“I never thought of it that way,” said Lemuel, darkened by this black pessimism of the conductor. He had not, practically, found the world so unjust as the conductor implied, but he could not controvert his argument. He only said, “May be the right thing makes us feel good in some way we don't know of.” “Well, I don't want to feel good in some way I don't know of, myself,” said the conductor very scornfully. “No, that's so,” Lemuel admitted. He remained silent, with a vague wonder flitting through his mind whether Mr. Sewell could make anything better of the case, and then settled back to his thoughts of Statira, pierced and confused as they were now with his pain from that trouble with Miss Vane. “What was that you asked me just now?” said the conductor. “That I asked you?” Lemuel echoed. “Oh yes! I asked you how you got your place on the cars.” “Well, sir, you have to have recommendations--they won't touch you without 'em; and then you have to have about seventy-five dollars capital to start with. You got to get your coat, and your cap, and your badge, and you got to have about twenty dollars of your own to make change with, first off; company don't start you with a cent.” Lemuel made no reply. After a while he asked, “Do you know any good hotel, around here, where I could go for the night?” “Well, there's the Brunswick, and there's the Van-dome,” said the conductor. “They're both pretty fair houses.” Lemuel looked round at the mention of the aristocratic hostelries to see if the conductor was joking. He owned to something of the kind by adding, “There's a little hotel, if you want something quieter, that ain't a great ways from here.” He gave the name of the hotel, and told Lemuel how to find it. “Thank you,” said Lemuel. “I guess I'll get off here, then. Well, good evening.” “Guess I'll have to get another nickel from you,” said the conductor, snapping his bell. “New trip,” he explained. “Oh,” said Lemuel, paying. It seemed to him a short ride for five cents. He got off, and as the conductor started up the car, he called forward through it to the driver, “Wanted to try for conductor, I guess. But I guess the seventy-five dollars capital settled that little point for him.”