within the law-第13章

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art。　　〃Yes；　you　are　going　to　payfor　this！〃　



CHAPTER　VI。　INFERNO。　

They　were　grim　years；　those　three　during　which　Mary　Turner　served　her　sentence　in　Burnsing。　　There　was　no　time　off　for　good　behavior。　　The　girl　learned　soon　that　the　favor　of　those　set　in　authority　over　her　could　only　be　won　at　a　cost　against　which　her　every　maidenly　instinct　revolted。　　So；　she　went　through　the　inferno　of　days　and　nights　in　a　dreariness　of　suffering　that　was　deadly。　　Naturally；　the　life　there　was　altogether　an　evil　thing。　　There　was　the　material　ill　ever　present　in　the　round　of　wearisome　physical　toil；　the　coarse；　distasteful　food；　the　hard；　narrow　couch；　the　constant；　gnawing　irksomeness　of　imprisonment；　away　from　light　and　air；　away　from　all　that　makes　life　worth　while。

Yet；　these　afflictions　were　not　the　worst　injuries　to　mar　the　girl　convict's　life。　　That　which　bore　upon　her　most　weightily　and　incessantly　was　the　degradation　of　this　environment　from　which　there　was　never　any　respite；　the　viciousness　of　this　spot　wherein　she　had　been　cast　through　no　fault　of　her　own。　　Vileness　was　everywhere；　visibly　in　the　faces　of　many；　and　it　was　brimming　from　the　souls　of　more；　subtly　hideous。　　The　girl　held　herself　rigidly　from　any　personal　intimacy　with　her　fellows。　To　some　extent；　at　least；　she　could　separate　herself　from　their　corruption　in　the　matter　of　personal　association。　　But；　ever　present；　there　was　a　secret　energy　of　vice　that　could　not　be　escaped　so　simplynor；　indeed；　by　any　device；　that　breathed　in　the　spiritual　atmosphere　itself　of　the　place。　　Always；　this　mysterious；　invisible；　yet　horribly　potent；　power　of　sin　was　like　a　miasma　throughout　the　prison。　　Always；　it　was　striving　to　reach　her　soul；　to　make　her　of　its　own。　　She　fought　the　insidious；　fetid　force　as　best　she　might。　　She　was　not　evil　by　nature。　　She　had　been　well　grounded　in　principles　of　righteousness。　　Nevertheless；　though　she　maintained　the　integrity　of　her　character；　that　character　suffered　from　the　taint。　　There　developed　over　the　girl's　original　sensibility　a　shell　of　hardness；　which　in　time　would　surely　come　to　make　her　less　scrupulous　in　her　reckoning　of　right　and　wrong。

Yet；　as　a　rule；　character　remains　the　same　throughout　life　as　to　its　prime　essentials；　and；　in　this　case；　Mary　Turner　at　the　end　of　her　term　was　vitally　almost　as　wholesome　as　on　the　day　when　she　began　the　serving　of　the　sentence。　　The　change　wrought　in　her　was　chiefly　of　an　external　sort。　　The　kindliness　of　her　heart　and　her　desire　for　the　seemly　joys　of　life　were　unweakened。　　But　over　the　better　qualities　of　her　nature　was　now　spread　a　crust　of　worldly　hardness；　a　denial　of　appeal　to　her　sensibilities。　It　was　this　that　would　eventually　bring　her　perilously　close　to　contented　companioning　with　crime。

The　best　evidence　of　the　fact　that　Mary　Turner's　soul　was　not　fatally　soiled　must　be　found　in　the　fact　that　still；　at　the　expiration　of　her　sentence；　she　was　fully　resolved　to　live　straight；　as　the　saying　is　which　she　had　quoted　to　Gilder。　　This；　too；　in　the　face　of　sure　knowledge　as　to　the　difficulties　that　would　beset　the　effort；　and　in　the　face　of　the　temptations　offered　to　follow　an　easier　path。

There　was；　for　example；　Aggie　Lynch；　a　fellow　convict；　with　whom　she　had　a　slight　degree　of　acquaintance；　nothing　more。　　This　young　woman；　a　criminal　by　training；　offered　allurements　of　illegitimate　employment　in　the　outer　world　when　they　should　be　free。　　Mary　endured　the　companionship　with　this　prisoner　because　a　sixth　sense　proclaimed　the　fact　that　here　was　one　unmoral；　rather　than　immoraland　the　difference　is　mighty。　　For　that　reason；　Aggie　Lynch　was　not　actively　offensive；　as　were　most　of　the　others。　　She　was　a　dainty　little　blonde；　with　a　baby　face；　in　which　were　set　two　light…blue　eyes；　of　a　sort　to　widen　often　in　demure　wonder　over　most　things　in　a　surprising　and　naughty　world。　She　had　been　convicted　of　blackmail；　and　she　made　no　pretense　even　of　innocence。　　Instead；　she　was　inclined　to　boast　over　her　ability　to　bamboozle　men　at　her　will。　She　was　a　natural　actress　of　the　ingenue　role；　and　in　that　pose　she　could　unfailingly　beguile　the　heart　of　the　wisest　of　worldly　men。

Perhaps；　the　very　keen　student　of　physiognomy　might　have　discovered　grounds　for　suspecting　her　demureness　by　reason　of　the　thick；　level　brows　that　cast　a　shadow　on　the　bland　innocence　of　her　face。　　For　the　rest；　she　possessed　a　knack　of　rather　harmless　perversity；　a　fair　smattering　of　grammar　and　spelling；　and　a　lively　sense　of　humor　within　her　own　limitations；　with　a　particularly　small　intelligence　in　other　directions。　　Her　one　art　was　histrionics　of　the　kind　that　made　an　individual　appeal。　　In　such；　she　was　inimitable。　　She　had　been　reared　in　a　criminal　family；　which　must　excuse　much。　　Long　ago；　she　had　lost　track　of　her　father；　her　mother　she　had　never　known。　　Her　one　relation　was　a　brother　of　high　standing　as　a　pickpocket。　　One　principal　reason　of　her　success　in　leading　on　men　to　make　fools　of　themselves　over　her；　to　their　everlasting　regret　afterward；　lay　in　the　fact　that；　in　spite　of　all　the　gross　irregularities　of　her　life；　she　remained　chaste。　　She　deserved　no　credit　for　such　restraint；　since　it　was　a　matter　purely　of　temperament；　not　of　resolve。

The　girl　saw　in　Mary　Turner　the　possibilities　of　a　ladylike　personality　that　might　mean　much　financial　profit　in　the　devious　ways　of　which　she　was　a　mistress。　With　the　frankness　characteristic　of　her；　she　proceeded　to　paint　glowing　pictures　of　a　future　shared　to　the　undoing　of　ardent　and　fatuous　swains。　　Mary　Turner　listened　with　curiosity；　but　she　was　in　no　wise　moved　to　follow　such　a　life；　even　though　it　did　not　necessitate　anything　worse　than　a　fraudulent　playing　at　love；　without　physical　degradation。　　So；　she　steadfastly　continued　her　refusals；　to　the　great　astonishment　of　Aggie；　who　actually　could　not　understand　in　the　least；　even　while　she　believed　the　other's　declaration　of　innocence　of　the　crime　for　which　she　was　serving　a　sentence。　　But；　for　her　own　part；　such　innocence　had　nothing　to　do　with　the　matter。　　Where；　indeed；　could　be　the　harm　in　making　some　old　sinner　pay　a　round　price　for　his　folly？　　And　always；　in　response　to　every　argument；　Mary　shook　her　head　in　negation。　　She　would　live　straight。

Then；　the　heavy　brows　of　Aggie　would　draw　down　a　little；　and　the　baby　face　would　harden。

〃You　will　find　that　you　are　up　against　a　hell　of　a　frost；〃　she　would　declare；　brutally。

Mary　found　the　profane　prophecy　true。　　Back　in　New　York；　she　experienced　a　poverty　more　ravaging　than　any　she　had　known　in　those　five　lean　years　of　her　working　in　the　store。　　She　had　been　absolutely　penniless　for　two　days；　and　without　food　through　the　gnawing　hours；　when　she　at　last　found　employment　of　the　humblest　in　a　milliner's　shop。　　Followed　a　blessed　interval　in　which　she　worked　contentedly；　happy　over　the　meager　stipend；　since　it　served　to　give　her　shelter　and　food　honestly　earned。

But　the　ways　of　the　police　are　not　always　those　of　ordinary　decency。　　In　due　time；　an　officer　informed　Mary's　employer　concerning　the　fact　of　her　record　as　a　convict；　and　thereupon　she　was　at　once　discharged。　The　unfortunate　victim　of　the　law　came　perilously　close　to　despair　then。　　Yet；　her　spirit　triumphed；　and　again　she　persevered　in　that　resolve　to　live　straight。　　Finally；　for　the　second　time；　she　secured　a　cheap　position　in　a　cheap　shoponly　to　be　again　persecuted　by　the　police；　so　that　she　speedily　lost　the　place。

Nevertheless；　indomitable　in　her　purpose；　she　maintained　the　struggle。　　A　third　time　she　obtained　work；　and　there；　after　a　little；　she　told　her　employer；　a　candy　manufacturer　in　a　small　way；　the　truth　as　to　her　having　been　in　prison。　　The　man　had　a　kindly　heart；　and；　in　addition；　he　ran　little　risk　in　the　matter；　so　he　allowed　her　to　remain。　　When；　presently；　the　police　called　his　attention　to　the　girl's　criminal　record；　he　paid　no　heed　to　their　advice　against　retaining　her　services。　　But　such　action　on　his　part　offended　the　greatness　of　the　law's　dignity。　　The　police　brought　pressure　to　bear　on　the　man。　　They　even　called　in　the　assistance　of　Edward　Gilder　himself；　who　obligingly　wrote　a　very　severe　letter　to　the　girl's　employer。　　In　the　end；　such　tactics　alarmed　the　man。　　For　the　sake