, which were
sharply timed to the minute, were these crisp table speeches, often made
_in re_ some particular offender or his offense, at other times mere
sarcastic comments on life in general and the innate cussedness of human
nature, which amused at the same time that they were certain to irritate
some. For who is it that is not interested in hearing the peccadilloes
of his neighbor aired?

Thus while I was there, there was a New York society man by the name of
Blake, who unfortunately was given to severe periods of alcoholism, the
results of which were, after a time, nervous disorders which sent him
here. In many ways he was as amiable and courteous and considerate a
soul as one could meet anywhere. He had that smooth, gracious something
about him--good nature, for one thing, a kind of understanding and
sympathy for various forms of life--which left him highly noncensorious,
if genially examining at times. But his love of drink, or rather his
mild attempts here to arrange some method by which in this droughty
world he could obtain a little, aroused in Culhane not so much
opposition as an amused contempt, for at bottom I think he really liked
the man. Blake was so orderly, so sincere in his attempts to fulfill
conditions, only about once every week or so he would suggest that he be
allowed to go to White Plains or Rye, or even New York, on some errand
or other--most of which requests were promptly and nearly always
publicly refused. For although Culhane had his private suite at one end
of the great building, where one might suppose one might go to make a
private plea, still one could never find him there. He refused to
receive complaints or requests or visits of any kind there. If you
wanted to speak to him you had to do it when he was with the group in
its entirety--a commonsense enough policy. But just the same there were
those who had reasonable requests or complaints, and these, by a fine
intuition as to who was who in this institution and what might be
expected of each one, he managed to hear very softly, withdrawing slowly
as they talked or inviting them into the office. In the main however the
requests were very much like those of Blake--men who wanted to get off
somewhere for a day or two, feeling, as they did after a week or two or
three, especially fit and beginning to think no doubt of the various
comforts and pleasures which the city offered.

But to all these he was more or less adamant. By hook or by cr