I was half frenzied. I started up and rushed around the prison. I laid my head against the iron bars of the grated doors. I leaned against the cold stone walls. I could have lain down upon them in bitter penance for the part which I had taken. The eight o'clock bell rung for inspection. It was a relief. Humbly I took my lantern, and crept softly round to examine the locks. Many of the women were in bed, some of them were up reading. One of the girls looked up to me with a smile, and said,--I wondered that she could smile at all,-- "See how nicely I keep the rats out." She had taken off the cover of her box, and braced it, by the box, against the lower part of the door. Every room is furnished with a box which has a drawer in it. This box serves for table and pantry. It contains a spoon, knife and fork, salt and pepper boxes. "Can't they jump over that?" "They don't try; but run along to another room. There hasn't been one in here since I put it up." I sat down and busied myself reading till the nine o'clock locking came. When that was accomplished, I went up, up, up the stone stairs to my cell in the roof of the prison. I laid me down, and from sheer exhaustion fell into a kind of slumber; but my short sleep, if it were sleep, was rank with nightmare, or haunted with the ghosts of my abode. No sooner did I become unconscious, than I was falling from my eyrie to the rocky floor below, or was strapped upon the iron bars that held the prisoners' beds. Visions appeared to my dream-sight that roused me with a start and scream to wakefulness again. Even such disturbed slumber had hardly got possession of my faculties when a volley of oaths came rolling through my door, and roused me to distinct consciousness. I sprang from my bed, ran to the door, and called,-- "What is the matter?" "That bloody Smith snores so that we can't sleep!" "Where is she? I will go down and wake her." "On the third division, south side, almost to the foot." I put my feet into my slippers, wrapped a shawl around me, and ran down to Smith's door. "Smith, turn over! You are snoring so loud that the other women can't sleep." "O! how you scared me." "Do you know that you are snoring so loud that the women can't sleep? Turn over on your side!" "Yes, ma'am." I went back to my bed, but no sooner had I settled myself to sleep than the clamor of complaint was renewed. "That bloody Smith is at her snoring again!" Again I started for the second division, south side. "Smith! you are snoring again!" "I can't help it, ma'am! don't have me punished." Punished! How the idea haunted them, even in their sleep. "I know you can't help it, only by turning over. Turn on your face, and try that. The women must sleep, they are tired, and they are obliged to work to-morrow." "I'll try not to snore, ma'am!" She turned on her face as I directed her.