ird gave to me,
on condition that I would never sell it, stating it was all he had and
that it might be useful to me some day if I ever had the handling of
horses.

"Yes!--I should have been wise that time. It was my second offence of
helping my neighbour. Three years and nine months in jail for a kindly
act! Fifteen months more in hell in exchange for a word! What
bargains!"

He grew bitter again.

"The hell-hounds!--they thought I didn't tumble to their little
game."

He stopped again, closing his mouth tightly as if inquiring of himself
why he should be telling this young lady so much.

"Please--please go on," Eileen pleaded, divining his thoughts.

"Why?" he asked bluntly, surveying the slight, lissom figure before
him.

"Oh, because--because I am interested. I am so sorry for you and for
so many others like you," she said.

"Well!--I served my full time--five years--three years with 365 days
each and two leap years with an extra day in them,--1,827 days and
nights, 43,848 hours; 2,630,880 minutes; 157,852,800 second strokes on
the clock. You see I remember it all. Great God, how I used to figure
it out!

"Eight days ago my time was up. I asked them regarding my release. And
simply because I inquired instead of waiting their good pleasure, they
told me I had two weeks more to serve. The damnable lie! As if I
didn't know, as if every jailbird doesn't know the day and the very
minute his release is due!

"Two weeks more!" he went on, his face flushed with indignation and
his breath coming in short jerks.

The clock on Eileen's mantelshelf struck midnight, slowly and
clearly.

The convict looked at it and gasped. When it stopped striking, he
turned to Eileen and his eyes twinkled for a second.

"The Governor of the prison has a little clock just the same as that
in his private room," he said. "Do you know, I'm afraid all the time
that I'm going to wake up from this and find myself back there."

He jerked his torn garments together.

"Guess I'd better be going, though. I've stayed far too long already.
I feel rested now."

"Won't you finish your story first?" pleaded Eileen. "I think you are
safer here--for a while longer--than you would be outside. It won't
hurt to let those horrid, prying, suspicious creatures get well away
from here."

"I have already said more than I intended to," he remarked.

The pair presented a strange contrast as they sat opposite each other
in the lamplight; the one,