“For what?”

“Well, sir, then—­having paper in my cell, and for writing—­doing what you bade me—­writing my life.”

Mr. Eden colored and winced.  The cruelty and the personal insult combined almost took away his breath for a moment.  “Heaven grant me patience a little longer,” said he aloud.  Then he ran out of the cell, and returned in less than a minute with a great hunch of bread and a slice of ham.  “Eat this,” said he, all fluttering with pity.

The famished man ate like a wolf; but in the middle he did stop to say, “Did one man ever save another so often as you have me!  Now my belly is full I shall have strength to stand the jacket, or whatever is to come next.”

“But you are not to be tormented further than this, I hope?”

“Ah, sir!” replied Robinson, “you don’t know the scoundrel yet.  He is not starving me for nothing.  This is to weaken me till he puts the weight on that is to crush me.”

“I hope you exaggerate his personal dislike to you and your own importance—­we all do that.”

“Well,” sighed Robinson, “I hope I do.  Any way now my belly is full I have got a chance with him.”

The visiting justices met in the jail.  The first to arrive was Mr. Woodcock.  In fact he came at eleven o’clock, an hour before the others.  Had Mr. Hawes expected him so soon, he would have taken Carter down, who was the pilloried one this morning; but he was equal to the emergency.  He met Mr. Woodcock with a depressed manner, as of a tender but wise father, who in punishing his offspring had punished himself, and said in a low, regretful voice, “I am sorry to say I have been compelled to punish a prisoner very severely.”

“What is his offense?”

“Being refractory and breaking his crank.  You will find him in the labor-yard.  He was so violent we were obliged to put him in the jacket.”

“I shall see him.  The labor-yard is the first place I go to.”

Mr. Hawes knew that, Mr. Woodcock.

The justice found Carter in that state of pitiable torture, the sight of which made Mr. Eden very ill.  He went up to him and said, “My poor fellow, I am very sorry for you; but discipline must be maintained, and you are now suffering for fighting against it.  Make your submission to the governor, and then I dare say he will shorten your punishment as far as he thinks consistent with his duty.”

Carter, it may well be imagined, made no answer.  It is doubtful whether the worthy magistrate expected or required one.  An occasion for misjudging a self-evident case of cruelty had arrived.  This worthy seized the opportunity, received an ex-parte statement for Gospel, and misjudged, spite of his senses.

Item.  An occasion for twaddling had come, and this good soul seized it and twaddled into a man’s ear who was fainting on the rack.

At this moment the more observant Hawes saw the signs of shamming coming on.  So he said hastily, “Oh, he will come to soon, and then he will be taken down;” and moved away.  Mr. Woodcock followed him without one grain of suspicion or misgiving.