“I hardly think! That is taken. The murderer that is coming to-morrow will have that.” “Well, I am going to get away from here before to-morrow. I shall report to the office, if you do not help me out, of your accepting a bribe, as you agreed to do, to assist me in getting away. And they will look at it this way: If you can be bought off, you would not be a competent man to have in here. And that means you would lose your job, and you would find it hard to get employment elsewhere, for your dishonesty would follow you wherever you went.” “Just as yours have done. And, me friend Pearson, I have not committed the crime yet, and now I know, I never shall, so you just as well keep your head shut, for I am now in a position where I might show you some favors that I will do; but I will never show you the way out of this place.” “I am doomed to die here! It will kill me to have sentence passed on me in court, and I am guilty, and it will be proved. Pat, won’t you please help me out? I will do anything for you. I will give you my beautiful daughter Gertie, whom you so much admire.” “You are very kind. I am after seeing one young man in trouble because he is in love with one of your beautiful daughters, and I’ll be after loving a girl whose dad is out. I won’t have to come to the penitentiary to ask for his girl.” “Then you have decided to allow me to remain here, have you, Pat?” “I’m not the court.” “You are not going to help me out?” “I am not.” “You shall rue this day. I shall explain everything to the office to-morrow.” “I’ll go, then, and let you think about it, so you will have a good story to tell. Good night, Pearson.” “So Pat has weakened! I’ll see how he talks in the morning. I feel certain that to-morrow the officials will take steps to bring Pearson to trial, and I know that with what proof we have—and he has also pleaded guilty in the presence of the officials themselves—he will be sentenced for a number of years. I must now return to the office. I think Pat is out of sight. The crisis will come to-morrow.” “Well, me friend is mad because I do not help him out of his trouble and help meself into trouble. I wonder where I heard that voice. I’m glad I heard it when I did, and not after I did the dirty work.” “_My boy, I was following you all the time, and would not have allowed you to commit the crime._” “What do I hear? Another voice, or is it the same? Well, me friend, I am a brave Irishman, and just as long as you want to talk to me you may do so. I’ll sit here the rest of the night, and I won’t have long to wait. It’s nearly morning now. But I would of lost manny a night’s sleep, perhaps, if you had not of told me. Whoever you are—I don’t know.” “_And I am not going to tell you, now._”