"It's no wonder the girl cries! her coffee is cold! I went to the kettle and tasted it myself! She hasn't eaten a mouthful to-day; and now, to have cold coffee given her for her supper, it's too bad! The Master shall know it, and he'll make an awful fuss."
I made no reply to her; but the next morning, I had several questions to ask the Deputy.
"It is a rule, is it, that the prisoners are not to be left alone a moment at night, after they are locked in?"
"Yes."
"Then how am I to leave the prison, go across the kitchen, and pass out my keys? Sometimes it will be ten or fifteen minutes before I can make the prison officer hear my rap."
"Of course you must do that."
"Then I must leave the prison alone. Have the Board of Directors approved both those rules?"
He smiled.
"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?"