," commanded Mr. Hertzog, and the
senior partner turned away wearily without another word.

"It's the reaction after that cussed Horton affair," Mr. Glenning
remarked; "he was snappy enough about that until Mackenzie was finally
knocked out, but since then he's drooped. Reaction, I suppose--don't
you?"

"Yes."

Mr. Hertzog was seldom more than monosyllabic, but his eyes followed the
wilted little figure of his partner with more anxiety than the word
implied. Alone in his private room he frowned, muttering to himself:

"Reaction--yes or action.--Costing us thousands of dollars anyway.
Confound the little fool!"

III.

Mr. Constable's physician recommended rest and a complete change of
scene. With all the world to choose from, the patient made a peculiar
selection for his place of sojourn. It was Sing Sing, on the Hudson. But
Mr. Constable strictly complied with the Doctor's advice in not allowing
anyone to know his address.

There is not much to be seen in Sing Sing except the State Prison, but
Mr. Constable saw that very thoroughly. For two days he spent all the
time allotted to visitors in making himself acquainted with convict
life. He was writing a novel, he told the Warden, and wanted local
colour. No--he did not know any one in the prison--he was an Englishman,
and only on a visit to this country. Would he like to make a tour of the
buildings with the Warden? Nothing, he declared, would give him greater
pleasure--he was interested in every detail. So, escorted by the Warden,
he passed through the clean, well-aired corridors, inspected the orderly
kitchens and the huge laundries, viewed the immense workshops filled
with convicts toiling in splendid, disciplined silence, watched the men
file to their meals, their hands hooked over one another's shoulders,
their heads bent down, eyes upon the ground, bodies close together, and
their feet keeping time in the lock-step prescribed by the regulations.

It was all very impressive, he told the Warden--a wonderful triumph of
system and discipline. He congratulated the official, and was invited
into the private office for a smoke and chat.

Did the Warden suppose there were any innocent men in the cells? Very
likely there were some--it was not uncommon for prisoners to have new
trials granted them, and occasionally a man would be acquitted on these
second trials. Did many of the men return after serving sentence? Yes, a
good many. Why? Well, principally, the Ward