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 blankets, and talked. He told his story, I told mine; and it was a comfort to each of us that somebody was listening to him."

Suddenly light poured into the room. The electric lamp on the ceiling burst into a glow and illuminated the waiting-room. Voronin fetched something that had once been a broom and swept up. The straw mattresses were brought out and laid on the floor.

I came into conflict with Dušek, he offered me his bed. I lost, I could not help losing. Hedrich jumped up and made the bed. He turned the straw mattress, spread the blanket over, and put Dušek's cushion on the hard pillow.

"Will the lamp be kept burning?" I asked.

"Of course, so that our guard can keep watch on us. At 9 o'clock a bell will ring, and everybody has to go to bed. Of course, only those sleep who want to. We talk, smoke, play cards,—and then sleep in the day-time. Obstinacy is ingrained in the human character. The lamp reminds me. Recently two Englishmen were being taken through Vienna. They had captured them at Salonica and were taking them to Berlin. For the night they had them put here in the military jail. In the evening the lamp began to burn. The officers had undressed and they tried to put it out. It was no use. The elder Englishman, a staff officer, began to bang at the door. The guard asked what he wanted. Bring the superintendent here, ordered the Englishman. At last the warder arrived. This light must be put out, we are used to sleeping in the dark. The warder shrugged his shoulders and said that the lamp must burn. And he went away. The Englishman took a boot, flung it at the ceiling, the lamp was smashed and went out. After a while, an uproar, the warder, the superintendent,—but the Englishman yelled out that he had nothing more to say to them. In the morning the commandant of the jail arrived, the Englishman explained to him briefly and empha-