“Of course not. What do you mean by poverty?”
“The common garden variety sort. I have hardly a dollar in the world. As to my identity,—if it interests you at all, I graduated in medicine last June. I spent the last of the money that was to educate me in purchasing a dress suit to graduate in, and a supper by way of celebration. The dress suit helped me to my diploma. The supper gave me typhoid.”
“So that was it!”
“Not jail, you see.”
“And what are you going to do now?”
I glanced around to where a police officer stood behind us watchfully.
“Now? Why, now I go to jail in earnest.”
“You have been very good to us,” she said wistfully. “We have all been strained and nervous. Maybe you have not thought I noticed or—or appreciated what you were doing; but I have, always. You have given all of yourself for us. You have not slept or eaten. And now you are going to be imprisoned. It isn’t just!”
I tried to speak lightly, to reassure her.
“Don’t be unhappy about that,” I said. “A nice, safe jail, where one may sleep and eat, and eat and sleep—oh, I shall be very comfortable! And if you wish to make me exceedingly happy, you will see that they let me have a razor.”