We went through fine and airy corridors, into which many doors, as of
cells, opened. Occasionally a man or a woman, attended by a male or a
female warder, passed us. The inmates had all the same kind of air--a
sort of amused dignity, which was very marked. Presently our companion
opened a door with his key and we went in. It was a small,
pleasantly-furnished room. Some books, apparently of devotion, lay on
the table. There was a little kneeling-desk near the window, and the
room had a half-monastic air about it. When we entered, an elderly man,
with a very serene face, was looking earnestly into the door of a
cupboard in the wall, which he was holding open; there was, so far as I
could see, nothing in the cupboard; but the inmate seemed to be
struggling with an access of rather overpowering mirth. He bowed to us.
Our conductor greeted him respectfully, and then said, "There is a
stranger here who would like a little conversation with you, if you can
spare the time."
"By all means," said the inmate, with a very ingratiating smile. "It is
very kind of him to call upon me, and my time is entirely at his
disposal.
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