,' no matter whether I am Jew, Turk, or
Christian; but if I get an easy job I mean to go on the square, upon my
word I do."

"Who'll employ you, do you think?"

"Why, I shall go to the society."

"The society be ----! they will not do you any good."

"I believe it is under new management now, and they don't cheat a
fellow out of his gratuity as they used to do; but I think it's a wrong
name to give it--The Prisoners' Aid Society! the very cases requiring
most aid they won't assist at all, and unless a fellow is stout and
hearty and has got some gratuity they won't have anything to do with
him. If I had only a few shillings coming due to me they would not aid
me, but as I have five or six pounds they will, now that looks
suspicious. Then, if I had lost a leg, like that bloke over there, they
wouldn't aid me. But if I don't go to the society I will, perhaps, go
to Ireland and give them a turn there."

"Oh!" said Pat, "you'll find nothing that wants lifting there."

"Have you been to Spike Island, Pat?"

"Yes."

"What sort of place is it, and what about this Irish system?"

"Oh! the place is something like the public works here, and as for the
Irish System--I can see nothing in it except that they get most of the
prisoners sent to America, and if they would send _us_ there, we
might get a living too, without going on the cross! There are not many
regular prigs in the Irish prisons. Many of them are fellows who got
into trouble in some drunken row, and the people in Ireland are not so
prejudiced against convicts as the English are, so that work is easier
got; another thing is when your time is near up you are trusted a
little, and get some liberty to go about. In this way the authorities
can see who's who. Then the numbers are fewer altogether, and a small
lot of men are easier dealt with, you know, than many thousands. It
wouldn't work quite so well here, but the great thing is sending the
prisoners abroad in some way or other. Do you know that Lafferty and
Badger are going to be sent to New Orleans, by the Catholic Aid
Society?"

"No! what will Lafferty do there?"

"Oh! he must go on the cross, I expect, but Badger is able to work.
He's a very good 'buzzer,' is Lafferty, mind you, and he might do very
well out there."

"Well, the time's up Ned, I suppose you'll be going up to the 'farm'
to-night, and we sha'n't see you again. Well, o