“La! bless you, no.  He was harder worked and worse fed than any man in the jail.”

“At work last night!  Then at what hour did he die?  He is stiff and cold.  This is a very sudden death.  Did any one see this boy die?”

The men gave no answer, but the last words—­“Did any one see this boy die?”—­seemed to give Evans a new light.

“No!” he cried.  “No one saw him die.  Look here, sir.  See what is dangling from the window—­his handkerchief.”

“And this mark round his throat, Evans.  He has destroyed himself.”  And Mr. Eden recoiled from the corpse.

“Oh! you may forgive him, sir,” said Evans.  “We should all have done the same.  No human creature could live the life they led him.  Who could live upon bread and water and punishment?  It is a sorrowful sight, but it is a happy release for him.  Eh! poor lad,” said Evans, laying his hand upon the body; “I liked thee well, but I am glad thou art gone.  Thou hast escaped away from worse trouble.”

“Come, it is no use sniveling, Evans,” put in Hawes.  “I am as sorry for this job as you are.  But who would have thought he was so determined?  He gave us no warning.”

“Don’t you believe that, sir,” cried Evans to Mr. Eden.  “He gave them plenty of warning.  I heard him with my own ears tell you you were killing him; not a day for the last fortnight he did not tell you so, Mr. Hawes.”

“Well, I didn’t believe him, you see.”

“You mean you didn’t care.”

“Hold your tongue, Evans!  You are disrespectful.  How dare you speak to me, you insolent dog?  Hold your tongue!”

“No, sir, I won’t hold my tongue over this dead body.”

“Be silent, Evans,” said Mr. Eden.  “This is no place for disputes.  Evans, my heart is broken.  While there is life there is hope; but here, what hope is there?  Many in this place live in crime, but this one has died in crime; he of whom I had such good hopes has died in crime—­died by his own hand; he has murdered his own soul; my heart is broken!—­my heart is broken!” The good man’s anguish was terrible.

Evans consoled him.  “Don’t go on so, sir! pray don’t.  Josephs is where none of us but you shall ever get to; he is in heaven as sure as we are upon earth.  He was the best lad in the place; there wasn’t a drop of gall in him; who ever heard a bad word from him? and he did not kill himself till he found he was to die whether or no; so then he shortened his own death-struggle, and he was right.”

“I don’t understand you.”

“I dare say not, sir; but those two understand me.  Oh, it is no use to look black at me now, Mr. Hawes; I shall speak my mind though my head was to be cut off.  I have been a coward; I thought too much of my wife and children; but I am a man now.  Eh! poor lad, thou shan’t be maligned now thou art dead, as well as tormented alive.  Sir, he that lies here so pale and calm was not guilty of self-destruction.  He was driven to death!—­don’t speak to me, sir, but look at me, and hear the truth, as it will come out the day all of us in this cell are damned, except you—­and him!”