“I think I had better get away from here, if they are going to have prayer-meeting,” muttered Pat. “I wonder if a bit of a prayer would do me good. The first chance I get, I belave I will do a little of it. Well, here is another day, and nearly time for the trial. I had better step in the office a bit.” “Pat, your absence this morning makes me think you had a good night’s rest.” “I will call it rest when I get it. Indade, I never closed me eyes.” “Was anything wrong with the prisoners? I was going to ask you to go by cell 78 and see our new prisoner, and it passed from my mind.” “I did the very thing that passed from your mind. I guess it came to my mind.” “Is everything all right?” “Yes. We had some prayers, and I think it helped the fellow that prayed, and I am thinking of doing a little of it meself, when I get a chance.” “The poor man! Remorse always sets in after they get in behind the bars, Pat. Do you know that this is a hard place to be—to work for a livelihood? You have no trouble of your own, but you worry about the other fellow’s trouble.” “Faith, and if I had no troubles of me own, I would let the other fellow worry about his own.” “You have no troubles to worry over. See how long you have been here, and you could not get into trouble here, could you?” “No, I couldn’t, but I have.” “You have? Tell me, Pat, what is wrong.” “We had better put that off.” “It will soon be time for Pearson’s trial, and you will be one of the witnesses. As he has confessed that he is guilty, I think it will go hard with him.” “Now, me friend, your honor, I’m not going to kape the secret anny longer. I just as well have it out with, and you may cut down expenses and have two trials at once. I have a secret to tell you. Every bit of it is the truth, and I too am going to confess, and then, when I get the chance, I’ll pray, and perhaps I too will feel better.” “Go ahead, Pat.” “I am after listening, and I heard the man to be tried to-day trying to spend five thousand dollars easy, and I thought: ‘If you have it to give away, I meself would take a little of it.’ And I in a way as much as told him so, and then I changed me mind. I thought I would like this job the best. Now he insists I spend his money, and I don’t want it at all, and I told him so. Now he has threatened to turn me over to the officials here if I don’t be a gentleman, and I never was one, and now I know I couldn’t be one, so there is the secret.” “Well, we must now attend court. You will have to tell all you know, Pat. You may go for Pearson and take him to court. I will be there presently.”