"The reason why I asked was, because the Supervisor and Shop Matron thought I had committed a great violation of the rules, to leave the prison a moment to find you, to ask you a question, when I was in difficulty last night." "Did you have any difficulty last night?" I told him the story of Haggerton, and Mrs. Hardhack's management in the case. "You can judge that such conduct is calculated to produce disorder, and it did. It was nearly half an hour before I got the women quiet again." "Mrs. Hardhack has been here many years--she ought to know better than to behave in that way. If she don't, I can teach her." I did not tell him what followed. I had been studying the "Rules and Regulations" of the Board of Directors, for myself, and intended to abide by them. I remarked carelessly,-- "The Board direct that the convicts shall work from sunrise to sunset. They were worked an hour later last night." "They had some contract work that they wanted to finish." "The order of the Board is to work from sunrise to sunset. There is no provision made for finishing contract work. The order to work over hours was submitted to the Board for approval last night, was it not?" "You are sharp. I see you wish to do your own duty, and you wish others to do the same." "Yes, I like to do my duty if I can find out what it is. In this particular case, I am indifferent whether others do theirs or not. But, if I find them following me up to make me perform mine accurately, when they are involved in the same, it is perfectly natural for me to turn and observe their manner of doing theirs." "I am trying to do mine." "I see that you are, and I am glad that you have a better opportunity to find out what it is, than I do." The moment that Mrs. Hardhack was out of the prison, that night, the convicts commenced hooting and whistling. If she did not put Haggerton up, directly, to play off on me, which I strongly suspected, her behavior was calculated to encourage their conduct. I was a new Matron, this was my first night alone, and they would try me, to see what stuff I was made of. If Mrs. Hardhack had instigated their conduct, the punishment would come upon them, not her. It was my business to suppress the noise, and to detect those who were engaged in making it. I drew my feet from my slippers, and commenced my search for the culprits. It was made a short one by the assistance of one of the sweeps who hated Mrs. Hardhack, and would do anything to thwart her--even betray a fellow-prisoner. She pointed me to one of the doors from whence the whistling came. I crept softly along, in the shade, and stood by the next door a moment. The girl, unconscious that I was near, gave another shrill call. "That is you, is it, Kate Connolly?" I said, close to her ear. She burst into tears at the sound of my voice. Her imagination at once brought before her the long aching induced by solitary confinement. It was far from an agreeable prospect to look forward to.