who had lost half an ear in a drunken brawl, and who
proved to be quarrelsome, cursing Jurgis because he moved
in his bunk and caused the roaches to drop upon the lower
one. It would have been quite intolerable, staying in a
cell with this wild beast, but for the fact that all day long
the prisoners were put at work breaking stone.

Ten days of his thirty Jurgis spent thus, without hear~
ing a word from his family; then one day a keeper came
and informed him that there was a visitor to see him.
Jurgis turned white, and so weak at the knees that he
could hardly leave his cell.

The man led him down the corridor and a flight of
steps to the visitors' room, which was barred like a cell.
Through the grating Jurgis could see someone sitting in
a chair; and as he came into the room the person started
up, and he saw that it was little Stanislovas. At the sight
of someone from home the big fellow nearly went to pieces
-- he had to steady himself by a chair, and he put his
other hand to his forehead, as if to clear away a mist.
"Well?" he said, weakly.

Little Stanislovas was also trembling, and all but too
frightened to speak. "They -- they sent me to tell
you--" he said, with a gulp.

"Well?" Jurgis repeated.

He followed the boy's glance to where the keeper was
standing watching them. "Never mind that," Jurgis
cried, wildly. "How are they?"

"Ona is very sick," Stanislovas said; "and we are
almost starving. We can't get along; we thought you
might be able to help us."

Jurgis gripped the chair tighter; there were beads of
perspiration on his forehead, and his hand shook. "I --
can't -- help you," he said.

"Ona lies in her room all day," the boy went on, breath~
lessly. "She won't eat anything, and she cries all the
time. She won't tell what is the matter and she won't go
to work at all. Then a long time ago the man came for
the rent. He was very cross. He came again last week. He
said he would turn us out of the house. And then Marija--"

[[201]]

p200 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p201w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p202

v?