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；　he　had　taken　to　reading　the　Bible；　looking　into　its　pages　for　something　of　that　mind　consolation　that　always；　from　youth　up；　although　rather　casually　in　these　latter　years；　he　had　imagined　was　to　be　found　there。　　The　Psalms；　Isaiah；　the　Book　of　Job；　Ecclesiastes。　　And　for　the　most　part；　because　of　the　fraying　nature　of　his　present　ills；　not　finding　it。

But　day　after　day　secreting　himself　in　his　rooma　little　hall…bedroom　office　in　his　newest　home；　where　to　his　wife；　he　pretended　that　he　had　some　commercial　matters　wherewith　he　was　still　concerned　and　once　inside；　the　door　locked；　sitting　and　brooding　on　all　that　had　befallen　himhis　losses；　his　good　name。　　Or；　after　months　of　this；　and　because　of　the　new　position　secured　for　him　by　Wingate　a　bookkeeping　job　in　one　of　the　outlying　banksslipping　away　early　in　the　morning；　and　returning　late　at　night；　his　mind　a　gloomy　epitome　of　all　that　had　been　or　yet　might　be。

To　see　him　bustling　off　from　his　new　but　very　much　reduced　home　at　half　after　seven　in　the　morning　in　order　to　reach　the　small　bank；　which　was　some　distance　away　and　not　accessible　by　street…car　line；　was　one　of　those　pathetic　sights　which　the　fortunes　of　trade　so　frequently　offer。　　He　carried　his　lunch　in　a　small　box　because　it　was　inconvenient　to　return　home　in　the　time　allotted　for　this　purpose；　and　because　his　new　salary　did　not　permit　the　extravagance　of　a　purchased　one。　　It　was　his　one　ambition　now　to　eke　out　a　respectable　but　unseen　existence　until　he　should　die；　which　he　hoped　would　not　be　long。　　He　was　a　pathetic　figure　with　his　thin　legs　and　body；　his　gray　hair；　and　his　snow…white　side…whiskers。　He　was　very　lean　and　angular；　and；　when　confronted　by　a　difficult　problem；　a　little　uncertain　or　vague　in　his　mind。　　An　old　habit　which　had　grown　on　him　in　the　years　of　his　prosperity　of　putting　his　hand　to　his　mouth　and　of　opening　his　eyes　in　an　assumption　of　surprise；　which　had　no　basis　in　fact；　now　grew　upon　him。　　He　really　degenerated；　although　he　did　not　know　it；　into　a　mere　automaton。　Life　strews　its　shores　with　such　interesting　and　pathetic　wrecks。

One　of　the　things　that　caused　Cowperwood　no　little　thought　at　this　time；　and　especially　in　view　of　his　present　extreme　indifference　to　her；　was　how　he　would　bring　up　this　matter　of　his　indifference　to　his　wife　and　his　desire　to　end　their　relationship。　　Yet　apart　from　the　brutality　of　the　plain　truth；　he　saw　no　way。　　As　he　could　plainly　see；　she　was　now　persisting　in　her　pretense　of　devotion；　uncolored；　apparently；　by　any　suspicion　of　what　had　happened。　Yet　since　his　trial　and　conviction；　she　had　been　hearing　from　one　source　and　another　that　he　was　still　intimate　with　Aileen；　and　it　was　only　her　thought　of　his　concurrent　woes；　and　the　fact　that　he　might　possibly　be　spared　to　a　successful　financial　life；　that　now　deterred　her　from　speaking。　　He　was　shut　up　in　a　cell；　she　said　to　herself；　and　she　was　really　very　sorry　for　him；　but　she　did　not　love　him　as　she　once　had。　　He　was　really　too　deserving　of　reproach　for　his　general　unseemly　conduct；　and　no　doubt　this　was　what　was　intended；　as　well　as　being　enforced；　by　the　Governing　Power　of　the　world。

One　can　imagine　how　much　such　an　attitude　as　this　would　appeal　to　Cowperwood；　once　he　had　detected　it。　　By　a　dozen　little　signs；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　she　brought　him　delicacies；　and　commiserated　on　his　fate；　he　could　see　that　she　felt　not　only　sad；　but　reproachful；　and　if　there　was　one　thing　that　Cowperwood　objected　to　at　all　times　it　was　the　moral　as　well　as　the　funereal　air。　　Contrasted　with　the　cheerful　combative　hopefulness　and　enthusiasm　of　Aileen；　the　wearied　uncertainty　of　Mrs。　Cowperwood　was；　to　say　the　least；　a　little　tame。　　Aileen；　after　her　first　burst　of　rage　over　his　fate；　which　really　did　not　develop　any　tears　on　her　part；　was　apparently　convinced　that　he　would　get　out　and　be　very　successful　again。　　She　talked　success　and　his　future　all　the　time　because　she　believed　in　it。　Instinctively　she　seemed　to　realize　that　prison　walls　could　not　make　a　prison　for　him。　　Indeed；　on　the　first　day　she　left　she　handed　Bonhag　ten　dollars；　and　after　thanking　him　in　her　attractive　voicewithout　showing　her　face；　howeverfor　his　obvious　kindness　to　her；　bespoke　his　further　favor　for　Cowperwood〃a　very　great　man；〃　as　she　described　him；　which　sealed　that　ambitious　materialist's　fate　completely。　　There　was　nothing　the　overseer　would　not　do　for　the　young　lady　in　the　dark　cloak。　　She　might　have　stayed　in　Cowperwood's　cell　for　a　week　if　the　visiting…hours　of　the　penitentiary　had　not　made　it　impossible。

The　day　that　Cowperwood　decided　to　discuss　with　his　wife　the　weariness　of　his　present　married　state　and　his　desire　to　be　free　of　it　was　some　four　months　after　he　had　entered　the　prison。　　By　that　time　he　had　become　inured　to　his　convict　life。　　The　silence　of　his　cell　and　the　menial　tasks　he　was　compelled　to　perform；　which　had　at　first　been　so　distressing；　banal；　maddening；　in　their　pointless　iteration；　had　now　become　merely　commonplacedull；　but　not　painful。　　Furthermore　he　had　learned　many　of　the　little　resources　of　the　solitary　convict；　such　as　that　of　using　his　lamp　to　warm　up　some　delicacy　which　he　had　saved　from　a　previous　meal　or　from　some　basket　which　had　been　sent　him　by　his　wife　or　Aileen。　He　had　partially　gotten　rid　of　the　sickening　odor　of　his　cell　by　persuading　Bonhag　to　bring　him　small　packages　of　lime；　which　he　used　with　great　freedom。　　Also　he　succeeded　in　defeating　some　of　the　more　venturesome　rats　with　traps；　and　with　Bonhag's　permission；　after　his　cell　door　had　been　properly　locked　at　night；　and　sealed　with　the　outer　wooden　door；　he　would　take　his　chair；　if　it　were　not　too　cold；　out　into　the　little　back　yard　of　his　cell　and　look　at　the　sky；　where；　when　the　nights　were　clear；　the　stars　were　to　be　seen。　　He　had　never　taken　any　interest　in　astronomy　as　a　scientific　study；　but　now　the　Pleiades；　the　belt　of　Orion；　the　Big　Dipper　and　the　North　Star；　to　which　one　of　its　lines　pointed；　caught　his　attention；　almost　his　fancy。　　He　wondered　why　the　stars　of　the　belt　of　Orion　came　to　assume　the　peculiar　mathematical　relation　to　each　other　which　they　held；　as　far　as　distance　and　arrangement　were　concerned；　and　whether　that　could　possibly　have　any　intellectual　significance。　　The　nebulous　conglomeration　of　the　suns　in　Pleiades　suggested　a　soundless　depth　of　space；　and　he　thought　of　the　earth　floating　like　a　little　ball　in　immeasurable　reaches　of　ether。　　His　own　life　appeared　very　trivial　in　view　of　these　things；　and　he　found　himself　asking　whether　it　was　all　really　of　any　significance　or　importance。　　He　shook　these　moods　off　with　ease；　however；　for　the　man　was　possessed　of　a　sense　of　grandeur；　largely　in　relation　to　himself　and　his　affairs；　and　his　temperament　was　essentially　material　and　vital。　　Something　kept　telling　him　that　whatever　his　present　state　he　must　yet　grow　to　be　a　significant　personage；　one　whose　fame　would　be　heralded　the　world　overwho　must　try；　try；　try。　　It　was　not　given　ail　men　to　see　far　or　to　do　brilliantly；　but　to　him　it　was　given；　and　he　must　be　what　he　was　cut　out　to　be。　　There　was　no　more　escaping　the　greatness　that　was　inherent　in　him　than　there　was　for　so　many　others　the　littleness　that　was　in　them。

Mrs。　Cowperwood　came　in　that　afternoon　quite　solemnly；　bearing　several　changes　of　linen；　a　pair　of　sheets；　some　potted　meat　and　a　pie。　　She　was　not　exactly　doleful；　but　Cowperwood　thought　that　she　was　tending　toward　it；　largely　because　of　her　brooding　over　his　relationship　to　Aileen；　which　he　knew　that　she　knew。　　Something　in　her　manner　decided　him　to　speak　before　she　left；　and　after　asking　her　how　the　children　were；　and　listening　to　her　inquiries　in　regard　to　the　things　that　he　needed；　he　said　to　her；　sitting　on　his　single　chair　while　she　sat　on　his　bed：

〃Lillian；　there's　something　I've　been　wanting　to　talk　with　you　about　for　some　time。　　I　should　have　done　it　before；　but　it's　better　late　than　never。　　I　know　that　you　know　that　there　is　something　between　Aileen　Butler　and　me；　and　we　might　as　well　have　it　open　and　aboveboard。　　It's　true　I　am　very　fond　of　her　and　she　is　very　devoted　to　me；　and　if　ever　I　get　out　of　here　I　want　to　arrange　it　so　that　I　can　marry　her。　　That　means　that　you　will　have　to　give　me　a　divorce；　if　you　will；　and　I　want　to　talk　to　you　about　that　now。　　This　can't　be　so　very　much　of　a　surprise　to　you；　because　you　must　have　seen　this　long　while　that　our　relationship　hasn't　been　all　that　it　might　have　been；　and　under　the　circumstances　this　can't　prove　such　a　very　great　hardship　to　youI　am　sure。〃　　He　paused；　waiting；　for　Mrs。　Cowperwood　at　first　said　nothing。

Her　thought；　when　he　first　broached　this；　was　that　she　ought　to　make　some　demonstration　of　astonishment　or　wrath：　but　when　she　looked　into　his　steady；　examining　eyes；　so　free　from　the　illusion　of　or　interest　in　demonstrations　of　any　kind；　she　realized　how　useless　it　would　be。　　He　was　so　utterly　matter…of…fact　in　what　seemed　to　her　quite　private　and　secret　affairsvery　shameless。　She　had　never　been　able　to　understand　quite　how　he　could　take　the　subtleties　of　life　as　he　did；　anyhow。　　Certain　things　which　she　always　fancied　should　be　hushed　up　he　spoke　of　with　the　greatest　nonchalance。　　Her　ears　tingled　sometimes　at　his　frankness　in　disposing　o